Developing and expanding small, medium and business enterprises lies at the heart of how the government sees job creation in the country. SANRAL has, over many years, been deeply involved in doing exactly that.

Essentially the roads agency uses as much local labour as possible, assists small businesses, is involved in skills training and always leaves a solid footprint behind it when a specific project is completed. Developing Africa Consulting CC, owned by Nico Kruger, is an SMME that has benefited from SANRAL’s work packages.

Nico currently recruits 50 employees to assist with road construction projects. Among its primary tasks is the development of efficient drainage systems.

Nico has only positive remarks about his relationship with the agency:

“SANRAL has developed us as a company by equipping our team with essential skills and training, resulting in us being considered for additional pipeline projects.

SANRAL has been good to us. My staff was provided with transport to the work site, given valuable lessons on safety as well as information on quantity surveying relating to construction costs and contracts. This has improved our understanding of the various facets of the construction industry.”

Nico says his company’s participation in the projects have given his company and staff a steady income.

“I thank SANRAL for the positive growth of my company. Working on SANRAL projects has given my business strategy and greater clarity.”

Since the company started to work on SANRAL projects it has experienced considerable growth and a constant workflow. He was able to create new jobs by hiring new permanent staff. He now has a dedicated safety officer on board and five team leaders who can successfully execute contracts on their own.

Lindelwa Madyibi says the roads agency has enabled her to grow her emerging civil engineering firm and pursue her goal of turning it into one of the largest black female- owned companies in the field.
Lindelwa is the owner of Yavela Yona Trading Enterprise, a civil engineering firm based in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape which has been involved in the construction of houses, schools and roads since 2005.

With a staff complement of 10 people, her company was subcontracted by SANRAL to help develop the N2 national route between rural Viedgesville and Sithebe. The company’s scope of work involved stone pitching – a technique to interlock large stones to create small irregular steps that blend into the landscape.

Other activities included the construction of walkways and gabions, which are typically wire-mesh baskets compactly filled with rocks and carefully wired together to stabilize steep slopes and prevent erosion.

“Thanks to SANRAL, we are now able to perform a variety of tasks. The four months of training that the agency offered us provided tremendous support, not to mention an essential learning curve for the team.

We were taught how to calculate construction material quantities, develop work plans and how to read and interpret construction drawings. My company has benefited from the training which we continue to apply in our day-to- day work.”

She is grateful for her company’s exposure in the construction industry and the mentorship provided.
Lindelwa says she will not lose sight of her goal to build one of the largest and most prominent black female-owned civil engineering companies in the country.

As this was her first project with SANRAL, she hopes to grow with the agency and continue to build her company’s credibility on future projects. She now has the capacity to offer other SMMEs the opportunity to join her company as a stepping stone to gain valuable knowledge and exposure in the challenging construction industry.

With the confidence placed in her company by SANRAL she is now ready to deliver on large-scale projects as a primary contractor.