Frustrated residents from more than 20 villages in the Balethavha area are expected to take to the streets on Friday, 27 March, demanding that government tar the long-neglected D3685 provincial road, which serves more than 50,000 people.
The protest march, organised by the Balethavha Road Forum, will start at Matavhela and proceed to Tshilamba, where community members plan to hand over a memorandum outlining their demands.
For decades, the road has remained a gravel route despite repeated government commitments to upgrade it. Residents say conditions worsen during the rainy season, when large sections become muddy and impassable, isolating communities and disrupting access to essential services.
The road links several villages in the Thulamela municipal area to nearby economic centres and provides a key route to Siloam Hospital, the nearest major health facility for many residents.
Balethavha Road Forum representative Gumani Mpandamedzeni said the march follows years of unsuccessful attempts to get government to act.
“We have been patient for many years. Since 2009, we have been writing letters, attending meetings and submitting petitions, but nothing has changed,” Mpandamedzeni said.
He said the poor condition of the road continues to affect schoolchildren, patients and local businesses.
“When the rains come, the road is washed away and people cannot travel. Learners miss school, ambulances struggle to reach patients and communities are cut off from clinics and hospitals,” he said.
Another community leader, Livhuwani Munyai, said residents had tried to engage government earlier this month without success.
“We even sent an email to the MEC on 9 March explaining the seriousness of the situation, but we have not received any response. That is why the community has decided to take this matter to the streets,” Munyai said.
The Limpopo Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure said it is aware of the road’s condition. Spokesperson Emmanuel Mongwe said plans are being put in motion to address the situation.
“It is one of the problematic roads in Limpopo and we are not folding our arms to address the challenge … In the meantime we are looking at possible temporary interventions such as concrete slabs at identified sections of the road,” he said, adding that tractors had already been deployed, but conditions deteriorated due to heavy rainfall.
“We are waiting for conditions to improve so that we can repair the road as a temporary intervention while we continue to assess the feasibility of a permanent tarred road,” Mongwe said.