Construction giants
empower small contractors
SANRAL and earthmoving equipment manufacturer Bell Equipment have joined up to ensure easier access for developing black women-, youth-, disabled- and military veteran-owned businesses in the road construction industry through a landmark agreement.
Recently, Bell handed over equipment to emerging Gauteng construction company Boitshoko Road Surfacing and Civil Works.
A Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the equipment manufacturer and SANRAL in July, was the catalyst to the agreement between Bell and Boitshoko for the provision of the equipment they required.
The partnership gives contractors access to earthmoving machinery, which will enable small-business owners a fair chance to compete in major construction projects. In an attempt to level the playing field, the agreement allows black-owned contractors various resource options such as financing facilities, renting and leasing opportunities for the equipment.
SANRAL’s Transformation Manager, Ismail Essa, said: “SANRAL and Bell noticed a major entry barrier for emerging businesses in the construction industry, where one of the biggest challenges contractors face is access to funding: the correct people with the right expertise and sophisticated construction equipment. This agreement will expose CIDB contractors not only to machinery but finance, training and maintenance services.”
This is a response to the financial and physical resource disparity experienced by small businesses owned by previously disadvantaged individuals. The partnership between SANRAL and Bell now grants small contractors easier access to plant equipment.
Reflecting on what this agreement means for his emerging business, managing director of Boitshoko N Phillip Makume said: “When my father, Albert Makume, started this company 24 years ago, he did so courageously even though it was a struggle to own
these important tools of our trade. With this new relationship and with Bell and SANRAL’s support, we feel blessed to finally have the ability to compete meaningfully in the challenging road construction industry.”
Boitshoko Road Surfacing and Civil Works is a 100% black-owned CIDB grade 8 CEPE road rehabilitation, maintenance and construction company, based in Mafikeng. It has created around 20 000 job opportunities to date and employs 145 permanent staff. Duncan Mashika, managing director
of Bell Equipment Sales Africa, said: “This equipment handover is a great example of how the government and business can work together to build a better South Africa for all. For us, it goes beyond manufacturing and selling machinery – it’s about building great relationships that respond to the industry’s need for transformation.”
Small businesses in the construction industry have often found themselves under immense pressure due to the limited amount of work for which they can tender. In line with SANRAL’s Horizon 2030 strategy and the National Development Plan, the national roads agency is engaging various stakeholders to find better ways to empower SMMEs to grow into larger industry players.
Essa made the point:
“Transformation goes beyond policy, it requires the active mobilisation of all sectors of our economy to enable SMMEs to participate more meaningfully in major construction projects. The private sector plays a pivotal role in this process, and we are proud of the partnership we have entered into with one of the continent’s largest suppliers of construction equipment. This will have a colossal impact in breaking down the barriers to entry for smaller business owners.”
The official handover event was attended by various representatives of Boitshoko, Takalani Tambani, Chief Director of the DTI’s Black Industrialist’s Programme, Bell itself and SANRAL.
Stakeholder in action
Positive response to proposed N3 corridor upgrades
There has been a generally positive response to SANRAL’s proposed N3 capacity improvements between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, following three days of public hearings.
The widening – and realignment in sections – of the 84km N3 corridor between EB Cloete interchange in Durban and Twickenham Road in Pietermaritzburg is being undertaken by SANRAL because at the moment the N3 is operating at almost full capacity.
Ravi Ronny, SANRAL’s Eastern Region design and construction manager, said the road improvements are subject to the provisions of the National Environmental Management Act, and require environmental authorisation from the Department of Environmental Affairs.
He said that an integral part of environmental assessment is public participation, where interested and affected parties are encouraged to participate actively
in proposed developments that may affect them. The hearings at Cato Ridge, Camperdown and Pietermaritzburg afforded the public the opportunity to learn about SANRAL’s proposals, to view graphic representations of what is proposed, to obtain further information and to engage directly with officials from SANRAL, as well as the design engineers and the environmental assessment practitioner.
According to information gathered by environmental consultants Acer (Africa), it is estimated that 150 interested and affected parties attended the information-sharing sessions over three days.
“In general, members of the public who attended were positive about the proposed improvements. Where people were directly affected in terms of their properties, they were obviously concerned,” said Ronny.
“There are some properties that are seriously affected by the land acquisition required and these will need to be dealt with on a case-by
case basis by SANRAL’s property division,” he said.
Other common concerns related to the noise levels during construction and the increased traffic after improvements and construction disruptions.
The N3 Durban-Pietermaritzburg upgrade over the next six-to-eight years will provide for an additional two or three lanes per direction and substantial interchange reconfigurations to accommodate future traffic growth and improve safety. Widening will be accommodated as far as possible within the existing median and road reserve, but additional land will need to be acquired in some areas.
The project will involve modification of existing bridges, crossroads and drainage, construction of some new
infrastructure and demolition of redundant structures.
Realignment/relocation of services in the existing road reserve will also be undertaken.
If the upgrades do not go ahead, it is estimated that users of the N3 will continue to suffer losses of nearly R800m per annum, due to accidents and time delays. R775m can be attributed to time delays and between R250 000 and R295 000 per hour to accidents and road closures due to accidents. These estimates are already five years old.
Ronny said the N3 carries in excess of 40 000 vehicles per day around Pietermaritzburg and consists of a mix of urban commuter traffic, longdistance traffic and many heavy vehicles.
