Improved Access to Major Regional Roads Babangu to Ga-Maphalle
Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) has successfully completed yet another road infrastructure project. And in total, 26 kilometres of road was upgraded - from gravel to tar just outside Giyani and Modjadjiskloof in the Mopani District Municipality of Limpopo Province.
The scope of the project was for the upgrading of 19.5km of road D3820 that connects with road R578 from the villages of Babangu to Ndengeza to Noblehoek to Ximausa to Blinkwater in the Greater Giyani (Local) Municipality on one end, and 6.5km of road D3205 southwest in Ga-Maphalle village of the Bolobedu area in the Greater Letaba (Local) Municipality that connects with the main road R81, on the other end.
D3820 and D3205 link with each other. The
“JUST OVER R80 MILLION WAS EARMARKED FOR LOCAL JOB CREATION, AS PER GOVERNMENT AND RAL POLICY.”
upgrading of these two roads to bituminous surface included installations of pavement structures, pipes, portal culverts and road furniture.
This 45-month long multiyear project, which started in August 2015, with a contract value of just over a quarter of a billion rands (all inclusive), was awarded to 4 Arrows/Ruwacon (Joint Venture).
Just over R80 million of that amount was earmarked for local job creation, as per government and RAL policy of ring fencing 10% of the contract value for local labour absorption and 30% for Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) empowerment.
According to RAL Project Manager Mamosadi Mankga, the project is practically complete, as the road has been open to traffic since early June 2019.
The project had an initial contract period of 40-months (14 August 2015 to 13 December 2018), but due to community unrests, the contractor was granted a five-month extension time to the end of May 2019.
“Ensuring that there are enough budgets before implementing a project will go a long way in mitigating these perennial challenges in RAL projects,” she says.
“The contractor is attending to the snag list before the completion certificate can be issued.”
Snag list is a colloquial construction industry term for ‘final touch-ups or checklist’ that include things such as installations of road safety measures and traffic signs, and restoring the area to acceptable environmental state, etc before it is officially handed over by the appointed contractor to RAL, as the owner. Only then is the completion certificate issued.
The project is on its way to achieving its SMME (87%) and labour (95%) targets. R18.6 million was earmarked for employment local labourers from villages adjacent to the two roads, and R63.5 million was ringfenced to procure available materials and services from
local SMMEs, as subcontractors and suppliers.
“There are still local SMMEs and labourers on site doing concrete works on the snag list,” says Ms Mankga.
“A total of 155 community members have been given on-the-job training and issued with Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) accredited certificates.”
Some of the benefits of the roads to the local communities and public at large are improved mobility and quick access to the main R578 and R81 roads, amenities and government services, all weather and dust free roads, safer roads, and lower vehicle operating costs.
Improved access to reliable public transport, particularly, and quicker trips was one of the main benefits highlighted by community members on the ground in our popular interactive feedback feature Mintirho Ya VulaVula. See page 31.
“A TOTAL OF 155 COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN ON-THE-JOB TRAINING ON THE PROJECT.”