Wild Coast toll road on track

Construction of R3.5bn project to kick off in two months’ time, says ANC

CONSTRUCTION of the new multibillion-rand N2 Wild Coast toll road will start in earnest in two months’ time, the ANC announced yesterday.

ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane confirmed yesterday they had received several progress reports during an ANC lekgotla held at an Esplanade hotel.

Among them was one that confirmed that actual construction of the N2 Wild Coast project would commence in earnest in April.

The South African National Road Agency Limited (Sanral) project was launched in 2004, but legal wrangles delayed its rollout.

Premier Phumulo Masualle announced in December 2015 that the building of key mega-bridges would begin this year after stakeholders found common ground on the areas in dispute.

The 410km route runs from East London to the Mtamvuna River Bridge. The Dispatch reported last year that six pre-qualified bidders for each of the mega-bridges over the Mtentu and Msikaba River gorges, which are part of the greenfields section of the project, had been awarded.

The total cost of the bridge project was estimated to be around R3.5-billion. Construction of roads to the bridge sites, however, will start in September.

The three-day lekgotla was attended by ANC heavyweights including secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Agriculture Minister Gugile Nkwinti, Economic Affairs Minister Ebrahim Patel, Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas and Tourism Deputy Minister Thoko Xasa.

Addressing the plenary on Monday, Patel highlighted the importance of prioritising the rollout of broadband, as well as taking advantage of the oceans economy, to help create the needed jobs.

Mabuyane said the reports also highlighted the importance of developing agri-parks, a manganese smelter project and an umthombo project based in Coega.

Masualle also presented a report on the state of governance in the province, which Mabuyane described as pleasing, but added there were areas of concern.

He was referring to the ongoing crisis in the Zwelitsha-based education department.

The department achieved the worst matric results since 2012. The same department failed to spend more than half-a-billion rands earmarked for school infrastructure projects.

“All commissions packaged concrete solutions for government departments to explore when trying to address government’s ongoing challenges and shortcomings.

“We are pleased with progress made in a number of areas, but equally, we are concerned about poor performance in areas like education,” Mabuyane said.

Commission resolutions will serve as a guide when premier Masualle crafts his state of the province address, which he will table in Bhisho next Friday. —