The OR Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape has assured the Human Rights Commission that it is working around the clock, to ensure that the condition of the roads is improved.
The Commission received several complaints about a lack of access roads in the district, thus infringing residents’ rights to access basic services. The municipality and Transnet were subpoenaed to appear before the Commission, due to their non-participation in a roads’ inquiry conducted by the Commission in November last year.
The historic challenges with the state of roads in the OR Tambo District remain a hindrance for communities in the district. The Commission heard that the local authority is plagued by underspending and having to return funds to Treasury, despite the need to refurbish roads. This is having a negative impact on residents.
“Children cannot realize their rights to basic education. For instance, the roads infrastructure concerns in respect of the Department of Health, we have heard the emergency service vehicles cannot reach patients in time because of the roads infrastructure so that has been the evidence that has forthcoming which leave us to go back and assess all the evidence that we have heard parties,” says Dr Eileen Carter, Provincial Manager: Human Rights Commission.
The municipality attributes the problems to a lack of funds and inadequate resources.
“The cooperation between government, the district is beginning to yield some fruit in terms of the inroads that we are making and also the interventions of the national government, the Department of Public Works, Department of Roads and the army are also on the ground building the bridges. Recently we have been made to make, we give guarantees that all good has been done and the problem especially of bridges is soon going to be a thing of the past,” says Mesuli Ngqondwana, Executive Mayor: OR Tambo District Municipality.
Persistent natural disasters also worsen the situation.
“Talking to those areas that have been destroyed it has assisted but after a few months the disaster will hit again the same that you have maintained it will be eroded, we have such cases,” says Thokozile Sokhanyile, Deputy Executive Mayor: OR Tambo District Municipality.
The municipality recently received an unqualified audit opinion for the first time in 27 years.
Video: SAHRC inquiry into lack of access roads in E Cape under way: Mesuli Ngqondwana
