Ludondolo - President Jacob Zuma has honoured the first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, by unveiling the construction of the Nelson Mandela Legacy Bridge, which will link Ludondolo village with Mandela's birthplace of Mvezo in the Eastern Cape.
The 140-metre long and 12-metre wide bridge, initiated by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform as part of its Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP), is being constructed across the Mbashe River. The entire project costs over R120 million.
Speaking to the community after visiting the construction site on Wednesday, Zuma said the bridge was "both a metaphor for, and a tribute to Mandela and his willingness to build bridges between people and between ideas, between young and old as well as between cultures".
"It is, after all, only fitting that we should bring positive change to Mvezo village, the birthplace of the man who changed the world for the better," said the President.
The project was launched in July 2010 and the following year, in July 2011, the President paid a special visit to Mandela at his home in Qunu and presented him with an architect's model of the Nelson Mandela Legacy Bridge as a gift for his 93rd birthday.
During the visit to the site, the more than 120 contractors were hard at work as the bridge is expected to be completed in March next year.
Mvezo is a mountain top village within the Abathembu Kingdom overlooking the Mbashe River, approximately 35km from Mthatha.
According to Zuma, upon completion, the bridge will not only connect Mvezo with Ludondolo village, but also link the community to the busy N2 freeway, and thus reduce the distance between this area and East London, Mthatha and Idutywa by more than 50km.
The project will result in a shortened distance to Qunu village and visitors who wish to visit the birthplace of Mandela will be able to do -- turning Mvezo into a tourist attraction and bringing economic development to the area.
Local residents will also be able to save on transport costs and have ease of access to the neighbouring towns.
Residents currently have to make use of one of only three bakkies that travel to Idutywa daily. The first bakkie leaves at 6am, the second at 6:30am and the last leaves at 7am.
While they also rely on taxis from other neighbouring villages, these taxis are usually full by the time they reach Mvezo. The total fare to Idutywa is R52 return, but with the construction of the bridge, community members will not pay more than R15 return. It is also expected that once the bridge is completed, a taxi rank will be constructed in Mvezo.
The current status of the road makes it difficult for health and other emergency services such as mobile clinics and ambulances to access the area.
But once the bridge is constructed, the community of Ludondolo will have easy access to a healthcare centre that has been constructed in Mvezo. The communities will also have access to emergency health services such as ambulances. The nearest hospital is in Butterworth.
Skills development in the region has also been given a boost as workers on the project have been provided with training in a number of important areas, including carpentry, steelwork, bricklaying and paving.
"I have no doubt that the skills acquired during the bridge and road building process will enable these workers to become more employable in the future, and to access jobs elsewhere even after the completion of the project, and these workers will themselves have easier access to nearby towns," said Zuma.
