Mpumalanga, 3 June 2021 – Upgrading the Moloto Road will drive economic prosperity, improve road safety , and the high-quality road construction will reduce  travel time, says the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited’s (SANRAL) stakeholder coordinator for Mpumalanga Province, Melba Geca.

She was speaking at a recent Taking SANRAL to the People event that SANRAL convened at the Kwa-Phahla Community Hall  in Siyabuswa, which falls under the Dr. JS Moroka Local Municipality in Mpumalanga Province. Municipal representatives, traditional leaders, local business forums, community members and local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) also attended.

Through the Taking SANRAL to the People programme, SANRAL interacts with different stakeholders and share information about its continuing role in infrastructure development, job creation and skills development initiatives on its road infrastructure projects.

“We are delighted that we are here today to have the opportunity  to work closely with the executive team of Dr. JS Moroka Local Municipality and  share information  about SANRAL’s project updates in  the Mpumalanga Province. It is our hope that after today we would have  equipped community members and the local business community with adequate information that will assist them in accessing and participating on SANRAL projects,” says Geca.

Touching on the R573 Moloto Road project, which is one of SANRAL’s flagship projects in the province, Geca said that SANRAL’s aim on the project is to ensure that it is transformed into a business corridor. “We want to ensure that local communities and small, medium, and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) benefit from the Moloto Road project, hence the undertaking to establish these nodes. This motivation is in tandem with our key mantra of “beyond roads” at SANRAL, meaning that roads are not an end in themselves, but are a catalyst to improve people’s lives. We also want to showcase the importance of building roads that are safer for the movement of goods and people,” she said.

“The Moloto Road project is a Strategic Infrastructure Project (SIP) and Section 2 and a portion of Section 3 (which is the Mpumalanga stretch of the road network), which traverses a distance of  54.9km, has   seven work packages which will provide job opportunities for the community. The first work package which was on Section 2 was completed in November 2018. We appointed a main contractor in February 2021 who will manage the second work package from km 24.7 to km 36.2. We also appointed a main contractor in February 2021 for section 3 between km 6.5 and km 13.3. Sub-contractors from the community will also be appointed and given an opportunity to work on the project,” said Lawrence Chauke, SANRAL’s project managers responsible for Moloto Road.

Chauke explained that the main upgrade that will be done on the project  will include expanding the road to have two lanes in each direction, building roundabouts in intersections order to regulate traffic flow, upgrading access roads and pedestrian facilities, and installing new street lights, to mention a few.

“The Moloto Road upgrade will also include community development projects currently in the planning phase, and these projects will be the construction of access roads. The proposed key areas for these community development projects will include Moloto, Kwa-Mhlanga, Tweefontein, Kwaggafontein A and B, Moteti, Oorlog, Waalkraal, Siyabuswa and Kgobokwane” said Chauke, highlighting additional work to be undertaken in Section 2 and 3.

SANRAL announced that they will host two follow up sessions with the  Dr. JS Moroka community, where they will share information on how the appointed main contractor on the Moloto Road project has unbundled sub-contracting opportunities for local SMMEs to participate in the tendering process.

//ENDS

Issued by FTI Consulting on behalf of the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL). For editorial content or additional information contact pressoffice@nra.co.za