Swaziland needs R662m to repair road

Mbabane – Swaziland will
be hard-pressed to meet
the cost of upgrading the
country’s most accidentprone
stretch of highway to
reduce accidents, but at least
a price has been established.
R662 million is required
to rehabilitate the
Malagwane Hill section of
the MR3 highway east of
Mbabane. The switch-back
road is the site of weekly
accidents, one of which one
year ago caused such havoc
that a commission of inquiry
was assembled to quell a
public outcry. One year later
the commission released a
report that did more than
explain the fatal accident
that closed the road. It also
recommended ways to make
the perennially dangerous,
steeply descending portion
of road more user-friendly,
albeit at considerable
expense.
Part of the cost of making
the Malagwane Hill section
of the MR3 safer could
come from savings incurred
from accidents that have
been avoided, suggested the
report.