South African National Roads Agency
Encyclopedia
The South African National Roads Agency Limited
or SANRAL is a South Africa
n parastatal responsible for the management, maintenance and development of South Africa's national road network.
successor to the South African Roads Board, which was part of the Department of Transport. It was registered as a public limited company
on 19 May 1998.
In 2011, SANRAL became the target of popular resentment http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71656?oid=266915&sn=Detail&pid=71616 as tolling was about to commence on many of SANRAL's freeways in Gauteng, in order to finance their soon to be completed expansions, as part of the first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Projecthttp://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/mec-slams-e-toll-registration-1.1176905. The GFIP was instituted to deal with the severe traffic congestion in Gauteng
's freeways http://www.nra.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=272.
. Five voting membersthe chairperson and four othersare appointed by the Minister of Transport for a term of three years. Two government officials are non-voting members, one from the Department of Transport and nominated by the Minister of Transport, and the other from the National Treasury and nominated by the Minister of Finance. The Chief Executive Officer
, who is appointed by the Minister of Transport on the recommendation of the Board, is ex officio a non-voting member of the Board.
, North West
, Limpopo
and Mpumalanga
); Western Region (Western Cape
and Northern Cape
); Eastern Region (Free State
and KwaZulu-Natal
); and Southern Region (Eastern Cape
). The agency manages a total of 16 170 kilometres of roads.
SANRAL's operations are divided into two broad categories: toll roads, which are self-funding; and non-toll roads, which are funded by transfers from the Department of Transport. Some toll roads are concessions, privately funded and managed with supervision from SANRAL; these include the Platinum Highway
(N1/N4), the Maputo Corridor
(N4) and the N3 Toll Concession. Other toll roads are owned and operated directly by SANRAL; these include the Huguenot Tunnel
, the Tsitsikamma Toll Road, the N2 tolls on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and the N1 tolls in the Free State and Limpopo.
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
or SANRAL is a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n parastatal responsible for the management, maintenance and development of South Africa's national road network.
History
SANRAL was created by The South African National Roads Agency Limited and National Roads Act, 1998 as a corporatizedCorporatization
Corporatization refers to the transformation of state assets or agencies into state-owned corporations in order to introduce corporate management techniques to their administration...
successor to the South African Roads Board, which was part of the Department of Transport. It was registered as a public limited company
Public limited company
A public limited company is a limited liability company that sells shares to the public in United Kingdom company law, in the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth jurisdictions....
on 19 May 1998.
In 2011, SANRAL became the target of popular resentment http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71656?oid=266915&sn=Detail&pid=71616 as tolling was about to commence on many of SANRAL's freeways in Gauteng, in order to finance their soon to be completed expansions, as part of the first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Projecthttp://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/mec-slams-e-toll-registration-1.1176905. The GFIP was instituted to deal with the severe traffic congestion in Gauteng
Gauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
's freeways http://www.nra.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=272.
Governance
SANRAL's only shareholder is the state, represented by the Minister of Transport. The agency is governed by an eight-member Board of DirectorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. Five voting membersthe chairperson and four othersare appointed by the Minister of Transport for a term of three years. Two government officials are non-voting members, one from the Department of Transport and nominated by the Minister of Transport, and the other from the National Treasury and nominated by the Minister of Finance. The Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
, who is appointed by the Minister of Transport on the recommendation of the Board, is ex officio a non-voting member of the Board.
Operations
SANRAL has 178 employees. They are divided between the head office and four regional offices: Northern Region (GautengGauteng
Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. It was formed from part of the old Transvaal Province after South Africa's first all-race elections on 27 April 1994...
, North West
North West (South African province)
North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mafikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng.-History:...
, Limpopo
Limpopo
Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...
and Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
); Western Region (Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
and Northern Cape
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of an international park shared with Botswana...
); Eastern Region (Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
and KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....
); and Southern Region (Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
). The agency manages a total of 16 170 kilometres of roads.
SANRAL's operations are divided into two broad categories: toll roads, which are self-funding; and non-toll roads, which are funded by transfers from the Department of Transport. Some toll roads are concessions, privately funded and managed with supervision from SANRAL; these include the Platinum Highway
Platinum Highway
The N4 Platinum Highway is a major South African highway built under concessions with a private contractor. In 2001, the project was voted Infrastructure Deal of the Year by Project Finance International Magazine. It took eight years to complete. The highway links four African countries and two...
(N1/N4), the Maputo Corridor
Maputo Corridor
The Maputo Corridor is a major trade corridor which connects the Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa with Maputo, which is a port and the capital of Mozambique....
(N4) and the N3 Toll Concession. Other toll roads are owned and operated directly by SANRAL; these include the Huguenot Tunnel
Huguenot Tunnel
The Huguenot Tunnel is a toll tunnel near Cape Town, South Africa. It extends the N1 national road through the Du Toitskloof mountains that separate Paarl from Worcester, providing a route that is safer, faster and shorter than the old Du Toitskloof Pass travelling over the mountain.Geological...
, the Tsitsikamma Toll Road, the N2 tolls on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and the N1 tolls in the Free State and Limpopo.