The N2 Wild Coast Road Project will be a catalyst for sustainable local economic and social development.

The R9-billion investment the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL) has put aside for greenfields development as part of the N2 Wild Coast Road Project will go a long way in improving the lives of ordinary people in Mpondoland.

The N2 Wild Coast road project is a high mobility route that will link the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, lower travel time and costs, and improve accessibility to a large part of the Eastern Cape.

It will be a catalyst for sustainable local economic and social development.

SANRAL’s flagship Taking SANRAL to the People programme went to Lusikisiki to share information and build partnerships with communities and other project stakeholders. Representatives of the agency met leaders of government, business, traditional leaders and community organisations during the programme.

Said SANRAL project manager, Craig McLachlan: “SANRAL will continue with its endeavours to be a developmental partner for the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo district municipalities.

“We will continue to keep the different stakeholders in the region abreast of the project’s developments,” McLachlan added.

The roads agency will open a regional office in nearby Flagstaff.

Closer to the people

The opening of the Flagstaff office will make it easier for the communities of the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo district municipalities to get in touch with SANRAL.

Flagstaff was identified as the most central area for the entire greenfields section of the project.

“The Flagstaff office will be the point where local people can contact SANRAL directly,” SANRAL’s southern regional manager, Mbulelo Peterson, noted.

Local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) no longer have to travel to Port Elizabeth to collect and submit tenders. “There will also be a tender office where tenders for SMMEs can be collected and submitted and tender briefings can be held,” Peterson said.

The Flagstaff office will also offer temporary work space and meeting facilities for project managers attending project meetings and site visits.

“We are making every effort to promote transformation by ensuring that SMMEs are exposed to work experiences that were previously not possible,” Peterson said.

SANRAL, working with the provincial government and local municipalities, continues to upgrade roads that provide infrastructure and enable agro-industrial and tourism development for the Eastern Cape.