MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – Plans to host the region’s most successful sporting event, the annual Kremetart One-Day Stage Race was dealt a serious blow this week.

The South African National Roads Agency (SANRA) this week refused to grant organisers permission to make use of the N1 and Waterpoort Road for the 2005 event. Not content with depressing trade in the region by imposing the highest toll fees for any region in South Africa, they thus banned the region’s most successful sporting event and tourism marketing tool.

In a letter to Malcolm Tucker (chairman of the organizing club, the P&L Hardware Cycling Club), the CEO of SANRA, Nazir Alli implied that these roads are “freeways” and stated that “in view of the requirements of road traffic legislation, which prohibits the use of freeways by cyclists, we cannot allow you to use the freeway for cycling.”

The decision by SANRA was, however, not unexpected, as when SANRA granted permission for the 2004 Kremetart, Ms Johanna Kolwaska of SANRA had told the organisers that they “can use the road this time but never again” because “the road is a high-speed freeway and we have a policy not to allow these events on our roads.” It was pointed out to her that road was in fact a local access road with stop streets, entrances to hotels, private residences, road stalls and speed limits of 60, 80 or 100km/h over most of the route and, as a local access road, it is open to all road users, including animal-drawn vehicles.

The club submitted its application to SANRA for the 2005 Kremetart immediately after the 2004 race in a 20-page document, which detailed the considerable benefits the race brought to the entire Soutpansberg community and its economic impact on the region. The application was supported by letters from the Makhado Municipal Mayor, the Soutpansberger Chamber of Commerce, the Chairpersons Association and representatives of the tourism industry, who each pointed out to Mr Alli the tremendous benefits the race had brought to the town and its potential for greater future benefits.

In his letter to SANRA, Mayor Rhulani Nkuzana stated: “This event, which the cyclists themselves have rated as the best event in South Africa for two years in a row, creates only winners” and “I trust that in considering the application of the club to make use of a portion of the N1 for a short while, you will take into account the interests of the community through which the road passes and assist in creating even more winners.”

The irony of the whole issue is that SANRA earned an estimated R200 000 in toll fees from the cyclists who travelled from Gauteng and further afield to attend the race, and next year SANRA could expect to earn at least R300 000 in toll fees. The inconvenience to other road uses is minor, as the cyclists are on the N1 for a very short period. A traffic survey at the tunnels (submitted with the club’s application) showed only 149 northbound and 89 southbound vehicles through the tunnels on a typical Saturday morning during the period of a race. None of these vehicles was delayed for more than a minute by the 1 250 cyclists.

In contrast to the attitude of SANRA, the Limpopo Department of Transport, who is responsible for the regulation and control of the traffic on the roads, has granted the legal permit required to allow the race to take place as planned. The Makhado Municipality is one of the sponsors of the race and the municipal traffic officials will supply the officers and vehicles to assist the club with the management of traffic on the day of the race.

One member of the cycling club summed up the frustration felt by the club when he said: “It’s astounding that SANRA, whose job is just to paint the white lines on the road and who does not have a thing to do with the traffic control, has taken it upon itself to destroy what we have taken 14 years to achieve!”

It appears that SANRA simply ignored the evidence of the benefits of the Kremetart to the community, even though SANRA is obliged to take the interests of the community which the road serves into account when taking any decisions.

“The letter to the club is an insult to the club, our Mayor and all the people of the town,” Tucker said.