CONSTRUCTION could begin soon on the stalled Mtentu River Bridge Project which forms part of the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) N2 Wild Coast Toll Road (N2WCTR) as a high level government delegation visited the area on Monday, November 28 to introduce the appointed contractor to the community.
Among the delegation were Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula, Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana, Eastern Cape Premier, Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane as well as district and municipal mayors.
One of two mega-bridges on the N2WCTR, the Mtentu Bridge is designed to be 1 132 m long, with a deck height of approximately 223 m and a central beam span of 260 m, which would make it one of the highest bridges in the world and one of the longest in Africa.
Noting that the Mtentu Bridge “is extremely technically complex and challenging”, head of communications and marketing at Sanral, Vusi Mona, said construction would require mega-bridge construction expertise (Business Day online, November 27, 2022).
Defending the inclusion of Chinese construction companies as partners in the joint ventures which were awarded Sanral tenders, Mona said that “it is not surprising that Chinese construction companies have successfully secured participation in these projects, as this is a skill in which the Chinese construction industry is a global leader.
The R4 billion Mtentu Bridge project was awarded to the China Communications Construction Company (CCC) in a joint venture with Mecsa Construction SA. The CCC is the fourth largest construction company in the world and is a state-owned, publicly traded multinational engineering and construction company.
Of concern to industry associations is the degree to which local companies and communities will benefit from big infrastructure projects like this, and whether international partners have to meet the same contract participation goals (CPG).
Community participation
This is particularly concerning considering the history of the Mtentu Bridge. Mona reiterated that “winning bidders are obliged to comply with all mandatory local content requirements, regulations and legislation, including the use of local labour.
“The outlook for local construction appears more positive in the short to medium term due to renewed and rising tender activity after two-and-a-half sluggish years,” he said.
“There is, therefore, no doubt that every one of these projects will generate short- and long-term benefits for all South Africans. In addition to creating jobs, they will generate income for small, medium and microenterprises and use local materials, such as steel and cement. On these local requirements Sanral is on record as saying it will not compromise,” Mona said.
At the meeting on November 28, Minister Mbalula assured the community that “R1.8 billion of the R4.5 billion project will benefit local enterprises”. Premier Mabuyane said that the project will not be stopped again and government will ensure the process of social facilitation will be tightened and thorough.
The Premier hailed the project as a “game changer” which will unlock economic development in the Wild Coast area.
A troubled history
Over five years ago, in August 2017, a joint venture between Aveng (Africa) and Austrian-based Strabag International (ASJV), was awarded the R1.4 billion contract to build the mega-bridge.
In January 2018, the site was handed over and construction on the 40-month project began.
By October 2018, ASJV had called a force majeure and abandoned the project. Protests from the community were said to be increasingly violent and disruptive.
Sanral claimed that the situation had been resolved by January 2019 and that work could resume. ASJV did not return to work which prompted Sanral to claim damages. Arguing in the High Court and then on appeal in the Supreme Court, ASJV tried to prevent Sanral from accessing the insurance guarantees, citing force majeure. In November 2020, the Supreme Court ruled against ASJV, with costs.
The project went out to tender again, with a closing deadline of February 2021. As fate would have it, this was one of the five tenders cancelled by the Sanral Board in May 2022, citing ‘material irregularities’.
The tender was finally awarded, along with three others on November 3, 2022.
At the time of publishing, Sanral was unable to provide any update on the project, including timelines or what portion of the work has been completed. It is alleged that the original contractor had only completed the access roads and started on some of the excavations for the bridge pier bases when work stopped.
