Coffee Bay Access Crossing
📍 Coffee Bay, King Sabata Dalindyebo, Eastern Cape
Media content in progressImpact score
High priorityEvery Bridging Africa site is assessed on the same four measures, by the same team, so this number can be compared directly against any other project on this site.
How dangerous the crossing is today: flood frequency, water speed and recorded incidents.
How many people depend on this crossing, and how often they have to make it.
What sits on the other side: schools, clinics, work, and whether any alternative route exists.
People served per Rand of build cost. It sets the order we build in, never whether we build.
A lower score is not a rejection. Every project listed is one we intend to build; the score sets the order, not the outcome.
Additional engineering measures required, such as raised approaches, scour protection or debris management.
Each measure is scored 1 to 5 from field assessment, CSIR flood data and community records, then weighted and converted to a mark out of 100.
Who is affected
Around 2,500 residents including 550 learners, plus the tourism economy that depends on reliable access.
What has happened at this site
The wider Mthatha region has a severe record of learner drownings at river crossings: two Ncedisizwe Senior Secondary learners drowned in 2023, two more in March 2025, and in June 2025 six learners and two adults died when a minibus was swept off the R61 bridge near Mthatha.
Public benefit when complete
Safe school and clinic access for 2,500 people and reliable access for the local tourism economy that sustains household income.
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