DRT fails cyclists

Date: 06 June 2014 By: Isabel Venter

Cancel or re-route. These were the only two choices left to the organisers of this year’s annual PPC Kremetart Road Cycling Race as a result of the Limpopo government’s failure to fix the Vivo road (R522).

The P&L Hardware Cycling Club, the race organisers, said on Monday that they had to re-route the race to an alternative road and cut the R522 from the race. “The safety and development of cyclists come first,” the organisers stated. They have been battling with the Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport (DRT) for more than six months about this road – which, in the meantime, has been dubbed the “Road of Death”.

One member of the organising team, Mr Stanley Thompson, said on Monday that their decision had been made over the weekend when they had been busy marking the race route. He even showed the Zoutpansberger an SMS that he had received from a DRT employee on Monday, in which a promise was made that the R522 would be roadworthy come Friday, 6 June. “Filling potholes with sand might equal roadworthiness to them [the DRT] but most definitely not to us,” said Thompson.

The Kremetart is normally a one-day road race that is decided over four stages around the Soutpansberg Mountains, starting from Makhado (Louis Trichardt), proceeding towards Waterpoort, then to Vivo and finishing back again in Makhado (Louis Trichardt). 

Apart from the two stages of the 175km race that were supposed to take place on the R522, the 70 km road race would also have been hosted on it.

This road has long since become notorious, however, among motorists of the Soutpansberg for its potholes, overgrown road reserve and stray animals. Recent heavy rains had eroded the road surface even further. Long stretches of road are only suited for one-way traffic. Near the Schoemansdal Environmental Centre, a large portion of the road is still missing after it had washed away during one particularly heavy rainstorm at the beginning of this year.

Rated as one of the best road races in the country among cyclists, the PPC Kremetart Cycle Race will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this coming weekend. For the Soutpansberg, the race attracts cyclists from all over the country. More than 10 000 visitors are expect to flood into the area, meaning millions of rands in income to the local community. (Local income is estimated at over R20 million).

The true impact of the sudden route changes will, in all probability, only be quantifiable after the race. This is in terms of entries and returning cyclists. The online cycling community has been abuzz with mixed feelings since the announcement of the route changes. Some cyclists who are coming to race are outraged, while some look forward to the challenge.

“Suddenly it does not look so nice now … wonder if you guys have any idea how long it is going to take us to finish the last stage. Hope you have enough sunscreen, because I feel like the sun is not the only thing that is going to burn you,” said cyclist Hendrik Beumer.

There were also some cyclists, like Cristle Geary and Sean van Aardt, who said they would never have entered if they had known about the route changes in time. Other cyclists, such as Jacques Coetzer and Philip Fourie, said they were excited to come and cycle, and they thought the new route was going to be awesome.

On the homefront, however, several local organisations that have been involved in the planning and hosting of the Kremetart for years are taking a financial loss because of the route change. One such an institution is the CVO Vivo school, which has been hosting the lunch for the 175 km race. The school itself, which rents out its athletics field for this purpose, has reportedly lost about R10 000 in income this year.

Mr Johan van Dijkhorst from the Schoemansdal Environmental Centre, which would have been the second stop for cyclists along the R522, reported an increase in accommodation bookings at the school this week.  “We are, however, sad about the public exposure that we forfeit as a result of the route change,” said Van Dijkhorst on Monday.

Notwithstanding the route change, the race organisers said that not only would the Kremetart be going ahead as planned on the new route, but the event would also be bigger and better than previous years. “This year marks our 25th anniversary and we are pulling out all the stops,” said Thompson.

The DRT, on the other hand, is clearly in disarray. On Tuesday, Mr Jimmy Machaka indicated that the DRT has been dismantled, following the reshuffling of the Limpopo Cabinet in May. All provincial roads are now apparently the responsibility of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and not the old DRT anymore. Machaka said that he was also no longer the relevant person to speak to regarding the R522. Attempts to contact the new responsible parties were unsuccessful at the time of going to press. Nobody was sure about contact details, or whom to contact.

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

More photos... 

A picture of the Vivo road taken at the beginning of the year. A picture of the Vivo road taken at the beginning of the year. A picture of the Vivo road taken at the beginning of the year.