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MEDIA RELEASE

NORTH WEST HOLIDAY TRAVELLERS CAN EXPECT A SMOOTH RIDE, THANKS TO SANRAL AND OPERATION VALA ZONKE

North West, 21 December 2022 – Holidaymakers travelling in the North West province this month can expect a smooth ride according to the South African National Roads Agency Limited SOC Limited (SANRAL).
The roads agency, together with the North West Department of Public Works and Roads, has halted construction work on all major routes in the province to ease traffic congestion during the festive rush.

Thousands of travellers are expected to take to major routes in the North West such as the N12 and N14 as they make their way home or to holiday destinations.

Road users will also feel the benefits of Operation Vala Zonke, the national Department of Transport’s pothole fixing campaign, which is being driven by SANRAL.

The aim of the initiative is to repair all potholes across the country by February next year, in conjunction with provincial governments and district and local municipalities.
The North West set itself a pothole repair target of 61 000m² over four districts and has made significant progress in fixing roads in the province.

Madoda Mthembu, operations and maintenance manager for SANRAL’s Northern Region road network – which spans the provinces of Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga – assured motorists that there were no major road construction projects in the North West from the borders of Gauteng to the Northern Cape or through to Botswana.

“There will be slight routine road maintenance activities to patch emergency potholes on the N12 and N14, but there are no stop-and-go disruptions.

“The pothole repair teams will only be there for a day or two, for real emergencies.

“Meanwhile, on the R504 between Wolmaransstad and Leeudoringstad, there is some road construction that could cause some stop-and-go situations, if the contractor does not provide bypasses. But the roads should generally be quite open,” Mthembu said.

SANRAL started its preparations months ahead of the festive road frenzy, responding to urgent calls such as one for the resurfacing and repair of the R504 between Wolmaransstad and Schweizer-Reneke.

The R504 is a major provincial road that connects the agricultural towns of Leeudoringstad, Wolmaransstad, Schweizer-Reneke and Greater-Taung in the North West to the agricultural hub of Bothaville in the Free State, as well as the iron-ore mining operations in Kuruman, Kathu and Postmasburg in the Northern Cape.

Long stretches of the busy road, that bears the transit burden of thousands of vehicles a month – mainly heavy freight, impacted on the condition of the road.

The current construction work being undertaken by SANRAL will address the condition of the road and lead to improved riding quality for the drivers. This will ultimately improve road safety in line with SANRAL’s strategic objectives for the national road network.
Following Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s call for intervention on the N12, SANRAL mobilised a rapid response team to deal with the identified issues on the national route.

The agency also mobilised its routine road maintenance teams and the existing contractors in the vicinity of the N12 to assist.
As part of the Provincial Accelerated Service Delivery Plan to rid the province of the scourge of recurring potholes, the North West provincial government, through its Department of Public Works and Roads, launched a Zero Tolerance Drive Against Potholes in July.
Over R120 million had been set aside for the project, which is currently in full swing across the North West province.

Holidaymakers heading to Sun City outside Rustenburg do not have to worry about their tyres after a public-private partnership in July resulted in the repair of numerous potholes along the 75km stretch of the R556 which leads to the internationally popular resort.
Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire, which manages the N1 between Pretoria and Bela Bela in Limpopo, and the N4 going west from Pretoria to the Botswana border, has assured motorists that they are working tirelessly to keep delays on the ongoing 18-month N4 rehabilitation to a minimum.

Work is taking place between Majakaneng and Bapong, and Bakwena has pledged to return the road to full capacity as soon as possible.

“Road safety remains, as always, our top priority. In order to ensure this, we request that you partner with us and adhere to road signs, obey speed regulations and exercise caution,” said Solomon Kganyago, chief operating officer at Bakwena.

SANRAL and Western Cape traffic authorities working hard to ensure holiday travellers arrive alive

Western Cape, 22 December 2023 – After a long, hard year South Africans are looking forward to the festive season, ready to let their hair down and hit the road to holiday destinations across the country. It’s a time to relax and let go of the year’s stresses and strains.

But, if there’s one thing that can be an obstacle – literally – to such carefree plans, it’s the long road to getting there. Think delays at Stop/Go signs and yawning waits in the baking sun, ponder potholes, roadworks that stretch for kilometres… and soon that much anticipated seaside sojourn starts to feel more like sand grating your brain in the desert.

