South Africa must attract investors through the development of infrastructure, says Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele.
“Infrastructure must attract investors into our country,” Gungubele said during an oversight visit to the Musina Ring Road construction site in Musina, Limpopo on Monday. The R640-million construction of the Ring Road from Musina South to Musina North commenced in December 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2022.
Once completed, the Musina Ring Road will divert traffic from the N1 in town by providing a bypass around town. Gungubele said infrastructure development is another way of addressing unemployment, inequality and poverty.
“We want to ensure that the investors both in our country and outside the country invest in our country.”
The Minister added that the project was part of a bigger one that had created no less than 300 jobs for locals.
“When this project is complete, it will make sure that mobility in the South African side continues uninterrupted.”
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) Chairperson, Themba Mhambi, said the agency’s mandate was to develop national roads.
He said most roads had deteriorated and were in need of improving, adding that as part of the strategy to ease congestion in the cities, ring roads are being developed.
A truck driver, Tendai Kudzinga, who frequently travels to South Africa to deliver goods, told SAnews that the project will make manoeuvring in the Musina town easier.
“With a big truck it takes time to manoeuvre in this town as there are too many cars that you have to share the road with,” Kudzinga said.
It is estimated that over 1000 heavy vehicles use the N1 road and pass through the Musina City Center on a daily basis.
The new Musina Ring Road will ease congestion between Musina and the Beitbridge border post, which is a gateway to many other Sothern African Development Community (SADC) countries that trade with South Africa, such as Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The construction of the Musina Ring Road forms part of the government’s infrastructure projects programme, which is part of the overall Economic Recovery Plan that seeks to create employment opportunities across various sectors and communities. – SAnews.gov.za
