Dear Portfolio Committee On Transport,
I write to you as a concerned resident of Ward 1 in Mhlontlo Local Municipality and a professional researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). I wish to draw your urgent attention to the longstanding closure of the Langeni Pass Road in the Eastern Cape, a critical transport corridor that has remained inaccessible since 2003.
This road, a vital link traversing the Langeni Forest, serves as the only direct tarred connection between several rural wards in Mhlontlo and surrounding areas, including those around Tsolo. Its prolonged closure has had far-reaching implications for the forestry industry, rural livelihoods, climate resilience efforts, and public mobility.
1. Economic Importance to the Forestry Sector
Langeni Forest is a core production area for the regional timber industry, which supplies national markets and sustains downstream processing such as the timber plant in Ugie, a facility that has received public investment. The road’s closure has severely disrupted timber transportation, raising operational costs and threatening the survival of forestry businesses, many of which are significant employers and contributors to the rural economy. The forestry sector is also a strategic asset in South Africa’s climate change adaptation and carbon management agenda, making its functionality a national interest.
2. Impact on Impoverished Rural Communities
The surrounding communities are among the most impoverished and underserved in the province. Residents rely heavily on the taxi industry, which has been effectively shut down along this corridor due to the road’s impassability. The lack of a functional road has led to livelihood losses, particularly for taxi drivers and informal traders who once depended on this route for income.
Moreover, the closure has left elderly pensioners and other vulnerable groups stranded. For example, to access social grants and healthcare services in Mthatha, residents now have to take two separate taxis, using a long detour via Tsolo, significantly increasing both travel time and costs, costs that many cannot afford on a monthly pension.
3. Climate Vulnerability and Disaster Recovery
It is critical to note that this region was recently hit by devastating storms and floods, including those that affected Mthatha and surrounding areas in 2024–2025. The Langeni Road corridor provides a strategic access route for emergency response, disaster recovery, and climate resilience interventions. Its reopening would substantially improve the government’s ability to service, monitor, and safeguard this vulnerable rural landscape.
4. Urgent Call to Action
Honourable Minister, this is not merely an infrastructure issue, it is a matter of economic justice, social dignity, and strategic national development. I therefore appeal for your urgent intervention to:
• Commission an urgent feasibility and rehabilitation assessment of the Langeni Pass Road.
• Prioritise its reopening within the Provincial Road Infrastructure Programme.
• Engage with relevant departments and stakeholders to align this with broader rural development, climate adaptation, and economic stimulus efforts.
I am available to offer any technical insights or support that may be required. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to your considered response.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Basanda Xhantilomzi Nondlazi
Resident of Ward 1, Mhlontlo Local Municipality