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TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Immediate
Temporary closure of the R396 between Maclear and Emabeleni township near Tsolo

Eastern Cape, 14 March 2022: The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) would like to notify motorists that the R396 between Maclear and Emabeleni township is temporarily closed due to road works.

“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly, consider alternative routes and apply caution when making use of the roads,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL’s Southern
Regional Manager.

• Motorists travelling from Kokstad on the N2 to Maclear must proceed to Mthatha and turn right onto the R61, then turn right onto R412 to Ugie and then to Maclear via the
  R56.
• Motorists travelling from Elliot on the R56 to Mthatha must proceed to Ugie and turn right onto the R412 and then turn left to Mthatha via the R61.
• Motorists travelling from Mthatha to Maclear must turn west onto the R61 and go to
  Ugie via the R412.
• The R396 road from Tsolo to Maclear is only suitable for light vehicles. Heavy vehicles must use the N2 or the R61 to Maclear via the R412.

SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY
Rapid response to clear crash with hazmat spill on N1

Northern Cape, 11 March 2022 – A crash involving two heavy vehicles on the N1 section 10, between Hanover and Richmond, which resulted in the road being closed for most of yesterday, has been cleared in the early morning hours and the road re-opened to traffic.

While no injuries were sustained by any of the drivers, the safety risk was significantly compounded as one of the trucks were carrying Sodium Hypochlorite, a toxic and corrosive substance, which spilled onto the road surface.

Routine Road Maintenance (RRM) clean-up teams, including hazardous material spillage experts, were on site and worked tirelessly to contain and remove the hazardous material (hazmat) to prevent significant pavement damage and risk to road users.

All relevant Road Incident Management System (RIMS) role-players were activated in record time and through a well-coordinated communications operation, traffic was diverted and accommodated via alternative routes. The N1 was closed at Three Sisters at the N12 turn-off and traffic was redirected onto the N12 towards Victoria West, through to Britstown,
where traffic was further redirected onto the N10 toward De Aar, to re-join the N1 at
Hanover.

“We extend our gratitude and appreciation to the RRM team as well as Provincial Traffic and all Emergency Services for their rapid response. We also wish to thank the road users for their patience and cooperation with traffic authorities during the delays and resultant congestion on the road,” said Randall Cable, SANRAL Western Region Manager.

MEDIA RELEASE
SANRAL’s response to a Moneyweb article

Pretoria, 3 March 2022 – The story titled “Sanral delays awarding tenders worth at least R16bn” which appeared in Moneyweb on 3 March 2022 refers.

Before we respond to the substantive issues raised in the article, let us point out that Moneyweb had sent us a list of questions on 2 March 2022 and published the article the same day at midnight. In email exchanges between SANRAL and Moneyweb, the latter acknowledged receipt of our request to delay publication as our responses were going through internal approval processes. This was not a breaking a story and ours was a reasonable request, we thought, and to which Moneyweb did not object.

But Moneyweb could not resist the possibility of facts getting in the way of a juicy story and so it decided to go ahead and publish without a response from SANRAL, or verifying facts. One of the first things any rookie journalist learns in the profession is how important it is to be fair. Reporters must always include the other side.

Sometimes, though, there is no other side. In the case of SANRAL, the other side was there and had been in touch with Moneyweb’s journalist – not for the first time. He knows we always honour our commitment to respond to his questions. But this time around the facts might have gotten in the way of his innuendos dressed up as journalism.

Worse still, his effectiveness as a hired gun might have been blunted. This is also not the first time this journalist has published a factually incorrect statement, which after checking with SANRAL was proven to be inaccurate. We refer to the article published in November 2021 regarding SANRAL allegedly taking a loan from the New Development Bank of R7 billion.

Here are the facts responding to the substantive issues raised in the Moneyweb article.

SANRAL is dealing with a significant backlog in procurement, which is widely known and published, caused by the following:

1. The clarification process of the 30% subcontracting between SANRAL and National Treasury took 18 months to complete, including the interpretation of “local”, which led to the stalling of 64 SANRAL projects caused by community disruptions.
2. The rollout of the Supply Chain Management (SCM) reform to comply with the Treasury Regulations on Procurement, issued under the PFMA.
3. COVID-19 lockdown required changes to tender procedures, which had to be considered and published.

