KZN village to finally get tar road after 15-year wait 

By Celani Sikhakhane

The community of uMtshaza village, near the Eswatini-South African border in Jozini, will finally get a tar road after waiting for 15 years.

This “forgotten” community lost hope after the provincial transport department failed to deliver on promises, including building a bridge. 

The bridge was eventually built, but the gravel road remained untarred.

On Thursday, officials from the Jozini local municipality arrived to begin work on the long-awaited tar road.

Mayor Mfananaye Mathe led the sod-turning ceremony at the uMtshaza Bridge Causeway, marking the start of the upgrade. 

Municipality spokesperson Scelo Gumbi said the community struggled without a bridge, particularly during the rainy season when they couldn’t access the town’s schools, clinics, or businesses.

However, after years of inaction, Mathe went door-to-door in the community and eventually raised enough money to build the bridge.

“The road construction should take two months, and Mayor Mathe has promised to come back and officially hand over the finished road before the December holidays,” Gumbi said. 

The rural areas of Jozini often face project delays from the provincial government. 

Last year, the government was criticised for delaying the completion of concrete border walls to prevent cross-border crime between South Africa and Mozambique. 

That R48-million project started in 2019 but is still incomplete.

Pictured above: Mayor Mfananaye Mathe led the sod-turning ceremony at the uMtshaza Bridge Causeway.

Source: Supplied