BUFFALO CITY- After years of perilous river crossings that cost lives and cut off villages during floods, three Welisizwe bridges inspected last week now promise reliable access to schools, clinics and towns.
Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Sihle Zikalala said on 05 September 2026.
Zikalala led an oversight visit to Qaga, Eluphondweni and Potsdam in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) to check progress on the national Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme, launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022 State of the Nation Address(SoNA).
“We must connect communities through Welisizwe bridges so people can get to school, to towns and to medical centres,” he said.
The programme carries a R3.6-Billion allocation over three years for six provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West.
According to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure , the Eastern Cape Province had a target of completing 51 bridges and to date, 54 bridges have been completed while 14 bridges are currently under construction.
Deputy Minister said the figures underline a rapid push to replace washed-out or makeshift crossings that left rural residents stranded and emergency services blocked during heavy rains.
“We would like to thank BCMM, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and Public Works, both national and provincial for the leadership here,” Zikalala said.
He framed the programme as corrective infrastructure.”It is essential for us to provide what was denied to rural areas under colonisation and apartheid. Historically, investment favoured white communities. Government is now correcting that injustice,” he said.
While welcoming SANDF support, Zikalala warned that the presence of soldiers should not be the long-term solution.
“This project did not suffer theft and extortion because SANDF engineers and soldiers were present,” he said. “But no bridge should require military protection. We call on the South African Police Service and local communities to safeguard these assets.”
Furthmore SANDF Project Manager for Welisizwe Bridges in the Eastern Cape, Captain Ramekiwa David Lephondo, gave a technical update stating that Qaga is complete, Eluphondweni sits at about 65% and Potsdam was inspected during the delegation’s visit.
“Despite challenges, we have pulled through,” Lephondo said, noting that SANDF engineers have been central to construction and oversight.
The human stakes were clear from residents’ testimony. Local resident from Potsdam Mkhukhu village, Masande Gom, said that the old bridge was too low and regularly submerged, forcing children to miss school and preventing ambulances from reaching patients.
“We are grateful to government for this bridge. Our children can now go to school safely, and ambulances can reach people in crises,” Gom said.
In addition, Gom emphasised that police were also unable to respond during emergencies when the river flooded.
Another local resident from Qaga, Lusapho Gotho, stated that in 2022 a collapse claimed three lives.
“We don’t have a school or clinic. This bridge will make it easier to access services and travel to town even in heavy rain,” Gotho said.
While MMC for Spatial Planning in Buffalo City, Cllr. Zininzi Mtyingizane, billed the inspection as proof of effective intergovernmental coordination. Mtyingizane said departments worked together to stop the pattern of washed-away roads and collapsed bridges.
Zikalala added that the Welisizwe initiative includes social facilitation to prioritise local suppliers and create jobs, discouraging outside subcontractors at the expense of community firms.
As construction continues, he said the focus will shift from emergency protection to durable local stewardship, ensuring bridges are maintained, protected and integrated into broader rural development so KuGompo residents can travel safely year-round.
Courtesy of IMAGES: SANDF
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