MEDIA RELEASE
SANRAL TO INJECT OVER R500M IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN THE FREE STATE
Free State Province, 13 June 2025 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited’s (SANRAL) injection of just over R500 million in road construction and maintenance will go a long way in bringing much-needed job opportunities for SMMEs and local community members in the Free State Province’s towns of Jacobsdal, Koffiefontein, Jagersfontein and Trompsburg.
SANRAL will embark on an emergency routine road maintenance (RRM) project of the national road R48 intersection to Jacobsdal, the R704 national road from Trompsburg to Jagersfontein, the R704 national road from Jagersfontein to Trompsburg, as well as the R705 national road from Jacobsdal to the Free State and Northern Cape provinces border.
These roads were handed over to SANRAL by the Free State Provincial Government in November last year. The Government Gazette, published on 22 November 2024 (Gazette 51639), reported that a total of 674 Free State provincial roads would now be incorporated and fall under SANRAL’s management.
Speaking at information sessions that SANRAL convened with local SMMEs and community members in Jacobsdal, Koffiefontein and Trompsburg this week, Sipho Khoza, SANRAL’s Project Manager, said the RRM project will provide much-needed job opportunities for local communities.
“Our aim at SANRAL is to ensure that previously marginalised communities, including women, young people, and people with disabilities, play a meaningful role and benefit from the construction industry.”
“Key works that will be done on the project include pavement layer repairs, pothole repairs, crack sealing, edge break repairs, shoulder repairs, surface treatment, slope repair, cleaning of drainage structures, grass cutting and bush clearing, fence and guardrail repairs, road marking, among others,” said Khoza.
The project started in April this year, and it is expected to be completed in April next year.
In addition to providing job opportunities for local communities, Khoza said that the RRM project is crucial because the areas in which the roads traverse through are the lifeblood of the province’s agricultural economy. “As SANRAL, we must ensure continuous upgrades and maintenance of these roads, which enables farmers and rural communities to transport their goods, services and produce to the markets on roads that are safe to use. The upgrades to these road corridors will provide a massive boost to the economy and will greatly increase the road capacity in the area,” he said.
Working together with the Department of Labour and South African Revenue Service (SARS), SANRAL also used the information session as an opportunity to share information about how local SMMEs can be tax compliant, and how they can also be trained and equipped to enhance their business acumen and tendering skills.
“We want to encourage active dialogue with yourselves as the project progresses. This is important because we want to ensure smoothing running of these projects, with maximum benefits for all those that are affected. Working together through the Project Liaison Committee (PLC), we will continue to ensure that information is shared among yourself and that there is ongoing transparency on matters relating to subcontracting, project execution and employment of local community members,” said Thandeka Ngema, Acting Stakeholder Relations Coordinator for the Free State Province.
Over the next two years, SANRAL will also embark on other road maintenance projects in the Free State such as the maintenance of the N1 national road from Fonteintjie to Wurasoord, and the N8 national road between Alexanderfontein.
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