Barry Streek
The South African road network is in a state of rapid decline due to under- investment, with an accrued backlog for road infrastructure of R37-billion by 1997, according to Minister of Transport Dullah Omar.
The Moving South Africa study, which estimated the accrued backlog, found the annual shortfall for road infrastructure in 1997 alone was R4,7-billion.
Omar, in reply to a question tabled in the National Assembly by Stuart Farrow (Democratic Party), said that for the declared non-tolled national roads which were the responsibility of his department through its implementing arm, the South African National Road Agency Limited (Sanral), the current percentage of disrepair was 19,8% or 1E388km.
“Should the severe underfunding from state expenditure experienced during recent years continue, it is predicted that the percentage of declared non-toll national roads in need of complete reconstruction will grow to 70,6% or 4E944km by 2005.
“With the current trend of decreasing levels of funding (38% reduction for the 2000 budget allocation of Sanral), for the maintenance of the declared non-toll national road network, it is predicted that the time-span will be in excess of 20 years to reconstruct the declared non-toll national road network.
“This period could be shortened to five years, should these roads be reconstructed as toll roads.”
Omar said that rural roads were in varying states of disrepair but these fell under the jurisdiction of provincial and local governments.