The party warns the collapsing rural infrastructure is strangling the provincial economy and threatening food security. The call was made during a plenary session at the Free State legislature on Tuesday (19/5).

Political parties debated the widespread breakdown of public infrastructure across the province. Members said rural communities face challenges accessing basic services, and local economies are experiencing financial strain.

DA public works, infrastructure, roads, transport and human settlements committee chairperson David Edward Janse van Vuuren said the Free State provincial gravel road network has reached a critical breaking point after decades of neglected maintenance and recent periods of heavy rainfall.

Local municipalities no longer have the capacity or resources to manage the crisis, making direct national intervention a necessity. The collapsing road infrastructure is reportedly hitting the agricultural sector the hardest, which serves as an economic driver for the province.

“When gravel roads collapse, farmers struggle to move produce to markets on time. Input costs rise as vehicles are damaged and transport routes become longer and more dangerous,” said Van Vuuren.

Beyond the economic impact, he states that the roads are creating a humanitarian challenge for rural residents. 

Heavy rains regularly wash away entire stretches of road, leaving school children unable to attend classes, blocking workers from their jobs, and cutting off vulnerable communities from emergency healthcare services.

The portfolio committee on roads and transport highlighted the severity of the gravel roads network crisis in 2025 and requested a disaster declaration, Van Vuuren added. While the provincial department later confirmed the request had been forwarded to the relevant national department, no feedback has been received to date.

“Declaring this crisis a state of disaster would help unlock additional funding mechanisms and expedite procurement and intervention processes needed to restore critical infrastructure before conditions worsen further,” said Van Vuuren.

DA committee on petitions chair Moferefere Jafta Mokoena. Photo: Democratic Alliance Free State

Meanwhile DA committee on petitions chair Moferefere Jafta Mokoena highlighted infrastructure collapse, revealing that the Free State lost an estimated R7bn worth of water over five years due to leaks and poor maintenance, leading to widespread watershedding.

“A government that cannot provide these essential services is failing in its duty to protect the well-being of its people,” said Mokoena

OFM News/Refilwe Bekane sm

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