Sanral
The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has cancelled adjudicated tenders to the value of R17.47 billion in the past week, throwing the sustainability and viability of South Africa’s civil engineering industry into doubt.
Moneyweb reports that the tender for the Eastern Cape’s new Mtentu River Bridge, valued at around R3.4 billion, is among the tenders to have been cancelled.
It had been listed as one of the country’s presidential priority projects intended to stimulate the economy post the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona confirmed on Tuesday that three other billion rand-plus tenders in Durban, Pietermaritzburg and on the R56 Matatiele road in the Eastern Cape had been cancelled due to a material irregularity in the tender process.
SA Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) CEO Webster Mfebe described these tender cancellations as a crisis for the construction industry and the recovery of the South African economy.