Luckily, if you are driving through the Western Cape, you are in for an easy ride that authorities are working hard to ensure is safe and without delays.

The roads most popularly used in the province for vacation destinations include:

• N1 from Cape Town, through the Karoo, onto Johannesburg, Polokwane, and eventually to Beit Bridge on the Zimbabwe border;
• N2 from Cape Town, through George, Gqeberha, East London, Durban and then Ermelo;
• N7 from Cape Town, through the West Coast, onto Namaqualand and ends at the Namibian border.

The South African National Road Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) manages all national roads in the province and said it takes a holistic approach all year round to making these roads safer – including self-explaining and forgiving well maintained roadways that reduce the risk of road fatalities on the national road network.

SANRAL has also partnered with the national Department of Transport on Operation Vala Zonke, a project that aims to fix all potholes across the country by February next year.

The initiative was launched in Johannesburg by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula in August.

SANRAL Western Region Manager, Randall Cable said: “SANRAL is the implementing agency on Vala Zonke, working with provincial and municipal departments to address pothole patching, so the work is ongoing with the departments attending to their potholes.”

Cable said SANRAL ensures potholes on the national road network, like the N1, N7, N2, are fixed within 48 hours of a pothole being detected.

“We have routine road maintenance (RRM) teams that patrol the entire network at least once every 24 hours to inspect the condition.”

When it comes to the tedious and time-consuming roadworks that involve frustrating Stop/Go waiting times, there is good news.

The construction industry shut down on December 15, which put a stop to all conventional work on roads. This means that on all national roads the Stop/Go system will be halted and two-way traffic systems are in place.

SANRAL said while it seeks to make road users comfortable on the road, it is also the responsibility of road users to ensure their own safety and that of their passengers.

“Traffic volumes are always up this time of year, and that means that roads will be congested at peak periods, such as Christmas, New Year and the back-to- school period,” said Cable.

“SANRAL appeals to road users to plan their journeys and allow sufficient time to get from point A to point B. We also promote the use of rest and service centres along the highways.”

Driver behaviour is another red flag for traffic authorities. Outgoing Western Cape MEC for Mobility, Daylin Mitchell, said authorities have zero tolerance for motorists who fail to obey the rules of the road. 99 Newly graduated provincial and municipal traffic officers will bolster the provincial road safety efforts this year. Mitchell has just been appointed as the Speaker of the Western Cape Parliament.

“We’ve adopted a 365-day approach to road safety and will continue during the festive season to provide intensive, structured traffic law enforcement and road safety interventions.

“We will be enhancing the Habitual Traffic Transgressor Programme, supporting drunk driving operations, using our sky-banner campaign, enhancing communication strategies through mobile roadside billboards and boosting social media coverage of our operations through the Safely Home Programme,” he said.

The Habitual Traffic Transgressor Programme will identify repetitive bad driver behaviour, which can potentially lead to road crashes and fatalities. Mitchell said the province’s overall focus this festive season is the maintenance and the regulation of safe and responsible road user behaviour.

Fatigue management is another area that will receive particular attention.

Said Mitchell: “The focus and objective of this intervention will be to specifically monitor, regulate and enforce public transport vehicles travelling interprovincially on all major routes, using an electronic application which was developed to address driver fatigue.”

It works by creating a log of public transport drivers, which allows traffic authorities to track key fatigue-indicating data such as departures and arrival points, driving times, speed profiling as well as vehicle tracking. The fatigue alerts assist officers to identify and stop drivers who may have been driving without a rest period for further investigation.

It also entails screening for physical signs of fatigue.

“Blood pressure and glucose tests are performed by Emergency Medical Services. Fatigued drivers will be compelled to rest before continuing their journeys. The implementation of these well-established operations creates a safe environment for any other motorist to voluntarily have a rest period, thus applying the two-hour driving time or 200km rule,” Mitchell said.

Pedestrian behaviour is another area of concern for traffic authorities in the province.

“The unpredictable movement of pedestrians and, more specifically, intoxicated pedestrians across the province have been the largest contributor to our fatality rate throughout the year, and the festive season is no exception.

“As part of our integrated Pedestrian Safety Plan, the focus will be on visibility, jaywalking and drinking and walking.

“We are most definitely going to watch our routes attentively in order to create the omnipresence that is needed to ensure road safety in the Western Cape,” Mitchell said.

