Hundreds of high school pupils in the Sundays River Valley are struggling to get to class because a badly deteriorated provincial road has driven scholar transport operators off the route.
The 15km DR02006 between Enon and Nqweba (Kirkwood) has become so riddled with deep potholes and corrugations that some transport contractors have reportedly stopped operating, leaving an estimated 200 to 300 pupils without reliable transport to school.
Residents said children were now missing classes, walking long distances or hitchhiking, while families unable to afford private transport were being forced to choose which of their children could attend school that day.
The Eastern Cape transport department, however, said the road was repeatedly repaired, but admitted that it lacked sufficient funds at present for the regravelling needed on badly damaged sections.
The 208-year-old dirt road that runs east from Nqweba through Enon and Beersheba might be a back road to most people, but it is a lifeline for those living in this threadbare corner of the Sundays River Valley.
The DR02006 is the responsibility of the Eastern Cape transport department.
Enon community leader Fagil Hendricks said the situation was dire.
“The road is heavily corrugated and riddled with deep potholes, making it virtually impassable,” Hendricks said.
“Sometimes trucks get stuck and actually block the road for long periods, presenting an added problem.
“There has been little if any maintenance on this road [for years now], and today it is an absolute disaster.”
He said the situation had taken a turn for the worse in July 2025.
“The government-funded school bus contractors stopped serving the area.
“They refused to do so because the road caused severe damage to their vehicles, resulting in high maintenance costs.
“There are private contractors but they charge high fees because of the wear and tear on their vehicles, and most of the parents, who work just part-time on the surrounding citrus farms, cannot afford to pay these fees.”
He said the younger children went to primary schools in Enon and the satellite community of Beersheba.
However, the older pupils needed to get to two high schools — Moses Mabida, just outside Nqweba, and St Colmcille, in the town itself.
“It’s a distance of about 15km from Enon to Nqweba but there are 200 to 300 high school kids who need to travel on it every day to and from school — and many times they cannot because of the state of the road and the resultant lack of transport.
“Sometimes they try to walk or hitchhike but often they don’t make it in time for class.
“It’s really bad.”
He said some families with several children were having to make choices as to how many they could afford to send to school with the private transport, and which ones had to stay at home.
“So it is a very negative knock-on effect.
“The government is failing these kids, their right to education, and any possibility that they have to uplift themselves from the poverty in which they find themselves.”
Enon was established by the Moravian Missionary Society in 1818, and Beersheba was developed on adjoining land granted by Moravian missionaries to Xhosa converts in 1898.
Hendricks said the interesting origin of the two communities and the historic road that linked them with Nqweba and the Addo Elephant National Park to the east made for a perfect tourism mosaic.
“The approximately 8,000ha of land surrounding the two communities, which belongs to them, could be used to support this vision.
“I foresee the possibility of a hiking trail to the Enon Waterfall on the Wit Rivier, and even further into the Zuurberg, a zip line and perhaps a golf course.
“We have a ‘gold mine’ here.
“The tourists would be able to enjoy the history and culture of these communities, and outdoor activities, and then continue on to the wildlife in the Addo park.
“This development would boost the local economy and provide jobs.
“We would engage with the farmers and tourism stakeholders to see how we could work together for the benefit of all.”
He said this, however, all hinged on the repair of the DR02006.
“Currently, this is an opportunity lost because of the terrible state of the road.
“Nothing good developmentally is going to happen, and our scholars will continue to be prejudiced until this road is fixed.”
Eastern Cape transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose said floods had severely damaged Sundays River Valley roads in May and June, and some had since become inaccessible.
“The department then prioritised to repair such roads to make sure no communities are left stranded.
“Among them, the DR02006 has continuously been prioritised.
“Blading of the road [using a motor grader blade to smooth surface defects, repair drainage and redistribute materials] was implemented in April, May, June and August.
“Unfortunately, the department currently has insufficient funds to implement regravelling on the roads on sections that require more than just blading.
“The road is continuously being repaired and we encourage the operators of scholar transport to report routes that are in a poor state and that therefore negatively affect the transportation of learners to school.”
Veteran Sundays River Valley social welfare and tourism campaigner Muffy Miller said she agreed with Hendricks’ call.
“Education is so important and it’s a fundamental part of uplifting communities.
“The tourism ideas are great and our Langbos Children’s Shelter would appeal as well within that itinerary, I believe.”
Initiated by Miller and situated in the Langbos informal settlement outside Addo village, the shelter was built from an award-winning design comprising a series of domes by Gqeberha-based Jason Erlank Architects.
It was built by the community with labour-intensive and environmentally friendly methods and materials, chiefly bags of soil that were stacked one upon another.
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