Severe deterioration of rural roads across KwaZulu-Natal is threatening the province’s multi-billion-rand agricultural economy, with farmers warning that worsening infrastructure failures are driving up costs and hampering their ability to move goods to market. KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural Union (Kwanalu) CEO Sandy La Marque said that while the province’s agricultural sector is the second-largest contributor to SA’s agricultural GDP, the impact of rapidly deteriorating roads on KZN farmers has not been treated with the urgency it deserves. Despite three years of repeated documented attempts by farmers, agri-tourism operators and rural communities to engage with authorities, little progress has been made, with many areas experiencing worsening, even life-threatening conditions.
La Marque said farmers have reported sharp increases in transport-related costs, including surcharges from logistics companies due to poor road conditions, rising vehicle and machinery maintenance expenses, delays in receiving inputs and transporting produce, and higher insurance and replacement costs linked to road damage. The result is significant downtime, lost productivity and weakened economies of scale for an already pressured sector. She said farmers across have begun conducting their own road maintenance, including filling potholes, grading district roads and clearing verges to keep routes passable.
Road degradation has been reported in multiple farming districts, including Eston, Ixopo and Underberg.Kamberg farmer Stephen Butt said the knock-on effects are severe. “Inputs and feed cost more to deliver, surcharges are automatically added, and we’ve had vehicles roll, including milk tankers and pig lorries. When that happens, it’s not just damage to trucks.
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It’s food wastage — pigs euthanised, milk lost — and these costs eventually reach the consumer,” Butt said. The continued collapse of provincial and district road networks threatens food security, farm viability, job creation and the sustainability of rural communities. Agriculture cannot operate without reliable access routes.
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