MEDIA RELEASE
SANRAL reminds motorists to take regular breaks when on the long road

Thelma Sishuba with her husband, Hope, and their son, Iminathi, took a break before heading back on the long road.
Eastern Cape, 21 December 2022: As road users make their way to their holiday destinations, SANRAL engaged road users at the Nanaga Farm Stall and the Nanaga Express Garage to remind them that fatigue and drunk driving are some of the major reasons for crashes on the road.

The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL), through its Road Safety One campaign, reminds motorists to take regular breaks when travelling over a long distance and warns of the dangers of drinking and driving.

In addition to road safety, SANRAL in the Southern Region also reminded road users of the importance of waste management on the road.

“We remind road users not to litter while traveling. Road users must use the bins placed at rest stops along the different routes,” Nenekazi Songxaba, SANRAL Southern Region’s Environmental Coordinator.
“The bins are there for people to discard their waste. We also encourage them to talk to their children about waste management and recycling,” Songxaba said.

SANRAL visited the Nanaga Express Garage and Farm Stall to share road safety tips with motorists and pedestrians.
“Be mindful of other drivers and pedestrians on the road. If you are tired, pull over and rest, especially on the long road. There is no point of rushing to get to your destination,” said Thelma Sishuba, who was travelling from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) to Makhanda (Grahamstown).

Simphiwe Latile, who was traveling from Cradock to Gqeberha, said it was important to obey the rules on the road. “I encourage motorists to drive at normal speed because rushing on the road can cause crashes,” said Latile.
He works as an auxiliary social worker for the Department of Social Development and said rest stops along the different routes are very important. “When you travel long distance pull over at a rest stop when you are tired. Falling asleep while driving can be fatal,” said Latile.

Police Sergeant Xolisile Gongqa enjoys Simphiwe Latile encourages motorists a head and shoulder massage before to take regular breaks when driving driving on the long road. Long distance.

Police Sergeant Xolisile Gongqa was traveling from Cape Town to Makhanda. He stopped at the SANRAL stand for a much-needed head and shoulder massage. “It is so important to take regular breaks on the road. Stop, pull over and take a break. Also stay hydrated, this has been my secret to traveling safe for the past 18 years from Cape Town to Grahamstown,” said Gongqa.
Zoleka Mbusha said road safety education was important. “It is important for people to be reminded to wear their seatbelts and to keep a safe distance on the road,” she said. She was traveling from Cradock to Gqeberha with family and friends.
SANRAL’s campaign engagements take place throughout the year. However, during the holiday period the agency increases its road safety activities.

“We appeal to road users to be patient on the road. Keep a safe travel distance and remember to maintain the speed limit. Also, buckle up. Road safety does not only apply during the holiday period but throughout the year,” said Welekazi Ndika, SANRAL Southern Region’s Stakeholder Coordinator.

Stop-and-go section on R61 from Engcobo towards Mthatha

Eastern Cape, 20 December 2022: The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) wishes to advise travellers that there is a stop-and-go section on the R61 Section 6 from km 76.2, about 12 kilometres Eastwards from Engcobo towards Mthatha.

The stop-and-go has been put in place because of a slope failure. There are no nearby alternative routes.  Motorists will have to wait for approximately 10 minutes at the stop-and-go. One lane will remain open.

“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly and to use caution when making use of the roads. SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL Southern Regional Manager.

MEDIA RELEASE

Work starts on Msikaba Bridge deck

Eastern Cape, 15 December 2022: Work has started on the Msikaba Bridge deck, and it took three trucks to transport the first steel-bridge deck segment in three sections from Middelburg in Mpumalanga, and three to five hours to offload each segment at the bridge near Lusikisiki.

The 580m Msikaba Bridge will cross the 195m deep Msikaba river gorge and once completed, will be the longest span cable-stayed suspension bridge in South Africa and the second longest in Africa after the 680m Maputo-Catembe Bridge in Mozambique. The anticipated completion date is the end of 2024, according to the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL).

The bridge located approximately 23km east of Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape, forms part of the backbone of the greenfields portion of the N2 Wild Coast Road project (N2WCR) – a national priority under the coordination and direction of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC) and one of government’s 18 Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) to support economic development and address service delivery in the poorest provinces.

The bridge deck is the part of the bridge that will hang out over the gorge that traffic will drive on, to cross from one side to the other.

