Dear Minister Barbara Creecy,

I write to you in my capacity as a concerned resident and road user of the South Coast region, specifically affected by the ongoing crisis surrounding the emergency repairs to the Mzimkulu River Bridge and the associated refurbishment of the R102 in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal.

These critical infrastructure projects, under the oversight of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, commenced in March 2025 with an original completion target of October 2025. Regrettably, progress has been severely hampered by non-payment to contractors, leading to work stoppages. Reports and community observations indicate that only a fraction of the R102 refurbishment—rumoured to be as low as 8%—has been completed, allegedly due to sub-standard workmanship by the appointed contractor(s).
The revised completion date has now been extended to October 2027, representing an unacceptable additional delay of 21 months.

Compounding this hardship, the temporary toll waiver at the Oribi Toll Plaza (which provided essential relief for local motorists diverted onto the N2 during the bridge closure and roadworks) was lifted in October 2025. Residents and businesses are now forced to endure severely degraded conditions: navigating unfinished gravel detours, an incomplete and hazardous bridge structure, and ongoing single-lane or stop-go traffic disruptions. This situation inflicts daily economic, social, and safety burdens on the Port Shepstone community, including increased travel times, vehicle damage, heightened accident risks, and restricted access to essential services, employment, and education.

This protracted failure constitutes a serious dereliction of duty by the relevant authorities. The government— at national, provincial, and local levels—bears a clear constitutional and statutory obligation to ensure the provision and maintenance of safe, reliable public infrastructure, particularly roads that serve as vital arteries for mobility and economic activity.

Key legal and policy imperatives that must be upheld include:
Section 195 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which mandates that public administration must be accountable, promote efficient service delivery, and respond to public needs without undue delay. The extreme extension of these works violates the principles of prompt, efficient, and accountable governance.
Section 33 of the Constitution, guaranteeing just administrative action that is lawful, reasonable, and procedurally fair. The handling of contractor payments, quality oversight, and timeline extensions appears neither reasonable nor fair to affected communities.
The overarching principles of Batho Pele ("People First"), which require all spheres of government to deliver services that are accessible, reliable, and of acceptable quality, with mechanisms for redress when failures occur.
Broader obligations as road authorities under provincial transport frameworks and national policy (including the Roads Policy for South Africa and related legislation), which impose a duty to plan, construct, maintain, and rehabilitate roads to ensure public safety, mobility, and protection of public investment. Delays of this magnitude, coupled with poor quality and payment disputes, breach these responsibilities and expose users to foreseeable harm.

The indefinite postponement to 2027 is intolerable and risks further escalation of community frustration, economic losses, and potential safety incidents.

We insist on your immediate ministerial intervention to:
Investigate the causes of the delays, including contractor performance, payment disputes, and quality issues.
Enforce corrective measures, such as acceleration of works, replacement of underperforming contractors if necessary, and transparent reporting on revised realistic timelines.
Reinstate the full toll waiver (or equivalent rebate) at the Oribi Toll Plaza forthwith, and maintain it until both the Mzimkulu Bridge repairs and R102 refurbishment are fully completed to a satisfactory standard, thereby alleviating the financial and practical burden on local road users who have already suffered excessively.

Failure to act decisively will only deepen public distrust in government institutions and undermine the constitutional commitment to equitable service delivery.

I request a formal written response within 14 days outlining the steps your office will take, including any directive to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport. I am available for further discussion and can provide additional community input if required.

Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter of significant public importance.
Yours sincerely,