All the above conspired to create a significant backlog which resulted in 258 projects (R31.7 billion), planned to be awarded in 2020/21, being rolled over to the current Annual Procurement Plan of 2021/22. The 2021/22 plan included a further 312 projects (R30 billion) to commence with the procurement process in this financial year.

To provide perspective on the impact the SCM reform has on the administrative processes that must be concluded, it is noteworthy that in 2020/21, 212 contracts were awarded. However, this represents 4 180 tender submissions, which had to be checked for compliance in terms of eligibility criteria and the Regulations, before they could be evaluated for functionality, price and preference.

One must bear in mind that any administrative error will result in the award being declared irregular.

We can confirm that the delay is not due to a lack of funding, as projects will not be planned until the funding is secured.

We can also confirm that the delays had nothing to do with the SANRAL Board. As a matter of good governance, the Board does not get involved in the procurement process. The Board only reviews an award, post evaluation and adjudication by Management, when a tender exceeds the threshold of R750 million, as per the SANRAL Delegation of Authority. In such instances, the Board must satisfy itself that all due processes have been followed. Otherwise, all other bids are finalised and awarded at the Management Bid Adjudication Committee (MBAC) level. The Board does not sit at MBAC.

Since 1 April 2021 to 28 February 2022, 267 contracts have been awarded, which represent R33 billion. Some 69 contracts have been evaluated, and are in various stages of adjudication/award. A further 148 projects are currently under evaluation, of which 35 closed more than 6 months ago. Of the total of 570 listed in the Annual Procurement Plan for 2021/22, 256 advertisements have closed and 16 are currently advertised.

It must also be indicated that the majority of projects are not delayed between adjudication and award, but rather between closing of advertisement and completing of the evaluations.

For 2021/22, 267 awards have already been made – Bid Adjudication Committees meet on a weekly basis to consider recommendations from the various Bid Evaluation Committees and continue to make awards. These awards are published on the SANRAL website and others, as per the requirements.

As for the suggestion or advice by WBHO Group CEO Wolfgang Neff that the SANRAL Board “may not have the correct experience to determine whether a bid is competitive or not and whether the contractor will be able to compete the work” we find such remarks unfortunate and revealing about his understanding of how SANRAL procurement works. These issues are determined through an extensive evaluation and adjudication process, which includes many specialists in engineering, procurement and legal fields. The Board merely seeks clarity where it has any concerns on the award made by MBAC.

Thus, Mr Neff’s suggestion about the role that consulting engineers must play is, unfortunately, incongruent with SANRAL’s corporate governance position on the matter of conflict of interest.

MEDIA RELEASE
Early engagement on N1 upgrade between Worcester East and Glen Heatlie

Western Cape, 4 March 2022 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) recently held an information session in Worcester, as part of its stakeholder engagement priorities in planning the upgrade and capacity improvement of the N1 between Worcester East and Glen Heatlie.

The project is currently in the preliminary design phase, where the engineers are considering the design options that would best service the road user. It is envisaged that the upgrade will result in the development of additional lanes to increase capacity and tie in with the long-term dual carriageway vision towards Laingsburg.

“We specifically wanted to ensure we reach the relevant and affected stakeholders in terms of the necessary investigations for the design development. This involves surveys and soils sampling that need to happen for us to complete the preliminary designs. The investigations are likely to require access to private land, on the farms adjacent to the road reserve,” said David Le Cordeur, SANRAL Project Manager in the Western Region.

To this end, the project and its various design options were introduced to the stakeholders. This was the first of a series of stakeholder engagements in accordance with the project timeline. It is envisaged that the detailed design will be completed in 2024.

The project was welcomed by Raymond Esau, Director Strategic Support Services, of the Breede Valley Municipality who said: “This project brings good news to our people, and we are happy that SANRAL is recognising the importance of stakeholder engagement right at the start of the process.”

