Programme Director, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mr Mxolisi Kaunda;
The Makhaye Family;
Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Willies Mchunu;
Speaker of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature, Hon. Lydia Johnson;
Deputy Speaker Hon. Meshack Radebe;
Leader of Provincial Government Business and MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs; Mr Sihle Zikalala and all MECs present;
Members of the Provincial Legislature;
Mayor of Ethekwini, Councillor Zandile Gumede;
Chairperson of the Provincial House of Traditional Leadership; Inkosi Chiliza;
Second Deputy President of SANTACO and Provincial Chairperson; Mr Boy Zondi and the Leadership of various Transport Industry Stakeholders and Other Community Structures;
Members of the Business Community
Umphakathi wase Thekwini namaphethelo,

Sanibonani nonke! Niyaphila?

It is my distinct honour today to be part of this important occasion to officially open for public use, the new Dumisani Makhaye Drive here in Durban.

Lolu usuku oluhle kakhulu, lapho sihlonipha khona leliqhawe lethu lomzabalazo okuye kwaqanjwa lomgwaqo omkhulukazi ngegama lalo, umholi osewasishiya uMnumzane uDumisani Makhaye.

Sizizwa sijabule kakhulu futhi njengoba sivula ngokusemthethweni lomgwaqo, ngosuku lokuzalwa lukamama uNkosikazi Linda Makhaye esinaye lapha phakathi kwethu!

We wish Mama Makhaye a very happy and memorable birthday today!

The people and Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal could not have given you any better birthday gift today as we engrave the Makhaye name deeper in the annals of our history for his significant contribution to the struggle for freedom and democracy, as well as the socio-economic development of our country.

Mphakathi wase Thekwini,
Lo mgwaqo wakhiwe uHulumeni weSifundazwe saKwaZulu-Natal, ngaphansi koMnyango wezokuThutha. Ukwakhiwa kwalo mgwaqo kudle imali engamarandi angu - 1.3 billion.

Ekuseni namhlanje, ngihambile kulomgwaqo nami, ngazibonela ukuthi impela muhle kanti futhi usezingeni eliphezulu kakhulu.

Ukwakhiwa kwalomgwaqo kusebenzise obukhulu ubuchwepheshe nobunjiniyela. Lokhu kufakazelwa ukuthi lo mgwaqo sewuklonyelisiwe kabili.

The engineering techniques applied in the construction of this road have been recognised by the South African Institute of Civil Engineers and Consulting Engineers South Africa.

Engineers and others involved in the construction industry agree that the construction of the Dumisani Makhaye Drive, has been the South Africa's most complex road project to be undertaken in recent years.

Already this massive road project has gone down in history for having won the technical excellence prize in the 2017 South African Institution of Civil Engineering regional awards.

Yingakho singuHumulumeni sithi lomgwaqo uveza okuhle kakhulu osekwenziwe uHulumeni ka-African National Congress ukuletha izingqalazizinda kubantu bakithi.

Ladies and gentlemen,
The completion of this award-winning road infrastructure project, in time, is an epitome of service delivery excellence by the African National Congress-led government.

Kuthiwa umsebenzi walomgwaqo uthathwa njengobenzima kunayo yonke eNingizimu Afrika kule minyaka yakamuva nje.

Kubalulekile nokho ukuthi sazi ukuthi kusukaphi ukuze kwakhiwe lomgwaqo.
Ngemuva kokukhula okukhulu kwesibalo semiphakathi yaseThekwini ezindaweni zaseNanda, eNtuzuma naKwaMashu ngeminyaka yo-1980 no-1990, kwadingeka ukuba kubuyekezwe izindlela zokufinyelela ezindaweni zokusebenza nokuhweba eziseduze.

Ngakho-ke isixazululo kwaba ukuthi uHulumeni lapha KwaZulu-Natal ugunyaze ukwakhiwa kohlelo lomgwaqo ozoxhumanisa phakathi kweNew Germany noMashu, unqamule emfuleni uMngeni eduze kwelokishi KwaDabeka.

Siyajabula kakhulu ke ukuthi ngemuva kweminyaka eyishumi nesihlanu, umgwaqo ongu-16 kilometres ubude usuze waphothulwa namhlanje, uhambisana namabhuloho ezinyawo ayisishiyagalolunye, kanye nebhuloho elikhulu elibizwa nge-Viaduct kanye namabhuloho ezimoto amathathu.

Kanti ke futhi indawo yaKwaDabeka iyona ebe yinselelelo enkulu kulomsebenzi njengoba umgwaqo bekudingeka ugudle phakathi kwentaba nomhosha ohamba njalo ubheke emfuleni uMngeni, bese ubheka eNew Germany.

Izinselelo zokuma komhlaba (geotechnical challenges) ebezibhekene namathimba bezifana nezivivinyo zobuhlakani babo njengoba bekudingeka baqhamuke nezixazululo ukuqinisekisa ukuthi izindonga zamadwala azidiliki.

We note as well that the engineers and road construction workers took special care to ensure that neither our beautiful environment nor the landscape were damaged.

