MEDIA RELEASE
Two new RRM contracts in JTG District, Northern Cape, will create opportunities for five years
Caption: Thumisang Pampoen (27), a small business owner was keen to understand what opportunities would be
available for youth-owned businesses and young people seeking employment.
Northern Cape, 23 June 2024 – Two new Routine Road Maintenance (RRM) contracts in the John Taolo Gaetsewe (JTG) District of the Northern Cape will create scores of opportunities for subcontracting and local labour over a period of five years, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.
SANRAL is currently evaluating tenders received for these contracts and hopes to appoint contractors later this year.
Speaking at a recent stakeholder engagement session with small business owners in Mothibistad, just outside Kuruman, SANRAL Project Manager Rudi Joubert unpacked the significant opportunities for project participation, job creation, skills development, training and enterprise development that come with projects of this magnitude.
“The work will focus on maintenance of the N14 and will include grass cutting, removal of alien vegetation, cleaning of culverts (a tunnel carrying a stream or open drain under a roadway), clearing of litter at rest areas and keeping the road reserve and the fences clean,” Joubert said.
“Maintenance of the N14 will be done on an ongoing basis and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) should prepare to take advantage of the opportunities for subcontracting, he said.
The first of the two projects runs between Olifantshoek and the North West border and spans about 250km. The second project starts between Danielskuil and Kuruman, through Kuruman, past Hotazel, continuing to the Botswana border.
“Both projects will be solely focused on RRM, so they do not deteriorate over time. If there is a pothole, it will be fixed and if there are cracks, they will be sealed,” Joubert explained.
Western Region Transformation Officer, Morné Windvogel, also attended the information session and assured small contractors that SANRAL was committed to supporting them to grow, develop and prosper.
“We don’t just want you to have access to tenders. We are available to do pre-tender training that capacitates you to submit compliant, competitive and profitable tenders. We also, through our various partnerships with industry players, assist with access to finance, registration, skills development and business development,” said Windvogel.
In line with the agency’s transformation agenda, SANRAL wants to ultimately see small contractors become big contractors and put them on a pathway to wealth creation.
Small business owners attending the session said it was informative and were pleased that SANRAL had taken the time to communicate with them.
Tumisang Pampoen, 27, who owns Ladotech Engineering, said he was glad there are possible opportunities for youth-owned businesses on the two projects, following the Project Manager’s presentation that showed how subcontracting opportunities for youth-owned businesses would be prioritised.
“My experience as a young business owner is that the youth are at times sidelined from business opportunities as some contractors want to only employ established companies who have experience,” he said.
Happy Diseko, owner of Diseko Business Enterprises was pleased to hear that training on how to tender and manage a business was a priority for SANRAL.
“The most important part of the training, I think, is financial management and how to fill in your own tender document, without sourcing any person to assist you, because it come with a lot of costs,” said Diseko.
//Ends
A short video of the engagement, with comment from stakeholders can be found here.