The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) enjoys a proud track record of developing road infrastructure in its Eastern Region, comprising the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Free State.

This record remained firmly intact during the 2023/24 financial year, with the agency’s newly released annual report showing that R7.4-billion was invested in the region during the period under review.

This resulted in the creation of 6 041 job opportunities, half of which were filled by youth (3 081). In addition, R1.2 billion of the investment directly benefitted enterprises and designated groups – including the youth, women, people living with disabilities and military veterans.

SANRAL Board Chairperson Themba Mhambi said SANRAL was committed to the to the socio-economic transformation of South Africa.

“We firmly believe this is essential in tackling the multitude of challenges prevalent in our society – such as poverty, inequality and high unemployment. The organisation has made its commitment clear by elevating ‘transformation’ to one of the key pillars of its Horizon 2030 strategy,” Mhambi said.

“State-owned entities such as SANRAL have a responsibility to contribute to government’s efforts in fostering economic growth, social inclusion and equitable development,” he added. “Through our infrastructure projects and initiatives, we strive to create opportunities, empower communities and drive positive change across the nation.”

The Eastern Region undertook a total of 14 construction capital projects to build new roads, improve existing stretches and rehabilitate surfaces in sub-optimal condition.

The projects, spanning 114.86km across KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State, have had a massive impact on local communities and economies across the region. In all, 1 122 SMMEs were trained and more than 500 students participated in the agency’s mentorship and training programme during the reporting period.

Various projects of significance were also completed in 2023/24, including:

• Emergency repair of uMhlali River Bridge (B999A): The scope of work included the repair and jacking of the uMhlali River Bridge (northbound) back to its original position, as well as repairing the bridge approaches after the April 2022 floods. A total spend of R5 287 425.00 was awarded to SMMEs.
• Widening of R22 Section 5, KwaNgwanase: The work covered a 3km stretch of road and a 2.8km bypass road on the national road that connects the N2 at Hluhluwe with the Mozambique border at Kosi Bay, via Mbazwana and KwaNgwanase. Some 434 families benefited from work opportunities arising from the R340-million upgrade project. In addition, R93.7-million was spent on local SMMEs owned by women and youth within the uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality.
• Reconstruction of N3 from Sanctuary Road (Km 15.2) to Link Road (Km 21.2): More than 322 families benefitted from work opportunities on this project, with around R80.5-million spent on local SMMEs owned by women and youth within the Msundizi Local Municipality.
• Manufacture of precast concrete barriers to be used as a temporary vehicle restraint system for the upgrading of the N2 and N3: Here, too, the impact was felt at community level, with employment opportunities ultimately bringing renewed hope to more than 220 families. About R81.6 million was spent on women- and youth-owned local SMMEs within the Mkhambathini Local Municipality.

Currently, there are 16 routine road maintenance (RRM) contracts in construction, including three emergency RRM contracts. A total of R1 208 811 520.00 was spent on these RRM projects, creating 1 395 jobs in the process.

SANRAL’s Eastern Region manager, Dumisani Nkabinde, said although the region was comparatively small in relation to others in the country, KwaZulu-Natal’s two harbours were highly strategic in terms of national GDP and the country’s economy.

That resulted in a lot of road freight moving through the region as well beyond the country’s borders.

“We are doing a lot of work on the N3 to Gauteng to increase the capacity for freight. We estimate we will finish all upgrades in eight years,” he said.

Nkabinde said the ongoing upgrades to the N3 and N2, worth R33-billion and R19-billion respectively, were expected to create more than 50 000 jobs between them.