HUMANSDORP- Improved road infrastructure is expected to benefit farmers, businesses and road users following the completion of the 27.4km Humansdorp–Hankey Road rehabilitation project.

Transport Member of the Executive Council (MEC) Xolile Nqatha officially opened the rehabilitated and resealed 27.4km Humansdorp–Hankey Road in the Sarah Baartman District.

The project, completed over a period of 20 months, is expected to improve road safety and facilitate the movement of agricultural produce from the surrounding farming region to markets, in turn supporting local businesses and broader economic growth.

During construction, local residents were employed on the project, while the work also helped build the capacity of local contractors.

MEC Nqatha said the project demonstrated how investment in road infrastructure can yield wider economic benefits.

He also called on the community to protect and safeguard the road, stressing that it was made possible through public funds generated by taxpayers.

Mayor Hattingh Bornman welcomed the investment and commended the completed work.

” I want to thank MEC Nqatha and his team,” he said.

However, Bornman that outstanding maintenance, resealing and upgrading work still needed to be addressed across the Kouga municipal area.

“We will continue to hold the Department accountable until these outstanding issues receive the attention they deserve,” he further said.

Bornman added that the municipality’s formal intergovernmental dispute (a formal process through which different spheres of government resolve disagreements) with the Department had progressed, with senior officials having deliberated on the matter.

“We now look forward to receiving firm commitments and a clear plan of action,” he added.

“We welcome progress, but we will not stop pushing for the road infrastructure our residents deserve,” he concluded.

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