“Our Board has publicly committed that no SANRAL project will commence without engaging the relevant stakeholders in the communities affected by infrastructure development upgrades, and we intend to honour that commitment. Once we get into the construction phase, we will again engage the community to talk about project participation opportunities for local labour and SMMEs. For now, our focus is on getting the designs approved so we can begin with this much-needed upgrade of the N1,” said Randall Cable, SANRAL Western Region Manager.

MEDIA RELEASE

28 February 2022

 TRANSPORT MINISTER FIKILE MBALULA SAYS REOPENING OF R61 ROAD IN EASTERN CAPE IS A STERLING EXAMPLE OF GOVERNMENT DELIVERY

Eastern Cape, 28 February 2022 – Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says the reopening of the R61 Tsomo junction road between Cofimvaba and Ngcobo is an excellent example of government delivering on its promises. During a site inspection on 4 February 2022 of construction works to repair a culvert which had collapsed at the end of December last year, Minister Mbalula promised that the road would be reopened by the end of February. Minister Mbalula praised the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) for ensuring that the construction work was completed ahead of schedule.

“The R61 is a critical economic artery for the transportation of goods and people through this region of the Eastern Cape and therefore it was an absolute priority for us to fix this culvert and reopen the road. This is a sterling example of government service delivery to our people, and I want to commend SANRAL for delivering on our promise to reopen this important road by the end of February 2022,” said Minister Mbalula.

“Under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African government has embarked on a massive infrastructure build programme as part of our efforts to stimulate economic growth and to create jobs in partnership with the private sector. National government has allocated an additional R9.9 billion for SANRAL’s non-toll road portfolio, showing the extent to which we are determined to ensure that our road network is well-maintained and expanded,” he said.

The Minister also stressed the importance of close cooperation between relevant government departments and provincial government structures, particularly as it relates to delivering services in the rural areas of the country. President Ramaphosa’s announcement in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the Welisizwe rural bridges programme would be upscaled to deliver 95 bridges a year, up from the current 14 per annum, was a case in point.

“As the national government we are not only working closely with our agency SANRAL but also with the South African National Defence Force and all provincial governments to expand the Welisizwe programme to ensure that heavy rains in rural areas do not stop school children from getting to school and stopping people from getting to markets and accessing social services.

In this province we are also working closely with the Provincial Government of the Eastern Cape to transfer several provincial roads to SANRAL, which will then be responsible for maintenance and repairs on those roads totaling some 371km.

Minister Mbalula was speaking after inspecting the work done to repair the road accompanied by Eastern Cape MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe, as well as the Chairman of the SANRAL Board, Themba Mhambi, and the Acting CEO of SANRAL, Lehlohonolo Memeza.

MEC Gxotiwe said the Tsomo Junction was a key economic node for the province. “The Eastern Cape Provincial Government will continue to work closely with the National Department of Transport and SANRAL to ensure that the provincial and national road network facilitates economic activity and growth,” she said.

The culvert was replaced by the existing SANRAL routine road maintenance contractor, the black-owned Rainbow Civils, who are normally responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the R61. The budget for the repairs is estimated at R2.3 million. The main contractor made use of local labour sourced from nearby villages.

 

TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Road closure on a section of the N3 in Lions River

Pietermaritzburg, 15 February 2022 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) would like to inform motorists of the partial road closure of the National Route 3 (N3) in the areas of Howick and Lions River. The closure is detailed in the table below:

	Dates	Morning Road Closure	Afternoon Road Closure	Area/Location
Start date:	Monday, 7 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
	Tuesday, 8 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
End date:	Wednesday, 9 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
Contingency dates
Start date:	Monday, 14 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
	Tuesday, 15 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
End date:	Wednesday, 16 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River

“These partial road closures are required to allow Eskom to perform essential work necessary to perform the overhead transmission lines and conductor which supplies electricity to the area,” said Dumisani Nkabinde, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Manager.

Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) from both Mpofana and Umngeni Municipalities will be deployed to manage and monitor the diversion of traffic and ensure minimal disruptions. Light motor vehicles will be diverted to R103 for a detour route for a total distance of approximately 45 kilometers as follows:

• N3 Northbound Howick/Midmar (Exit 103) Interchange when travelling towards Johannesburg.
• N3 Southbound Nottingham (Exit 132) Interchange when travelling towards Durban or Pietermaritzburg.
• Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMV) will be stacked on both the northbound and southbound.

