The Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Council Speaker, Councillor Eugene Johnson, has urged the communities in the metro to work with the municipality in protecting the road infrastructure and municipal assets.
She made the plea during a stakeholder engagement hosted by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) at the Pieter Rademeyer Hall in Algoa Park, Nelson Mandela Bay recently. It was attended by the municipal leadership, project managers, contractors and local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
The ‘Taking SANRAL to the People’ is SANRAL’s flagship stakeholder engagement platform, intended to introduce the roads agency and its services to communities and outline its socio-economic impact through job creation, subcontracting of local targeted enterprises and skills development and training.
Johnson stressed the effects of the destruction of infrastructure on the services rendered by government.
Do not burn the roads because you are going to suffer. Cars will suffer damages and we will be sued,” said Johnson. “If the tyres are burnt and our roads are affected by protests, we will stop development because the money will be stretched to repair the roads. Work with us, we want SANRAL to work with you and our SMMEs to benefit from economic spinoffs. Do not stop the projects so that we ensure services are delivered to all communities.
The Speaker made the remarks in light of recent challenges SANRAL has faced that have prevented its contractor from effectively maintaining the R75 in the metro, including theft and vandalism to the road infrastructure.
SANRAL is implementing several road infrastructure construction and maintenance projects in the metro, with economic opportunities for locals. SANRAL is also responsible for the maintenance of the R75 and the N2, which connect the economic hub of the metro to surrounding towns.
Thandile Makwabe, SANRAL’s Southern Region Transformation Officer, unpacked the roads agency’s transformation policy, tender process for targeted enterprises, and a mentorship programme for emerging contractors.
“We set targets and percentages for SMMEs according to what government determines and they will gain on the project. The main contractor can appoint whoever they want but this does not count towards the Contract Participation Goals (CPG).
The main contractor cannot finalise the appointment of subcontractors without an engagement with all those affected. A contractor must conduct a market analysis to assess what’s available in the area to align with CPGs and CIDB assists with the data base, said Makwabe.
He mentioned that SANRAL has recently developed a website dedicated to subcontractors and targeted enterprises, providing a platform to advertise opportunities not only within the Eastern Cape but countrywide. “Almost every day you can see new adverts. For those who don’t have access, adverts are placed at public buildings like municipal buildings,” he said.
Comprehensive updates were given by project managers on road works and their timelines around Nelson Mandela Bay, including the R335 Motherwell to Addo and N2 Van Stadens Bridge upgrades.
Iqbal Hoosen, SANRAL Project Manager, gave an update on the R335 Motherwell to Addo project, including the N2/R335 Interchange capacity improvements near Truckers Inn to ease congestion on peak times. “On the interchange, we will increase the turning lanes to two over the bridge and add extra lanes for turning opposite the fuel station. Construction is set to finish in December 2027,” said Hoosen.
SANRAL is also implementing a Freeway Management System for freeways in the Eastern Cape, with the erection of solar-powered surveillance cameras already underway in the Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City metros. These will be used for incident detection, traffic information dissemination and surveillance.
“The project aims to improve visibility on the road, enhance safety, detect incidents, and improve travel times. The installation on the R61 near Mthatha will be delayed until the road improvements in that area are completed. There are many work packages, including trenching, material supply, traffic accommodation and electrical work for which SMMEs can tender,” said SANRAL consultant Gerrie Van Jaarsveld.
He said one of the major challenges is theft and vandalism, and the surveillance cameras will help address these issues. The project is in construction stage with the design stage having started in April 2022. It is expected to be completed by 2028.
