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TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Road closure – R27 at Keimoes

Northern Cape, 26 February 2023 – In the interest of public safety, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) with Provincial Traffic, has closed a portion of the R27, Section 11 in Keimoes.

SANRAL received reports of localised flooding along certain low-lying portions of the R27, due to dams overflowing upstream in the Orange River.

Subsequent to the Engineers’ assessment of road conditions and related damage, it was confirmed that the flooding and damage to the roadway, pose a serious safety risk to road users.

The R27 section 11, km 73.6 to km 74.6, will therefore be closed for a period of time, as directed by Provincial Traffic. The duration of the planned closure is dependent on water levels which are influenced by the released water from dams upstream, like the Gariep and Vaal River Dam, and repair of any damage this may cause to the roadway. SANRAL will communicate regularly on the status of the closure of the R27.

Provincial Traffic authorities have been requested to provide traffic management and law enforcement assistance in facilitating this closure and SANRAL is assisting in providing appropriate signage and barricades at the determined road closure sites.

The alternative route will be as directed by Provincial Traffic.

“We understand the economic impact of road closures to road users, particularly in the freight and long-distance passenger transport sectors, and we will endeavour to reopen the road as quickly as possible, once we effect the repairs which may start as soon as the water levels reside. We appeal to road users for utmost caution, patience and compliance with road signage and speed adjustments in the affected areas,” said Randall Cable, SANRAL Western Region Manager.

MEDIA RELEASE: Immediate
SANRAL WELCOMES FINANCE MINISTER’S 2023/24 BUDGET SPEECH

Pretoria, 26 February 2023: The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) welcomes the decision by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to allocate R903bn to infrastructure development over the medium term, emphasising that these investments will lay the foundation for inclusive and sustainable growth.

Delivering his 2023/24 Budget speech last week, Minister Godongwana said that the largest portion of this R903bn – around R448bn – will be spent by state-owned companies, public entities and through public-private partnerships. The Minister said the spend on transport and logistics will be an estimated R351.1bn, including for SANRAL to improve the road infrastructure network.

He also said that there will be a concerted effort by government, together with law enforcement agencies, to crack down on criminality in the construction sector to prevent the ongoing extortion and intimidation of lawfully appointed contractors on infrastructure projects. SANRAL

CEO Reginald Demana welcomed the Minister’s announcement.

“The transport sector gazetted 16 strategic integrated projects in 2020. SANRAL continues to improve the capacity of several routes on toll and non?toll networks and 11 projects with a combined value of about R20 billion have been prioritised. These projects will create an estimated 10 000 jobs during construction,” said Demana.

“Six SANRAL projects to the value of R20 billion are under construction, including the N3 Cato Ridge to Dardanelles, N3 Dardanelles to Lynnfield Park, N3 Ashburton to Murray Road, N2 EB Cloete Interchange, N2 Mtentu Bridge and N2 Msikaba Bridge.”

Apart from the job creation during construction, Demana said an estimated R6 billion of the above-mentioned projects is earmarked for targeted enterprises in line with the country’s SMME development agenda.

“We don’t just develop physical infrastructure in the form of roads and bridges but also ensure that when we execute these projects, we develop the communities in the vicinity. We encourage our contractors to adopt a similar approach to community development. Of course, the element of training and skills development in line with the SETAs functions will also be part of these projects, even more so going forward.” Allocations to SANRAL are made through the Department of Transport’s Road Oversight sub-programme, which is responsible for transferring an estimated R89bn to the agency over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period. SANRAL plans to use R56.5bn of its departmental transfer to strengthen and upgrade the national non-toll network, R3.9bn for the N2 Wild Coast Project, R2.9bn for the R573 Moloto Road project, and R2.2bn for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP).

SANRAL received a special allocation of R23.7bn in 2022/23 as a partial solution to the GFIP not generating enough toll revenue to service the debt raised for its construction.

“This allocation is expected to provide the agency with sufficient funds to service several large debt redemptions and related maintenance in 2023/24. As a result of this one-off allocation in 2022/23, spending in Road Transport programme is expected to decrease at an average annual rate of 4.1 per cent, from R60 billion in 2022/23 to R52.9 billion in 2025/26,” said Demana.

