WATCH | R174 million ‘upgrades’ wasted on risky Waterdal Road

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Waterdal Road remains a safety risk for motorists despite Emfuleni spending R174 million on upgrades, so said Kingsol Chabalala, the Democratic Alliance (DA) constituency head in Emfuleni during an oversight inspection to assess the state of the road on Thursday.

Chabalala said the safety of motorists and pedestrians using this road is at risk because it is in terrible condition and full of potholes despite the millions spent on upgrades.

He further revealed that the oversight visit followed written replies from the Gauteng MEC for Roads, Transport, and Logistics, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, stating that the contractors were paid R34 million each for different scopes of work for upgrading the Waterdal Road.

“We were shocked to discover that there is nothing to show for the millions spent on this road. There are huge potholes, no lights or road markings and the tar is damaged.

“We also question why all the contractors were paid the same amount of money despite having different scopes of work,” he explained.

According to MEC Diale-Tlabela, the contractors were paid to conduct correction and surfacing, road marking, sidewalk speed humps, drainage repairs, shoulder repairs, and maintenance.

“Motorists and pedestrians using this road struggle because of dust potholes, resulting in constant accidents being reported. Unnecessary delays in upgrading Emfuleni roads are risking the lives of motorists and residents.

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“The DA demands that MEC Diale-Tlabela provide a detailed report outlining exactly what each contractor was paid for and the work done. We also demand to know what action will be taken against each contractor,” he expressed.

Chabalala added that they will submit follow-up questions to ascertain the owners of the companies who were paid millions to upgrade the road and the reasons behind the shoddy workmanship.