The Democratic Alliance (DA) has requested the Northern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works to provide an in-depth blading report of the Vaalputs road, after revealing that it spends approximately R1.6 million for road maintenance in every blading cycle.
The Vaalputs road, formally known as the R355, connects the road from Springbok to Gamoep and the Vaalputs Radioactive Waste Disposal Site in the Namakwa District.
For years, the DA has warned of the terrible state that large portions of this road are in. The poor condition of the road increases the risk of accidents and potential nuclear spillage, especially during the transport of nuclear waste.
Far too many vehicles have been damaged on this road, and farmers have lost too much for the department to continue turning a blind eye towards securing a sustainable solution for the maintenance of this road.
According to a reply received from the department, the Vaalputs road is maintained through a scheduled monthly blading cycle. The department conceded that the most recent maintenance on the R355 route was conducted in January 2025, focusing on the section between Springbok and Gamoep. They also admitted that flood-related damage was never fixed.
The DA further has it on good authority that the grader, used for blading the road, is still broken and has been parked on a private farm since January.
It is concerning that, despite the critical nature of the Vaalputs road, only parts of the R355 are maintained, leaving other parts of the road neglected. We also fail to understand why the department has never considered paving this high-risk route, nuclear road.
The provincial department’s promise to continue lobbying for funding for the upgrading of this road, rings hollow, as it is increasingly clear that the Vaalputs road is still not a departmental priority.
It is time that the legislature’s portfolio committee scrutinizes the department’s blading schedule, cycle and budgetary allocation, towards the R355 maintenance. The department must also provide details on the estimated costs of paving this road, in comparison to the ongoing expense of ineffectual maintenance and the potential cost of a nuclear spill on the current gravel road.
The DA will continue to put pressure on the department to ensure that it responds with the necessary urgency to avoid an impending life-threatening disaster due to the condition of this road.