Weighbridge project stalls while department searches for land

Date: 25 October 2024 By: Thembi Siaga

The proposed upgrading of the Mampakuil Weighbridge will take longer than expected as the department searches for suitable land next to the N1 for a new weighbridge.

In early 2021, the MEC for the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety, Ms Susani Violet Mathye, announced that R15 million had been allocated to upgrade the facility just south of Louis Trichardt. The project was put out to tender, with a closing date of 3 February 2021. The scope of the work included completing design and construction documentation by August 2021, followed by six months of supervision, with work set to commence in January 2022.

Almost four years later, not much has transpired at the site. The newspaper visited the location last week and observed little activity. Staff are still working from cramped mobile offices, and an old, dilapidated caravan is being used as a guardroom.

One worker, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed frustration: “I started working here in 2008, and we've been using this caravan as a guardroom ever since. It leaks when it rains, and sometimes we find snakes. We've been eagerly waiting for the project to start, so we can have a proper facility.”

The weighbridge is the only one in the area still using a manual weighing system, unlike modern facilities equipped with automated systems. Its current location poses safety risks because of poor visibility from the N1, marked only by a small green sign. The weighbridge relies heavily on traffic control officers to stop trucks. In 2020, a traffic official was tragically killed at the site while attempting to stop a vehicle.

Limpopo Transport and Community Safety spokesperson Ms Tidimalo Chuene stated that the project had been allocated a budget of R25 million, though the actual amount needed would be determined after securing land and completing a scoping process. “Commencement and completion dates will be established once suitable land is found. The current facility’s location is not ideal for development, and we need land near the Elim off-ramp for the weighbridge,” Chuene said.

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Thembi Siaga

Thembi Siaga started as an intern during 2021. He assisted with video photography and editing. He also produced numerous small documentaries, focusing on the Vhembe region and its people. Currently he works as a freelance journalist, covering stories in the Elim area. Thembi studied at the Tshwane University of Technology, where he completed his diploma in Journalism in 2021.