MEDIA RELEASE
TRANSPORT MINISTER FIKILE MBALULA OPENS MUSINA RING ROAD SAYING IT WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT ECONOMIC GROWTH
1 September 2022 – Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has officially opened the Musina Ring Road near the Beit Bridge border post in Limpopo as part of the South African government’s drive to promote regional trade and tourism. The Musina Ring Road, a project of the South African National Roads Agency SOC (SANRAL), was built at a cost of R700-million and created much-needed jobs and economic opportunities for local communities.
Minister Mbalula said the new road, which will carry traffic around, as well as into and out of Musina, would facilitate the free flow of traffic to and from Zimbabwe and other Southern African countries.
“This road will facilitate better mobility and the safe movement of goods, services and people in and around Musina,” said Minister Mbalula. “It will also help to facilitate greater trade and economic activity between South Africa and our northern neighbour Zimbabwe, as well other countries in the Southern African Development Community.”
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has given our government clear instructions to ensure that we move with speed to invest in and build new infrastructure, create jobs and help to grow the South African economy. This is critically important, especially as part of our economic recovery programme following the devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today’s opening of the Musina Ring Road is evidence that SANRAL and all government agencies are carrying out the mandate of the President and indeed the government which was elected by our people,” said Minister Mbalula.
Minister Mbalula praised SANRAL, as well as the construction companies, workers and the community of Musina for their role in bringing the project to life despite significant challenges during construction.
“It is always good to celebrate successful delivery by the government and its agencies, in the service of our people. To this end, I want to applaud the work of SANRAL and all the contractors and workers who brought the project to life. I also want to thank the community of Musina for their patience, given that the project had many challenges over the years before it was finally completed.”
Limpopo’s MEC for Public works, Roads and Infrastructure, Ms Nkakareng Rakgoale, welcomed the opening of the new road and expressed the provincial government’s appreciation to Minister Mbalula and SANRAL.
“On behalf of Premier Stan Mathabatha and the people of Limpopo, I want to welcome this impressive new road in our province, which is going to have a significant and positive impact on Musina and indeed the provincial economy, said MEC Rakgoale.
BACKGROUND
The road consists of eight (8) kilometres of new, single carriageway with one lane in each direction, and with paved shoulders. It is constructed as part of a ring road on the Western side of the Musina CBD and functions as a highway with controlled access to and from the N1. Access to the town is provided through two interchanges, one at the Southern entrance to the town called the Musina Interchange. The other is at the Northern entrance to the town and is called the Nancefield Interchange. Two cross accesses are also provided, namely Harper Road and Freedom Street.
Musina is a very busy town with lots of traffic going through it. Congestion has always been a major problem. The town is a great tourism hub with easy access to the Kruger National Park and the Mabunguwe World Heritage Site. It is also located perfectly for cross-border trade, especially with Zimbabwe, and this area has been declared a growth point by the provincial government. A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was established recently which will create about 19,000 jobs in the area, an indication of a fast-growing municipality.
The project has provided opportunities for a number of local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), as well as community members. Over the past three years, it created more than 280 jobs with wages of more than R28 million paid out. The construction company used accredited training service providers to train SMMEs and local labourers who worked on this project.