IN AN effort to help the communities of South Africa know SANRAL better, the agency is on a mission to ‘Take SANRAL to the people’. The area of Hlanganani, which the agency has ongoing projects, through various interactions had shown that there were some misunderstandings regarding who SANRAL is and what it does. The agency took the opportunity to address the perceptions held by the community at the activation held at Elim Mall.
Attendees at the event were educated on routine road maintenance (RRM), which is treatment applied to the road surface as it begins to show signs of deterioration. Filling a pothole is an example of RRM. This activity is different from routine operations that are carried on a yearly basis to ensure that a road is functioning properly. RRM projects are some of the ways that SANRAL provides opportunities to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) to be included in its activities and increase participation. Ways in which SMMEs could get information and apply for RRM tenders was communicated to the public. Scholarship and bursary opportunities were also presented at the event to encourage young people to not only apply for these but also understand what is required to get into the programmes.