Civil Engineering December 2021 | Vol 29 No 11

Civil Engineering  December 2021 7 through the road to registration to profes- sional engineering status. We have also always supported established institutions of higher learning.” Macozoma said the scholarship programme has now been transformed to embrace children beyond math and sci- ence. “We have also reviewed our criteria. Initially you had to obtain 70% or more in math and science but we have reduced this to 60%, because we realise that there are brilliant kids out there who are limited by their environments.” At university level, SANRAL has realised that, in order to be a successful roads authority, it needs more than engineers. “We are seeking to support people who want to study subjects such as law, environmental engineering, finance, economics and ICT. This enables us to have a much bigger pool of resources to choose from,” said Macozoma. “We have also changed focus at the academy. Previously it was only about the road to registration for engineers. Now, it is about the road to registration for all skills that we need. “On the support to tertiary institu- tions, we have decided that we must support all institutions, not only the previously established ones. We must support TVET colleges, because we need artisan skills as well. “We also have on the job training. We have internal support for employees who want to build their skills. We have internal bursaries, secondments, and transfers to positions where people can train. We also run internships for people who might not be employed with us but who graduated and need exposure. We make space for them to be trained by our suppliers to acquire certain skills. “We also train SMMEs on projects, through incubator programmes, for them to be able to move up the ladder in terms of cidb (Construction Industry Development Board) grading as they execute our projects,” said Macozoma. On enterprise development, SANRAL has set up supplier development desks in all its offices. “We have set these up with pro- gressive industry players that are committed to supporting SMMEs and black business in general with equipment, finance, technical training and mentorship. It is a promising intervention that I hope grows over time to achieve the desired impact,” he added. One of the priority projects under Macozoma’s tenure has been his insis- tence on communities benefiting from SANRAL projects. “We created a commu- nity development strategy, which scopes our areas of intervention and guides how we engage with communities.” SANRAL has made great strides under his leadership, from a transformation perspective. In particular, the agency has appointed a number of women in leader- ship positions across portfolios, and it augurs very well for the organisation. Macozoma felt that, while SANRAL has played its part in transforming the construction industry, “it would be very naive of me to say that we have made significant changes in the industry. We are but one player. We don’t even have the biggest budget. But those players who have decided to play in our space, are now playing according to our rules. However, there are still a few rotten potatoes who are trying to circumvent the rules, through fronting or colluding. “The industry is too big. There are other people who are not pushing at the rate and force that we have, and people are finding ways to survive with actions that are not in line with what government wants to see.” QUANTIFYING PROCUREMENT IMPACT Macozoma said that he had instructed SANRAL’s finance department (because they house supply chain) to create a Procurement Impact Analysis Unit. “That unit has now started generating reports for procurement impact. We analyse our impact on an annual basis. It helps us to identify areas where we have slow progress, and what the reasons may be, so that we can, in an informed manner, begin to unblock some of those bottlenecks. “The Procurement Impact Analysis report will assist us to be more focused and sharpen our focus to intervene in the areas that will give us the biggest gains. I’m quite excited about that.” The scene has been set and Macozoma has put SANRAL on a trajectory to make great strides in addressing inequality. Salute! For more information www.nra.co.za +27 (0)12 844 8000 The N1 Polokwane Ring Road in Limpopo