Small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) have welcomed the announcement by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) of a road improvement project planned for the R63 national road from Bhisho to the N6 national road bridge intersection.
SANRAL hosted an information session in Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape today (Thursday) to introduce the details of the upcoming projects to stakeholders. The session was a follow up to the one that SANRAL hosted for the Buffalo City based SMMEs in Bhisho last month. The R63 national road project spans across the two municipalities of Buffalo City and Amahlathi.
Currently in the design phase, the R750 million project is anticipated to create 200 job opportunities for the local community over 36 months. About 60 local SMMEs are also expected to benefit from the project.
Councillor Xola Tokwe, who is also the head of road and infrastructure at Amahlathi Local Municipality, commended SANRAL for the developmental role it plays in the local community. “On behalf of the municipality, we are very pleased with what SANRAL is doing and bringing to the Amahlathi community. This project will benefit our local community; it will enable them to make a living, improve their lives and give them the relevant skills necessary to work in the built and construction sector,” he said.
Ronald Kasipo, a senior technician on the project, said: “The scope of works that will be done on the project will include the dualling of sections of the R63, improvement of the existing road alignment, improvement of the existing pavement structure, construction of new hydraulic structures, construction of community access roads, pedestrian walkways, and streetlights.
“It is also important to emphasise that much of the focus on this project is to benefit local SMMEs. Up to 30% of the contract will be given to targeted enterprises or subcontractors. Packages for the targeted enterprises will include fencing, minor contract works, gabions, guard rails and site security, among others.”
Welekazi Ndika, SANRAL Southern Region’s Stakeholder Coordinator, said SANRAL’s 14 Point Plan will assist greatly in ensuring better communication and understanding between stakeholders that are affected by the project.
The 14 Point Plan is SANRAL’s guide to facilitate better project-level liaison with local communities and structures that are affected by its projects. It strives to ensure transparency and inclusivity among those who work on its projects.
“It is also our wish that when this project starts, we will already have established a project liaison committee (PLC) on this project. The PLC will assist in creating a platform for project liaison, works execution, subcontracting and facilitating employment opportunities for local community members. All community representatives, including the youth, women, people with disabilities and military veterans, to mention a few, must be represented in the PLC,” said Ndika.
SANRAL continuously strives to strengthen its relationship with stakeholders who are affected by its projects through these information sessions. The sessions are not only a platform for the roads agency to share information about job opportunities on its projects, but also about its transformation policy and Horizon 2030 Strategy.
Since introducing the Horizon 2030 Strategy, SANRAL has empowered local communities and SMMEs with information, giving them opportunities and enabling them to partner with more established construction companies on its projects.