Agency calls on law enforcement agencies to act decisively on those who destroyed property and endangered safety.
Skhumbuzo Macozoma, SANRAL CEO, regretted the negative impact and inconvenience the violent incidents had on those travelling through the toll plaza.
The South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL) condemned the violent and destructive protests at the Mooi River toll plaza, which took place over the long weekend in April, in the strongest terms.
SANRAL CEO Skhumbuzo Macozoma said: “There is a right to protest, but that does not include the right to destroy public or other property, nor to endanger life and limb. Clearly the ugly protests at the Mooi River toll plaza over the long weekend violated this principle.
“We strongly condemn such actions and call on law enforcement agencies to act decisively and see to it that those guilty of breaking the law are brought to book.”
The agency would not speculate as to the cause of the violent action, but deplored the fact that protesters resorted to intimidation and destruction to make their point.
Macozoma said: “This was not a matter in which the roads agency was directly involved, but it endangered the safety of those using the N3, damaged tourism prospects in the province and hurt the image of South Africa. Nothing was gained from the protest.
“The violence that often characterizes demonstrations and protests is deplorable and can never be justified. There are other ways to settle disputes, and we ask that those involved find each other to resolve the outstanding issues.”
Macozoma regretted the negative impact and inconvenience the violent incidents had on those travelling through the toll plaza.
He called on all South Africans to heed the call made by President Cyril Ramaphosa in Port Elizabeth during a workers’ day rally: “Let us exercise our right to protest in a way that is going to make sure that one, will look after the vulnerable, two, that will look after the assets of our nation.”
The Eastern Cape had the fourth–highest fatalities in the country over Easter.
The Minister’s visit to the Eastern Cape followed the release of the 2018 Preliminary Easter Road Safety report at the end of April.
The Minister of Transport, Dr Blade Nzimande, and Eastern Cape MEC for Transport and Safety, Weziwe Tikana, led several road safety activation programmes in Port Elizabeth after the holiday period.
The MEC visited the Addo Road Bridge in Motherwell, a project of the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL), where a group of volunteers formed a guard of honour and displayed road safety messages.
Tikana was later joined by the Minister on a visit to the family of a road accident victim in Missionvale and later visited the Raymond Mhlaba Indoor Sports Centre to meet with families who lost loved ones to road accidents and who are beneficiaries of the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
The activation formed part of the long weekend of Freedom Day and Workers’ Day celebrations on 1 May, and involved the Department’s agencies, RAF, Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), Cross Boarder Road Transport Agency (CBRTA) and SANRAL.
A province with many road fatalities
The Minister’s visit to the Eastern Cape followed the release of the 2018 Preliminary Easter Road Safety report at the end of April.
The report indicated the province had the fourth-highest fatalities in the country with 59 people having lost their lives.
A RTMC report of 2015/16 outlined several hazardous locations and 11 of those locations are in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The MEC said: “We took a decision to come to this area amongst the areas identified on the RTMC report. The programme started on 24 April and we are closing it today. We are providing road safety education, road blocks, search and seizures, and we were also patrolling throughout the night.”
Pedestrian safety
One of the focal areas highlighted in the report is pedestrian safety. The Province and the District identified Addo Road as one of the hazardous locations that required road safety intervention.
SANRAL has prioritized Addo Road and included it in its plans to effect traffic calming measures. This initiative demonstrates a perfect integration and collaboration of transport entities and law enforcement authorities working together with the community to improve service delivery in Road Safety.
Efforts made by the agency to reduce road fatalities and enhance pedestrian safety on Addo Road, were outlined by Craig Mclachlan, SANRAL Project Manager for the Eastern Cape.
Mclachlan said: “SANRAL is extending the dual carriageway in Motherwell to facilitate turning movements and improve various intersections to eliminate some of the conflicting traffic movements.
“SANRAL will also be providing pedestrian facilities alongside the dual carriageway sections in Motherwell to reduce motor vehicle-pedestrian conflict, and we will be improving the Motherwell N2 Interchange to improve the capacity of the interchange and try to eliminate the backing up of vehicles on the N2 during afternoon peak hour.”
The project value of the 27-month long road upgrade of the R335 from Motherwell to Addo is estimated at R780-million.
The project scope includes upgrading urban and rural road sections, and constructing new bridges over Coega and the Sundays River. This includes the extension of the current dual carriageway section through Motherwell, as well as improvements to the N2 St Georges / Motherwell interchange.
