The progress made on the reconstruction of Moshoeshoe Road in Bloemfontein, Free State, was assessed by the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, who stated the road will soon be completed as it is at 95% completion.

"When we intervened, all there was here was rubble, and people using Moshoeshoe Road had lost hope," he said during his visit on Monday, 12 December 2022.

He was in the City of Roses to inspect the roll-out of the Mangaung Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN), also known as the Hauweng project. During his address he said he was satisfied that the people and buses of Mangaung will finally be able to make use of the fully reconstructed Moshoeshoe Road. 

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As far as the forensic report for the IPTN is concerned, Mbalula said it will be released in January, as it was delayed because "some people did not want to cooperate".

"When we receive the report, we will hold those who are found to have stolen responsible," explained Mbalula. At the time of announcing that the project will be investigated, he said his department will be working with the National Treasury to scrutinise the delayed and controversial project where millions of rands have been spent with little results.

He had hoped that the investigation would be completed by the end of September 2022, but that date was later pushed back to the end of October 2022, which has now been moved to January 2023. According to Mbalula, investigators will look into the infrastructure as well as the alleged price inflation of buses purchased for the Hauweng project.

ALSO READ: Minister confirms forensic investigation at Mangaung

With regards to Moshoeshoe Road, this issue goes back a long way. At the start of Mxolisi Siyonzana’s term as Mayor of Mangaung Metro, he outlined his plans for his first 100 days in office, which included completing the reconstruction of Moshoeshoe Road, among other major stalled projects.

He stated at the time that his 100-day plan included the reopening of main roads to ease traffic flow, the addressing of concerns over failed roads, and the detailing of maintenance projects for roads. Residents of Bloemfontein have been complaining about the unfinished Moshoeshoe Road for some time. The completion of the road is intended to help restore community confidence in the municipal leadership.

OFM News