PART 2 KPA ACHIEVEMENT REPORT
2.3 Road Maintenance
(a) Road maintenance services delivery strategy and main role-players
Mnquma Local Municipality is one of the authorities for road construction in the area; roads are classified as Access Roads and Urban Streets. The total road network is more than 2 500km. The Municipality is also bisected by N2 whose authority lies with the South African National Roads Agency Limited. The third and the last authority for road construction and maintenance in our area is Department of Roads and Public Works which is responsible for a road network of more than 800 km.
There is Local Transport Forum that is meant to serve as a platform for transport related matters.
(b) Level and standards in road maintenance services
The condition of N2 in the Municipal area is in a relatively good state and one major project conducted in this financial year was the crack sealing. Regular maintenance along the route is periodically conducted.
The Municipality has three teams that are responsible for the maintenance of the Butterworth urban streets however due to the bad condition of the streets, the teams are not able to deal with the streets to the satisfaction of the residents. The Municipality has since taken a conscious decision to appoint a contractor for a period of three years just to restore the conditions of the streets so that the three teams can be effective. For the maintenance of the access road there is only one team that is responsible for grading and gravel patching. The team make use of the following plant, an Excavator, 2 graders, three tip trucks and a pad foot roller. Due to the vast road network, the team is only able to render high level access to road maintenance services.
Provincial roads in our area are performed by the Department of Roads and Transport and their state is appalling especially after the Area Wide Maintenance Contract was terminated. More often than not the equipment is out of order and there is no formal plan for the year which can be used to charge their performance. In the engagements with Department of Roads and Public Works there is a hope that they will come up with a new model that will not be very different to Area Wide in coming year. Due to the non- availability of a plan for the year, the Municipality is not able to input in the setting of targets and prioritisation.
The table below depicts the picture of the roads that were budgeted :
DESCRIPTION FUNDING 2nd
Adjustment ACTUAL VARIANCE
Township Roads EQUI
SHARE 4,054,141 44,005 4,010,136
Plant Lease EQUI
SHARE 1,225,691 143,640 1,082,051
Bible School Access Road MIG 64,300 0 64,300
Willie Bridge Access Road MIG 30,000 28,500 1,500
Kokwe Sonani Access Road MIG 74,785 71,437 3,347
Bongithole Access Road MIG 42,880 0 42,880
Magqudwana Phase 2 MIG 2,521,414 2,081,734 439,680
Gxakhulu Access Road MIG 1,550,000 41,864 1,508,136
Rwantsana Access Road MIG 1,385,688 41,864 1,343,824
Mthawelanga Access Road MIG 2,312,784 1,712,784 600,000
Magiqweni Access Road MIG 1,539,078 861,071 678,007
Seku Access Road MIG 75,000 0 75,000
KwaMagodla Access Road MIG 84,355 0 84,355
Holela Access Road MIG 131,351 101,351 30,000
Qoboqobo Access Road MIG 2,255,630 2,196,105 59,525
Izagwityi Access Road MIG 70,000 48,499 21,501
Dyushu - Cerhu Access Road MIG 929,363 697,508 231,855
Bongoza via Mpenduza to Ngozana MIG 2,965,895 2,525,851 440,044
Zangwa to Mzitheni Road MIG 75,000 0 75,000
Ngquthu Access Road MIG 3,396,450 3,242,228 154,222
Lengeni MIG 150,000 112,832 37,168
Kwa L MIG 1,696,215 840,940 855,275
Sezela Nontshinga Access Road MIG 974,423 902,960 71,462
Hili Hili Access Road MIG 30,000 0 30,000
Ngcwazi Access Road MIG 2,674,247 1,083,345 1,590,902
Xilinxa Access Road MIG 185,694 85,694 100,000
Zwelandile Access Road MIG 170,000 138,567 31,433
Godidi Access Road MIG 2,501,580 1,081,709 1,419,872
Takazi Access Road MIG 2,578,055 924,194 1,653,861
Mdange Access Road MIG 210,000 167,866 42,134
Lower and Upper Mchubakazi MIG 0 0 0
Coloured/Zitulele/Msobomvu Roads MIG 0 0
Mgobozweni Access Road MIG 100,000 65,020 34,980
Ematyeni via Ibika Road MIG 457,950 0 457,950
Booi Farm Access Road MIG 65,000 0 65,000
Vuli Valley Surfaced road MIG 964,188 960,669 3,520
Ciya Access Road MIG 3,851,282 1,635,690 2,215,591
DESCRIPTION FUNDING 2nd
Adjustment ACTUAL VARIANCE
Gcina Esingeni Access Road MIG 411,233 366,233 45,000
Nyidlana Access Road MIG 1,427,708 70,450 1,357,258
Cwebeni Access Road MIG 100,000 66,845 33,155
Plant Lease EQUI
SHARE 315,900 290,600 25,300
Busila Access Road MIG 700,000 549,762 150,238
Qima Access Road MIG 658,537 75,428 583,109
(c) Major challenges in road maintenance services and remedial actions
The major challenge in relation to road maintenance is absence of a dedicated funding for maintenance from the National Government for poor Municipality like Mnquma. The little that the Municipality is using is from rates and taxes which is too small for the magnitude of the road network the Municipality has. There is also a challenge of resources both labour and capital due to the issue of funding as highlighted above. This situation is exacerbated by the culture of non- payment from the residents.
Mnquma Local Municipality has earth moving machinery which is used to attend to the
maintenance of the Municipal Roads.The kind of earth moving machinery that the Municipality has includes two graders, an excavator and a padfoot roller.Due to budgetary constraints the
Municipality does not have a lowbed or a transporter of its own and relies on outsourcing.
The process of preparing orders for sourcing a transporter takes its time which at times negatively affects the speed of service delivery.The Municipality is contemplating purchasing its own Lowbed if finances permits.
Mnquma Local Municipality Council took a resolution in 2008 to approach South African National Road Agency Limited (SANRAL) to conduct a feasibility Study for the Construction of N2 By Pass in Butterworth.South African National Road Agency Limited accepted the Municipal request and invited bids from Service Providers and when SANRAL was adjudicating the bids, the Kwazulu Natal High Court passed a judgment that the Supply Chain Regulations regarding the adjudication of bids was in conflict with Preference Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA)and as such cannot be used for the purpose of awarding points.
The award of this bid was therefore delayed due to the fact that supply chain management regulations were used as a criteria for adjudicating the bid until the appeal was heard.Finally appointment was made to PD Naidoo Engineers IN 2010 and the study is supposed to be completed in May 2011.Interactions have occurred between the Engineers and the Municipality whereby information was exchanged.
The Municipality is also in discussions with the Department of Roads and Transport for the sharing of capital resources through Memorandum of Understanding. Also the resolution of the appointment of a well-established contractor for a period of a three years to restore and maintain the township roads may alleviate the situation.