The decision to appoint the South African Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) to roll out road infrastructure in the North West Province was taken after irregularities and corruption related to awarding of road construction tenders were uncovered.
The decision was taken in the interest of the public after comparative analysis revealed that the province paid three to four times more than any other province for its road construction projects and was aimed at eliminating corruption.
The five-year road maintenance contract for which Sanral has been appointed as an implementing agency targets main economic and social linkage roads covering 1 566km. It guarantees the province a R1-billion saving in the medium term expenditure framework and makes resources available for other pressure areas.
In terms of the contract, Sanral is required to sub-contract 80% of the work to local small and medium businesses to clean drainage systems, fix potholes, and conduct fog sprays and re-seals.
This model, as part of the province's public infrastructure delivery programme to contribute towards job creation, will ensure that the province delivers quality roads within reasonable budgets and eliminates corruption associated with road construction.
The appointment of Sanral is meant to address the capacity gap within the roads section of the department of public works, roads and transport and bring in project management, supply chain and requisite road construction experience.
The provincial government is committed to the implementation of the infrastructure development and rollout of the 10-year provincial roads plan. This plan was endorsed by stakeholders and communities after district road consultation summits that culminated in the provincial road summit in December 2012.
Contractors are already on site at 10 priority roads that were identified during the summit.
This article was supplied and approved by the Mail & Guardian's advertisers. It forms part of a larger supplement.