The largescale upgrade of Garsfontein Road in Pretoria is well underway with excavations and road construction progressing steadily, while beneath the
The largescale upgrade of Garsfontein Road in Pretoria is well underway with excavations and road construction progressing steadily, while beneath the surface a network of stormwater pipes and culverts are being put in place to maintain traffic safety when rainfall occurs.
The three-year project which began in February this year is valued at R690 million and requires continuous supply of concrete stormwater pipes and culverts to be delivered at the right location and time for the duration of the project. The success of the project has hinged on coordinated completion of each level of construction and is where the impressive manufacturing capacity and logistics of Pretoria’s own precast manufacturing giant, Global Precast, comes into its own. The company is supplying more than 5 km of concrete pipe and over 2.4 km of culverts of different sizes that will form the backbone of the stormwater upgrade.
“We are supplying a mix of interlocking joint pipes ranging from 450 mm to 1200 mm in diameter and culverts ranging from 1200 mm up to 2400 mm spans,” says Willem-Daniel van Dyk, sales and marketing director of Global Precast. “It is one of the larger orders we have taken on since our merger earlier this year and puts us in a league of our own when it comes to supplying the sheer volume of product that we are without impacting the rest of our business. In fact, the breadth of size variation has been easy to contend with due to the large number of moulds we keep and the variation is actually beneficial for us because it keeps all our resources working efficiently.”
Willem-Daniel says work has gone seamlessly due to the fantastic coordination between the main contractor on the project, Sedtrade Construction, with all the suppliers and sub-contractors on site. Due to narrow working corridors along the road the company has to coordinate deliveries carefully so that at no point does material bottleneck on site. “There isn’t space to deliver large quantities of pipes next to the road,” says van Dyk. “Stock is staged and delivered exactly when needed. The collaboration between our logistics team and the contractor has been excellent.”
He explains that Global Precast’s ability to take on a contract of this scale is tied directly to its strategic consolidation in early 2025 when precast manufacturers Eldocrete Precast and Aminto Precast were merged into the Global Precast group. The combined entity now operates a large-scale, high-capacity manufacturing facility at the old Iscor (Mittal) plant in Pretoria West which is supported by additional facilities across South Africa and Namibia.
“The centralisation and expansion of operations into this massive facility means we can supply the entire Garsfontein Road project at full pace and still meet demand for ongoing SANRAL upgrades, municipal stormwater programmes and provincial infrastructure projects,” says van Dyk.
He adds that the plant is currently producing vast amounts of concrete product per day placing it amongst the largest facilities of its kind in the region. All products supplied are manufactured to SANS specifications including pipes, culverts, manholes and sanitation structures.
The company’s order book stretches well beyond Pretoria. Major supply is underway to major road upgrades across Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the Free State and Northern Cape, as well as projects in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, among others. The willingness of contractors to purchase from Pretoria for projects as far afield as these destinations is a reflection of the quality of product and of service offered by the reengineered company. Success in this industry comes down to quality and capacity and customers need to know that what they install is compliant and that it will arrive when it is needed.
The Garsfontein Road upgrade is part of a broader plan to restore and expand critical city roads and stormwater systems. Large upgrades are currently underway on Lynnwood Road near Loftus, the Ring Road development in Soweto and multiple SANRAL routes nationally. The combined effect these large-scale projects has had on Global Precast has been reassuring. The uptake has exceeded expectations. We always believed the market needed this, but seeing the confidence from contractors and the volume moving through the factory is rewarding.
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Product Range and Capability
Global Precast manufactures:
• Infrastructure Products: concrete pipes, culverts, manholes and related drainage components
• Sanitation Products: precast toilet structures and pit systems
• Special Products: Eskom walling, kerb inlets and customised precast structures
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SEDTRADE KEEPS GARSFONTEIN ROAD UPGRADE MOVING
The main contractor on the reconstruction and upgrading of Garsfontein Road (K50) between Loristo Street and Anton van Wouw Street, Sedtrade, has confirmed the supply of precast units from Global Precast is supporting steady progress on site.
Sedtrade construction manager, Sheeven Bemram says the company is working ahead of schedule due to disciplined project control and experience which has helped to build the company over the past 17 years. First established as Sportsfields for Africa, the company has grown into a CIDB 9CE civil engineering contractor with extensive experience in road rehabilitation, provincial road upgrades, gravel-to-tar projects, bridges and municipal services.
He confirms that Global Precast has delivered its units on time in sequence and to specification which has enabled continuous installation. “Deliveries have been consistent and well-coordinated. Quality has been good and we have had no significant non-conformities,” he says.
All precast elements must meet project specifications, national standards and approved drawings, with strict factory-level quality control and safe transport to minimise damage. Any non-conforming units are replaced immediately to maintain programme.
Managing a Complex Workflow
Sedtrade relies on a closely controlled construction sequence where services and structures are completed before the upper road layers advance. This includes:
• Survey and setting-out checks
• Pipe laying, jointing and backfilling
• Culvert construction and erosion protection
• Box-cutting, roadbed prep, subgrade, selected layers, subbase, G1 base and finally asphalt surfacing
The project is currently ahead of schedule, with an estimated completion date of 29 July 2027.