MEDIA RELEASE

SANRAL TO UNLOCK R 17 BILLION PROJECTS IN ETHEKWINI

Durban, 23 February 2023 – The upgrades to the National Route 2 (N2) in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality will not only alleviate traffic congestion but will also bring R17 billion investment to local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), as well as people living with disabilities, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has said.

SANRAL recently hosted an information session for the people living with disabilities in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. This engagement is in line with SANRAL’s fourth pillar of stakeholder relations, which requires stakeholders to be informed about all project-related activities and opportunities on SANRAL projects.

“The engagement was aiming to empower emerging SMMEs with knowledge regarding opportunities available during current and upcoming SANRAL projects on the N2. People living with disabilities are guaranteed minimum one percent of the contract value,” said Trevor Zumani, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Project Manager.

The upgrade of the N2 will focus on a 55km length, from Lovu River, on the South Coast, to Umdloti, on the North Coast. These upgrades will include the widening of the N2 carriageways, with four or five lanes in each direction, and the reconfiguration of most major interchanges along these route sections.

This information session engagement is built on a number of engagements that SANRAL has undertaken. SANRAL is prioritising the engagement of its stakeholders, where local SMMEs and communities can access information that will enable them to position their businesses better and access the opportunities available in the SANRAL road network.

“While SANRAL maintains national roads, we make sure that the members of the community are given business opportunities to be part of the road infrastructure development and benefit from it. Over and above the main contractors, we also ensure that subcontractors are selected from the local area,” said Zumani.

The SMME pre-tender training service provider Imbawula Civils was also introduced to encourage local business owners to participate in the skills development training. The purpose of this training project is to create ongoing skills development, educational opportunities and continuous professional and technical development for the SMMEs in construction to build and maintain capacity to undertake major projects.

“A lot of SMMEs need training in running and managing their businesses. SANRAL will offer training from filling out a tender document to managing their finances once the business is up and running. On completion of the 15-day training, SMMEs can effectively and successfully bid for subcontracting opportunities on the SANRAL construction projects,” said Eastern Region Transformation Officer James Takalo.

SANRAL is willing to assist SMMEs succeed in the construction industry as part of the road agency’s Horizon 2030 strategy.

Councilor Sbusiso Lushaba, representing the eThekwini Speaker’s office, welcomed SANRAL’s initiative to engage stakeholders. He noted that this initiative presents an opportunity for stakeholders within the local municipality to be well informed about all SANRAL’s current and future projects. It also assists SMMEs in preparing themselves for tendering opportunities.

“Our aim is to ensure that the previously marginalised sectors of our economy including people with disabilities play a meaningful role and succeed in a construction industry that has largely been non-transformative. We will continue to do this guided by our transformation policy and our Horizon 2030 strategy,” added Takalo

MEDIA RELEASE
SANRAL clarifies claims of 25 million potholes on South Africa’s roads

Gauteng, 19 February 2023 – SANRAL wishes to clarify claims circulating in the public domain about South Africa having 25 million potholes.

In a presentation at the South African Roads Federation (SARF) Conference held in Cape Town during October 2022, one of the speakers, a former SARF president, Mr Mutshutshu Nxumalo, claimed there were more than 25 million potholes on South Africa’s roads.

The national roads agency would like to clarify that the estimate of 25 million potholes was not derived from SANRAL but was presented at an event in which it participated.

SANRAL has reservations about this figure. Given that South Africa has a paved network of 168,000 kilometres, 25 million would equate to 149 potholes for every kilometre, which is improbable and unlikely.

“We do not dispute that South Africa has a pothole crisis and we remain committed to working with provinces and municipalities to address it. However, we must be realistic about the nature and extent of the problem. We recognise the work done by so many municipalities and provincial departments in fixing potholes on their respective roads.

“We are, however, unable to provide reliable statistics as to the exact number of potholes which have been repaired to date and will be requiring more administrative cooperation from the various authorities to actively report their progress so that we can have a more accurate grasp of the progress made across the country,” said the roads agency’s spokesperson Vusi Mona.

He emphasized that feedback and opinions are important to roads authorities because they reflect the experience of the people who use the roads. “We take these seriously. But even so, we must be careful when using statistical data so that we don’t exaggerate the challenges we are facing,” said Mona.

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Gauteng, 17 February 2023 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has noted the public interest and commentary on potholes and the Vala Zonke campaign.

