Public infrastructure : an assessment of the developmental impact of road infrastructure : a case study of the Mzinyathi access road in the Durban Municipal Region.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess the developmental impact of the Mzinyathi access road in Durban (eThekwini) and to establish whether the construction of the road contributes to the poverty alleviation or not. The study begins by focusing on a review of literature on road infrastructure. Of importance is that the literature review provides a foundation for the study through the assessment of the existing literature on road infrastructure. Further, research gaps are presented allowing to this and other future researches to make new contributions to the existing literatures. Fifteen households were surveyed, a number of interviews were organised and two focus groups were organised. The information from all utilised techniques were analysed through the thematic approach. The results of the study indicate that the construction of the Mzinyathi access road has contributed significantly towards poverty alleviation in Mzinyathi area. The conclusion and recommendations drawn from the findings reveal that there is a crucial need for moving away from the former conception or way of thinking that the public works specifically the roads have to be constructed only for job purposes. The road is able to address many more developmental issues than job opportunities.