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On Thursday, February 8, the PE Express issued a statement by the Democratic Alliance where after conducting an oversight inspection, the political party claimed that although SANRAL and the Transport Minister were responsible for maintenance of the road, they had failed to repair the traffic lights and the damaged guardrail along the route.
The DA further claimed that on January 15, 2024, Councillor Retief Odendaal wrote to the CEO of SANRAL, Reginald Demana, to request his urgent intervention before more people are injured or lose their lives. Odendaal said receipt of his communication was received from SANRAL, but no further feedback has been forthcoming.
The PE Express would hereby like to apologise unreservedly for not contacting SANRAL for comment before publishing the statement, and has since received official comment from SANRAL:
“SANRAL appointed a service provider in June 2020 to carry out routine road maintenance on the R75. However, the service provider has over the last three years been prevented from carrying out its duties by the actions of individuals and groups claiming to be from adjacent municipal wards. During this period, SANRAL attempted to resolve the impasse through the Project Liaison Committee (PLC) and by engagement with the affected stakeholders.
Furthermore, SANRAL approached the former Executive Mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Mr Retief Odendaal, on several occasions in October and November 2022 and again in September 2023, to intervene in the matter but our requests were in vain.
“As a result, it was unsafe for the contractor to attempt to do the necessary work on the R75. After several meetings and an intervention by SANRAL’s Transformation Unit, the contractor engaged with local stakeholders. As a result, a Contract Participation Goal Plan for the subcontracting of Targeted Enterprises was recently finalised. Work will resume as soon as the contractor is granted access to site and when the safety of the workers can be guaranteed.
“It is important to note that SANRAL has over many years made massive investments in the Eastern Cape’s Road infrastructure. The national roads agency continues to inject billions of rands into the economy of the Eastern Cape through the maintenance and construction of roads. Over the last 10 years, SANRAL invested over R38 billion in the Eastern Cape, providing a significant boost to the GDP of the province. SANRAL’s projected spend for the period April 2023 to March 2027 is R56 billion, including but not limited to the N2 Wild Coast Road. SANRAL’s investment in the Eastern Cape’s Road infrastructure is in line with its mandate from the national government to maintain and extend the national road network.
“Furthermore, SANRAL has taken over hundreds of kilometres of the province’s strategic and primary roads, with plans to improve these to SANRAL’s standards and for ongoing maintenance. As a result, SANRAL’s road network in the province has now increased from 5,334km to 5,600km. SANRAL understands the criticality of maintaining the road infrastructure to enhance safety and prolong its lifespan, and we will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that we execute on our mandate. Ultimately, better roads facilitate economic growth through the movement of goods and people, including foreign and domestic tourists who need good roads to be able to explore this beautiful part of South Africa.”
*Odendaal’s response will be added once received.
