MEDIA STATEMENT
More provincial roads in the Free State declared national roads to be covered by SANRAL
Subtitles: From left to right: Mayor of Fezile Dabi, Cllr Dennis Khasudi, Thandeka Ngema (SANRAL Eastern Region Acting Coordinator); Acting Prime Minister of the Free State Jabu Mbalula; Kwanele Ncalane (Eastern Region Stakeholder Coordinator) and Sipho Khoza (SANRAL Eastern Region Project Engineer) pose for a photo during the Taking SANRAL to the people’s engagement in Trompsburg.
Free State, December 4, 2024 – More than 670 kilometers of provincial roads in the Free State have been declared national roads, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.
SANRAL made the announcement during a Taking SANRAL to the People stakeholder engagement session held in Trompsburg in Xhariep District Municipality on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.
The Government Gazette, published on 22 November 2024 (Government Gazette 51639), reported that the newly established roads would now fall under the management of SANRAL.
Acting regional manager for SANRAL’s Eastern Region, Dudley Mbambo, said: “Incorporating the 674 kilometers of provincial roads into SANRAL’s national road network is a crucial step towards improving South Africa’s transport infrastructure.”
Mbambo said that by integrating these roads into its national network, SANRAL could “ensure a more coherent, efficient and safer transport system that supports economic growth, job creation and regional development. This alignment will also facilitate greater access to essential services, improve logistics and promote greater regional connectivity – all of which are essential to driving national progress.”
These provincial roads provide vital links between rural areas, urban centers and major economic centers – including Lesotho. Road P92 Section 1 goes to the international border between South Africa and Lesotho at the Caledonspoort border post.
“These areas are the lifeblood of our agricultural economy and as SANRAL we must ensure continued road improvements and maintenance, allowing farmers and rural communities to transport their goods, services and products to markets on roads that are safe to use.” Mbambo said.
Mbambo said this was an important step towards easing pressure on the province and making roads safer. “The upgrades to these road corridors will provide a huge boost to the region’s economy and significantly increase road capacity in the area,” he said.
SANRAL aims to provide a comprehensive view of its activities in the region, including current and future projects and transformations in the construction sector. Through the Taking SANRAL to the People programme, the road agency shared details of its critical role in infrastructure development, job creation and skills development initiatives.
“SANRAL would like to encourage dialogue with the communities to ensure the smooth running of our projects and eliminate any problems that may arise. We wouldn’t want any of you to abandon any of our projects due to unhappiness. We are working with government to combat the scourge of unemployment and several employment opportunities will be created for the community through these projects,” said SANRAL Acting Stakeholder Relations Coordinator, Eastern Region, Thandeka Ngema.
“SANRAL also aims to equip the SMEs with skills with our pre-tender training that has been going on for a few years. The community will have these skills long after the project is completed,” Ngema added.
Acting Free State Premier Jabu Mbalula expressed support for the involvement and welcomed SANRAL’s continued investments in the province.
“We want to turn Free State into a construction site. As a government, we are working on a development approach. When SANRAL builds a road in Xhariep, the people in that area should directly benefit from it. In this way, we not only build a road, but we also build a community,” said the acting Prime Minister.
SANRAL used this session to inform SMEs on how they could benefit from the newly incorporated roads. An emergency project contractor will be appointed for six months before a permanent service provider takes over the included roads.
The Supply Chain Management (SCM) instruction note describes the procedure that must be followed for the purchase of goods, services or works in the event of an emergency or urgency.
“An emergency means a serious and unexpected situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment and requires urgent action and there is insufficient time to undertake a competitive bidding process,” explains Sipho Khoza, SANRAL’s project engineer for the eastern region, from.
The road agency is no stranger to the province, having carried out road construction projects in the past. The upgrade of the N6 from Rouxville to Smithfield provided local employment and opportunities to implement programs around skills development and empowerment.
Mbambo said the multi-million dollar N6 project further demonstrates SANRAL’s “commitment to providing economic development opportunities to SMEs and creating employment opportunities for local community members”.
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