Willies Mchunu
Nongoma – KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport Willies Mchunu officially opened a R9 million vehicle bridge at Vuna, in KwaNongoma as part of the provincial government massive rollout of road infrastructure in the Zululand District.
Mchunu said work was already underway to link key towns in the Zululand District with a view of opening them up for the most needed economic opportunities. He said a total of R715 million has been set aside for this purpose through to 2015.
This massive road infrastructure programme, according to the MEC, is key to the District’s economic development as it links important tourist towns of Ulundi, KwaNongoma and uPhongolo, which are rich in Zulu history and culture.
He revealed that a number of projects are at advanced stages of implementation while others are still at a planning stage and scheduled for completion in the next three financial years.
Mchunu said that since 2003 to 2012, a total of R618 million has been invested in the construction and upgrading of road infrastructure including the construction of pedestrian and vehicle bridges in Zululand.
He said for the 2013 to 2015 period, a total of R715 million has been set aside as part of the consolidation of this massive road infrastructure upgrade in the Zululand area. This brings the total investment in 12 years to R1.3 billion in the district.
Key among the projects currently under way is the 95 km P700 linking the historical town of Ulundi with the port town of Richards Bay.
Others include the construction of a 50km P535 road linking the historical town of KwaNongoma with KwaHlabisa.
KwaNongoma is currently the seat of the Zulu Royal House with several palaces of reigning monarch, King Zwelithini, located around it.
Another multi-million rand P49 road linking KwaNongoma with the farming town of Vryheid is currently under construction.
Care is also being taken to ensure that the cultural and historical important palaces such as eNyokeni were easily accessible to the tourists. In pursuance of this, a total of R24.3 million is being utilised to construct four bridges on the road leading to this palace.
“This massive expenditure is in line with our commitment to open up the province particularly the rural towns to economic activity, promote integration, create much needed jobs and eradicate poverty,” he said.
He mentioned that even with limited resources the department is striking a delicate balance between maintaining the existing road infrastructure and constructing the new road network.
Last month, MEC Mchunu tabled a transport budget of R8.8 billion for the 2013/14 financial year. – SAnews.gov.za
[…] Nongoma – KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport Willies Mchunu officially opened a R9 million vehicle bridge at Vuna, in KwaNongoma as part of the provincial government massive rollout of road infrastructure in the Zululand District. Mchunu said work was already underway to link key towns in the Zululand District with a view of opening them up […… KZN News and Information» News […]