INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Pupils walk along Mdlalose Street facing oncoming traffic rather than on the rough pavement. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu

The long-awaited upgrading of the infamous Mdlalose Street, on which four pupils were killed almost two years ago, will begin this week.

So said the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport on Tuesday after MEC Ismail Vadi apologised for the delay.

The department said the budget for repairing the road had increased from an initial R4.5 million to R5m.

The project to make the road safer was initially announced by former infrastructure development MEC Faith Mazibuko in June 2010. Her announcement came about three months after Andile Mthombeni, Prince Mohube, Mlungisi Cwayi and Phomello Masemola were killed when an alleged drag-racing incident involving Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye and Themba Tshabalala went wrong, with their cars leaving the road and ploughing into the pupils.

As Maarohanye and Tshabalala battle to prove their innocence in court, pressure has mounted on the department over the delay of the project. The department admitted last week it had missed its January target to begin work.

Department spokeswoman Octavia Mamabolo said on Friday the designs for the project, which included the construction of a 2m-wide walkway, were originally to have been completed by May this year.

“The project will now go on open tender in June, with an expected construction date of August, wherein the successful bidder will be awarded the project. The budget is R5m and the increase is due to the required designs,” she said.

However, this all seemed to have changed on Tuesday as Vadi stepped in. Eyewitness News (EWN) reported on Tuesday that he had apologised for the delay.

“It’s a simple failure on the part of my officials and they’re going to have to be accountable for it. I give the absolute assurance that the budget is there and… by the end of the financial year, this project will be well under way,” EWN quoted him as saying.

Mamabolo said Vadi wanted immediate results.

“He called officials into a meeting yesterday (Monday) and told them that no one was leaving the room until the problem had been solved,” Mamabolo said.

“The services of a contractor were sourced and agreed upon yesterday. Our senior engineers and senior staff were on site and the contractor will occupy it on Friday.”

Mamabolo was Tuesday night checking to see if the contractor had been appointed officially. She promised to have the information on Wednesday. - The Star

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