The National Department of Transport (NDOT) launched the national campaign to fix potholes, dubbed Operation Vala Zonke, on 8 August 2022, with a call for a joint effort by the nine (9) provinces and all 278 municipalities, comprising eight (8) metropolitan, 44 district and 226 local municipalities.

The NDOT also called on the private sector and the public to assist in eradicating potholes on South Africa’s roads. SANRAL was appointed as the coordinating agency to drive the campaign, which included the harmonisation of all data and information on potholes and providing the technology and technical knowledge to ensure quality delivery on the campaign.

SANRAL launched the SANRAL Pothole App for the public to be able to report potholes easily. Some 51,271 citizens have downloaded the free App – available on IOS and Android phones – and reported some 26,699 potholes. The Pothole App allows for the user to take a picture of the pothole, while the system automatically records the GPS location, eventually sending the information to the relevant authority, depending on the location.

In line with its Roads Repair and Maintenance policy, SANRAL has swiftly responded to and repaired all potholes which have been reported on the national road network.

“A total of 618 potholes have been reported on SANRAL roads to date; 475 of these were in the Northern Region; 72 in the Eastern Region; 60 in the Southern Region; and 11 in the Western Region. All these were fixed and those that haven’t are still within the 48-hour widow that we have set ourselves at SANRAL,” said Louw Kannemeyer, SANRAL’s Engineering Executive.

SANRAL spokesman Vusi Mona said the first six months of the Vala Zonke campaign had shown some success in providing the public with a single pothole reporting app that can be used on all roads in South Africa, providing centralised consolidated view of all reported potholes enabling focused engagements between DOT and relevant authority and fixing potholes but that a massive inter-governmental effort would be required to overcome the scourge on a much wider scale.

“As the coordinating agency for the Vala Zonke campaign, SANRAL has done an assessment of the limited progress made in fixing potholes across the country. It is important to understand the legal mandates of the various spheres of government, to understand who is responsible for which roads, and to be clear about how the campaign to fix potholes is coordinated,” said Mr Mona.

South Africa’s total road network is estimated at 750,000 kilometres, the longest of any African country and the 11th longest in the world. Responsibility for building and maintaining the network is divided between SANRAL, provincial and local government authorities. SANRAL manages national roads and has a network of 23 512 kilometres of paved roads. Provinces are responsible for just over 270,000 kilometres (46,500 km paved) while the municipal network is estimated at just over 320 000 kilometres (nearly 88,000km paved) of the proclaimed network. The rest are unproclaimed gravel roads (mainly serving rural communities) and are therefore not owned or maintained by any road authority.

Mona explains: “For our part, SANRAL has a mandate which covers more than 23,000km of national roads and we can give updates about potholes that have been fixed the national road network. While we are aware of work that has and is being done by provincial and municipal roads authorities in fixing potholes on the roads, they are responsible for, SANRAL is not in a position to authoritatively give account on these.”

Mona acknowledges that Operation Vala Zonke has not come without its challenges. For example, getting data from the other roads authorities is still a challenge though progress is being made in this regard.

Mona added that the challenges are not insurmountable. “We will not grow tired until we have delivered on the mission, and we want to assure South Africans that government remains committed to addressing the problem. The solution is here, but it can only be fully effective when we all play our part,” said Mr Mona.

MEDIA RELEASE:

Training important for the development of SMMEs before upgrading the N2 between Grahamstown and Fish River Pass

Welekazi Ndika, SANRAL Southern Region’s Stakeholder Relations Coordinator, addressed Ngqushwa Local Municipality stakeholders, including small, medium and micro enterprises. Seated are Ward 1 Councillor, Mfundo Gqo, and Ward 8 Councillor, Nandipha Dyulivani.

Eastern Cape, 8 February 2023: Upgrading the N2 between Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) and Fish River Pass, Phase 3, will create much-needed jobs and boost the economy of the Ngqushwa and Makana Local Municipalities, stakeholders were told.

Councillor Lindiwe Mdabula, Ngqushwa Local Municipality’s portfolio head for budget and treasury, said that the upgrading of the route is important for the growth of the town.

“Upgrading the route is important for the municipality’s economic growth. Unemployment is high in the municipality but through this project we hope families will benefit, not only the affected ward but the entire municipality,” said Mdabula.

