ActionSA Warns Road Project Faces Delays

ActionSA has raised concerns about the R114 million D4382 road upgrade between Belfast and Justicia, warning that the project is unlikely to be completed by the revised January 2026 deadline.

This follows an oversight visit by the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, joined by the Public Service Commission and other stakeholders, as part of the Taking the Legislature to the People programme. The visit revealed serious delays, with no work taking place on site due to repeated stoppages linked to non-payment of contractors.

Initially budgeted at R114 million, the project has since escalated to R128 million. Despite this increase, progress remains slow. The Department of Public Works has already recorded variation orders amounting to 14 per cent. Treasury regulations state that once variations reach 20 per cent, the project must be re-tendered, which could trigger further delays and costs.

With the rainy season approaching, ActionSA has warned that the partially completed box-cut work risks turning the site into a mud pool, leaving residents in worse conditions. Families living along the road are already facing dangerous deep trenches outside their homes, which threaten their safety and mobility.

The party also criticised disputes over labour rates, arguing that such matters should have been clarified in the tender process. It called for a more effective social facilitator to mediate between contractors, the community and the Department to prevent further disruptions.

ActionSA condemned the Department’s failure to pay contractors, describing it as indefensible. “The community deserves better than half-dug roads, empty promises and wasted millions,” the party stated, adding that public funds must be managed responsibly.

Failure to deliver the project, ActionSA warned, would deepen the suffering of residents and highlight the Department’s ongoing inability to fulfil its mandate.