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Limpopo province will need R300 billion to tar its roads. For now, the Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure MEC, Enerst Rachoene, has in-sourced roads maintenance through purchasing new machinery and employing people.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Limpopo government is doubling down on its efforts to create new contractors and jobs through its public works programme.

Provincial Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure MEC, Ernest Rachoene, recently welcomed 36 aspiring construction company owners to be incubated under the Limpopo Contractor Development Programme (LCDP).

This initiative, Rachoene said, create more jobs through public works. The department has already been absorbing many unemployed youth and women by by-passing the tendering system in the maintenance of 21 000 road networks in the province.

The department has purchased its own machinery, including 251 earthmoving machines, to blast gravel roads, re-gravel them, patch potholes and do other maintenance jobs internally.

Since the acquisition of the yellow fleet in December 2024, the maintenance process of roads has been accelerated and the efficiency of both paved and unpaved roads has improved.

Rachoene said that the objective of the LCDP project was to develop and skill emerging contractors who are at lower Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) grading of level 2 and 3.

The aim is to do this within 36 months.

 “These contractors will be thoroughly developed to a competitive level of grade 4 and 5. Of the 36 emerging contractors that we enrolled, 67% are young people and 53% of these learners are women,” Rachoene said.

He said that the programme would have a long-term impact.

“During the period of this development, their economic status will be uplifted, poverty levels will be reduced, and the department shall have produced skilful men and women contractors who will be capable of delivering quality and sustainable infrastructure projects and create job opportunities for the people of Limpopo,” he said.

The province has 19 000 km of road networks, 13 197km consist of gravel roads. To tar all these roads will require R300 billion.

Rachoene has indicated that the amount was beyond the province’s budget but efforts would be made to secure additional funding from Infrastructure South Africa and other entities.