“This is quite a milestone. For a cable-stay bridge, a huge amount of work precedes the construction of the bridge deck itself. Much of which is hidden from sight. The pier includes its major foundations to support the downward pressure from the cables, as well as the abutment and gallery next to the piers, this is where the deck starts and is joined to the base of the pier. The two massive anchor blocks on each side, each half a soccer field long and buried four storeys into the ground, all must be substantially complete before work on the deck extending out over the gorge can start,” explained Craig McLachlan, SANRAL’s N2WCR Project Manager.

The second segment will be transported from Mpumalanga to Msikaba in January.

The entire deck comprises 36 segments, with 18 segments on each side. Each segment is made up of two box girders and two truss girders. It takes three trucks to transport each segment and in total it will take 108 truck delivery trips, including four abnormal loads for the four boxes for segment zero at North and South sites.

Segment zero on each side is not connected to any cables but is attached to the abutment and supported from below until it is connected upward to segment 1. Segments 1 to 17 on each side each have two cables (attached one on either side). Each box segment will be supported or held up via these two cables leading up to the 127m high pier with two corresponding cables connected back down to the anchor blocks.

The assembly of the segments is not an easy task.

“With the exception of segment zero which can be assembled in situ, each segment will be assembled on the bank, then carried between the legs, launched out above the gorge, rotated 90 degrees, brought back and attached to the proceedings segment, or for the first segment to the embankment. The segment then has two cables attached, one on each side. The cable is attached to the spire and another corresponding set attached to the anchor block. A thin steel and concrete composite deck is then cast. The process is repeated till the decks meet in the middle,” said McLachlan.

To somewhat simplify the complicated forces involved, it can be understood that through the cables the mass of the deck (and the cables themselves) will pull forwards and downwards on the top of pier, the deck itself will push backwards into the base of the pier. The cables attached in turn, from the pier to the anchor blocks will pull backwards and downwards on the piers to partially counteract these forces. Therefore, logically the piers and the pier foundations must be strong enough to support both the downwards and horizontal components of these forces.

All steel used to manufacture the material for the deck is 100% South African.

The deck segments are being constructed (cut and welded) in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.

The first four big boxes will be transported using abnormal loads, but the girders and remaining boxes can be delivered using normal trucks.

“There are “no abnormal load” restrictions through KwaZulu-Natal over most of December hence the second box can only be delivered in January.

When joined together, the two large boxes on each side of the deck segments will form two separate 290m long box girders that provide the longitudinal support and stiffness for each half the bridge. This means there will be a joint at the midpoint of the bridge so each half of the 580m long bridge are independent structures.

The smaller truss girders linking the boxes are stiff compound steel structures that provide the main cross support between the longitudinal box girders and provide twisting stiffness or rigidity. Together the longitudinal box girders and cross truss girders form a very large ladder shaped steel structure upon which the (combination steel and reinforced concrete) deck plate lies and upon which the four-lane highway will run.

Once completed the Msikaba Bridge will play a crucial role in improving travel time, connecting previously divided communities in the region, and opening opportunities in business and community-based tourism for the Wild Coast.

The completed road will improve the travel time between Durban and East London by up to three hours for heavy freight and, by providing a high mobility route through an area that is extremely isolated and under-served by road infrastructure, the route will have significant social and economic benefits and will act as a catalyst for local and regional development.

 

MEDIA RELEASE

Uthongathi and Umhlali Bridge repairs to start in January 2023

KZN, December 14 2022 – The contracts for the rehabilitation of the M4 Bridge Uthongathi and N2 Umhlali River Bridge will be awarded in January 2023, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.

“The tender evaluations were completed in December 2022 and we have submitted the memo to the Bid Adjudication Committee (BAC) for approval. BAC has informed us that the awards are waiting for Pro-active assurance before they can be finalised. The award may only take place early in the new year. Construction is expected to take four months on N2 Umhlali River Bridge and two months on Uthongathi,” said Trevor Zumani, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Project Manager.

The M4 Umdloti River Bridge was constructed by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the KwaZulu Natal Department of Transport (KZN DoT) jointly. SANRAL assisted KZN DoT on other repairs on the M4 except the Umdloti River Bridge.

“Due to the recent failures, SANRAL has been requested to assist KZN DoT with capacity and we have already made repairs on the northbound carriageway and resuming the repairs on the southbound direction if weather permits. Please note that these are just the holding measures while awaiting the full Capex Project for more permanent repairs which will resume early next year,” Zumani said.

