Newcastle residents were stunned in January 2026 when reports emerged that the municipality had spent R14 million on a road said to be just five metres long. The revelation surfaced during the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ oversight visit to KwaZulu-Natal, conducted jointly with the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, as part of broader scrutiny of the municipality’s expenditure and governance.
During the January 2026 oversight visit, Mcinecka told the parliamentary committees that he was unaware of any five-metre road project and would investigate the matter before reporting back.
However, from a public perspective, the reported R14 million cost drew scrutiny, particularly at a time when Newcastle residents continue to contend with pothole-ridden roads and a network in urgent need of maintenance.
After weeks of attempts to obtain clarity on the matter, Newcastillian News spoke with Mcinecka to establish the facts behind the claim.
During the interview, Mcinecka explained that no five‑metre road had ever been built.
Instead, he said, the confusion stemmed from inaccurate reporting in a Newcastle-based print newspaper, which misstated the scale of the project and prompted scrutiny from the parliamentary committees.
“The newspaper wrote down the wrong information, with there never being a five‑metre road. The road is in fact 500 metres, and was an entirely new road, which had been a gravel road before,” he said.
Mcinecka further added that the Municipality had announced the official opening of the project in mid‑December 2025, including via its social media channels, signalling the start of what was a significant local infrastructure initiative.
The road, located in Section 5, Madadeni, apparently forms part of the broader Madadeni Tarred Access Road project, designed to improve accessibility and mobility for residents of Madadeni and surrounding areas.
According to Mcinecka, the project involved upgrading 0.5 km of gravel road to blacktop, encompassing earthworks, kerbing, channelling, stormwater infrastructure, asphalt surfacing, and road marking.
The stated objectives were to provide both road infrastructure and stormwater drainage services to local residents, addressing long‑standing service delivery deficits in the area.
He further explained that the project began in November 2024 and remained within its allocated budget of R14,105,741.03, funded through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG).
While shedding light on the five-metre road debacle, the parliamentary scrutiny extended beyond the road project.
During the KwaZulu‑Natal oversight visit, committees highlighted Newcastle’s financial and governance weaknesses identified in the Auditor‑General’s 2023–2024 audit, including an operating deficit, low capital spend on infrastructure, reliance on external law firms, high water losses, and significant liabilities.
Parliamentarians also raised concerns over underspent housing grants, wasteful expenditure, and liabilities exceeding assets by hundreds of millions, all amid residents’ frustration over deteriorating services.
Regarding this, Mcinecka confirmed that the Newcastle Municipality had submitted a detailed report to the parliamentary committees, including supporting documentation to clarify the matter.
He added that, once the parliamentary review is complete, he would provide Newcastillian News with further details, ensuring transparency on the matter and other pressing issues.
With the above in mind, what are your thoughts?
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The matter drew public attention after reports suggested that Newcastle Municipality had spent R14 million on a road measuring just five metres in length. This claim sparked outrage and prompted scrutiny during a parliamentary oversight visit.
No. According to Municipal Manager Zamani Mcinecka, no five-metre road was ever constructed. He said the confusion arose from inaccurate reporting, explaining that the project involved a 500-metre road in Madadeni.
Mcinecka stated that the project involved upgrading 0.5 km of gravel road to blacktop, as well as earthworks, kerbing, channelling, stormwater infrastructure, asphalt surfacing and road marking.
The Municipality said the project was funded through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), with the total allocated budget standing at R14,105,741.03.
The road matter formed part of wider parliamentary scrutiny into Newcastle Municipality’s expenditure, governance and service delivery challenges, including concerns raised in the Auditor-General’s 2023–2024 audit findings.
5 Responses
Upgrading gravel roads to tar is generally estimated at around R5.5 million per km. This is 500 meters which is half a kilometer.
R14m for 500m is still an insane amount. Even with the vast project stated, it could never cost so much.
So can we see photographs of the finished project ……
A physical visit of the affected road should be undertaken by independent ppl and municipality. 15million for 500m is ridiculous . That money could have built a new 5km rd.
He says no to 500m road, then changes to 500m gravel road as well as infrastructure…….. never in a million years should cost that amount of money for a short piece of road with a short bit of infrastructure…… ! Who’s kidding who here