“We need to ensure that budget allocation to roads is not only used to construct new roads, we need to ensure that existing roads are maintained because if we don’t do so, these roads become a hazard,” said the Minister.
Minister Nzimande, the MEC and CEOs of the Department’s road entities and law enforcement officers also engaged with motorists, passengers and pedestrians on the N2 towards Colchester highlighting and emphasising the importance of their safety on the road during the long weekend.
Randall Cable, Western Cape Regional Manager, writes that all stakeholders must play a proactive role in road safety.
Randall Cable said that the Safe System approach also requires road users to play their part and use the transport system within the rules and constraints for which they were designed.
Technology is changing society in so many ways and we must intensify our search for more technological solutions when addressing the very complex issue of road safety.
The use of technology to promote road safety is also very much aligned with the “Safe System” approach adopted globally through the United Nation’s Plan for Road Safety, and which also underpins South Africa’s National Road Safety Strategy approved by Cabinet last year.
The Safe System approach accentuates the need for all stakeholders to accept responsibility for road safety. Road authorities such as SANRAL will continue to play a proactive role in ensuring a road environment that is self-explaining, forgiving and which provides for the needs of all roads users, including pedestrians.
We as humans are fallible, and we make mistakes, and we will therefore not be able to eradicate all road crashes.
However, through the ‘Safe System’ approach and the use of technology, it is possible to reduce the risk of serious injuries or fatalities when crashes do occur.
The Safe System approach also requires road users to play their part and use the transport system within the rules and constraints for which they were designed.
SANRAL therefore continues to initiate and support technological projects that advance road safety education and awareness and traffic law enforcement programmes that improve road user attitudes and behaviour.
This is an opinion piece by Randall Cable, SANRAL’s Western Cape Regional Manager.
The cut in SANRAL’s budget allocation this year is one reason why own revenue generation becomes more urgent.
The budget for the non-toll portfolio is received from National Treasury by means of an annual budget allocation. The toll budget is funded from the revenues collected at toll plazas.
The size of the national road network under the jurisdiction of SANRAL has been steadily growing with an initial long-term goal of extending it to 35 000km through the incorporation of 13 510km from provinces.
SANRAL has conducted research to assess the implications of the road transfers – it does not have the financial and human capital capacity to take over the management of such a large network. It has to be prudent regarding national road network growth, the provision of support to other road authorities and the incorporation of roads from other spheres of government.
The pressing need is to balance network growth against insufficient funds per kilometre required to maintain the network to an acceptable level.
The long-term strategy of SANRAL, Horizon 2030, proposes a review of the proposed road transfers from provinces from more than 13 000km to only 3 000km. This new approach will result in a more sustainable national road network of 25 000km with a stable budget per kilometre.
The agency’s current diversified funding strategy is informed by the prevailing funding policies of the National Treasury and the Department of Transport. This seeks to ensure an equitable allocation of public funds across sectors to achieve multiple objectives. This means road authorities are not likely to receive required funding allocations to effectively manage road networks. This results in different trade-offs and the use of alternative funding strategies.
The introduction of private finance in the form of state tolls and PPPs has proved valuable for SANRAL and allowed it to broaden the magnitude of the funding envelope and achieve more than it could, and much sooner, were it only reliant on the non-toll fiscal allocations.
Toll allows us to implement large projects when needed. This leads to greater economic benefits realised in the short term, as opposed to rolling much-needed projects out as and when funds are made available from the fiscus which delays the benefit felt.
SANRAL is now at a stage where opportunities for own revenue generation warrant serious consideration given the existing demands and constraints. Own revenue generation logically forms the final pillar of an integrated funding strategy that would seek to diversify funding sources and apply innovative funding solutions.
The N3 Corridor has got off the starting blocks: the 84km freeway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg – KwaZulu-Natal’s Gateway to Africa – is planned to be upgraded in phases over the next 8 to 10 years.
Phase1, which includes the critical sections between Cato Ridge and Pietermaritzburg, the Key Ridge realignment and the EB Cloete to Paradise Valley section, will be upgraded over the next five years.
Detailed designs are being drawn up for the reconstruction of the N3 between Durban and Cedara at an estimated cost of between R22 and R24 billion. The plans include a ring-road around Pietermaritzburg to avoid the notorious Town Hill section of the N3.
SANRAL Eastern Region design and construction manager Ravi Ronny said the N3 Corridor is essential if one of government’s strategic integrated projects linking the Port of Durban with Gauteng, South Africa’s economic heartland, is to succeed.
