{"id":73301,"date":"2016-07-19T03:53:17","date_gmt":"2016-07-19T01:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/nothing-stealthy-about-n2-wild-coast-road-project-sanral\/"},"modified":"2016-07-19T03:53:17","modified_gmt":"2016-07-19T01:53:17","slug":"nothing-stealthy-about-n2-wild-coast-road-project-sanral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/nothing-stealthy-about-n2-wild-coast-road-project-sanral\/","title":{"rendered":"Nothing \u201cstealthy\u201d about N2 Wild Coast Road project \u2013 SANRAL"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nothing \u201cstealthy\u201d about N2 Wild Coast Road project \u2013 SANRAL<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Port Elizabeth 18 July 2016: IT is unfortunate that once again some KwaZulu-Natal media reports this past week have framed developments of the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road Project Road as a project by \u201cstealth,\u201d the South African National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL) says.<\/p>\n

So much has been written by KZN media about the project, most recently after receiving a briefing on it directly from SANRAL at a meeting hosted by the Durban Chamber of Commerce. The claims of secrecy are therefore just that, claims without any substance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were strong views by provocateurs in media this week suggesting that the project is being managed in a covert manner. It is a skewed representation of reality,\u201d said Simon Peterson, SANRAL\u2019s Regional Manager for the Southern Region.<\/p>\n

\u201cSANRAL has always been very open and transparent about the location of the proposed route which includes a section of new greenfields road but also includes extensive upgrading of the existing N2 between East London and Mthatha, and the existing R61 between Mthatha and Port St Johns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been implementing projects along this entire route since receiving the confirmation of the environmental go-ahead after the appeal process in 2011. As one of government\u2019s key national Strategic Infrastructure Projects the project has remained prominently in the public domain since its inception.\u201d<\/p>\n

Referring to media reports, Peterson said if voices of the community had been incorporated in news reporting, the \u201coverwhelmingly strong currents and groundswell of support,\u201d from local communities and \u201cpositive sentiment for SANRAL\u2019s open and transparent engagement processes\u201d could not have been missed.<\/p>\n

Peterson said \u201ceven those who are purporting ro oppose the project are divided and unfortunately misled by people who do not live in the area and do not care an iota about the levels of poverty in the area. SANRAL has received consent and support from the majority of the affected communities along the road. .<\/p>\n

Despite support for the N2 Wild Coast Toll project from local communities, a small splinter group has sought to build an opposition to the road by incorrectly linking it to the proposed Xolobeni sand dune mining project and through publicity seeking actions such as staged protests for media 1 269 kilometres away from the project site and with members from the rural communities absent from the protests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe N2 Wild Coast Toll Project was conceived before and independent of the mining project. People in the region need the road, irrespective of the mining project. SANRAL is fulfilling its mandate and within government policy frameworks to support development masterplans for the Eastern Cape, not only to remove legacies of the past but also to remove the barriers which prohibit both local self-development and investment inflows in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cLocal socio-economic development, particularly in the high potential agriculture and eco-tourism areas as well as through vastly improved access to social services all begins with this road, and local people understand this.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing \u2018stealthy\u2019 about the work we have been mandated to do, and, if anything, the progress so far is a signal of effective public infrastructure service delivery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Major project milestones over the last three months for the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road Project included:<\/strong><\/p>\n