MBABANE – Free traffic flow!
This best describes the situation after the Municipal Council of Mbabane officially opened the newly-constructed Somhlolo Road, which cost E40 million. This is one of the city’s major roads. The road starts from just below the Eswatini Royal Insurance Corporation (ESRIC) building, through to the Eswatini College of Technology (ECOT). The project, which was carried out by Inyatsi Construction, commenced in October last year and was simultaneously constructed along with the Sifundzani Road, which was handed over last week.
Handing over the project, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Prince Simelane said the road was of exceptional quality and its duration was over 20 years. The minister said the road came at an opportune time, especially because the ministry had resolved that all embassies would be built along that road. Prince Simelane said the road had spacious sidewalks, about two metres away from the main road and pedestrians would be safe. The minister said the public was safe even during the night, considering where the country was coming from, the June 29 unrest dubbed ‘Kungahlwa kwenile’ .
He said the Somhlolo Road had a rich history as it was also used by King Sobhuza II when he went to launch Ngwenya Glass Ware. According to the minister, His Majesty King Mswati III also uses the same road when visiting the Nkoyoyo Palace. He thanked Inyatsi Construction, which was responsible for the construction of the road and SwaziMed for establishing a gym facility at Selection Park, which would be used by the public for free. “Gym facilities are very crucial these days as the body requires to be physically fit.”
Prince Simelane wondered where they would get a chief executive officer (CEO), who would fit the outgoing Gideon Mhlongo of the Municipal Council of Mbabane. He stated that they were leaving everything in God’s hands. The minister stated that Mhlongo was everything to the city and wore all hats, including that of manager and CEO, among others. He said what made him successful were five pillars; education with so many certificates, training, experience and calling for the job.
Honour
Making his remarks, Mhlongo said it was his last ceremony as CEO in the city to hand over a project, which was quite an honour for him. He said Somhlolo Road was a major access into and out of the city and formed part of the backbone in economic development of the city. Mhlongo said council chose to prioritise the road among all the calculated activities held in the city. According to Mhlongo, the road was a commercial activity and major spine as it connected churches, provided access to Sandla and other local townships around and businesses. “We see the town growing, hence it was necessary to prepare the infrastructure for the growth,” he added.
He said the road was constructed by Inyatsi Construction from designs and everything else due to the stretch as it was three kilometres long, yet most of their streets were less than a kilometre. Mhlongo stated that as council, they decided to get a specialist to work on Somhlolo Road to design and supervise its construction as they would not have all the time. He added that the consultant was ED Simelane and was managing the road on behalf of council. “This gives me confidence that the road is of good quality and for the next 20 years, the condition will not change,” he said.
Mhlongo said, in addition, they saw the need for a gym facility, which would be accessed at no cost as they were promoting healthy living among the residents. “The objective is that all communities should have recreational facilities,” the outgoing CEO said. He stated that Sandla community had been taking good care of the park, hence they added the gym for them. Mhlongo said they strongly felt that when they continued providing the services, ratepayers would pay and have little to complain about. However, he urged the ministry to also consider giving them a subvention, which would be put to good use considering what they had delivered so far. This, he said, would relieve ratepayers from the burden of digging deep into their pockets.