“Environmental impact assessments are also being commissioned while routes are being plotted to increase the capacity and safety of the freeway which will have up to four and even five lanes in each direction over certain sections,” said Ronny.
Major realignment of the highway will take place at Key Ridge and Town Hill where the steep grades cause major traffic congestion, especially when heavy-duty vehicles are on the road.
If the upgrades do not go ahead, it is estimated that users of the N3 will continue to suffer losses of nearly R800 million per annum – due to crashes and time delays. R775 million can be attributed to time delays and between R250 000 and R295 000 per hour to accidents and road closures due to crashes.
Twelve proposed new routes are being investigated to eliminate the problems at Town Hill. A 14 km ring-road around Pietermaritzburg and north-east of the current N3 alignment is being considered as one of the more favoured routes.
Ronny said the N3 carries in excess of 40 000 vehicles per day around Pietermaritzburg and consists of a mix of urban commuter traffic, long distance traffic and a substantial number of heavy vehicles, with some sections in excess of 25% heavy vehicles.
“In excess of 40 million tons of freight per annum is carried on the N3 corridor, with approximately 9 000 heavy vehicles using the national road per day.
“Durban is by far South Africa’s busiest port with over 80% of goods moving along this corridor by road.
“Therefore, the need to consider the best economic solutions to ensure the seamless flow of freight is very important to this corridor,” said Ronny, adding any blockage on the N3 causing its closure was tantamount to a national crisis.
A regional roads agency within SADC – based on the SANRAL model – was envisaged by Transport Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, in Parliament.
The Minister made the remarks at the conclusion of his department’s briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Transport. This was his first meeting with the committee since his appointment to the Cabinet in February. He was accompanied by Deputy Minister, Sindiswe Chikunga,
According to media reports he said a regional agency for the Southern African Development Community – SADC – could help with regional economic integration and the development of infrastructure.
He told the committee that the department is considering the role it can play and the initiatives it can implement to achieve the objective.
In her response to the comments the chairperson of the committee, Ms Dikeledi Magadzi, reportedly said a Southern African SANRAL “is a step in the right direction.” The Development Bank of Southern Africa – DBSA – and the African Bank could get on board for this to work in line with the ideals of the African Union.
Dr Nzimande told the Committee that he is concerned about the funding of road infrastructure for the next 15 to 20 years.
“One of the bigger issues I have been thinking about – which is an ongoing issue – arises from GFIP. How do we move forward in the next 15 to 20 years? How do we raise finance for road infrastructure,” he asked.
“We will have to come up with a strategy of funding road construction and maintenance programmes on a sustainable basis.”
Referring to the “user pay principle” as a source for road funding he said that it would be inappropriate to scrap it entirely. “Those who can afford to pay, must pay,” he is quoted as saying, adding that there were complexities that should be considered for the way forward.
Priority should be placed on the maintenance of roads, which are often so run-down that they have to be rebuilt from scratch. “The lack of maintenance costs us dearly.”
Road maintenance also has the potential to create jobs and support local economic development, especially in rural areas. Service delivery should be more integrated to involve local communities, the Minister said.
Three accomplished professionals with extensive experience in the engineering and transport sectors were appointed to senior leadership positions in SANRAL.
Dumisani Nkabinde is the new Regional Manager for SANRAL’s Eastern Region, Randall Cable will be responsible for the Western Region and Progress Hlahla will lead the agency’s Northern Region. Their appointments took effect beginning of April.
Skhumbuzo Macozoma, the CEO of SANRAL, says the new appointments will strengthen SANRAL’s senior management team at a time when the organisation has embarked on a new stage of its journey to manage and maintain the country’s primary road network.
“We are also committed to the comprehensive transformation of the construction and engineering sectors through the greater participation of black- and women-owned companies in major projects,” he says.
SANRAL is proud that all three senior appointments were made from within the ranks of the agency which demonstrates the success of its internal transformation and leadership development programmes, Macozoma says.
Dumisani Nkabinde is a professional engineer with more than 14 years’ experience in the civil and construction sectors. He joined SANRAL in 2007 as a project manager based in Pietermaritzburg and has, subsequently, been responsible for key projects in the region which covers KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State.
He has a BSc-degree in Civil Engineering from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, an MBA and a Master’s degree from Stellenbosch. He served on the executive of the World Road Association and is currently part of an international committee to rewrite global standards for road and bridge construction.
The new Western Region Manager, Randall Cable, joined SANRAL in 1999 shortly after obtaining a Master’s degree in traffic and transportation engineering from Texas A&M University in the United States.
