A crucial road construction project linking Morebeng village to Sekgosese in Limpopo has been left incomplete after the contracted company abandoned the site, despite receiving R400 million in payment. The 32-kilometer road, commissioned in 2017, was intended to improve access for several rural villages, including Takalani, and included the construction of bridges to mitigate flooding risks.
Community Frustration Grows
Residents say the unfinished gravel road has become a hazard, damaging vehicles and leaving villages isolated. Motorists report frequent financial losses due to poor road conditions.
“We have been subjected to this road for about 45 years. Contractors come and go, but nothing changes,” said one frustrated community member. “Our vehicles are getting damaged, and we are tired of empty promises.”
Workers on the project claim they were left unpaid when the contractor disappeared in 2019. “They vanished without finishing the road markings or paying us,” said a former site worker. “Now, cars are constantly breaking down—it’s a big problem.”
Government Launches Investigation
In 2022, President Cyril Ramaphosa inspected the stalled project, but construction never resumed. The Limpopo Department of Public Works, Roads, and Infrastructure has now initiated a forensic investigation into the contractor’s failure to deliver.
Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba has ordered the department and the provincial roads agency to appoint a new contractor and hold those responsible accountable. “What happened here is non-performance by the contractor,” a department spokesperson confirmed.
Premier Ramathuba has long warned against poor performance in infrastructure projects, citing delays as a barrier to economic growth. “I’m not going to face my president until that road is done,” he declared.
With R400 million already spent and no completed road to show for it, the pressure is mounting for answers—and action—to finally connect these neglected communities.
