Johannesburg - A plan is in the works to develop a ring-fencing mechanism through the creation of a Road Maintenance Fund, says Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele.
"This will set aside funds which will be earmarked for maintenance. One of the critical deliverables we have promised President Jacob Zuma is the delivery of the Road Maintenance Fund," he said.
Addressing transport stakeholders on Monday at the opening of a two-day road construction and maintaince summit, Ndebele said it would not only be about sourcing additional funds for maintenance, but ensuring that existing funds are used for the purpose they were intended for.
"It is also about better management of our roads assets and the advantage of this programme is that it will create thousands of jobs and contribute to the growth of the country's economy," he added.
The total paved and gravelled network at provincial level is 184 816km and 40 percent of the road network has reached crisis point, said Ndebele, adding that the total paved and gravel road network at municipal level is 339 849km.
"We know that our road network is older than the 20-year design life based on information from 64 percent of the roads. What we know however is that our country needs R75 billion investments over the next five years to arrest this decline," he said, adding that this would be addressed through the establishment of an integrated national maintenance programme and rural transport strategy.
Ndebele said the department also identified the lack of dedicated funding for road maintenance, poor asset management and capacity challenges in many municipalities and provinces as the cause of the poor road conditions.
"The biggest challenge with roads is that by the time a problem is visible on the roads surfaces, we are somewhat late with remedial action. On the other hand, a road might be deteriorating without showing the stress on the surface we often do not see the need to do the necessary interventions," he said.
The department's director-general George Mahlalela urged delegates to provide tangible solutions on roads and maintaince.
"We want you to help us with more solutions on our planned rural road infrastructure, job creation and skills development," he said.
Mahlalela said they also wanted to institutionalise rural infrastructure through the establishment of a dedicated agency.
He said a project management team and a unit have been appointed which will drive the programme.
The Rural Transport Strategy is not only about the rural access roads, but will also address rural development challenges such as building of bridges and non-motorised transport facilities, developing and upgrading the rural airport network with a proper road-link infrastructure and services.
Ndebele said South Africa will host a successful World Cup as the country's transportation system will be equal to the challenge of carrying domestic and international soccer fans during the upcoming tourney
