It was on Thursday 5 May 2022 when Ministers for Public Works & Infrastructure (DPWI), Ms Patricia de Lille with Defence & Military Veterans (DOD), Ms Thandi Modise joined by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works, Jomo Sibiya collectively handed over a bridge in the area of Nsimbakazi within Mthonjaneni Local Municipality.
The two national departments mentioned above, including the KZN Department of Transport entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the implementation of Welisizwe Programme. It is an initiative aimed at providing safe access to social facilities and further respond to potential disaster areas in order to avoid emergency disaster situations. The construction of bridges in the province remains a recognition of a nation’s infrastructure. Bridges play a pivotal role as they are better used to connect communities, while also affording a space for wider trading market.
The Welisizwe bridge construction project has created 420 job opportunities, with the inclusion of beneficiaries from Nsimbakazi through Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). The project has further contributed towards the skills development of twenty three (23) graduates, who today remain extremely pleased for being appointed as candidate construction project managers, assistant engineers, and maintenance officers.
Addressing the community of Nsimbakazi, Minister de Lille indicated that: “We are here today to handover a bridge, MEC Sibiya will hand over another two bridges later on in Mtubatuba and uKhahlamba. Those are the three bridges that we have completed. We are planning to build 18 more bridges for KwaZulu Natal Province in this current financial year.”
The Minister thanked the Department of Defence for undertaking technical assessments in identifying potential disaster sites. She further revealed that six additional bridges are needed, where after, MEC Sibiya proved his commitment to the programme by confirming funds for these six bridges.
In light of the recent flooding in the Province, there is a need for another 28 bridges across 11 municipalities that have requested assistance and the Government is working together in ensuring that the people of the Province are provided with much needed support. The deteriorating infrastructure threatens the KwaZulu-Natal communities’ living position and negatively impacts the ability of living a better life. It is acknowledgeable that past infrastructure initiatives often focused on urban and suburban areas while not adequately addressing the unique needs of rural communities.
What is needed today is transportation infrastructure improvement to highways, bridges, railways, dams, harbors and port facilities in the rural communities. However, this may be not the only need to be addressed. Critical needs exist in providing clean water and affordable housing options for rural families, expanding broadband access across rural communities, enhancing the ability to supply affordable, reliable and secure power for the rural economy of KwaZulu-Natal. The government is proud to make a change in peoples’ lives. The deteriorating infrastructure threatens the KwaZulu-Natal communities’ living position and negatively impacts the ability of living a better life.
Reaching such much desired goals will afford the government to remain proud in making significant changes in peoples’ lives in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal.
