The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the Agriculture Rural Roads Revitalisation Pilot Initiative, launched today by Minister Dean Macpherson in the Free State as a practical and much needed step toward strengthening the province’s agricultural economy.
Agriculture is fundamentally a logistics-driven sector. Farmers depend on reliable rural road networks to move inputs to farms and transport produce to silos, abattoirs, packhouses, and markets. Rural roads in South Africa have been allowed to deteriorate to a point of near collapse by the previous ANC ruled government. The cost of this has unfortunately been borne directly by farmers (and farm workers through fewer opportunities) through higher vehicle operating costs, increased travel times, delayed deliveries, and damage to produce. The negative impact on economic growth and jobs has been immense.
This initiative, launched by a DA appointed Minister, rightly recognises that improving road conditions will reduce transport costs and travel time for heavy freight vehicles that dominate our roads. For the Free State, one of South Africa’s key agricultural provinces, this has the potential to significantly enhance farm efficiency, lower input costs, and improve the competitiveness of producers.
Better rural roads will:
- Improve farm-to-market access for producers
- Reduce spoilage and losses for perishable agricultural goods
- Lower vehicle maintenance and fuel costs for farmers and transporters
- Strengthen the reliability of agricultural supply chains
- Support emerging and rural farmers by improving access to markets
Critically, the modelling approach used in the project highlights the broader economic multiplier effect of infrastructure investment, demonstrating how improved logistics stimulates growth in the agricultural sector in its entirety. This means that the benefits extend beyond farms to job creation and rural economic development across the province.
For the Free State in particular, where agriculture remains a cornerstone of economic activity, the revitalisation of rural road networks will directly support grain and livestock value chains that rely heavily on bulk and time-sensitive transport.
The DA further notes that the real transformative impact of this initiative will be realised if it is successfully scaled and rolled out nationally. Across South Africa, failing rural infrastructure continues to undermine agricultural growth, increase food production costs, and weaken competitiveness.
A national rollout of a similar rural roads revitalisation programme would have profound positive effects, and we eagerly await the successful rollout of this pilot, followed by a national implementation.
Infrastructure is one of the most effective enablers of economic growth. If government is serious about supporting farmers, farm workers, protecting food security, and growing rural economies, then sustained investment in rural logistics infrastructure must become a national priority.
The DA will continue to advocate for infrastructure policies that directly support agricultural productivity, reduce the cost of doing business for farmers, and unlock the full economic potential of South Africa’s agricultural and rural economy.