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The South African National Roads Agency said it would inject over R50 billion into road infrastructure development in the Eastern Cape.
The announcement was made on Tuesday at a Construction Summit at the East London ICC, where SANRAL also stated that these developments would start soon and run until 2028.
SANRAL's Welekazi Ndika says their infrastructure investment is geared towards the construction of new facilities, road improvements and strengthening, and special maintenance of the national road network in the province.
"In line with our transformation imperatives, a portion of this work will be ringfenced for targeted enterprises, including women, youth, people with disabilities, and military veterans,” she adds.
She also said SANRAL appreciates platforms such as the construction summit.
"Engagements of this nature bolster our collaborative efforts as a sector and will fast-track the realisation of a more inclusive construction industry where historically marginalised sections of society will derive a fair opportunity to participate in the province’s infrastructure development."
The MEC for Public Works in the province Ntombovuyo Nkopane highlighted the benefits of the projects being taken on by her department, citing job creation opportunities that accompany these big projects.
"We are upgrading the N2 between Mthatha to Kokstad, an interchange is being constructed on the N2 near Breidbach in Qonce and the N2 between Makana and Ngqushwa is getting major improvements," says Nkopane further outlining the province’s infrastructure achievements, including the construction of schools, hospitals, bridges, dams, and human settlements.
Acting Head of Infrastructure South Africa’s Technical Task Team, Mbasa Tshombe added that their organisation advocated for preferential procurement in infrastructure development. He said that their focus is on creating a project pipeline and being hands-on in the upfront planning to ensure successful project implementation.
"Working together with project sponsors, we have announced 12 infrastructure projects with a combined value of R180 billion that will be implemented across the country, which will create more than 500,000 jobs. Three of these projects, valued at R15 billion, will be in the Eastern Cape and present opportunities for local contractors," said Tshombe.
