The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) will invest more than R76 million in seven new contracts to benefit local communities that live around the N2 Wild Coast Road Project in the Eastern Cape.
Updating local stakeholders on progress undertaken on the project – which included officials from municipalities, traditional leadership, business associations, SMMEs and community members – Craig McLachlan, SANRAL’s Project Manager on the N2 Wild Coast Road Project, said a total amount of R278 million had been paid to more than 100 local SMMEs, including 28 suppliers, 52 service providers and 27 sub-contractors, that were currently undertaking work on the Msikaba Bridge project, alone.
“In addition, R45.9 million has so far been paid on wages to over 300 skilled and unskilled labour, drawn from the surrounding local communities, as well as the surrounding local municipalities of Port St Johns, Ingquza Hill and Winnie Madikizela Mandela,” he said.
He was addressing small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) of Port St Johns Local Municipality, Winnie Madikizela Mandela Local Municipality and Ingquza Hill Local Municipality at an information session held in Lusikisiki on March 31.
The Msikaba Bridge project is expected to be completed in May 2024 and targeted goals on employing youth have already been exceeded, while the remaining labour targets are also on track to be met or exceeded.
“We are proud to say that we have already exceeded one of our targets on the Msikaba bridge project.
“The targeted labour for youth is 30% of the total projected wage bill and we have already met having achieved 102.6% of this target. So far, we have also achieved 45.4% of the target for women employment,” said McLachlan.
Seven sub-contracting tenders that will be awarded shortly include a bush clearing project in the east and west of the Mzimvubu River, repairs to the R61 between Ndwalane and Ntafufu road, repairs to the main roads through Lusikisiki, repairs to the R61 between Lusikisiki and Zalu road and repairs to the R61 between Bukazi and Flagstaff, as well as the repairs to the Flagstaff town bypass and the road to Holy Cross. A total of R76 million will be invested in these projects.
An additional four first-tier tenders have also already been advertised by SANRAL in the region and are currently in adjudication. These include the rehabilitation of the Ingquza Hill Memorial Road, upgrading of roads in Ntlavukazi Village, and upgrading of the DR8004 road from the R61 national road to Bambisana Hospital Road, as well as the design of the upgrading of the road from Bizana to Mbongweni Village.
These four tenders are planned to be awarded by September 2022.
SANRAL’s Wild Coast district manager Nwabisa Gxumisa appealed to stakeholders to continue to work with SANRAL to contribute towards projects that SANRAL has invested in the community. “Principally, what is important is that the local communities benefit from our projects. The success of these projects is not only SANRAL’s endeavour but also a collective one, together with our stakeholders. We will continue to work with the various key stakeholders our road projects traverse,” she said.
