Klein Boesmans River Bridge construction in KwaZulu-Natal: R29 million spent, yet incomplete

The construction of the Klein Boesmans River Bridge in Wembezi, KwaZulu-Natal, is incomplete despite R29 million being spent on the project by contractors.

The KZN Legislature Transport Portfolio Committee conducted an inspection of the site on Wednesday to find the construction area deserted. The project began in 2020 and was scheduled for completion in May 2021.

The committee said that to date, only 65% of the project is completed.

Mncedisi Maphisa, the portfolio committee chairperson, said that according to the contractual agreement, the construction period to complete the job would be 15 months.

Maphisa said the site had since been deserted and there is no progress, which triggered the committee to visit the bridge in a mission to find answers from the provincial Transport Department, municipality, and contractors.

“The committee holds a firm view that these delays are unwarranted and result in unnecessary slow-pacing of service delivery. The first meeting was held at Department of Transport Cost Centre in Estcourt and the delegation then proceeded to Wembezi for physical assessment of the bridge, to be furnished with reasons as to why this project has taken this long to finish, and also to ascertain what the department has in store to ensure that this project is completed,” Maphisa said. 

Riona Gokool, MPL and Democratic Alliance KZN spokesperson on Transport, said there must be full accountability, and that the DA stood with the affected communities to demand that public money be used to serve the public interest, not the pockets of failing contractors and indifferent officials.

“The residents of Zwelisha and surrounding areas deserve proper service delivery. They do not deserve to watch as tens of millions of rand are poured into a pit of incompetence and neglect,” Gokool said. 

She added that this was gross mismanagement, a lack of oversight, and accountability from officials.

“The delays and abandonment have left residents stranded without a critical transport link, cutting off access to schools, health care, and economic opportunities,” she said.

Gokool said the department's internal report reads like a case study in failure. 

“A contractor plagued by cash flow issues, construction delays exacerbated by avoidable mistakes, and an apparent breakdown in contract management and supervision. Excuses such as Covid-19 and weather conditions do not justify years of stagnation, nor do they absolve the department from failing to take decisive action sooner,” Gokool said. 

Recently, the committee inspected the uMdloti River Bridge project in the Ndwedwe area, revealing staggering levels of mismanagement, incompetence, and neglect of a critical infrastructure project, said Gokool.

The committee found that despite construction having been under way for over eight years, only 44% of the work was complete as of April 2025

Construction of the uMdloti bridge has now dragged on since 2016, yet to date, it remains incomplete.

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za