The closure may need to be adjusted depending on weather conditions on the day. If need be, a second notice with information of the new times will be made available. Contingency dates have already been set aside.

“Motorists travelling along the N3 highway are urged to make use of the alternative routes, plan and adjust their route trips on time and proceed with caution and adhere to speed limits,” said Nkabinde.

Road users are advised to obtain real-time traffic information and route status updates during the abovementioned road closure dates.

“SANRAL would like to apologise for the temporary inconvenience and disruption these operations will cause to the travelling public. However, the roads agency takes seriously the mandate from government to manage and maintain the national road network. The construction team appreciates your patience,” said Nkabinde.

Traffic Advisory
Road closures on the N1 due to sinkhole rehabilitation

Pretoria, 23 February 2022 – The South African National Road Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) wishes to notify road users to expect road closures on the N1 North bound between Botha Avenue and N1/R21 (Flying Saucer interchange) in Centurion to allow for rehabilitation work on the sinkhole.

The lane closures on the N1 section 21 at Km 22.1 will be implemented as follows:

• Wednesday 23 February 2022 at 22h00 to Thursday 24 February 2022 at 04h00.
• Thursday, 24 February 2022 at 22h00 to Friday, 25 February 2022 at 04h00.

Progress Hlahla, SANRAL’s Northern Regional Manager, said the closure is required for gravity survey testing taking place in the lanes of the northbound carriageway as part of the geotechnical investigations required for the remediation works on the sinkhole.

During this period only two lanes will be open. The duration of the closure will be kept as short as possible.

“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly, consider alternative routes and use caution when making use of the roads,” said Hlahla.

SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused during this period and will continue to provide updates to road users as information becomes available.

Media Release
SANRAL announces toll tariff adjustment effective 1 March 2022

Pretoria, 22 February 2022 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) wishes to notify the public of the increase in toll tariffs effective from 1 March 2022.

The tariffs are adjusted annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as obtained from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The CPI percentage that was applied to determine the new tariffs is 5%, as published in the Government Gazettes of 11 February 2022.

Vusi Mona, SANRAL General Manager of Communications, said toll monies are applied to maintain, operate and improve toll roads, as well as to service debt incurred to implement a toll road project. The funds go a long way to ensuring that the roads agency fulfils its mandate of delivering quality road infrastructure that adds value to South African citizens

“We are counting on the public to support us in this endeavour, because without this key alternative source of funding, we would not be able to carry out some of our major works,” he said.

Mona said economic infrastructure such as the national road network is a precondition for providing basic services such as electricity, water, sanitation, telecommunications and public transport, and it needs to be robust and extensive enough to meet industrial, commercial and household needs.

“The roads agency sympathizes with the South African public considering the current state of the economy. However, it’s equally important to introduce the adjustments to ensure that it continues to deliver quality roads and services to the benefit of the public,” said Mona.

For details on the applicable tariffs, please refer to the Government Gazette, volume 680, number 45902, published on 11 February 2022 or contact Customer Services as indicated below:

• • • Phone the Call Centre on 0800 726 725 (6am – 10pm, 7 days a week).
    • Visit our Customer Service Centres located in selected malls in Gauteng and along the Gauteng Freeway, as well as at most Toll Plaza Offices across the country.
    • E-mail info@sa-etoll.co.za

TRAFFIC ADVISORY
Truck damaged bridge in Gqeberha

Eastern Cape, 20 February 2022: The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) would like to notify motorists that a truck carrying a load exceeding a bridge’s height restriction, resulted in a collision with the N2 Motherwell Bridge on the Motherwell Road in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) on Saturday, 19 February 2022.

The collision caused structural damage to the bridge. A portion of the road on the bridge deck will be closed off to protect the damaged side.

“Motorists must drive with caution when making use of the road. Our routine road maintenance team is on site with traffic officials,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL Southern Region’s Regional Manager.