The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has planned multiple road construction projects worth R1.8 billion in the Sundays River Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province.
“In the Eastern Cape we manage 4 952 km of our 22 214 km national road network. Our operations on the stretch of road which traverses the Sundays River Local Municipality, will create over 900 job opportunities over the next five years,” said SANRAL’s Board Chairperson, Themba Mhambi.
Mhambi was speaking at the Taking SANRAL to the People programme, whose principal aim is to share information about the agency’s current and upcoming infrastructure development, job creation and skills development endeavours in local communities.
Welekazi Ndika, SANRAL Southern Region’s stakeholder specialist, emphasised the benefits of SANRAL’s transformation agenda: “At SANRAL we will continue to improve the lives of community members who live around our projects, as well as build and nurture mutual relationships with these communities.
“Guided by our transformation policy, we will always ensure that there is transparency and equal opportunity for local community members on our projects.”
Ndika gave a detailed presentation of SANRAL’s 14 Point Plan, which assists in facilitating better project level liaison with local communities and structures.
The 14 Point Plan also ensures that there is communication and transparency in the execution of works, as well as inclusivity in the allocation of projects to the benefit of black business and local communities.
Ndika further elaborated on the principles for the project liaison subcontracting and labour sourcing on all SANRAL projects.
Nelisa Ncambele, Sundays River Local Municipality’s newly appointed mayor, welcomed SANRAL’s effort in reaching out to the community and expressed the municipality’s commitment to work together with the roads agency.
SANRAL’s planned projects in the municipality include:
- Phase One: Improvement of the National Route R335 from Motherwell to Addo. Construction on the R740 million project is expected to take place over 43 months and an estimated 350 job opportunities will be created, with 30 to 35 local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) benefitting.
- Phase Two: Improvement of National Route R335 from Motherwell to Addo. Construction on the R450 million project is expected to take place over 27 months and an estimated 250 job opportunities will be created.
- Phase One: Upgrading of the National Route R336 between Kirkwood and Addo. Construction on the estimated R270 million project will take place over 24 months and is expected to create over 220 job opportunities, with 40 SMMEs benefitting.
- Phase Two: Upgrading of the National Route R336 between Kirkwood and Addo. Construction on the R310 million project will take place over 30 months and is expected to create over 210 job opportunities, with 50 SMMEs benefitting.
- Phase one of the special maintenance project of the National Route R355 from Zuurberg Intersection to Nguni River. Construction on the R72 million project has already started and between 50 and 100 job opportunities are being created, and between 10 and 15 SMMEs have been subcontracted to work on the project.
- Phase one of the special maintenance project of the National Route R75 from the Kirkwood Intersection to Wolwefontein. Phase one is from km 39.6 to km 72. This R45 million project will start in February 2022 and end in December 2022.
- Phase two of the special maintenance project National Route R342 from Nguni River Lodge to Paterson. The R87 million project, which is currently at construction phase, will create between 50 to 100 local job opportunities, with 10 to 15 SMMEs benefitting.