Great excitement as D959 rehabilitation nears completion

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24-02-2023
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Zoutnet
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Latitude: -23.4012946 Longitude: 29.4179324

Construction of the second phase of the rebuilding of the D959 road between Louis Trichardt and the Makhado Air Force Base will hopefully soon be completed.

The first phase (budgeted at R24 million) started in April 2022 and was finished in August last year. In October, the second phase of the 2,36-kilometre road (which will cost approximately R676 000 in total) commenced, starting from Limpopo Dairy. At the beginning of February this year, construction continued from Madombidzha to the Makhado Air Force Base. The project, which had also created about 50 temporary jobs, is expected to be completed by April this year.

Residents and bus and taxi operators had been raising their concerns about the dangerous road for a long time, saying that reaching the area during the rainy season was difficult. The finalisation of this project has been met with great excitement.

The communications manager of RAL Limpopo, Ms Luyanda Sithole, said that the new road would improve road safety for the residents. “We want communities around the area to allow the contractor to complete the project without interruption, so that road users can enjoy safe roads that are in good condition, making an end to the bumpy roads in the area,” she said.

The chairperson of the Zoutpansberg Community Development Forum (ZCDF), Mr Patrick Sikhutshi, also expressed his excitement over the start of the project. “I am truly delighted that RAL is answering our prayers. The project will help improve mobility and the economic spin-off will improve service delivery. We are also not expecting shoddy contractors to work on the road,” he said.

One of the local taxi drivers, Mr Malindi Munonde, said their vehicles would now be spared from nasty potholes and gravel, and the dust that affected their passengers. “We purchased our taxis through the government’s recapitalisation process, but due to the bumpy and dusty D959 road, our taxis got damaged very quickly. The constant maintenance and other services were very expensive, and because of that, we always ran our businesses at a loss,” he said.