Signed by Infrastructure South Africa, the Free State provincial government, AgriSA, and Agbiz, the agreement established a structured framework to identify and prioritise the repair of rural roads in the Free State. Minister of public works and infrasructure Dean Macpherson officiated at the agreement. 

“As the Free State serves as the breadbasket of South Africa, the province is the ideal location to pilot this programme in support of farmers and to improve the efficiency of their operations,” said Macpherson.

Roads in the Free State carry high volumes of agricultural freight. Photo: Pexels

“We thank the provincial government for its collaboration and support as we implement this programme. We know that if farmers succeed, South Africa succeeds, and we believe this pilot is a critical first step in ensuring that farmers have the infrastructure necessary to thrive.”

Provincial road corridors that carry high volumes of agricultural freight and have a significant economic impact will be identified for maintenance and improvement. The initiative, which was born out of conversations he had with Agricultural Chamber CEO Theo Boshoff and Agriculture SA CEO Johann Kotzé at Nampo last year, will play an important role in supporting farmers in the Free State, Macpherson said.

By using data supplied by AgriSA and Agbiz to identify high-volume corridors where investments will have the greatest impact, the initiative will help drive economic growth and sustain job creation within the agricultural sector, which holds significant potential to create thousands of new employment opportunities.

Minister of public works and infrasructure Dean Macpherson. Photo: X

“With this initiative from Infrastructure South Africa, in partnership with AgriSA and Agbiz,” Macpherson said, “we will be able to calculate the economic impact of roads that carry high volumes of agricultural output in the Free State, and demonstrate how much costs can be reduced if those roads are improved and rehabilitated.”

It will help all spheres of government direct infrastructure investment towards roads with the greatest potential to reduce logistics costs for farmers, which in turn will help lower costs for consumers. “By working closely in road infrastructure projects, farmers’ operations can be supported,” he said. 

“When rural roads fail, farmers carry the burden first. Higher transport costs reduce profitability, limit reinvestment into farms, and ultimately threaten the sustainability of agricultural businesses.”

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OFM Agri/Isabel van Tonder mvh