Provincial roads office collapsing in front of everyone’s eyes

The Free State has a notorious reputation for its roads, yet a provincial office tasked with improving its road network is in disarray.

After attempting to operate for a year without power, the office located in Winburg in the Masilonyana Local Municipality, went up in flames after vandals took advantage of the under-capacitated site.

Now, the facility that provided an income for around 80 households remains closed due to fire damage. theft, vandalism, and other service delivery woes.

“Criminals took advantage of the site because they knew it was operating against all odds for a long period of time. Only kept open by a handful of passionate people,” said DA councillor Brun Rossouw.

Before the blaze, Newsday visited the site, where ironically, the roads leading to the offices are themselves in tatters.

When we arrived, there was a very small but dedicated and passionate fleet of staff on site, that were up against all odds.

Prolonged power and water outages stifle the work that the office staff can do. Newsday recently reported on how service delivery woes are bringing the municipality to its knees.

While many worked from home after the power to the facility went out in January 2025, some still came in to try and get things done.

Rossouw said that the question of responsibility, whether it lies with the roads department for not paying their municipal bills or with the municipality for not connecting the electricity, remains unresolved, leaving the blame open to question.

“I cannot over-emphasise how we had pleaded with them to intervene, but nothing. Absolutely nothing,” said Rossouw.

The site before the vandalism and blaze

Maintenance vehicles sat idle and deteriorating, with the one mechanic unable to nip the growing backlog in the bud.

Large buildings remained empty, their metal shutters firmly closed and long rusted, a symbol of a bygone era of a once-working facility, falling victim to vandalism and becoming a home for pigeons.

These building then fell victim to the blaze.

“I pleaded with them over and over again to also turn the buildings into a training centre for our unemployed youth. Nothing. I was just met with silence,” said Rossouw.

Road signs also lined the property, signs of tenders that never met their end objective to make the roads safer.

Additionally, hoards of Sealmac, used in road maintenance and rehabilitation to create waterproof, stress-relieving barriers that extend pavement life, can be found throughout the property, unlikely to end up in their intended destination.

“This used to be an incredible facility, with a large number of people contributing to bettering the state of the province. Now, it’s a massive ghost town where tenders come to die,” one employee told Newsday at the time.

This facility, which was withering away, had a critical job, but was not given the necessary attention it needed by officials at the top.

In an investigative report published by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), it noted that road infrastructure across the Free State is in a state of severe deterioration and neglect.

The investigation noted that the province is characterised by pervasive potholes and ageing surfaces that have, in some instances, become completely untraversable.

The SAHRC highlights that the decay of the road network is not merely an inconvenience but a systemic failure that compromises public health access, hampers emergency services, and stifles economic development.

A provincial roads office is set out to deal with this. responsible for the planning, design, construction, maintenance, and management of the provincial road network.

Their core functions are to ensure safe, accessible, and sustainable transport infrastructure within a specific province. 

However, one drive around the area shows that there is much left to be desired.

“It is a very, very sad day for a small town like Winburg, where unemployment is at a high level. I still believe the place can be saved and used as a training centre…the potential is there,” said Rossouw.

Newsday repeatedly contacted the Free State Department of Transport and Roads for comment, but did not receive a response by time of publication. Comment will be added if received.