The opposition parties’ MPLs, which include Devar Smit of the Freedom Front Plus (FF+), says the party does acknowledge that the farm murders do not only affect white farmers but also black farmworkers.

He says over several years now the party has been calling for the department of Police, Road, and Transport to increase the police visibility in rural areas as part of their rural safety programme.

The EFF leader in the Province, Mandisa Makeseni, says MEC Sam Mashinini's department must make sure the department cater for the needs of poor and vulnerable communities and further deal with the high rate of road carnages on the N1 and N8.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), Karobo Khakhau, says the department needs to deal decisively with the issue of fraud and corruption within the department involving police and traffic officials and further suggested three key elements that can be used to achieve these.

In reply, after his budget vote speech, Mashinini says his department will help local municipalities to make sure that they deal with issues such us unaccessible roads due to their poor state.

He further urged political parties to not politicise the issues of fraud and corruption but rather come forward about the allegations.

Mashinini says he will in the 2019/20 financial year focus his efforts on ensuring that roads that connect the province to other provinces are well-maintained and that those roads that are currently under construction are completed.

During his budget vote speech in the legislature he revealed that some roads in the province have already been completed and these include the Hoopstad to Bultfontein, Wepener to Dewetsdorp as well as the Bothaville to Viljoenskroon roads.

Meanwhile, the DA in the province in September last year raised their concerns with the completion of some of these roads that Mashinini mentioned earlier today, some of which have been under construction since 2016. The DA accused the department of political interference, stating that this was among one of the key reasons why these roads were not completed on time.

Among other plans he has for roads, particularly those in the townships, rural areas and on farms, Mashinini said there would be a revitalisation of township roads so that access to these areas is increased.

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