Eleven of the 13 Welisizwe bridges planned for the Zululand District Municipality have been completed, according to the national Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

The remaining two sites were at technical-assessment stage in the department's 27 July 2026 update. Across KwaZulu-Natal, 41 of 51 planned Welisizwe bridges had been completed.

Local construction work

The update accompanied the handover of two bridges in the Ulundi Local Municipality. Government reported that their construction created 161 jobs, including 152 Expanded Public Works Programme opportunities.

The first programme phase targets six provinces. Nationally, 130 of 288 targeted bridges were complete and another 48 were under construction at the time of the statement.

Counts at programme level change as sites move through assessment, construction and handover. The two outstanding Zululand bridges should not be described as under construction until technical work is complete and implementation is confirmed.

What we will track next

The next useful update on Eleven of 13 planned Zululand Welisizwe bridges completed should separate emergency access, construction progress and final handover. Contract value, kilometres treated, drainage work, revised dates and independent quality results give a clearer picture than a single percentage.

After opening, performance still needs observation. Pavement edges, culverts, bridge joints, slopes and erosion protection often reveal problems during the first wet season. A named maintenance authority and a baseline condition record make that follow-up possible.

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