The Western Cape Government’s Department of Infrastructure began the project in October 2025, targeting approximately 5km of the N9/N12 and 2km of Waboomskraal Road for upgrades, repairs and resealing. During a site visit on Thursday, 15 October 2026, Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers assessed progress on the project, which is expected to reach completion in June 2028, weather and construction conditions permitting.
Investing in safer and more reliable roads: The N9/N12 is an important regional transport connection between George and Oudtshoorn, serving motorists, businesses and communities.
The project will improve road capacity, traffic flow and safety through several substantial engineering interventions. These include:
Work on Waboomskraal Road includes drainage maintenance, road patching, edge repairs and the reconstruction of its intersection with the N9/N12. Protected plant species are also being temporarily relocated as part of the construction process. These improvements are intended to provide motorists with a safer, more reliable and more efficient road connection.
Infrastructure investment creating opportunities for local people: Beyond the physical road improvements, the project is contributing to local economic participation through employment, labour opportunities and procurement from targeted enterprises.
Since construction began in October 2025, the project has already achieved the following:
These figures demonstrate how infrastructure investment can support local participation while delivering essential improvements to the provincial road network.
Infrastructure must benefit communities: Following his site inspection, Simmers emphasised that infrastructure investment must deliver benefits beyond the physical construction of roads.
“Our investment in the N9/N12 is about more than upgrading a road. It is about making journeys safer, improving connectivity between communities and ensuring that infrastructure investment creates opportunities for local people."
“Since construction began in October 2025, this project has already generated 102 work opportunities and more than 9,400 person-days of labour. We have also seen R8.5m in goods and services procured from targeted enterprises.
“These figures represent opportunities for workers, local contractors and businesses to participate in building the infrastructure our province needs. Every infrastructure project must ultimately be measured not only by what we build, but also by the difference it makes in people’s lives.
“We will continue monitoring progress closely to ensure that this investment delivers lasting value for motorists, communities and the regional economy,” said Simmers.
Construction activities currently include earthworks, rock excavation, drainage improvements and the development of permanent road infrastructure.
The Department will continue overseeing implementation, with particular attention to construction quality, road safety, local economic participation and delivery against project milestones.
The anticipated completion date remains June 2028.
The Western Cape Government remains committed to investing in infrastructure that connects communities, supports economic activity and creates opportunities for residents across the province.
