HELLO WESTERN CAPE 2018

N7 upgrade provides jobs and training for locals

In last year’s edition of Hello Western Cape, we talked about the upgrade of the N7 linking Cape Town to Namibia, with a particular focus on the work done up until the Darling Road interchange in Malmesbury. Further down the N7, the construction landscape has changed significantly in the past year. The upgrade of the N7 between Atlantis and Hopefield is worth R2.37bn, of which R297m directly benefits SMMEs. At the time of writing, this project is providing employment for 600 local residents.

The Hopefield interchange is designed to link the R45 to the new N7, with a particular focus on safer access and increased capacity, given the continuous expansion and development of the surrounding towns.

Resident engineer Leon Oosthuizen describes the project thus: “We are building approximately 5km of dual road on the N7, 2km of ramps at the new interchange, three separate bridges and

an agricultural underpass to help farmers get their machinery and harvests safely underneath the N7.”

In line with SANRAL’s Transformation Policy, community liaison officers on all projects along the route have been instrumental in facilitating job and training opportunities for the local labour force.

Yolanda Makhubalo, from Malmesbury, is one of the young people taking part in the training offered on the project. Having aced the theory, she is making her presence felt on site, demonstrating a passion to learn from the experts.

SANRAL Project Manager Steph Bredenhann said: “The local residents, who benefit from work opportunities along the construction sites, are taught useful skills that can be harnessed to access further employment once the construction is completed. Many of them put those newly acquired skills to use in pursuing other opportunities, particularly through the Extended Public Works Programme.

“SANRAL is committed to leaving communities with the knowledge and skills that enable them to access further opportunities, long after construction has ended.”

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De Doorns pedestrian facilities

Economic development meets road safety

Road safety, and particularly that of pedestrians, remains a key priority for SANRAL, specifically given that pedestrians account for approximately 40% of road fatalities in South Africa. De Doorns, in the heart of the Hex Valley, is a rural community, where travelling by foot or bicycle is largely the order of the day. However, the busy N1 runs through this community and significantly compounds the risk to pedestrians. That’s why SANRAL is expanding pedestrian facilities on the N1 section 3, from km 19.7 to km 32.6. This is over and above the pedestrian bridge over the N1, which was completed in 2007.

In keeping with SANRAL’s vision to use its construction projects not only to upgrade and improve infrastructure and road safety, but also to bring about economic development,

tenders have gone out for 10 work packages that will allow small businesses to work with the state. These include fencing, guard rails, stone pitching, landscaping, gabions, concrete and formwork, among other packages.

The overall project, which started in February 2018 and due to be completed in January 2019, comes in at just under R63m, with a target of 50% for sub-letting.

Randall Cable, SANRAL’s Western Region Manager, said: “It is of critical importance that we unlock the value within our country’s road network and build partnerships with communities so that they become active participants in infrastructure development. We are prioritising opportunities for black-owned subcontractors who are actively registered with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) togrow and prosper.”