ABOUT

Bakwena holds a 30-year concession contract awarded in 2001 with SANRAL, to manage a 385km route. The route covers the N4 from Pretoria through Rustenburg to the Botswana border and the N1 from Pretoria to Bela Bela in Limpopo. The Bakwena N1N4 toll concession is the central link of a road connecting southern Africa’s east and west coasts. From the east, the route, operated by Trans African Concessions (TRAC), stretches from the Mozambique capital, Maputo, on the Indian Ocean, through Mpumalanga and Gauteng to Pretoria where it becomes the Bakwena N4 ending at the Botswana border. The Bakwena N4 is part of the Trans Kalahari Highway starting in Pretoria (South Africa) through Botswana ending at the Atlantic Ocean port of Walvis Bay (Namibia). Bakwena maintains 17 toll plazas, including four of the busiest in the country, namely Pumulani and Doornpoort mainline plazas and Stormvoël and Zambesi ramps. Up to 193 000 vehicles pass through the Bakwena N1N4 toll plazas daily. Much of this is commuter traffic around the north and east suburbs of Pretoria, which has experienced major growth in recent years. Trucks travelling to and from Namibia, Botswana, mining areas around Rustenburg and Brits on the N4 and on the N1 to Limpopo and Zimbabwe also account for a considerable proportion of the traffic the Bakwena concession is required to manage. Bakwena was the first concessionaire in South Africa that offered the option of electronic tolling to road users – 11 years before any other company. The purpose of electronic toll collection is to keep traffic flowing, while allowing it to be used in conjunction with conventional manual tolling. Bakwena successfully re-financed their debt to the value of R3.7bn in 2009, which is the largest re-financing of an infrastructure project completed in South Africa. The success of the re-financing was due to the collaborative efforts of Bakwena, their shareholders, SANRAL, the company’s lenders and transaction advisers. Bakwena is the first toll company to have introduced motorised movable barriers in South Africa. This technology facilitates temporary adjustments in the number of lanes at toll plazas to accommodate more vehicles moving in one direction during the peak hours. This is accomplished by reversing the direction of flow of lanes in the non-peak direction. Bakwena’s position as the owner of a long-term toll concession contract enables them to add critical value to communities beyond the scope of their commercial activities. It has developed sustainable programmes designed to have a meaningful and long-term impact on the safety and well-being of communities along the N1 and N4. Their consistent and sincere commitment to uplifting the lives of community members throughout the North West, Gauteng and Limpopo provinces is at the centre of this value. Community programmes are based on partnerships and a trust that has been formed between Bakwena, the community members and other stakeholders, such as government departments, private sector entities and non-governmental organisations. All funds are channelled directly to initiatives and not via third parties. Bakwena’s CSI programmes currently focus on four pillars: (1) Road safety, (2) Health, (3) Environment and heritage and (4) Socio-economic development.