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The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) has announced plans to invest R740 million in six road maintenance projects in the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape in the coming months.
The projects include a periodic maintenance contract for the N2 national road from the Bloukrans River Bridge to the Storms River Village intersection, valued at R80 million.
Another contract from the Storms River village to Witelsbos, worth R50 million, is also part of the initiative. The work will involve the construction of surface seals, localised surface repairs, crack sealing and edge brake repairs, the agency said.
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Sanral project manager Siphesihle Bulose revealed that a special maintenance project on the R62 national road between the borders of the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces was slated to start in June this year.
Bulose said:
Furthermore, Bulose added that about 250 job opportunities were expected to be created, and over 35 SMMEs would benefit from the special maintenance project on the R62 national road between Joubertina and Kareedouw.
South Africa boasts the tenth-longest road network in the world, spanning approximately 750 000 kilometres. Sanral manages about 21 403 kilometres of these roads, with 84% being non-tolled and 16% tolled.
However, the condition of the provincial road network has been declining steadily since the early 90s due to several factors, including curtailed funding allocations to roads and the shrinking project output by the public sector.
Provinces such as the Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West are particularly struggling with the maintenance of their respective road networks.
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Bulose also shared that the construction tender for the special maintenance of the R62 between Louterwater and Joubertina was currently in the design stage.
According to the agency, the periodic maintenance between the Bloukrans River Bridge and Storms River Village was at the tender evaluation stage, and the contract for the periodic maintenance between Storms River Village and Witelsbos was in the construction tender stage, set to close in March 2024.
Zenande Mpondo, from Sanral's Southern Region’s Transformation unit, stated that the roads entity would train and develop SMME contractors to enhance their business acumen and tendering skills. Mpondo said:
Mpondo added that the unit standards were from the National Certificate: Construction Contracting National Qualifications Framework (NQF) 2. "These unit standards are a skills programme that will have a credit value towards the National Certificate."
