The Civil Engineering Contractor January 2019 | Page 8

PROJECT OWNERS
Rehabilitation of N2 from Tetyana to Sitebe Komkulu
Project: Road rehabilitation
Client:
Sanral
Location: Eastern Cape
The project is taking place in proximity to Qunu, the homeplace
of former President Nelson Mandela — an area that is becoming
a veritable pilgrimage destination.
This R487-million tender was awarded to Rumdel
Construction Cape with a duration of 30 months, after site
handover on 11 September 2016. It involves the upgrading of
the N2 Section 18 from Tetyana (24km) to Sitebe Komkulu
(41km) in the Eastern Cape, and of Amathole and OR Tambo
district municipalities.
Rumdel Cape has its roots in WJM Construction, which was
established in Cape Town in 1960, and came into existence
in 1999 after a management buyout from Rumdel Holdings.
The company has a category 9 CE grading issued by
the CIDB and is therefore not limited in the size of civil
engineering projects that it may tender for in South Africa.
Its largest projects executed to date were Phase 2 and 3 of
the road between Ugie and Langeni in the Eastern Cape
province, which were executed concurrently and had a
combined value of R1.2-billion.
A subcontractors list has been requested and has been
denied. Construction remains ongoing. The project will be
extended to the end of June 2019.
The 2 255km N2, winding all the way from Cape Town,
through Port Elizabeth, East London, and Durban, right
through to Ermelo, is the longest numbered route in South
Africa. The two villages are located not too far from Qunu,
an area of beauty but extreme poverty. These crucial factors
informed Sanral’s decision to rehabilitate this stretch of the
road. The design had to consider the communities’ long-term
needs while limiting the short- and long-term impact of the
project. Heavy rainfall and environmental impacts pose a
challenge. nn
New Victoria Falls bridge in Zim mooted
Project: Bridge building
Client: Government of Zimbabwe
Location: Zimbabwe/Zambia border crossing
The current bridge is more than a century old and not meant for
heavy traffic.
6 | CEC January 2019
A project has been proposed for the construction of a new
state-of-the-art bridge in the resort town of Victoria Falls in
Zimbabwe. A private sector company, China Communications
Construction Company (CCCC), has submitted a proposal to
the Zimbabwean government for the construction of the
new bridge. The current bridge has been unable to meet the
increasing traffic demand, owing to limited capacity. The
timeline would be to commence construction in 2019.
One of the problems associated with this border is the
increase in cross-border traffic. In recent years, there has
been a marked increase in business development north of
the Zambezi and this is reflected in pressure on both border
crossings, and the current development of a similar new bridge
at the Kazungula Ferry crossing point between Botswana and
Zambia, as well as at Victoria Falls.
The Victoria Falls Bridge is 113 years old and not built for
constant heavy traffic. To help finance work, a new ‘bridge
maintenance fee’ was introduced in February for every
vehicle crossing the historic bridge between Victoria Falls in
Zimbabwe and Livingstone, Zambia. nn
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