Tar road construction brings relief to Richmond residents

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17-02-2025
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The Witness
Source

Construction on the short access road is set to begin next week and will take six months.

The construction of the Sheti tar road in Richmond has brought smiles to residents from ward one (Greater Magoda) and ward two (Isilahla, Siyathuthuka, etc.), who will now be able to access town and their homes more easily.

Construction on the short access road is set to begin next week and will take six months. The nearly R6,4 million project was awarded to Ngelizwe Trading and will employ local people.

Before, residents had to take detours due to the poor condition of the road. The drive used to take 30 minutes, but it will now only take 13 to 15 minutes.

“This project will be done in two phases, with construction starting in town and ending at Silahla Sports Ground,” said Richmond Mayor Melikhaya Ngcongo.

He added that the tarred access road will connect with an already upgraded part of the route.

“Even though the demand is higher than the financial capacity we have, we want to assure residents that at integrated development plan meetings, we listen to their concerns,” said Ngcongo.

We recently constructed a bridge here, and to ensure people are not travelling on gravel roads, we had to initiate this project. During the 2023/2024 financial year, residents complained about us not tarring this road. The community is pleased, and this will help motorists travelling from town to Magoda.

Greater Magoda resident Manah Mhlongo said those who use the road as a shortcut are grateful to the municipality for undertaking the project, as it will cut travel costs and time.

Residents will no longer have to take a detour when going to town and back.

Greater Magoda councillor Thabiso Mkhize added that the tarred road would make a huge difference in residents’ lives.