The ANC welcomes the completion of the R87 million bridge at Mankele, which has created a vital link between the villagers and the outside world. It has modernised travelling for the people of Mankele in Limpopo. Before the completion of this bridge, the rural villagers were cut off from the neighbouring villages of Mamogolo and Penge, and from the rest of the world, by the notorious overflowing of the Lepelle River, formerly known as the Olifants River. They had to risk life and limb to cross the river in an unsafe, makeshift cablecar, which the villagers call a segwaigwai. With the construction of the bridge, the lives of people in Mankele have changed for the better and the new bridge has opened up new development and opportunities as taxis and buses become available to the villagers.
This initiative is part of the ANC's mandate to take service to all the areas where people live, especially rural areas, and of its commitment to modernise the countryside and bring dignity to rural dwellers through rural development programmes. Similar projects should be emulated in other remote areas.