Although the bridge and extension road are 97% finished and expected to only be officially completed by the end of June this year, motorists can now make use of Vereeniging Drive.  

Acting Mangaung Metro mayor Gregory Nthatisi said the contractor on site is completing work, such as the bridge's drainage, road markings, and signs.

He expressed his gratitude to the community of Mangaung for its patience while the road and bridge were being constructed.

“I would like to thank the community of Mangaung for being patient with us in opening the road. I can safely say that it is user-friendly but there are light construction activities still taking place.”

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It is understood that over 300 people were employed since the beginning of the project in May 2021, with 118 of the workers being young.

Interim Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Infrastructure and Engineering, Vusi Soqaga, urged cooperation from road users as the project nears completion. “As the contractor on site is busy with the finishing touches, we would like to urge cooperation from all road users to allow them to complete the remaining works.”

The Vereeniging bridge and road are expected to connect the southern parts of Bloemfontein and Oliver Tambo Road directly.

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Nthatisi said they have exhausted the R43 million budget which was allocated and they still owe various contractors.

“We owe Raubex, for instance, around R2 million. The previous company which was here is also owed around R2 million and a few thousand, and the one that completed the construction has been paid in full.” Nthatisi added that there are also other outstanding balances that are not that significant. With regard to the timeline for the payment of the debt, Nthatisi said the municipality has entered into a repayment agreement with the contractors. “We will be paying Raubex over next week. We are still waiting for certificates from others as we would like to settle these amounts before the closing of the financial year,” he concluded.

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It was previously alleged by councillor David McKay that the metro hasn’t paid subcontractors at least R12 million during August 2022.

It remains unclear if the money that is outstanding to the contractors forms part of the reason for the postponements of the opening of the bridge.

OFM News