North West gets R60 million road programme

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The North West provincial government has launched a road maintenance programme set to benefit 8 000 poor households.

The programme Itirele, meaning “do it yourself”, is the work of the provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport and will be rolled out across the province in July as part of the expanded public works programme. About R60 million has been budgeted for the programme that will see rural inhabitants earning at least R520 for working eight days.

Work conducted on identified roads will include regular maintenance of drainage systems, felling of overgrown tree branches that obstruct views of the road, removal of litter and weeds, and repairs to minor potholes.

Similar road maintenance programmes have previously been launched in other provinces, and based on their success, the model could be rolled out for large-scale infrastructure development, too.

“We have achieved significant results through similar road maintenance programmes such as Zibambele and Siyatentela in other provinces,” Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele said.

“We will systematise this approach as we build bridges, roads and other infrastructure throughout the country and in the process create sustainable jobs.”