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R190m road to be built in Oliver Tambo’s name

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Thandiswa Marawu. Picture: Charles Pullen
Thandiswa Marawu. Picture: Charles Pullen

The Eastern Cape government will build a R190 million road in recognition of the role played by the longest serving ANC president, Oliver Tambo.

Eastern Cape ANC secretary Oscar Mabuyane said the construction of a 13km road in Nkantolo village – Tambo’s birthplace – was a welcome development given the sacrifice the struggle stalwart made for the liberation of South Africa.

The village is in the Mbizana Local Municipality.

The road will cost at least R14.6 million per kilometre.

“It’s basically long overdue; we should have done it a long time ago. OR Tambo is really the father of the democracy we are enjoying today. Acknowledging his birthplace was the right move by the government,” Mabuyane said.

Thandiswa Marawu, MEC for roads and public works, participated in a sod-turning ceremony in Nkantolo this week.

The road is scheduled to be completed by May 2018.

The scope of the work includes the surfacing of the gravel road, construction of concrete sidewalks to a width of 1.2m, the precasting of 20 concrete bus bays and fencing on either side of the road.

Once completed, the road will provide easy access to Nkantolo village and the OR Tambo Garden of Remembrance.

Marawu said hundreds of jobs would be created, and a number of small and medium-sized businesses in the area would also benefit from the project.

Except for the OR Tambo Garden of Remembrance, Nkantolo, a rural village outside Bizana, has not been given much attention. On the other hand, Mvezo and Qunu, where former president Nelson Mandela was born and raised, have been developed.

Over the years, much has changed in Mvezo and Qunu, including the construction of a bridge and road to Mvezo from the N2 near Mbashe.

President Jacob Zuma opened the R100 million Mandela School of Science & Technology and the R30 million Makgatho Lewanika Primary School in Mvezo in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

In Qunu, the government built a state-of-the-art museum, the R5 million Nelson Mandela No-Moscow Primary School and the Qunu Multi-Purpose Community Centre.

Mvezo and Qunu have also received basic services, including water, sanitation and electricity.

In October 2014, residents of Nkantolo staged a service-delivery protest and lit fires in the OR Tambo Garden of Remembrance, damaging the property.
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