Over 1.1km long, the Mtentu Bridge will save three hours of travel, but at what cost to the local communities?

Megaprojects cost billions and take years to complete. With multiple stakeholders, they are complex operations that can reshape the landscape and communities’ lives. While these projects are meant to be drivers of economic growth, in many cases, local communities are not integrated into the project planning or execution. One example is the R4.05 billion Mtentu Bridge project, which spans the eponymous river in Pondoland in the Eastern Cape. An area of raw natural beauty with rugged coastlines and dense indigenous forests, the region is named after the amaMpondo people, an isiXhosa-speaking group with deep-rooted traditions.

With limited routes through Pondoland’s terrain, the Mtentu Bridge, which is part of Sanral’s N2 Wild Coast project, will bring communities closer together, cutting 85km and saving up to three hours on the road. Expected to be completed by the end of 2027, and at 223m high, Mtentu Bridge will be Africa’s tallest. With a length of 1.13km, including a 260m long main span, the bridge will also rank among the world’s longest main-span balanced cantilever bridges.