Construction work on the 3,3 km stretch of Moshoeshoe Street, one of the main arterial roads in Bloemfontein, has been completed.
This was one of the three multimillion rand infrastructure projects the Mangaung Metro Municipality launched after the 2016 local government election.
Construction on Chief Moroka Crescent and Fort Hare Road was completed towards the end of last year.
The iMvula Roads and Civils company was offered the tender to finish the work on Moshoeshoe Street after other companies abandoned work on the project, apparently due to disputes centred on the municipality’s non-payment.
The financially distressed Mangaung Metro had offered a business tender to different companies in its pursuit to widen the three interlinking roads, Chief Moroka, Fort Hare and Moshoeshoe.
These roads are the lifeline of commuters in the oldest sub-townships of Bloemfontein: Rocklands, Batho, Bochabela and Phahameng.
The delay in completing the project was exacerbated by the national lockdown imposed by the South African government in 2020. This drastic measure was an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Many businesses along these roads operate under extremely difficulty conditions as work was prolonged well beyond the deadlines. Motorists, as well as taxis, also suffered the effects.
Construction on these roads formed part of the Mangaung Bus Rapid Transport System, with the Hauweng buses expected to be operational next year.
It emerged in the Auditor-General report that due to the Mangaung authorities’ inability to implement infrastructure projects, conditional grants worth more than R400 million were forfeited.
