Sanral resurfaces R31 road from Delportshoop to Barkly West

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04-09-2026
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The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has started with the resurfacing of the R31 national road from Delportshoop to Barkly West in the Northern Cape Province. The more than 30-kilometre-long project will go a long way in bringing much-needed job opportunities for SMMEs and local community members in the area.

Speaking at various community and stakeholder engagement sessions in Barkly West recently, SANRAL’s Project Manager for the Northern Cape, Elethu Zembe, said that SANRAL always ensures that local communities – including women, young people, people with disabilities and military veterans – play a meaningful role and benefit from its road construction projects.

According to Zembe, the R31 national project is currently in the mobilisation period, and construction work is expected to be completed in February 2028. The mobilisation period is the period in which planning and initial training of labour and small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) will take place.

“This project mainly entails periodic maintenance of the road which includes repairs to drainage structures, erecting of road signs, guardrails, fencing, repairs to rest areas, pretreatment in the form of potholes, cracks and pavement repairs and resurfacing using a 20mm/7mm double seal as well as road markings and replacement of road studs,” said Zembe.

The total value of the project is close to R120 million.

SANRAL also used the stakeholder engagement session as an opportunity to share information about how local SMMEs can be tax compliant, and how they can also be trained and equipped to enhance their business acumen and tendering skills.

Luphelo Ngalo, SANRAL’s Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator for the Northern Cape, said that SANRAL continues to work with the Project Liaison Committees (PLC) on its projects to ensure that information is shared with local communities and that there is ongoing transparency on subcontracting as well as job opportunities for local communities.

In addition to the identified scope of works on the project, SANRAL has also identified key works that will be suitable for execution by the targeted SMMEs. These will include drains, culverts and block paving, edge beams and stone pitching, micro surfacing, texture treatment, guardrails, fencing, road signs, road marking and road studs, as well as installing electrical streetlights. Local SMMEs have also been targeted to supply and service chemical toilets, supply bitumen and emulsion, supply and precoat aggregate, supply asphalt and transport local labour.

“Our contract participation goals (CPG) on the project, for example – which is the monetary value of the participation goals that we have set – are a minimum of 30% of the construction value for local SMMEs and a minimum of 6% of the construction value for local labour. The local labour will come from surrounding areas such as Delportshoop, Longlands, Keisiekamma, Gong Gong, and Barkley West,” said Ngalo.

SANRAL has injected more than R1 billion in current roads construction projects in the Northern Cape. Some of the key projects that the roads agency has initiated in the province include:

• Construction management and training of communities and SMME contractors in Kagung for pedestrian facilities and service roads at almost R69 million;
• Resurfacing of the R27 national road from Brandvlei to Kenhardt at almost R224 million; and
• Resurfacing of the N12 national road from Strydenburg to Hopetown at almost R206 million.
• SANRAL has a total road network of 4 472 kilometres in the Northern Cape; this network entails 4359 kilometres of paved roads and 113 kilometres of gravel roads. Just over 1 000 kilometres of the province’s roads were handed over to be incorporated and fall under SANRAL’s management.

The incorporation of this road network to SANRAL also goes in line with the road agency’s decision to move the organisation from a regional-office-based model to a provincial-office-based one. SANRAL has opened offices in all the country’s nine provinces, including the Northern Cape, with its offices located in Kimberley.

Emile Du Preez, SANRAL’s Provincial Head for the Northern Cape, explains: “In terms of the SANRAL Act of 1998, which points out SANRAL’s distinct mandate to finance, improve, manage and maintain the country’s national road network, we have increased the number of roads that have been transferred to SANRAL from provinces in recent months. Opening our provincial office here in Kimberley has made it easier for us to get closer to our road network in the various provinces, and it has also allowed us to better enhance our stakeholder engagement endeavours with the province and surrounding municipalities”.