The upgrade of 22 km of the N4 National Road between Swartruggens and Moedwil at a cost of R165million will commence early in 2012. The total cost of upgrading the N4 from Zeerust through Swartruggens to Rustenburg is estimated at R586m. The contractors executing these works on the N4 will use the labour force from the local communities in the area, where practical.
Bakwena has a dedicated qualified maintenance team sourced from the local communities which repairs the road when it is evident that a pothole will develop. This ensures a safe road for road users. To keep to its high standards and in terms of its engineering management system, Bakwena is commencing with the rebuild of the road.
The Swartruggens toll plaza serves 185km of road between the Botswana border at Lobatse and the city of Rustenburg. The road upgrades being undertaken will not result in an increase to the toll tariffs as the tariffs are set by National Government and only adjusted annually for the effects of the Consumer Price Index – Bakwena has no influence over the tariffs charged at toll plazas.
The local residents of both Swartruggens and Groot Marico enjoy local area discounts of up to 75% of the toll tariff and such discounts are applicable to all classes of vehicles.
The discount for residents residing in Zeerust is 15%. Local residents therefore have access to the areas on either side of the toll plaza at very beneficial rates. Bakwena provides a facility in Groot Marico for discount applications and customer services. Bakwena has various measures such as incident management, route patrol services and monitoring of accidents to ensure a safer road for its road users.
Furthermore, Bakwena will continue with its corporate support initiatives in the Swartruggens / Groot Marico area. Kim Medupe, the Mayor of Swartruggens led the way forging a partnership to regenerate the town of Swartruggens and said “A programme of action involving all concerned parties is being finalized to guide the regeneration and upgrading and Bakwena will be a major and long term partner”. Mrs Medupe continued “In the area of Swartruggens, Bakwena supports the municipality by undertaking a clean-up campaign on an annual basis.
It provides environmental and safety education to the schools around Swartruggens”. Bakwena also financially supports the Thusanang Daycare Centre in Groot Marico and is also the main sponsor of the Groot Marico Bosveld Myl. These are just a few of the initiatives that Bakwena is involved in along the N4 corridor.
Bakwena, together with the communities, strives to make a better and safer life for all!