SANRAL wishes all road users a safe holiday season and a prosperous 2023.

 

MEDIA RELEASE

SANRAL road maintenance projects bring joy of jobs and smooth roads to

Kroonstad this festive season

Free State, 12 December 2022 – Empowering women and young South Africans is a key focus of the Routine Road Management (RRM) projects run by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL). The projects create stimulating job opportunities for black-owned SMMEs, identified from within the areas of work, and specifically target groups such as women, youth, people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups – in line with SANRAL’s transformation goals.

Through a plethora of development and engineering programmes, ordinary people receive invaluable training and skills transfer – which can then be paid forward to build better lives for themselves. RRM projects starting up in Kroonstad, in the Free State, were welcomed like Manna from heaven, especially with the festive season looming large. The rampant poverty in Kroonstad bears stark testament to the town’s staggering 65% unemployment rate. SANRAL’s interventions in Kroonstad, and the Free State at large, not only bring the joy of jobs to the province, but they also mean that the roads around Kroonstad, expected to be teeming with tourists driving the Lion Route this holiday season, will also be in excellent condition.

Civil engineer Youthful Sesele, 34, was recently awarded a maintenance contract to do RRM work on the N1 along the Kroonstad by-pass.

He employed 13 local people on the project: 10 men and 3 women. Of the 13 workers, 10 were young people. “I am from Mangaung; when I got the contract in the Fezile Dabi District, I decided to hire locals from the area so that they could fully benefit from the opportunity,” Sesele said. Sesele said he was impressed by how SANRAL engaged SMMEs, hosting several business engagement sessions to share information and provide the training needed to correctly bid for the subcontracting opportunities available on the RRM projects.

“This has been critical in ensuring the development of black-owned businesses, particularly those owned by women and youth, to participate meaningfully on

SANRAL projects,” said Sesele. He added that a key focus of engagements was documentation education: common errors when bidding included the submission of expired or non-compliant documents, work packages and work scopes. “Mostly, I was fascinated by the training and skills development for the appointed subcontractors, which included among other things, first-aid training and occupational health and safety.

“I know of no other company that will offer you such an opportunity and assist you with the training of your personnel in such ways – as a prerequisite of the contract,” said Sesele.

Nomutu Msibi, 37, of MJNJ Construction, who was recently a drainage and culvert cleaning and litter collection subcontract on the R34 between Kroonstad and Welkom, could barely contain her excitement. “I am proud that this project has helped me to create work for five people in an area where almost 65% of youth are unemployed. This project will uplift young people and create much-needed jobs.”

Deon Breytenbach of QTC Civils, the contracts manager on the Kroonstad project, broke down how the SMME engagements worked: “Business owners attended business management, tendering skills and financial management training. “This led to the creation of sustainable, capable and empowered road construction SMMEs and startups.” Breytenbach added the scope of work for the CIDB Grades 1 and 2 – entry-level work – included cleaning and maintaining of prefabricated culverts, concrete drains and channels, edge build-up removal, collection and removal of debris and litter, subsoil drain installation and maintenance, cleaning of waterway structures, erection and repair of permanent road traffic signs, concrete channel construction and maintenance of existing channels.

SANRAL’s SMME training programmes on three Kroonstad RRM projects empowered 12 local business owners of construction SMMEs and new startups (CIDB levels 1 – 3). SANRAL has appointed highly experienced and qualified training service providers tasked with training, mentoring and developing learner sub-contractors. SANRAL also prepared local labour forces for these SMMEs by training them and, in turn, helping create a local skilled and semi-skilled labour force for the three Kroonstad projects. SMMEs that employed their own labour from local communities were also supported as their labour forces received accredited training.

During the year under review SANRAL provided 1 684 SMMEs with work on construction, rehabilitation and maintenance projects across South Africa to the tune of R2,3 billion. The majority of black-owned SMMEs derived significant benefit from this, as they accounted for 88.05% of the contracts awarded and 89.6% of the value of the work performed.

