The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Zweli Mkhize will on 05 April 2019 visit Mbhashe Municipality in the Eastern Cape to handover a R10-million Mpame bridge to communities. The Minister will be joined by the Provincial and Local Government leadership during his visit conveying a message that affirms a caring government that will stop at nothing to make a lasting difference in the lives of communities.

The Mpame bridge is an important infrastructure for the communities in the various Mbashe villages built by the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA) which is a special purpose vehicle established by COGTA to accelerate the delivery and maintenance of infrastructure in Municipalities to enhance better service delivery.

For many years community members who reside on either side of the Mpame bridge had to go through dangerous makeshift means to cross the local river to visit each other, access different community services such as schools, hospitals, clinics, churches and other public amenities. This challenge with Mpame bridge left communities frastrated and in some seasons, this led to fatalities that could have been avoided if infrastructure was in place.

Following these challenges, CoGTA intervened through MISA to construct a bridge that will connect communities in all the eight villages, "Kwa Tshezi, Manzibomvu, Mdikana, Mpame, Mncwasa, Ngileni, Mkhathazo and Manzamnyama" who will now enjoy safe crossing to interact with important government services.

The communities from the eight Mbashe villages recall terrifying stories of crossing the overflowing river having to take off their clothes which stripped them of their dignity.

The lack of a proper and safe bridge made communities to dread rainy seasons as they feared for their lives when they or their children will be crossing an over flowing river.

Issued by: Department of Cooperative Governance