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MEDIA RELEASE

Get on the bus! The Democracy Bus embarks on a service delivery journey

Pretoria, 21 June 2024 – In celebration of 30 years of freedom and democracy, the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL) has donated a fully kitted coach to provide citizens in the furthest corners of the land with an opportunity to engage all tiers of government through various activations.

The coach – a type of bus built for long distance service – was used from the day of the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa – 19 June – by different departments to hold community engagements designed to foster dialogue and increase citizen participation in shaping government’s service delivery programmes.

The launch event, held a day before the inauguration, was attended by, among others, the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni; Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga; Director-General of the Department of Transport, Advocate James Mlawu – who was the Programme Director; SANRAL Board chairperson, Themba Mhambi; SANRAL CEO Reginald Demana and members of his senior management team, as well as senior public officials from the Presidency, Department of Transport and Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).

Handing over the freedom and democracy bus to Ntshavheni at the SANRAL Central Operations Centre (COC) in Centurion on Tuesday, Chikunga explained that the term ‘bus’ was short for omnibus, which means “for everyone”.

“It often symbolises taking a journey,” she said. “So, it fits well with the idea that we should all embark on a journey to commemorate the arrival of democracy and freedom. This bus will travel the length and breadth of our country until April next year, spreading the message of what the government has delivered to bring a better life to the people of South Africa over the past 30 years.”

The bus will be managed by Government Communication and Information System but is available to all government departments for various campaigns.

“As you will see when you board the bus, it is fully kitted out to ensure that public servants continue their work while travelling on the long road,” said Chikunga. “We urge all government departments to take ownership of the bus, as we will also do as the Department of Transport.

Chikunga added that South Africa had emerged “unified” from the recent elections. “We continue to put people first as we celebrate 30 years of democracy and freedom. From the dawn of democracy in 1994, to date, we stand more committed to bring a better life to all citizens of this glorious nation.”

The 27 April 2024 marked 30 years since the advent of democracy in South Africa, a historic milestone in South Africa as all adults were allowed to cast their votes, for the first time, a free and fair democratic election.

The bus is going to criss-cross the country’s nine provinces while engaging South Africans through various activations and showcasing the government’s programmes and achievements over the past 30 years.

As part of commemorations for the 30 Years of Freedom campaign, government will reflect on the nation’s history, celebrate its accomplishments and inspire citizens to continue contributing to its progress.

It will be part of a host of exciting events throughout 2024 to celebrate the state of readiness of public transport, 30 years of national roads infrastructure and 30 years of freedom and democracy in South Africa.

The government intends sending the bus to rural areas and public spaces across South Africa to raise all the departments’ profiles while offering interactive and high-tech information about how democracy works, said Ntshavheni.

The press briefing was preceded by a ceremony in which Chikunga officially handed over the colourful bus to Ntshavheni.

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Lane closures on N3 between N3/M13 off-ramp and Hammarsdale Interchange

Durban, 20 June 2024 – The N3 northbound and southbound between the N3/M13 and Hammarsdale interchanges will have long-term lane closures from next week until December 2024 as part of the realignment of the N3 between Key Ridge and Hammarsdale, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.

“Long-term slow and fast lane closures together with reduced lane widths will be in place between the N3/M13 split and Hammarsdale interchanges from 28 June to 13 December 2024, for the repairs of potholes,” said Jason Lowe, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Project Manager.

Concrete barriers will be placed to divide traffic from the construction work areas where the works will take place. Two lanes will remain open to traffic but with marginally reduced lane widths.

The traffic accommodation team with the assistance of the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI), will monitor the diversion of traffic at all times.

“Minor delays are expected on the N3. However, these may increase during peak times. We urge motorists to avoid traveling during peak times, work from home or car share, if possible. We further urge motorists to be patient for the duration of this closure, to allow additional time for travel especially if traveling during peak times and to adhere to the warning signage and construction zone speed limits,” said Lowe.

Drivers of heavy motor vehicles (trucks) are to comply with the northbound compulsory truck stop at the top of Key Ridge. After they had stopped, they are to engage a low gear and crawl down the hill in the slow lane.

SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused to the motoring public and thanks them for their patience during this period.

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Partial road closure of the N1 between Ventersburg off-ramp and the N1-R30 split in Free State, Kroonstad

Free State, Friday, 14 June 2024 – The N1 between Ventersburg off-ramp and the N1-R30 split in Kroonstad will be partially closed to allow blasting on farm Ventersburg Dorpsgronde 354 and the farm Hamburg 473 Situated in Free State, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.

“The partial road closure will take place between Ventersburg and De Aar on the N1-R30 split. The closure will affect traffic in both northbound and southbound direction of the N1 highway. Free State Traffic Officers will be deployed to manage and monitor the diversion of traffic and to ensure minimal disruptions,” said Nqobile Mabaso, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Statutory Control Administrator.

The details of the partial road closure date and times are as follows:

• Tuesday, 18 June 2024 from 14:00 to 15:00
• Alternative date: Thursday, 20 June 2024 from 14:00 to 15:00

Road users travelling in both directions will be temporarily stopped for no more than one hour. Motorists are urged to plan and adjust their trips accordingly, proceed with caution and adhere to sign posted speed limits.

“Road users are advised to obtain real-time traffic information and route status updates on the partial road closure date. SANRAL apologises to the motoring public for any inconvenience caused and thanks them for their patience during partial road closure,” said Mabaso.

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TRANSPORT MINISTER TO BRIEF THE MEDIA ABOUT THE STATE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE AND HANDOVER THE FREEDOM BUS

Pretoria: – The Minister of Transport, Ms. Sindiswe Chikunga will give an update about the state of public transport and road infrastructure in South Africa during a media briefing which will be held on Tuesday, 18 June 2024.

The briefing will focus on the achievements made by the National Department of Transport during the 30 years of democracy.

The press briefing will be preceded by a ceremony in which the Minister Transport will officially hand over the Freedom and Democracy Bus to the Minister in the Presidency, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni at the SANRAL Central Operations Centre (COC) in Centurion.

The Freedom and Democracy Bus is set to travel across all nine provinces of South Africa, engaging South Africans through various activations to showcase the government’s programmes and achievements over the past three decades.

The Minister of Transport and Minister in the Presidency will also focus on the 30 years of freedom and democracy in South Africa during their interaction with the media.

Date : Tuesday, 18 June 2024
Time : 09:30 for 10:00
Venue : SANRAL Central Operations Centre (COC), Centurion

Members of the media attending the event are requested to confirm attendance with Ivy Masale 076 789 5538 or masalei@dot.gov.za / Tshegofatso Maake on 063 281 9453 or maaket@dot.gov.za

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ISSUED BY: National Department of Transport

Media Contact:

Collen Msibi
National Spokesperson
066 476 9015

TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Sinkhole rehabilitation on the R21 Section 2 Northbound in Gauteng

Gauteng, 13 June 2024: The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) wishes to notify travellers that the next phase of the sinkhole remediation work on the R21 section 2 at km 3.2 requires the shifting of traffic on the Northbound carriageway (towards Pretoria) from the two fast lanes to the two slow lanes. The traffic shift is currently planned to occur from 6pm to 6am on 2 July 2024.

Alternative routes that can be taken include the M57 (Irene/Nellmapius) and the M18 (Olifantsfontein Road), as shown below.

Motorists are requested to strictly adhere to the traffic accommodation and signage provided.

SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused.

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Stop/Go on N2 Section 16, from Mooiplaas to Qumrha T-Junction, in the Eastern Cape

Gqerberha, 11 June 2024 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) advises road users that a Stop/Go system has been implemented on the N2 Section 16, from Mooiplaas to Qumrha T-Junction (formerly Komga), where a periodic road maintenance project is currently underway.

The Stop/Go system will be in place from Mooiplaas to Qumrha T-Junction from 10 June to 3 August 2024.

Motorists can expect a 10- to 20-minute delay at the Stop/Go.

“Motorists should adhere to the warning signs, reduce speed when approaching the construction zones and plan their trips accordingly as there are no alternative routes available,” said Mr Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL’s Southern Regional Manager.

SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused.

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Upgrade of the R336 route between Nqweba (formerly Kirkwood) and Addo in the Eastern Cape

Gqeberha, 10 June 2024 – The South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL) advises road users that a road upgrade project is in currently progress on the R336 between Nqweba (formerly Kirkwood) and Addo.

Phase 1 of the work takes place from km 16.75 to km 30.5 and includes resealing 1.75 km of the existing road between km 15 and km 16.75 (east of the town of Nqweba).

There will be no stop/go signs on the section of the road under the Phase 1 contract for the duration of the Wildfees Festival, which runs from 28 June to 1 July 2024.

Motorists should note:

• Phase 1 starts from Nqweba to approximately 500m from Bezuidenhout Bridge.
• As road users drive out of Nqweba towards Addo, both lanes have been recently surfaced.
• Main Street, starting from the Whyte Street/Main Street intersection, has been surfaced.

The alternative routes for motorists travelling either from Addo on the R336 heading towards the R75, or vice versa, is via Mimosa Street, Shand Street and Middle Street in town. These roads have been paved.

The road is still a construction site, and motorists are advised to observe the temporary signs and the speed limit of 60km per hour. No overtaking is permitted.

Motorists travelling from Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) to Nqweba should use the R75 and turn on to the R336 Nqweba.

Motorists travelling from Addo to Nqweba are advised to familiarise themselves with the Phase 2 traffic advisory.

There is no alternative route for motorists travelling between Addo and Nqweba.

“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly and be cautious when using the roads,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL Southern Regional Manager.

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MEDIA RELEASE

Transformation to help grow SA infrastructure, SANRAL tells NAFBI conference

Pretoria, 6 June 2024 – The South African national Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) says its transformation agenda is not aimed at destroying big construction companies but it is intended work together to lift small business along the journey.

This was a message by the General Manager for Marketing and Communications at SANRAL, Vusi Mona, during his address at the National Association For Building Industry (NAFBI) Stakeholder Engagement Forum currently underway at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

The engagement is being held in partnership with the Big 5 Southern Africa Construct, which aims to engage stakeholders on various issues related to the state of infrastructure in South Africa and strengthening private sector partnerships with the public sector.

Mona refuted claims that SANRAL aims to undermine big construction firm through its transformation efforts. Instead, he said, it wants the big companies to uplift SMMEs in the industry in order to participate meaningfully on projects.

“We want to strengthen the big companies to get more business to help them grow and see them compete globally. But there is a condition that as they grow, they should lift other small companies as well,” he said.

NAFBI National President, Aubrey Tshalata, said the organisation has been leading transformation in the construction space for more than 20 years assisted by Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) and SANRAL. As a result, it has launched an aggressive mentorship programme with about 120 mentors who are providing SMMEs with technical mentorship at construction sites.

“Many a times people are placed at construction sites with no one to assist them with technical mentorship so that they can deliver successfully on projects. It is for this reason that we have launched this programme. I want to commend SANRAL for outstanding support in the provision of mentorship. We have 44 mentors coaching well over 400 SMMEs on SANRAL sites alone,” said Tshalata.

Tshalata also relayed the challenge of the declining number of women-owned businesses in construction and said more needs to be done to address the issue.

Other key issues covered at the engagements were safety challenges on construction sites following the recent tragedies in George and KwaZulu-Natal were workers lost their lives due to compromised safety on construction sites.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic events which occurred in George and KZN. It is something that could have been avoided considering could that we have existing professionals with the knowledge and technical know-how to address safety. It is for this reason that we will be hosting a summit to address the issue of Occupational Health and Safety on sites,” said Tshalata.

Lufuno Ratsiku, President of the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professionals (SACPCMP), warned against “deploying unqualified individuals to manage construction projects in our quest for transformation”.

“We need to ensure we have qualified people in the field to manage projects. It is not fair that the industry is open to anyone who feels they can do the job, unlike other industries where there is vetting. Medical practices should be left to medical professionals, the same should apply in construction,” said Ratsiku.

