WHILE in KwaZulu-Natal last week, president Cyril Ramaphosa launched the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme at Ngilanyoni Sports Field, Mkhambathini. Across the country, 58 rural bridges are currently under construction, with 11 bridges completed in KwaZulu-Natal.
The purpose of the programme is to improve safety and well-being for rural communities who have to cross rivers daily, to boost the local economy by making mobility easier, and to create jobs and support local businesses, Ramaphosa said.
Communities are also benefiting from the construction of the bridges, with many participating through the Expanded Public Works Programme. In addition to these workers, each bridge site uses SANDF engineers and artisans who do work like welding, groundwork, earth moving and soil retention, he said.
Since its inception, the programme has supported skills development by appointing graduates to work in bridge assessment, project management and maintenance, as assistant engineers and as candidate construction project managers.
Rmaphosa said that the bridge components are all locally sourced from South African companies that specialise in the manufacture and supply of steel-modular type bridges. Local suppliers have also benefitted through the supply of materials such as stones, cement, concrete, road sign paint and personal protective equipment.
Ramaphosa said that over centuries of colonialism and decades of apartheid, the needs of the majority of South Africans were deliberately neglected, especially in our rural communities. He invited the private sector to invest in infrastructure development, especially in rural areas, understanding that it supports better conditions for economic growth.
“As Government, we will continue to create an enabling environment that will attract investment and support infrastructure-led growth so that no one is left behind,” he said.
