These are the most asked questions about SANRAL in the Free State. 

WHO IS SANRAL?  

It was established in April 1998 by an Act of Parliament as an independent company to operate South Africa’s national road network.  

It is a public company with share capital within the requirements of the South African Companies Act and is governed by a board of directors.  

The Minister of Transport is the sole shareholder of SANRAL, representing the government.  

SANRAL is a state-owned entity (SOE), category 3A, and is not allowed to make a profit. It is not a business enterprise. It is responsible for a national road network of 22 214km.  

This network is gradually expanding, as a growing number of provinces request the agency takes over the management of their primary roads.  

SANRAL’s role is to be an implementing agency of the Department of Transport for road planning, construction and maintenance.  

FOR WHICH ROADS IS SANRAL RESPONSIBLE?  

The agency is the custodian of most of the national roads – the N roads – with minor exceptions, such as a stretch of the N14 in Gauteng and the N2 between Cape Town International Airport and the city centre.  

There are also some provincial and municipal roads in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the North West that have been incorporated into the SANRAL network.  

WHY DOES SANRAL TOLL ITS ROADS?  

Of the entire network, only 2 952km are tolled. Roads are the arteries of our nation – they connect major cities, towns and villages in rural areas.  

Roads bring economic growth, tourism, social development and create economic opportunities for all citizens. But they need to be maintained. 

This is extremely expensive, as is upgrading them to keep up with growth and manage congestion.  

To fund this, SANRAL cannot rely solely on tax. In these instances, the user-pays principle is applied. This decision is never made lightly or rashly.  

WHERE IS SANRAL’s EASTERN REGION?  

It comprises KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State with a total road length of 2903km.  

WHAT IS THE CONDITION OF SANRAL’S ROADS IN THE REGION?  

The pavement is generally in a good to very good condition due to continuous maintenance. The breakdown is as follows: Fair – 20%, Good – 45%, Very Good – 35%.  

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE R30-MILLION SANRAL GRANT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE?  

To ensure South African students can measure up to international standards in maths, SANRAL sponsors a Chair in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education at the university.  

Through an endowment of R30-million, SANRAL wants to promote the development of human capital through high-quality education, training and research, and through partnerships with recognised international institutions in the field of pavement engineering and transportation planning.  

At an academic level, the SANRAL Chair supervises a cohort of doctoral and Master’s students, while also guiding research and publications in mathematics, science and technology education.  

In addition, this partnership strives to address underperformance in mathematics and science in South African schools.  

The SANRAL Chair helps to train teachers, supports student-teacher interns, and incentivises education results so that the participating schools become centres of excellence.  

I WOULD LIKE TO WORK FOR SANRAL. HOW DO I GO ABOUT IT?  

Please contact the human resources department on 012-844-8000, or via email at info@nra.co.za   

HOW CAN I CONTRACT FOR WORK WITH SANRAL?  

Construction work is all given out on tender. SANRAL’s procurement philosophy is aimed at broad-based BEE.  

This contributes to economic growth in our country and the southern African region as a whole.  

All SANRAL’s supply chain management must be done in line with its Transformation Policy.  

To read the entire Supply Chain Management Policy and Procedure Manual in PDF format and look out for contracts advertised on the SANRAL website: www.sanral.co.za    

HOW DO I BRING ROAD CONDITIONS TO SANRAL’s ATTENTION?  

The agency has special maintenance teams in place to respond to unplanned events, such as major crashes or floods, and can respond immediately.  

In addition, there is a 72-hour turnaround time, from reporting to repair of a pothole on national roads.  

Should you want to report a problem, simply visit www.nra.co.za for contact details of regional offices and concessionaires.