The Dumisani Makhaye Drive will add to our infrastructure development programme across the country, thus improving the lives of our people, while it created the much needed jobs and contributed to the growth of our economy.

The road is a clear demonstration of our Government's commitment to deliver strategic infrastructure that will transform our economy, create jobs and stimulate further opportunities for growth.

It is also a clear demonstration of a government that works together with people in order to address the needs of the communities.

In this regard, Government has responded successfully to the need to have one road connecting for the first time, the communities of Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu, Newlands, KwaDabeka, Clermont and Pinetown.

In addition, the Dumisani Makhaye Drive provides the citizens and road users with a new alternative route to the King Shaka International Airport for traffic coming from the Pietermaritzburg and Pinetown areas, thus easing traffic congestion on the N2/N3 interchange.

We are thus pleased that government has responded to the needs expressed by these communities and the priorities they identified, building a lasting road infrastructure legacy project in the process.

Ladies and gentlemen,
We are pleased to name the road after one of the key leaders of our organisation and people, the late former KZN MEC Dumisani Makhaye.

Dumisani Makhaye dedicated almost all his young life to the struggle for the liberation of South Africa.

It was a journey that invited to him and his family much pain, persecution and harassment, leading him to exile and joined the people's army uMkhonto WeSizwe, where he was affectionately known by his MK name Magagula.

He served the ANC and Government diligently and with passion in various capacities including as MEC for Housing, a position he held on his demise in 2004.

In recognition of his contribution towards the goal of a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa, Comrade Magagula was granted a Special Provincial Official Funeral.

We have come together today to add another important honour to this distinguished leader of our people by naming a critical road infrastructure after him.

It is significant in particular, that Government has named in his honour, a road that spans uMngeni River and provides a strategic link between Duffs Road in KwaMashu to Dinkelman in New Germany.

This will not only cut a massive 16 kilometres for traffic using the N3 to connect to the N2 but will also significantly help eradicate the legacy of colonialism and apartheid-based spatial planning.

We believe this is a fitting tribute to Comrade Dumisani Makhaye for his contribution to our efforts of creating easy access for communities of Durban and surrounding areas for socio-economic development.

We also have no doubts in our mind, that had he lived today, Makhaye would be in the forefront, working with our people towards the Radical Economic Transformation of our country.

Sifisa ukubonga kakhulu noMasipala weTheku ofake uhlelo lwemizila  yamabhasi ngaphansi kohlelo lwawo lwe-Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) kulomgwaqo esiwuvulayo.

Lolu hlelo lulungisa umonakalo wangesikhathi sobandlululo wokuphoqelela izakhamizi ukuba zihlukaniswe ngezindawo okwakuba nomthelela ekutheni zikwazi ukuhamba ziye emsebenzini nakwezinye izindawo ezahlukene.

Futhi siyajabula kakhulu ukuthi loluhlelo aluqondile ukuthuthukisa ezokuthutha umphakathi nje kuphela, kodwa luphinde lugqugquzele ukuthuthukiswa kwabanikazi bezithuthi zomphakathi qobo.

Kuyajabulisa futhi ukuthi ekwakhiweni kwalomgwaqo bekubekwe eqhulwini ukufeza imigomo yentuthuko kwezenhlalo-mnotho ngokuvula amathuba kosonkontileka abasafufusa, ukwakhiwa kwamathuba emisebenzi kubantu bendawo nokuthuthukiswa kwamakhono embonini yezokwakha.

Sizwile futhi ukuthi zicishe zifike emakhulwini amabili izinkontileka  ezinikwe izinkampani eziphethwe ngabamnyama.

Bakwethu,
Njengoba bese sishilo, uma sivula lo mgwaqo oqanjwe ngoDumisani Makhaye (uMagagula), sizizwa sinokuziqhenya ngokuthi lesi sikhondlakhondla embuthweni wethu sihlonishwe kanje namhlanje.

Uphawu olusemqoka ngalo mgwaqo ukuthi uqeda uhlelo lobandlululo olwaluqinisekisa ukuhlukana phakathi kwemiphakathi engama-Afrika, amaNdiya, amaKhaladi kanye nabamhlophe.

Ngokunqamula eClermont, KwaDabeka, eNewlands naKwaMashu, lo mgwaqo uxhumanisa imiphakathi ubandlululo olwaluhlose ukuyihlukanisa ukuze luqhubeke njalo ubandlululo. Lo mgwaqo sewehlise isiminyaminya ku-N2 no-N3, wenza lula ukuba iNanda, iNtuzuma nePhoenix ixhumane nePinetown neWestmead.

Sithi ke sohlala siziqhenya ngo Magagula ngalokhu kuxhumana kwemiphakathi ngalo mgwaqo.

Siyawubonga uMnyango wezokuThutha ngalokuhlonipha omunye wezingwazi zakithi emzabalazweni.

Umgwaqo uDumisani Makhaye Highway uyohlale usikhumbuza ukuthi empilweni yesizwe sethu, kwake kwabakhona isishoshovu esasingenakwesaba, esasiyazi indlela yokuziphatha, sithembekile, singazicabangeli sona kuphela.

Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to declare Dumisani Makhaye Drive officially open for public use!

I thank you.