144 new bridges coming to 6 provinces in South Africa – The details

Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Sihle Zikalala has launched the Welisizwe Bridges project in South Africa, which sees the allocation of R3.3 billion for the construction of 144 bridges in six provinces over the course of the next three years.

The provinces include the Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the North West.

“Since the programme is expected to deliver 48 legacy bridges plus 96 bridges initially announced by the President for the 2023/24 financial year, phased construction will take place simultaneously at all bridge sites,” said Zikalala.

“The Department of Defence (SA Army) has committed to providing assistance with regards to construction vehicles, construction machine operators, artisans, and the expansion of the Military Temporary Bases where necessary.”

The government initiative is aimed at addressing the backlog of bridge infrastructure in rural and disadvantaged communities and aims to improve the communities’ access to health facilities, schools, and economic amenities – with each connector being able to carry a variety of vehicles weighing up to 20 tonnes.

The Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme was initiated to respond to emergency situations in relation to river crossings. The programme was gazetted in July 2020 as Strategic Integrated Project No 25 as part of the Infrastructure Development Stimulus Package to boost the economy, said Zikalala.

Sunrise bridge in Port St Johns, Eastern Cape

A boost to local employment

In addition to improving mobility in the country’s most rural provinces, the Welisizwe Bridges project will boost employment in the regions and create upwards of 17,000 jobs and over 500 training opportunities.

“Welisizwe Bridges not only makes access possible to many communities, but also is labour intensive, creating a number of working opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP),” said Zikalala.

“A number of skills like welding, groundwork, and soil retention are transferred to the workers. Each bridge site has seven SANDF members who oversee all the projects, five artisans, and 40 EPWP workers.”

According to the medium-term expenditure framework, job opportunities in each province in one financial year will be:

• 21 graduates
• 64 artisans
• 960 EPWP participants

Over the three years in which the Welisizwe Bridges project will take place, it is expected to create employment for 17,280 individuals as well as 510 training opportunities.