Facelift for Vaalwater
Work on the R33 road that runs through Vaalwater, will ensure the small town gets a major facelift. With thousands of travellers to the northern parts of the province passing through this town, residents hope the new developments will bring economic benefits too.
According to a report by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral), the road through Vaalwater will become a dual carriageway and the project will include improvements to the road capacity, intersections and access roads, hydraulic capacity of bridges and major culverts, and the installation of fencing and guard rails.
Two traffic circles, one to the south of the town and another at the Spar Shopping Centre, will aid the smooth flow of the traffic.
The estimated value of the project is R228 million.
About 6 km of pedestrian/cycle lanes will also be constructed and street lights will be upgraded.
The report stated that 23 work packages were put out on tender and some have been awarded to local Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMME) and subcontractors. Local job seekers also benefit from the project with 57 jobs allocated to residents. Of these 57 jobs, 44% were given to women, 56% to men, 60% to youth and 1% to disabled.
The project commenced in January this year and will be completed by April 2025. Progress is slow due to issues such as the relocation of municipal services and informal traders and squatters where work must be done.
The Post was told by business people that an area has been allocated for the informal traders and that most of them have relocated. Some work, such as laying underground electricity cables, can only be done if the traders and squatters are moved.
Both residents and business people are excited about the possibilities the development brings. “Thanks to this project, Vaalwater is going to be a different town – it is an immense project and one will not recognise the town if you have been away for a while,” said Johannes Kleinhans, chairperson of the Vaalwater Busines Chamber.
The business chamber is, however, frustrated by issues holding up progress. “As soon as we learned of this project, we met with the mayor of the Modimolle-Mookgophong Municipality,
Sechele Sebolai, as we realised that they will be involved and that municipal infrastructure such as electrical lines will need to be moved. We met for the first time in April to discuss issues such as the relocation of hawkers and illegal squatters.
“These people are not keeping to municipal guidelines, but it appears that the municipality is not taking notice of this fact. As a business chamber, we feel very strongly that the municipality must do their part so that the project can progress,” he said.
Upgrades in Bela-Bela and Modimolle
Residents in the Modimolle-Mookgophong Municipality are elated to know that the roads in the region will soon be upgraded by the National Roads Agency (SANRALl) as reported in The Post
(2 August).
The treacherous R33 road between Kranskop Toll Gate and Modimolle will be resurfaced and the perimeter of the road will be widened to accommodate the heavy traffic flow. The road’s shoulder drop-offs will be improved and the road drainage will be attended to simultaneously.
Palesa Monamodi, project manager of SANRAL said the contract’s total value is R 350 million. Tenders are being allocated for work to commence.
In Bela-Bela the residents are anxiously awaiting news of the due date for contractors to start work in the area.
In 2023 (The Post, 21 August 2023) SANRAL officials met with stakeholders and announced proposed upgrades to the R101 from Bela-Bela to Modimolle and from there to Mookgophong to the value of R 650 million.
The R516 route between Bela-Bela and Thabazimbi will also be upgraded and the budget is set at R47 million.
By the time of going to press The Post could not verify the starting dates for said projects but SANRAL confirmed that the contractors have already been appointed.