He has published research and papers on traffic management and the utilisation of technology and infrastructure to improve road safety and served on technical commissions to revise the World Road Association’s road safety manuals. SANRAL’s Western Region stretches across the Western Cape and Northern Cape.
Progress Hlahla is the new Regional Manager responsible for Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West. Prior to joining SANRAL in 2016 he gained experience in the private sector in the South African, Zambian, Mozambican and Zimbabwean project engineering environments.
He holds an MSc-degree in project and construction management from the University of the Witwatersrand and is a member of several professional bodies in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
SANRAL halts realignment due to contractor failing to meet standards of contract.
In order for SANRAL to ensure that a reliable and resilient road has been constructed, quality control is of utmost importance.
The realignment of the N2 at the Umhlali and Umvoti River Bridges has been delayed because the contractor had failed to source materials as specified in the contract.
South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL) said the safety of road users is paramount and will not be compromised through the use of sub-standard material or the poor performance of service providers.
The final decision to terminate the contract was because the contractor filed for business rescue, which ended up with the firm being sequestrated.
For several months angry motorists have vented their frustration in the media at the delay in the completion of the upgrading of the N2 at the northern ends of the Umhlali and Umvoti River Bridges, where sharp curves were to be flattened to reduce the number of crashes.
Ridhwaan Mahomed, SANRAL Eastern Region project manager, said the agency’s primary purpose is to provide a safe and efficient national road network for the benefit of all.
“In order for us to ensure that a reliable and resilient road has been constructed, quality control is of utmost importance. SANRAL has to ensure that all construction activities follow the specifications as set out in the contract to ensure that construction is undertaken to the highest standards,” said Mahomed.
“The contract documents also specify, amongst others, the minimum test results required to be achieved from various quality tests undertaken by an accredited laboratory.”
Mahomed said the constructed pavement layer, using material from local suppliers on the N2 project, did not meet the required specifications.
“There are three probable reasons why the pavement layer failed. Firstly, the supplier may have supplied incorrect material; secondly, the contractor could have contaminated the material while processing and placing it on site; and thirdly, the material could have broken down during compaction of the layer.”
New tender process for entire contract
He said SANRAL had attempted to assist the contractor with a revised pavement design to limit the contractor’s additional cost for removing and replacing the material.
However, SANRAL was made aware towards the latter part of 2017 that the contractor was placed under business rescue.
The original appointment value of the contract was R57.4-million. SANRAL only pays service providers for acceptable completed work. The contractor had only completed 27% of the original contracted work and was only paid for that amount of work.
Mahomed said when the contractor subsequently faced liquidation, a termination letter was sent.
“We are currently busy with a new tender process. The feedback from the National Treasury is that we have to re-tender and cannot appoint the tenderer with the second-highest points, which was SANRAL’s initial recommendation as an attempt to expedite the process.
“We have to re-tender the entire contract and hopefully we will have a new contractor on site by September. Meanwhile we humbly request all motorists to bear with us as we are trying our utmost best to resolve the situation.”
SANRAL invests R90-million for three new bridges across the N17.
All the bridges have rest points for the elderly and disabled, while concrete bollards at the entrances prevent cars from driving on the surfaces.
The safety of pedestrians on the East Rand has improved significantly with the construction of three new pedestrian bridges across the busy N17 between Springs and Johannesburg.
The three bridges constitute a R90-million investment in road safety and engineering excellence by the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL), which is responsible for the management of this important regional road.
The N17 is a national toll route that runs from Gauteng, through Mpumalanga, to the Swaziland border. Pedestrian safety has been a major concern in the urban areas of Ekurhuleni and eastern Johannesburg.
Several pedestrians and cyclists trying to cross the busy double-carriageway have been hit by vehicles in recent years. SANRAL’s solution was to construct three new pedestrian bridges across the freeway – in line with its commitment to provide safe road infrastructure.
The new bridges were completed in August 2017.
Safety needs of pedestrians and cyclists paramount
SANRAL Project Manager Tshidi Lethale said: “An important part of our work is to ensure our roads are safely engineered for all road users.
“Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users. That is why the safety needs and requirements of pedestrians and cyclists are considered in the planning, design and implementation of road infrastructure.”
No details were spared during the design and construction phases. The bridges are maintained and inspected rigorously.
All the bridges have rest points for the elderly and disabled, while concrete bollards at the entrances prevent cars from driving on the surfaces.
In the Springs/Brakpan area, an 82.4m-long pedestrian bridge was constructed to cross the freeway at an angle. Stone pitching was placed beneath the bridge to prevent people from making fires that could compromise safety and cause the bridge to deteriorate.
