Perilous journey: The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa and local stakeholders recently held a meeting with officials from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport to discuss a solution to the R74 road crisis in the region.
Tourism and hospitality businesses have called on the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) to open the N3 Tugela Toll Plaza gates free of charge to motorists because the alternative route through the Free State and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg National Park World Heritage Site has collapsed in some parts and is perilous to drive on.
The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa’s (Fedhasa) East Coast chairman Brett Tungay said it and concerned members of Drakensberg Tourism had met officials from the KwaZulu-Natal department of transport last week to discuss the crisis over the R74. The road extends into the neighbouring Free State province, where an extensive section of one lane of the route has collapsed.
Fedhasa represents hotels, resorts and other tourism and hospitality establishments across the country.
“The focus of this meeting was to address pressing maintenance issues plaguing the R74 road, particularly the Oliviershoek Pass, which serves as the official alternative route to the N3 when the Van Reenen’s Pass is closed,” Tungay said.
“The primary concern voiced during the meeting was the dire state of the R74 road, which has long been relied upon as a crucial detour when the N3 faces disruptions.”
He said Fedhasa, local businesses and other stakeholders had called for “the immediate opening of the N3 Tugela Toll Plaza gates as it has become abundantly clear that the R74, once considered a viable alternative, is no longer fit for safe use”.
Tungay said issues regarding the R74 that were highlighted at the meeting included:
• One section off the Oliviershoek Pass has caved in and is being kept open by local businesses, while a second section, further up, is close to collapsing;
•The repairs on a bypass on the pass at one large culvert are dangerous and vehicles have already veered off the road. The repairs have been delayed with no attempt to make the diversion safe for all-weather use.
•Culverts between Oliviershoek Pass and Bergville are collapsing and are a safety hazard.
“Local farmers have resorted to erecting warning signs but no action has been taken by the department of transport.
“It was revealed that the [department’s] budget only allows for the repair of two culverts this year, and two next year, leaving the road in an unacceptable condition below the pass,” Tungay said.
“Concerns were raised regarding administrative delays in road repairs, leading to frustration among local businesses and residents who are committed to keeping the road open. Urgent measures are needed to expedite the repair process.”
Tungay said the KZN the department and its Free State counterparts needed to communicate as repairs on the Free State section of the R74 had faced obstacles, while a plan for Sanral to assume responsibility for the R74 had also been discussed as a potential long-term solution.
He said a representative from the KwaZulu-Natal department of transport had provided assurance that repairs on the KZN section of the Oliviershoek Pass would be completed before December.
“However, Fehasa East Coast stresses the urgency of opening the N3 Tugela Toll Plaza gates to encourage traffic off of the R73,” Tungay said.
According to Sanral’s website, fees at the N3 Tugela Toll Plaza are R88 for a light vehicle and R146 for a heavy vehicle with two axles at the main gate, while the tolls at the Tugela East Ramp Plaza are R55 and R91 for light and heavy vehicles, respectively.
The Bergville Ramp Plaza fare is R27 for a light vehicle and R31 for a heavy vehicle.
The managing director at Cathkin Booking and Management Services, James Seymour, said the Oliviershoek Pass is the most picturesque entry point into the Northern Drakensberg and “a core route” to many key tourist attractions of the Eastern Free State, such as Golden Gate National Park and Clarens.
“This key route must be repaired as soon as possible.
“However, it does not stop there. The R74 from Oliviershoek Pass to Winterton and the N3 are shocking. Many tourists have had accidents and tyre blowouts on this route,” Seymour said.
“This is similar to another core route, the R600 [the main road leading to key central Drakensberg attractions such as the Drakensberg Sun, Champagne Castle and Monks Cowl resorts]. A section approximately 10km from Spioenkop Dam is now barely passable due to the extent, depth and number of potholes.
“KwaZulu-Natal and the Drakensberg are also proud to be the location of the highest waterfall in the world, the Tugela Falls. However, the road to the Sentinel car park, the route to the chain ladder and gorge to this internationally renowned landmark can only be accessed now by 4×4 vehicles.”
“This was not the case in the past. The views from the Sentinel car park are far superior to those of the proposed upper station for the Drakensberg Cableway Project. That project should be shelved until the R600, R74 and critical routes to the Sentinel car park are repaired,” Seymour added.
“There will be no demand for the cableway, as tourists will not want to travel to such an attraction due to the shocking state of our key tourism roads. It would make sense to divert any proposed expenditure on the cableway to repair these roads.”
He added that, perhaps more importantly, local communities were also struggling with the poor roads just to get their children to school and the sick to hospitals.
(John McCann/M&G)
The spokesperson for Free State member of the executive council for community safety, roads and transport MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, Zama Sigwebela, said the process for the procurement of a contractor for the repair of the slipped area on the R74 between Harrismith and Oliviershoek was underway.
“The project is currently serving before the Bid Specification Committee and is expected to be advertised by the end of October 2023. The timelines related to the procurement processes will guide the date of appointment,” Sigwebela said.
“The project has a duration of six months for physical work that will commence once the contractor is appointed.
“There are also parallel processes in place to hand this section of the R74 over to Sanral.”
Sanral eastern region project manager Corné Roux said the roads agency had not had any discussions with Fedhasa. He said the R74 was a regional road service by the provincial government.
“Consultations with relevant stakeholders, including the KwaZulu-Natal department of transport, will need to take place to find a way forward,” Roux said.
The department had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.