Sithobelweni folk irked by muddy road
SITEKI – Residents of Sithobelweni on Monday had to get muddy and dirty while trying to pull out a tractor and two buses that were stuck in the mud as a result of the rains.
Pupils from various schools in the area, as well as commuters were inconvenienced, as transport could not take them to their destinations due to the deplorable state of the road.
Appeal
Sithobelweni Member of Parliament (MP) Bhekitje Dlamini has since made an urgent appeal to government to swiftly assist with the tarring of the MR14 Siphofaneni-Sithobelweni public road, as residents under his constituency are having it tough.
The MP said his constituents had been complaining about the bad state of the road.
Despite having brought a number of developmental; projects within his constituency that have been quite instrumental in changing the lives of his constituents for the better, the MP appealed to government to at least assign heavy machinery to the inkhundla to re-gravel the road while prospects of upgrading it into a tarred road were underway. On Monday, the two buses that got stuck were Snokuhle Transport and Mdumiseni that service the Manzini-Sithobelweni route via Mbulungwane and Hlutse. The buses could not
Inkhundla reach their destination after being stuck on the muddy road.
Commuters from the inkhundla who work in Manzini, as well as pupils who school there failed to get to their respective schools and workplaces. A tractor also got stuck at the Mamisa area in the same constituency. Dlamini said the situation was extremely bad, especially in the past few days, due to the rains that had eroded some of the top soil on the road, resulting in huge potholes that have collected water.
The MP said he had received numerous complaints from residents about the state of the road, adding that he shared their pain, hence he was imploring government to act on the issue.
He further indicated that the inkhundla had banked its hopes on the construction of Mpakeni Dam as they were promised that, the roads servicing routes between Siphofaneni and Sithobelweni road and Maloma-Sithobelweni would be tarred.
Complaints
“The complaints are genuine as this is an old road and we are optimistic that the dam project, including the banana farm under the inkhundla will be a catalyst that will play itself to the fore in ensuring that government see the need to tar the road, so that it is accessible to businesses around the inkhundla,” he said.
The MP further reiterated his plea of a heavy machine to be assigned and be stationed at the inkhundla to ensure that the road was re-graveled after heavy rains. He mentioned that the road was busy, due to the fact that trucks from the Maloma and the banana farm within his constituency utilised it on daily basis.
Dlamini also divulged that there were new roads that were being tarred by government.
“It is unfortunate that the rains are pouring in winter, yet at this time of the year is when government gets time to fix some of the roads that were damaged during the summer season. We hope that once the rains subside, government will inspect the affected roads so that they are repaired and re-graveled to enable businesses in the affected communities continue to operate as normal,” the MP said. Minister of Public Works and Transport Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe said it was on government’s plans to upgrade the gravel road into tarred road once funds were available to undertake that project.
“This is a busy road that merges two regions, Shiselweni and Lubombo so upgrading it to a tar is in the pipeline for government. We plead for patience and understanding as government implements such projects with the availability of funds,” he said.