He said this can cause a situation where projects are started but never completed because finance get closed off somewhere in the pipeline.

The NAFBI event is underway until Thursday and aims to host fruitful conversation to grow the industry and the economy.

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TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Lane closures to place concrete barriers on the N3 at the Paradise Valley Interchange

Durban, 7 June 2024 – The N3 will have daily lane closures from 17 June to 22 June 2024 between 20h00 to 04h30 to facilitate the placing of concrete barriers as part the N3 project upgrades from Westville Viaduct to Paradise Valley Interchange, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.

“The lane closure will take place on the East and Westbound slow lanes at the Paradise Valley Interchange (N3/M13 Merge). The Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI), with the assistance of the contractor’s traffic accommodation team, will manage and monitor the diversion of traffic during this period,” said Jason Lowe, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Project Manager.

“SANRAL apologises to the motoring public for any inconvenience caused during the road closure. This is an unavoidable consequence of the road improvements. Attempts have been made to minimise disturbances as far as possible and closures have been restricted to hours when traffic is at its lowest level,” said Lowe.

Motorists are urged to be patient while driving through the alternative routes, to plan and adjust their route trips ahead of time, and to adhere to signage and speed limits.

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MEDIA RELEASE

SANRAL Announces Major Investment in Road Safety and Socio-Economic

Development for Inxuba Yethemba Municipality, Eastern Cape

Caption: Inxuba Yethemba Municipality Mayor, Noncedo Zonke(4th from left), SANRAL

Stakeholder Relations Coordinator, Welekhazi Ndika (5th from right), SANRAL Project Manager, Thabo Jaxa(2nd from right), and elected PLC Members.

 

Middelburg, Eastern Cape, 6 June 2024 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) introduced two slope stabilisation projects to stakeholders in the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

The projects were introduced at two stakeholder engagement events on 4 and 5 June 2024. The targeted sites – the Witkrans Nek on the N10 outside Middelburg and Cradock Cutting on the R390 – are known for their treacherous conditions, particularly during winter.

The initiative underscores SANRAL’s commitment to enhancing road safety and driving socio-economic growth in the region. The project, affecting areas under the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality and Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality, marks a significant investment in infrastructure development with an allocated budget of R330 million.

Anticipated to commence in July 2024, the project spans 24 months including three months mobilisation period and is poised to bring transformative benefits to the local community.

These areas have been identified as high-risk zones where road safety is paramount. By stabilising these slopes, SANRAL aims to mitigate the dangers posed to motorists and ensure safer travel routes.

Engineer Johan Swanepoel emphasised the specialised nature of this work and the meticulous quality-control measures in place to ensure the contractor delivers superior results. These engagement sessions served a dual purpose to introduce the project to municipal stakeholders and to establish Project Liaison Committees (PLCs).

The PLCs, which include representatives from small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), designated groups such as women, youth, people with disabilities, military veterans, and the affected community, will oversee the project’s progress and ensure transparent communication.

Mayor Noncedo Zonke lauded the inclusive approach, highlighting the importance of community involvement in infrastructure projects. “The establishment of PLCs ensures that our community has a voice in the project’s execution. The appointment of labourers also must be equally distributed among the wards from the list,” said Mayor Zonke.

“We thank the government for bringing jobs to the people because unemployment is high that’s why the hall is full. We must however, ensure that it’s the locals who benefit and not people from outside of this municipality,” said a resident in Cradock.

SANRAL’s project is not just about enhancing road safety; it is a catalyst for socio-economic development in the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality. A significant portion of the project’s budget is dedicated to empowering local labour and enterprises. Specifically, a minimum of 6% is allocated for targeted labour, prioritising people with disabilities, women, youth and military veterans.

“We are trying to accommodate even people who are older than 35-50 years old so that no one feels excluded, we are not only looking to employ youth from 18 to 35 years,” said Project Manager, Thabo Jaxa

Targeted enterprises will be responsible for various critical aspects of the project, including transportation of labour, traffic control facilities, construction of subsoil drains, installation of prefabricated culverts, landscaping, fencing, and site security services.

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