SANRAL paves the way to a brighter future for students

In a boost to engineering in South Africa, SANRAL’s Northern Region welcomed 23 deserving students from Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West into their scholarship and bursaries programme at a luncheon in Pretoria.

The scholarship programme is open to high school learners and deserving students studying towards a university degree in BEng/BSc Engineering. Tuition, accommodation and a living allowance will be covered by the scholarship. To make sure that the successful applicants get the full experience from the programme, a buddy system has been developed. This means students are able to build a relationship with one other and project managers assigned to them, in order to share any information required for academic projects and assignments.

An induction session was held to inform the students of SANRAL activities. On completion of their degree, students are given the opportunity to undergo an internship at SANRAL. The internship programme assists with developing skills of students who show an interest in the civil engineering industry.

SANRAL provides support to these students as it enhances the broader engineering industry in South Africa as well.

Meet our new Regional Manager

Progress Hlahla is the new regional manager for SANRAL’s Northern Region, which covers Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Gauteng.

Hitting the ground running since his appointment, he has already gone around to meet various communities within which the roads agency has projects. With his growing understanding of the region and its needs, he is ready to steer the agency to new heights. Hlahla has underlined effective communication with stakeholders, close consultation with industry and accelerated transformation as some of the major issues he will prioritise to improve the region’s performance to meet its needs.

He acknowledges this won’t be a simple task but can be achieved through teamwork, coupled with the vast experience and knowledge accumulated by his colleagues in the organisation.

“I am very fortunate to be able to count on the great team I have in the Northern region. The

essence will be to create an environment where we can all participate meaningfully to achieve shared objectives.”

Hlahla moves into his new leadership role two years after joining SANRAL’s Southern Region in Port Elizabeth where he served as project manager on three important initiatives, including the N2 construction between Bulembu airport and the Breidbach intersection.

He previously served as the deputy chief engineer for the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport as well as project leader for the introduction of the rapid bus system in Polokwane.

Hlahla takes over at a time when the agency is advocating transformation in the industry through its Horizon 2030 strategy and transformation policy. “I am excited to be working with a team that contributes meaningfully in the delivery of world-class road infrastructure and it is my hope that we will improve the lives of those who live and work in our region”, he said.

RRM along the R81

Potholes along the R81 near Ga-Sekgopo village, which were a safety concern, have been fixed – much to the relief of road users.

The repairs, which commenced in a Routine Road Maintenance (RRM) contract implemented in 2015, experienced delays due to ongoing community engagements and implementation of SANRAL’s transformation policies that needed to be included in the procurement contract documents which extended the project from 2019 to 2020.

Road safety is an integral part of SANRAL’s mandate to build roads. Issues such as potholes and crumbling roads that pose a threat to road users are a priority. Pavement repairs form part of the RRM scope and must be identified and rectified within 48 hours.

In such an event, the relevant sub-contractor
is issued with a job instruction to remedy the
situation after measurement and quantification of
the work required is done by the route manager
(RM) or an assistant.

BUILDING SOUTH AFRICA THROUGH BETTER ROADS
 
HELLO LIMPOPO 2018