Mdabula further requested SANRAL to monitor the progress of the work on the project. “The quality of the completed project must be of a standard that we will be proud of. SMME capacitation is also one of our mayor’s strategies to ensure that Ngqushwa small business owners are prioritised on this project. I also want to emphasise that communication is the key whenever there are challenges. I am pleading with all stakeholders to seek clarity and explanation if anything is unclear. Our doors will always be open to assist,” said Mdabula.

Councillor Mzobanzi Nkwentsha, LED and Planning Portfolio head for Makana Local Municipality, addressed SMMEs during the session in Makhanda.

Councillor Mzobanzi Nkwentsha, Local Economic Development (LED) and Planning Portfolio head for Makana Local Municipality, said training on this project was quite important. “You must participate on the PLC process so there is no confusion about what happens on the project. This project will create much-needed jobs for our people,” he said.

Nkwentsha also stressed that the term SMMEs did not apply only to categorically construction businesses. “The term SMME includes the entire value chain of the project, and we expect that all SMMEs in the value chain will be taken into account.”

SANRAL introduced WBHO Construction (Pty) Ltd to the Ngqushwa and Makana Local Municipalities to municipal stakeholders and SMMEs, as the appointed contractor who will upgrade the N2 between Makhanda and Fish River Pass: Phase 3 project – Section 13, from Km 92.6 to Km 103.6, and Section 14, from Km 0.0 to Km 5.05.

The duration of the contract, with an estimated project budget of R647 858 000 inclusive, is 30 months and includes a three-month mobilisation period. After the mobilisation period the construction will start in May and will take place over 27 months.

This project is the third phase of upgrading the existing N2 single carriageway of section 13 and 14 to a new geometric standard. The upgrading will include building three new underpasses, culverts and the extension of two existing underpasses. The construction of community access roads will be in the Lewiswood, Mabofolweni and Nobumba areas, just off the N2 at approximately km 5.6 on Section 14.

Regarding the engagement of local enterprises in the project, Thandile Makwabe, SANRAL Southern Region’s Transformation Officer, explained that the first stage of the tender evaluation is for the targeted enterprises to have the necessary paperwork in order. The first-stage small business owners must be registered with the Central Supplier Database (CSD), be a B-BBEE contributor level, and the entity status must be EME or QSE.

“If SMMEs do not meet the requirements of the first stage they will not progress to stage two. Stage two is the functionality of the tendering phase,” said Makwabe.
Training is integral for developing, mentoring, guiding and equipping SMMEs with the knowledge they will need before work starts on upgrading of the N2 between Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) and Fish River Pass, Phase 3, which spans Ngqushwa and Makana Local Municipalities.

Zoleka Mathangana, from ACS/Tjeka joint venture (JV), SANRAL’s appointed training service provider, said the intention of the pre-tender training was to prepare and provide the new entities with the necessary theoretical information and skills required for pursuing a future in construction, managing a business, managing a contract/project and being able to compile and submit a compliant tender document. This training is targeting CIDB Grades 1-4.

“This training will ensure that the Targeted Enterprises are better equipped to participate in the upcoming opportunities in the Region. The training comprises of the ten accredited modules from CETA and the duration is 15 days in training and seven days assessment to make a total of 22 days. These modules form part of the National Certificate: Construction constructing NQF level 2,” said Mathangana.

Welekazi Ndika, SANRAL Southern Region’s Stakeholder Coordinator, presented SANRAL’s 14 Point Plan, which is the road agency’s guide to facilitate better project liaison with local communities and structures that are affected by its projects. She said the plan strives to ensure transparency and inclusivity among those who work on SANRAL projects.

“Before the construction starts a Project Liaison Committee (PLC) would have already been established. PLCs assist greatly in ensuring better communication and transparency as well as ensuring that work done is done seamlessly on projects. All community representatives – including the youth, women, people with disabilities and military veterans, to mention a few – must be represented in the PLC,” said Ndika.

Ward 1 Councillor Mfundo Gqo, from Ngqushwa Local Municipality, encouraged people to cooperate on the project. “This platform is the right place to ask questions and not to go after the meeting and debate about the project when you should have asked the questions here. We assure SANRAL that the Ngqushwa Local Municipality is the most cooperative municipality in the province,” said Gqo.