SANRAL, BELL MOU BENEFITS N2 WILD COAST ROAD PROJECT LOCAL COMMUNITY

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27-02-2025
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The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) and BELL Equipment will go a long way in improving the socio-economic conditions of communities who live alongside SANRAL’s N2 Wild Coast Road Project in the Eastern Cape, said Eastern Cape MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Xolile Nqatha.

Speaking at the official handover of construction machinery and equipment to the Masakhane Group at the Dudumeni Quarry in the Winne Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality, Nqatha said the initiative speaks to government’s ongoing commitment to bring economic value to local communities in major infrastructure development projects.

“As government, we fully support today’s (Wednesday) handover as it will play an important role in our ongoing efforts to reverse inequality in the N2 Wild Coast Road Programme, and thereby tackling the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality, and poverty. We need to work together and strive to prosper in our efforts to uplift each other in order bring about change and development to our communities,” said Nqatha.

The handover is a culmination of the MoU that SANRAL signed with BELL Equipment in July 2018. Through the MoU, a direct development support structure for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) will be established, and local emerging contractors will be provided technical support as well as access to existing and potential markets in the road construction industry.

SMMEs will be given access to training and development programmes and basic information such as tender clarification meetings that are provided by SANRAL.

According to Ayanda Notshweleka, the Managing Director of the Masakhane Group, the MoU will help the company in participating and collaborating with SANRAL in construction sub-contracting as well as supplying of materials such as aggregates.

“We have received a set of crushing units from BELL which we are going to use to supply on some of SANRAL’s contracts, and we appreciate and welcome SANRAL’s commitment to development and transformation in the construction industry. Quarries are one of the key areas that address transformation initiatives, and through today’s handover, we will be able to supply aggregates to contracts that come into this region.”

“Beyond aggregates, we are also going to be in the manufacturing of ready-mix concrete and block-paving bricks. As a local business, working together with the Wild Coast Corridor Business Chamber, this is a great milestone for us and a wonderful commitment that we welcome from SANRAL. We look forward to seeing such agreements and initiatives also going to other SMMEs in the area,” he said.

Through its Transformation Policy, SANRAL seeks to increase the number of black participants across the value and supply chain of the road construction sub-sector of the construction industry, as well as promote fair competition in this sub-sector.

The roads agency continues to provide support to SMMEs through structured programmes and partnerships with industry players to ensure their meaningful participation and growth in the construction industry.