The N1 near Polokwane in Limpopo became a hive of activity yesterday when members of the Economic Freedom Fighters blockaded the road as they wanted action to stop the carnage.

They held peaceful protests as they demanded the completion of the road between the city and an entertainment venue, situated about 5-km south of Polokwane.

The road has taken the lives of many people due to accidents. EFF members, mostly wearing red t-shirts, blocked the road leading into and out of the city as they demanded the construction project to be completed to ensure the smooth-running of traffic. The protests attracted the attention of provincial MEC for roads infrastructure Nandi Ndalane and a senior official from the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), who came to witness the action. In the presence of a heavy police contingent, the party members left their cars on the road, causing traffic to be at a standstill for almost two hours. They complained about the failure Sanral to complete a road project which was supposed to come to an end next month. The R650 million project started in June last year, but is incomplete and causing a lot of traffic congestion because only one lane is in use.

EFF provincial chairperson Jossey Buthane said they were concerned that the festive season was approaching and that a lot of cars would be expected to make use of the road.

“This road has caused many deaths in the past and we cannot afford to allow a situation where the lives of people are put at risk because the contractor is not finishing his work,” said Buthane.

He said they wanted the contractor to be relieved of his duties and that a new contractor be appointed to complete the road.

According to Sanral's head of stakeholder relations, Siphiwo Mxhosa, the contractor had a financial problem and had gone through a business rescue. He said the process had been completed and that work would resume in February next year.

“Full-blown work on the project will resume in February next year as the challenges have been resolved and we hope that the project will be completed next year,” said Mxhosa, who added that more than 85% of the project had been completed. He said they would work with the police, traffic officers and the company to make sure that proper signs were put to avoid accidents on the roads during the festive season.

Buthane said they would adopt and wait and see attitude and that should they realise that no work resumes in February they would conduct another blockages.

More than 40 people died on the N1 road between Polokwane and Pretoria and Buthane said part of the causes of the deaths were the incomplete projects “which end up causing obstruction to motorists and thereby leading to accidents.”