ENGINEERING
UNLOCKING
PROSPERITY
IN RURAL KZN
DEEP in northern KwaZulu-Natal, communities are enjoying the safety and utility of SANRAL infrastructure every day – from sidewalks and retaining walls to bus- and taxi lay-bys and access roads to schools.
Approximately 12km of concrete walkways have been built on both sides of a section of the R22 between the town of Manguzi and the Mozambique border. The project, worth about R14.4m, started in November 2015 and was completed in June 2017.
Eastern Region Project Manager Ridhwaan Mahomed said that before work started on the project, there had been several vehicle and pedestrian incidents.
“Pedestrians, mostly young pupils on their way to and from school, could be seen walking within the motorised vehicle lanes. This is very risky.” The project area was largely rural and many local residents had struggled to find paying jobs to sustain themselves before the project started. This project presented a valuable source of employment. Some R2.4m was paid in salaries for local labour on the project. Four local subcontractors were employed and were paid a total of R1.3m.
Rural areas often have a high number of unskilled individuals. On this project, local people were trained and 60 skills training certificates were issued, at an investment of R277 240.
“Roads exist to connect communities, to open new horizons, to bring people to opportunities and opportunities to people,” Mahomed said. “SANRAL has always strived to support the government’s efforts to push back the frontiers of poverty and improve the lives of citizens by investing in community development in all its projects.”
Thokozani Mbuyisa, owner of Mgadla Trading, which was one of the SMMEs employed, said that he was grateful for the opportunity to work on this SANRAL project.
KING WILLIAMS TOWN SMMES BENEFIT FROM MAJOR CONSTRUCTION

IN KING Williams Town, SANRAL created work for more than 200 local labourers on a major construction project.
The agency trained 26 CIDB grade 1 and 2 SMMES in the first phase of the rehabilitation of the N2, from Buffalo River to the Breidbach intersection, and the R63, from Alexandra Road to Bhisho. Six of these SMMEs were then employed on the project.
In total, 21 SMMEs (ranging from CIDB grades 1-6) were contracted to work on the rehabilitation project, representing an investment of R30m. The project was concluded in November 2017 and phases two and three of the roadworks will start mid-2018.
Phase two is the realignment of the N2 from Bulembu Airport Road intersection to the Buffalo River Bridge, tying into phase one. This project will include improvements to the horizontal and vertical alignment of the N2 and the construction of three new bridges, which will replace the current ones. Phase three includes the construction of the Breidbach underpass and partial construction of the Belstone Interchange. This system is designed to make travelling easier between East London and Bhisho.
Phases two and three are envisaged to commence in the middle of this year and will run concurrently over a construction period of 30 months. SANRAL Southern Region Manager Mbulelo Peterson said: “It is envisaged that further opportunities for SMMEs will be created in the implementation of these phases, in line with the government’s policy on empowering SMMEs.”

R63 SECTION UPGRADE GOOD NEWS FOR ADELAIDE AND FORT BEAUFORT

DURING the R49m road maintenance project on the R63, between Adelaide and Fort Beaufort in the Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, SANRAL empowered and developed individuals from local communities through 12 training and skills development workshops, with a combined value of R256 400.
The workshops included construction skills such as brick paving, kerb laying and road marking, as well as business skills such as tendering.
In terms of targeted labour, the youth- and woman-empowerment participation goals achieved on this project were 30% and 37% respectively, while 80% of targeted enterprises participating were woman-owned.
Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL’s Southern Region Manager, said that an aspect of community development was reserving work packages for lower CIDB-graded SMMEs, along with improving pedestrian and community infrastructure.
“SANRAL repaired kerbs and sidewalks and constructed pedestrian walkways in Adelaide. We also constructed safe lay-by areas near the entrance to Fort Beaufort for vendors operating in the informal economy,” he said.
Major works on this project included base, rut and surface repairs, the sealing of cracks, sealing the surface with a new bituminous double-seal along the rural section, an asphalt overlay through Adelaide town and replacing damaged fencing, along with new road markings and studs.