Of the 9 129 jobs created in the reporting period, 6 647 were for men and 2 482 for women. A breakdown based on age reveals that 3 096 young men and 1 339 young women were beneficiaries. From a disability perspective, 62 people with disabilities were employed. In terms of SANRAL’s contract participation goals, the aim for targeted enterprises is 30%, which includes women and youth-owned businesses at 5% each, and the military veterans and people with disabilities each get 0,5%.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Immediate

Burman off-ramp closed in Gqeberha

 

Eastern Cape, 8 December 2022: The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) wishes to advise travellers that the Burman off-ramp in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) has been closed and will reopen on Thursday, 15 December 2022 at 3pm.

The off-ramp will be closed due to roadworks.

The alternative route for motorists coming from the N2 and the M4 would be Grahamstown Road via John Tallant interchange on the N2.

“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly and to use caution when making use of the roads. SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL Southern Regional Manager.

MEDIA STATEMENT
SANRAL to invest R1,2 billion in one of the poorest areas in South Africa

Eastern Cape, 29 November 2022 – Residents in Cedarville, in the Matatiele Municipality, have welcomed the R1.2-billion project by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited to upgrade the R56 road that links the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
The prospects of opportunities for jobs, learning new skills and earning a living have excited residents in villages around Matatiele. A total of R360-million would be ring-fenced and spent on local contractors, subcontractors and service providers, with an emphasis on women and youth.

Hundreds of community members gathered at Cedarville Multi-Purpose Sport Complex yesterday for the official introduction of the main contractor, Down Touch Investment, and to hear for themselves from SANRAL and other government officials how they would benefit from the project that has already been described as a “game changer” for the economy of the region.

Down Touch Investment, a South African company, was awarded the contract on 31 October 2022. The project entails rehabilitation, upgrading and widening the R56 from Matatiele to KwaZulu Natal border with Eastern Cape – a total of about 38 km.

Work on the project is expected to start in March 2023 and would run for three years and seven months. It is estimated that it would create more than 500 jobs and more than 100 local small and medium contractors will benefit from the project.
Both Cedarville and Matatiele are in the jurisdiction of the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, the smallest and one of the poorest districts in the province of Eastern Cape and the whole of South Africa.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula told the gathering that the project would create jobs, lead to upskilling of young people, women and people with disabilities.

Mbalula said everything would be put in place to ensure that legitimate local businesses were the main beneficiaries of the project.
His sentiments were echoed by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, who said the local people have been yearning for such a huge project.

“This project is an important game-changer. This is one of the poorest areas in all of South Africa, yet it has so much potential. This area is our foremost agricultural industrial hub and we need to invest in the local infrastructure.

“We need to bring greener pastures here so that our youth will not go and languish in towns and cities to look for greener pastures. This is one of the projects that will bring greener pastures closer to our people,” Mabuyane said.
He urged local people to jealously guard this project from construction mafia who are intent at derailing the project for their own selfish interests. “This project must be on time and on budget,” he added.

James Luthuli, a councillor for Ward 26, said the road upgrade would lessen the high levels of accidents and they have been assured that SANRAL would build bridges so that people and livestock do not cross the road and disrupt traffic.
Clive Arries, SANRAL’s project manager for the R56 upgrade, said everything was done to ensure that local communities and local businesses associations were consulted and were on board throughout the course of the project.
He said once the upgrade has been completed, traffic would move smoothly.

“This is one of our biggest projects. I think it is long overdue. Back in 2015 we appointed consultants to design and make a drawing and other specifications. It took them about two years. In 2017 we were ready to advertise this contract. There were many other hiccups and later there was a delay because of COVID-19. The commencement date is in March but the contractor will be on site in late January and start consulting with other stakeholders and community members.

The managing director of Down Touch Investment, Michael Welsh, said his company was confident of delivering on the project on time and on budget.

“This is one of the most critical roads of the country and we understand the urgency of getting ready and on standard in time so that we minimise disruption of traffic.“We are going to be sourcing most of the workers from the local communities. It is only the specialist skills that we are going to be sourcing from elsewhere,” he said.

Mama Greta Mfene, a 64-year-old resident of Cedarville, said many people in her area were poor and unemployed. “Our people must benefit, our people must get job opportunities. There are many young people who are losing hope of getting employment. They end up doing drugs and alcohol and teenage girls end up getting pregnant. We hope that this project will change all of this because our youth will get job opportunities. Yanda Nkomo, a 28-year-old resident, said she has lived all her life in the area but has not seen any project that would employ locals.
“I hope that I will get a job here so that I can look after my child and also assist in supporting my family,” she said.