Road levy money used for COVID-19

Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday February 8, 2021 23:03

 

Road levy money used for COVID-19

The heavy rains come during a period where resources are being channelled into the fight against the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The ministry through the Road Fund Levy contributed P600 million towards the COVID-19 Relief Fund. 

According to transport minister Thulaganyo Segokgo, they are concerned about the damages caused by the rains. “We have observed that our roads in their different forms have been affected badly by the rains. Rains are never good for roads. Fixing of roads will not be easy because, despite the allocated budgets,  we need the Road Fund Levy to help in maintaining roads. Unfortunately at the moment, the funds are still low as some were used in the fight against COVID-19 and it (ministry) is still recovering,' he said. 

The Road Fund Levy was introduced as an Act of Parliament allowing for the proceeds of the levy to be used for maintenance purposes. 

Segokgo said even though it is desirable that roads are refilled, funds only allow for filling of potholes, which is a temporary solution. He said there is also a shortage of construction equipment that will be used by the Roads Department under his Ministry to improve service delivery in the maintenance of roads. 

The country has been reporting continuous rains in the past week and in some areas, much longer than that. This has led to the destruction of roads, widening potholes, washing away bridges and in some instances washing away bitumen while those in rural areas could not use their cars as roads were flooding.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Services continues to warn that rainfall amounts of 50mm or more are to be expected over most parts of the country.  They warn that due to these heavy falls, there is the possibility of localised flooding in some places. This can only mean the situation could worsen and more damage done to the roads.