“The aim of our visit was to introduce the contractors and form project liaison committees (PLC) that will represent the interests of SMMEs on these projects,” said Welekazi Ndika, Sanral’s southern region stakeholder engagement specialist.
The R56 project - from Indwe to Elliot and from Elliot to Maclear - will include structural work such as replacing bridge expansion joints to 13 bridges; patching in the towns of Elliot and Ugie; completion of subsoil drains installed previously; construction of concrete side drains; construction of down chute and outlets structures on high fills; installation of gabions in cuttings to prevent silt from spilling into the side drains; and replacing of the remainder of the existing fencing.
“While the entire upgrade of the road is envisaged to be completed in 20 months, we have allocated the first three months of the maintenance to mobilisation, in which Tau Pele, the appointed contractor, will interact with the community and set up contract participation goals (CPG). A CPG is the amount that will be set aside and allocated to SMME development,” said Ndika.
Work is anticipated to start in early 2022.
