Tourism operators along the R522 between Louis Trichardt and Vivo have warned that the deteriorating condition of the road is crippling the industry and discouraging international visitors from coming to the region.

Among them is Ms Kathryn Straughan, director and general manager of Leshiba Wilderness in the Soutpansberg. In an open letter to the President, Limpopo Premier, and other government officials, she appealed for urgent intervention to repair the road, saying the situation has become dire.

“I am writing to you to bring to your attention the effect that the condition of our local roads is having on our tourism industry,” Straughan wrote. “We host international and local guests. We have recently hosted a number of tour operators and travel agents, and this is the message I have received from one of them.”

She referred to a letter received from international tour operator Jeannet Spaltman from Mijn Reiskennis, who praised Leshiba but warned she could no longer recommend it to clients because of the “horrible state of the road.”

“Even with a 4x4, I was sometimes afraid of rolling over with my car,” Spaltman wrote. “It’s not only Leshiba that is in danger for being left out of tourists, it goes for the entire north-west since the road leading to Mapungubwe is in as much a bad shape as your access road ... They say they will repair the roads, but they’ve been patched up and patched up again and again. It’s ridiculously dangerous. So, unless you inform me that your access road has been fixed, I cannot send more clients.”

Straughan said the local tourism industry had “reached the point of no return.” “Our local community has been begging to have our roads repaired and over the past 10 years a number of service providers have been contracted to undertake the repairs ... all [contractors have] been paid and yet the work has never been done or completed,” she wrote.

She warned that the R522, known by locals as “the road of death,” had already claimed several lives directly linked to its poor condition. “It is only a matter of time before one of our international visitors has an accident on this road, which would make headlines around the world,” she said.

The Limpopo Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure (DPWRI) recently announced phase 1 of its preventative provincial road maintenance plan, covering 22 roads across the province, including the R522. The initiative forms part of 69 road infrastructure projects scheduled for implementation by Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) during the 2025/26 financial year.

Public Works MEC Ernest Rachoene said the plan “marks a decisive step in delivering on our mandate to maintain and extend the lifespan of Limpopo’s road network that supports social and economic development in the province.”

Residents along the R522, however, remain sceptical, saying it remains to be seen whether the DPWRI and RAL will finally deliver on their promises.