The inaugural launch of South Africa’s Road Maintenance Forum (RMF) is a joint endeavour by CESA, IMESA, SARF, SAT, SAFCEC, Sanral and Sabita. IMIESA speaks to Saied Solomons, CEO, Sabita, about the initiative and reports on highlights from the first RMF workshop, held on 7 April 2022. By Alastair Currie
Road Maintenance Forum committed to
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s in the rest of the world, South Africa’s road transport network is a vital enabler, and needs a concerted build and maintenance strategy. Since our challenges are common, we thought it fitting to align ourselves with International Road Maintenance Day, which has its annual meeting in the first week of April. The shared mandates cover the role of roads in terms of social and economic development, and in reducing the carbon footprint,” Solomons explains. As Solomon points out, international alliances are important. Later this year, for example, the South African Road Federation (SARF), in conjunction with the International Road Federation and PIARC (World Road Association)
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IMIESA April 2022
will host its 7th Regional Conference for Africa between 18 and 20 October 2022 in Cape Town. This includes the PIARC International Seminar on Rural Roads and Road Safety.
South African context The maintenance backlog in South Africa has now reached a critical point, primarily due to funding and capacity issues, plus the current procurement system – the latter being a contributing factor in tender award delays and corruption. Without accurate road asset management systems and maintenance registers, it’s difficult to determine the full extent of the problem. However, what is clear is that a high percentage of South Africa’s roads have
exceeded their initial design life and need remediating and/or upgrading. The widespread issue of potholes is one indicator of imminent road failures. The extent of the challenges were highlighted at the recent Road Maintenance and Construction Indaba in Gauteng during February 2022, which was led by the Department of Transport. The purpose was to bring the roads industry and the three spheres of government together to develop a joint action and implementation plan. “Full credit goes to Sanral as a visionary and proactive leader in managing and maintaining our crucial national network. Their systems and processes are world class. However, within the provincial and municipal space, we need to do far more to find solutions to combat ailing secondary road and bridge infrastructure,” Solomons continues. “RMF is our contribution to driving positive change.”
RPF and RMF Established in August 2000, the South African Road Pavements Forum (RPF) serves a vital research and development role at an academic and scientific level. However, Solomons says a gap existed for the creation of a more practical
