‘Valley of death’: Is this South Africa’s deadliest road?

‘To date, 33 people have tragically lost their lives traveling on this notoriously dangerous road,’ said the DA on Tuesday.

Sep 6, 2022 - 18:36
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‘Valley of death’: Is this South Africa’s deadliest road?

The Democratic Alliance in the Free State described the R30 Allanridge road as a “valley of death” on Tuesday, 6 September, as dozens of people have died while travelling on the route.

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DA DECLARES R30 A ‘VALLEY OF DEATH’

The DA said the Department of Police Roads and Transport, the Free State Premier and various MECs visited the site and promised to improve it’s quality months ago.

“To date, 33 people have tragically lost their lives travelling on this notoriously dangerous road. This road has been a cause for concern for road users for more than a year.

“The department committed to the speedy repair of this road but, to date, Free State road users are still awaiting the outcome of this commitment,” said Karabo Khakhau, the DA Spokesperson for Roads in the Free State Legislature.

According to the opposition party, the R30 Allanridge is not included in the Department’s budget for 2022/23 financial year and it is also not featured as one of the sites that will be fixed by the Vala Zonke Pothole Filling Campaign.

The Department reportedly said, “we are working on a plan to fix this road” in a Portfolio Committee meeting in the Free State Legislature last week when the DA asked about the status of the commitment.

The opposition party said people are dying while the provincial government works on a plan to fix the R30. “These lives are not mere body counts or statistics for reference. They are lives of children, mothers, fathers, loved ones and community members,” said the DA.

The DA submitted the following questions to Free State Police, Roads and Transport MEC, William Bulwane:

  • What is the status of the project on this road, if it exists?
  • Which companies are involved in this project, if it exists?
  • What is the cost of this project, if it exists?
  • When is the estimated completion of this project, if it exists?
  • Have the families of those who lost their lives on this road been identified? If so, what engagement has the department had with these families?

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