Slightly to the west, another bridge now connects KwaThema with Springs and Brakpan. Closer to Johannesburg, the N17 passes close to busy public facilities such as Wemmer Pan, City Deep and the Joburg Market.
The new KwaThema pedestrian bridge will address major safety concerns related to people crossing the freeway at a stretch that carries a lot of traffic.
The new self-anchored suspension bridge has a main span of 57m, with a reinforced concrete deck suspended from stress bars. The new SANRAL bridges are welcome additions for the communities whose lives are being improved.
“The bridge changed our lives,” said Sibongile Sibiya, the ward committee member representing the Mkhancwa informal settlement in the Springs/Brakpan area. “Before the pedestrian bridge was constructed, there were multiple deaths.”
Women from Eastern Cape communities complete a life-changing training programme with SANRAL.
The group will undergo further training through a business skills programme that will take place in early June.
Twelve women from the Mtentu and Lusikisiki communities (OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo Districts) in the Eastern Cape, recently completed a training programme with the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL).
The programme equipped them with the skills needed to sew overalls for contractors and labourers working on the Mtentu Bridge construction project.
The group of trainees comprised five females and one male from Mtentu in the North Bank of the bridge as well as seven females and one male from Lusikisiki in the South Bank.
The group will undergo further training through a business skills programme that will take place in early June.
Contractor Training Executive, Robert Simelane of Aveng Grinaker-LTA, the main contractors on the construction of the bridge said: “The plan is to set the group up as two cooperatives that will be tasked with branding protective equipment as well as sewing overalls for the contractors and Mtentu Bridge project labourers.
“We are currently setting up the site with equipment, which should be done by August. Leading up to that, we aim to deliver a training programme on business skills as we want this group to be self-sufficient when the Mtentu Bridge project concludes. After this, they will go on site and start with the work.”
A lasting legacy
Iphulo Lamampondokazi Primary Cooperative, a local cooperative comprised of three beadwork trainers and two sewing trainers, was subcontracted by Aveng Grinaker-LTA to deliver the training programme.
Lead trainer Buyiswa Mdontso said the group had been quick to learn.
“For some, it was their first interaction with a sewing machine. The training covered sewing techniques for tracksuits and overalls. This training will present the trainees with an opportunity to generate additional income through sewing tracksuits for local schools,” she said.
Dr Mongezi Noah, SANRAL Southern Region Community Development Specialist, said the trainees were selected by the Project Liaison Committee because of their reputation for quality work.
“The community was consulted and agreed these are the type of people they could send for training. These individuals are not working and the only thing that helps them
put food on the table is sewing. But living in rural areas where people seldom use their services makes them suffer even more,” he said.
“The intention is for them to continue using the skills they have learnt, thus expanding it to tourism by supplying traditional garments and many other things that would provide stock for an envisaged tourist centre at the bridge. Not forgetting to mention that they will create more job opportunities for the AmaMpondo community,” added Dr Noah.
Trainees look to the future
Nompumelelo Nokoni, one of the female trainees, said the programme contributed towards her independence as a woman to provide for herself and her family.
“Through this programme I gained a lot of knowledge and experience because I did not even know how to operate a sewing machine before and now I can operate it with ease,” she said.
Reflecting on how she plans to utilise her new skill beyond the Mtentu Bridge construction project, Nombuyiselo Phiwayo said:
“The aim is to do well on this project and impress SANRAL so they hire us as permanent employees and I can take care of myself and my family.”
Sibongiseni Ntsema, a local well known for his sewing work, was selected to ensure people living with disabilities would also benefit from the project. Ntsema is wheelchair bound.
“In the past I could only sew traditional clothing, so I now have an added skill. They have also promised to get me an arm roller sewing machine to make things easier for me when we get started with the work,” he said.
Mtentu Bridge to be the highest in Africa
The Mtentu Bridge project forms part of the green fields portion of SANRAL’s N2 Wild Coast Road project. It extends over 560km from the Gonubie Interchange in East London to the Isipingo Interchange south of Durban and is set to save road users up to three hours of travelling time upon completion.
To date, approximately R4-million has been spent on local sub-contractors, SMMEs and local suppliers in the Mtentu Bridge construction project, a considerable contribution to the local economy and job creation.
At the end of the 40-month construction period, the 1.1-km long Mtentu Bridge will break records as the highest bridge in Africa and the Southern Hemisphere at 223m high.
