“We always have to find a balance between? the interests of the road users and the broader environmental and socio-economic impacts of our projects,” says Mogole Mphahlele, the Environmental Management Specialist of SANRAL.

“Our country’s economy cannot grow without an adequate road infrastructure. At the?same time we have to ensure that there is adequate water for people to drink, crops to grow and food to be produced to sustain our population.”

A big part of his responsibilities is to ensure that everybody at SANRAL is updated on environmental legislation.

He also manages the relations on environmental issues between national and provincial stakeholder departments, contractors, consultants and affected communities.

His interest in nature and environmental issues was nurtured during his student days at the (then) University of the North where he completed a BSc degree and?an Honours in Botany after matriculating from the Thagaetala Secondary School near Polokwane.

As one of SANRAL’s representatives on the World Road Association (PIARC), Mogole gets the opportunity to benchmark the Agency’s environmental management against global best practices. “South Africa is right up there among the best in the world,” he says.