The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) 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 governed by a board of eight members. The Minister of Transport is the sole shareholder of SANRAL representing 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 21 946km. This network is gradually expanding, as a growing number of provinces request the agency to take over the management of their primary roads. SANRAL’s role is to be an implementing agency for road planning, construction and maintenance, on behalf of the Department of Transport.
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 our network.
Of our entire network, only 3 120km 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.
Roads deteriorate over time, due to environmental and other influences, such as traffic flow, weather, ultraviolet radiation, truck
overloading, etc. And maintenance is not a once-off occurrence – it is continuous. This isn’t just applicable to the road itself, but also to the verges, road markings, grass on the verges and the clearing of debris from incidents, among others.
The maintenance of roads is extremely expensive, as is upgrading them to keep up with growth and manage congestion. To fund this, we cannot rely solely on tax. In these instances, the user-pay principle is applied. This decision is never made lightly or rashly.
It comprises Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Gauteng and includes 9 298km of road.
In SANRAL’s Northern Region, 44.4% of our roads are in a good-to-excellent condition and 13.2% are in a poor condition. We are systematically working through our preventative maintenance strategy, within our financial means, to ensure that we reach international limits.
There is a shortage of technical skills in South Africa. This is not only a challenge to us at SANRAL, but a general problem in both developed and developing societies. It is exaggerated in South Africa due to our history of inferior education for the majority of our citizens, the fast-growing economy, extra demands within the industry and competition from overseas employers.
SANRAL offers internal and external bursaries to assist aspiring engineers and technical staff to enter the field of road construction. We also
encourage skills development in related fields – community and economic development, project management, marketing and communication and general administration.
Should you wish to explore opportunities within SANRAL, please contact our human resources department at 012 844 8000, or send an email to info@nra.co.za.
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.
For example, we train, mentor and educate; we make a dent in unemployment wherever we work and we stimulate and encourage growth in the small and informal sectors of our economy. In so doing, SANRAL enhances the provision of basic services, builds capacity and acts as a catalyst for development in other growth areas, helps alleviate poverty and elevates the status of women.
All SANRAL’s supply chain management must be done in line with the policy and procedures outlined in the above guidelines. To read the entire Supply Chain Management Policy and Procedure Manual in PDF format and look out for contracts advertised on the SANRAL website, visit www.sanral.co.za.
The agency has special maintenance teams in place to respond to unplanned events, such as major accidents or floods, and is able to respond immediately.
In addition, we have a 48-hour turnaround time, from reporting to repair of a pothole on our national roads. Should you want to report a problem, simply visit www.nra.co.za for contact details of our regional offices and concessionaires.