MEDIA RELEASE
SANRAL rolls out major investment for Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West
Pretoria, 9 September 2024 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced major investments in critical road infrastructure for its Northern Region. This follows the recent announcement of a R50 billion investment by SANRAL CEO Reginal Demana on Monday.
Demana declared that the roads agency plans to invest R50 billion into the South African economy through new tenders. R15 billion worth of contracts have been awarded since the first of April which marks the beginning of the current financial year.
“I am happy to announce that we are currently evaluating 96 tenders worth R35 billion, while 86 contracts worth R15 billion have already been awarded since the start of the 2024/25 financial year on 1 April 2024” he said.
Demana said the tenders currently under evaluation are spread across the country, but the majority falls under the Northern Region which comprises of Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West. SANRAL’s Northern Region manages approximately 9 500km of the national road network, making it the agency’s largest region.
According to Progress Hlahla, SANRAL Northern Regional Manager, 34 tenders worth R16.5 billion are earmarked for the region and will have a major impact on the economy.
“These are exciting times for the industry, this investment means more opportunities for local businesses and jobs for our people. In line with the CEOs announcement, we have ensured that we fast-track the rollout of work packages for critical projects in the region,” said Hlahla.
Hlahla says the agency has recently awarded a R893 million contract for construction of an 11,7km stretch of the R573 project in Thembisile Hani Local Municipality, as part of the multi-billion-rand development of the Moloto Road Corridor. Work on the rehabilitation of the old N1 in the Musina CBD has started as well. This is an investment of R227million for improvement of 5.8km stretch of road. A total 8% of the contract value will be spent on targeted labour from the Musina area, while 30% would be spent on targeted enterprises which have at least 51% black ownership.
In May 2024, the roads agency introduced four community development projects worth R787 million in Limpopo. The following project were introduced to traditional leadership, road forums, taxi and bus associations, and communities in the affected areas:
- The R144-million D2919 road, which spans from Tshikanoshi to Malebitsa, Sekhukhune District Municipality.
- The R132-million D3878 road, which connects Calais to Ga-Sekororo, Mopani District Municipality.
- The R251-million D3187 road, which stretches from Mageva to Makhuva in the Mopani District Municipality.
- The R260-million D3810 road, which stretches from Thomo to Hlomela in the Mopani District Municipality.
The first packages on the project are currently underway with some local companies subcontracted for ancillary works.
Hlahla says these projects will have a significant impact on the socio-economic landscape of the country. He said more projects are still in the pipeline for the 2024/2025 financial year and these will go a long way to boost the local economy.
Projects in the northern region
Some of the major projects in this region include the N4 in Pretoria CBD, N1 Musina Ring Road, R37 in Burgersfort, the R573 Moloto Road Development Corridor which spans across three provinces (Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo), R510 towards Thabazimbi, R504 in Wolmaransstad, and the N2 from Ermelo to the KwaZulu-Natal border.
Northwest
SANRAL has also started with a R1.3 billion construction project on the R52 between Koster and Rustenburg in the North West province. Additionally, the resurfacing of the R512 between from R104 intersection to Brits is progressing well. The R504 Between Wolmaransstad and Leeudoringstad has been completed and the portion from Leeudoringstad to the Free state border is currently under construction. This investment is over R400 million and has created over 500 job opportunities for local labour. Furthermore, work on the N12 in Wolmaransstad and in Bloemhof has commenced with approximately R500 earmarked for the resurfacing of the N12 in these towns.
Limpopo
Major works are planned on the R516 with over a billion rand earmarked for the upgrade of this critical road. Additionally, the R101 in Bela Bela is set for a major upgrade as well to ensure motorist travel safely in this area. The work on the R510 between the Northwest/Limpopo border and Thabazimbi is progressing well, with over R1 billion having been earmarked for this project. This has added many jobs and subcontracting opportunities to the local economy.
Mpumalanga
SANRAL has completed most of the resurfacing work on the N17 between Chrissiesmeer and the Oshoek border post, has been completed having spend over R500 million and creating approximately 240 jobs. The N2 between Ermelo and the KZN border is due for a major upgrade, with five packages having already been advertised and currently under evaluation. The Panbult interchange is currently under construction and the N2 between Bloemendal and Piet Retief has recently been awarded to the value of approximately R3.8 billion. All the other phases are earmarked for award later this financial year.
Gauteng
The repair of the N1 pavement layers in the south of Johannesburg towards the Vanderbijlpark is almost complete, with over R400 million having been spend and approximately 300 jobs created. Additionally, rehabilitation of the R21 between Pomona and Olifantsfontein is progressing well, with the repair of both sinkholes on the R21 and N1 being at an advanced stage. SANRAL will be going to market soon for the resurfacing of the GFIP network in Gauteng. This will be done in stages to minimise traffic disruption.
Three priority projects have been successfully completed which include the N1 Musina Ring Road costing R700 million, and the R37 in Burgersfort, which was completed at a cost of R1 billion.
Additionally, 7km of the Moloto Road project in Limpopo has been completed, with construction continuing in both the Mpumalanga sections. Construction will extend to include the entire corridor, covering the Gauteng section as well.
The N1 Musina Ring Road project created 281 jobs for locals, and 132 individuals received training at a cost of R411,462. Additionally, 20 local subcontractors were employed.
The R37 project in Limpopo, completed at a cost of one billion Rand, created 423 jobs and trained 149 individuals. A total of R80 million was allocated to community development initiatives.
Further improvements have been undertaken on the R510 towards Thabazimbi, R504 in Wolmaransstad, and the entire N2 from Ermelo to the KwaZulu-Natal border. These projects aim to enhance the efficient flow of freight, ultimately boosting productivity in the affected towns.
//ends
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