The number of local enterprises getting tenders for construction projects came into focus at a sub-council 17 meeting last week.
During a presentation about the MyCiti progress in AZ Berman Drive by City official Thandeka Longfoot, councillors noted that only 3,5% of the tenders allocated were awarded to local businesses.
The construction is part of the expansion linking Khayelitsha, Mitchell’s Plain and other communities across the metro-south east with Claremont and Wynberg.
The revelation sparked a discussion on how to get more businesses compliant so that they would have better odds at securing tenders.
“We want to advocate for local enterprises,” said sub-council chair Elton Jansen. “I have, in a previous sub-council meeting, asked that the sub-council have a drive to encourage local contractors to register their businesses. Again I’m going to ask that we do a drive to encourage businesses to register on the sub-council database.”
Jansen said there were several projects on the City’s calendar that local businesses could benefit from.
Project still rolling forward
Longfoot told the meeting that phase 1 is 85% complete and has ongoing sidewalk construction. Phase 2 is 79% complete, with road priming and tarring currently in progress. Phase 3 is nearly 60% completed, with earthworks and service installations underway, while phase 4 has just begun and traffic switches and service installations were recently initiated. Phases 5 and 6, which is the building of the red MyCiti road, have not started.
Longfoot said the project is progressing on target despite security and crime challenges.
“The challenges that we are experiencing on site — there’s a lot of theft and of temporary construction signage,” Longfoot said.
She said work also had to be completely stopped sometimes because of gang violence.
“Another major issue that we are facing is gang violence and shooting that happen in the close proximity of the site. It is not project-related, but there’s a lot of project stoppages because of gang violence.”
She said the projected date for completion is January 2027.
“There is quite a lot of work to be done,” she said, adding that there would be more opportunities for local enterprises to tender.
Mayor visits project
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis visited the completed MyCiti depots in Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha on 23 October.
The R430 million depots will house the bus fleet for the route.
Hill-Lewis viewed the completed depots with Rob Quintas, the Mayco member for urban mobility.
“It is amazing to see the infrastructure rising before our eyes to bring safe, affordable and reliable public transport,” Hill-Lewis said.
The two bus depots, each 7,5 ha in size, will house the bus fleet for the MyCiTi south-east route expansion. Each depot has the initial capacity for up to 145 buses, which can later be scaled up to capacity for 250 buses each.
Fully equipped
The depots are fully equipped with: mechanical workshops; refuelling facilities; underground capacity for electric bus charging; automated bus-cleaning capacity; office space, drivers’ eating area and ablution facilities; besides the depots, multiple infrastructure projects are in full swing across the metro-south east to provide a scheduled, safe, affordable and universally accessible service to Wynberg and Claremont, including: Sky Circle construction – a South African first – at Govan Mbeki Road (M9) and Jan Smuts Drive (M17); bridge construction over Duynefontein and Govan Mbeki road traffic lanes, bus stops, signalling and pedestrian and cycling lanes along Govan Mbeki Road; major upgrades to enable bus lane construction along Turfhall Road and AZ Berman; reconstruction of the westbound and eastbound lanes along Stanhope Road, Imam Haron Road (M24) and Chichester Road, including turning lanes at Claremont Boulevard, Palmyra Road, Ravensworth Road, 2nd Avenue/Livingstone Road, Third Avenue and Doncaster Road and the widening of the Stanhope railway bridge.
MyCiti is South Africa’s biggest metro-led public transport project, the City said.
