Civil Engineering May 2022 | Vol 30 No 4

46 May 2022 Civil Engineering 26 years, up to 1998, the implementation function was carried out in-house by a roads unit in the National Department of Transport (NDoT). For the next 24 years, up to present day, and in line with developing approaches to roads provision in many countries, this ‘implementing function’ of South Africa’s primary road network was allocated to a commercialised roads agency (SANRAL) answerable to a board of directors and the sole shareholder, the South African government, represented by the Minister of Transport. This year marks the 50 th anniversary of the central govern- ment’s direct management and development of South Africa’s national road network. However, the poor performance of some provinces in managing their road networks has led to SANRAL having to take over some roads which are not easily classed as being of national importance. Where will this necessity lead to in the management of the national road network? THE EARLY YEARS At the end of the 19 th century a marked turn of events took place worldwide in the field of road transportation. Motor driven vehicles began to be seen on urban and rural roads, replacing ox wagons and horse-drawn carriages. This was also the case in South Africa, but for the first twenty years of the 20 th century rail transport still held sway. By 1925 there could be no doubt that South Africa lagged behind other countries with regards to the development of good roads. However, after the end of World War I the ready availability of comparatively cheap and reliable mass-produced motor vehicles and a fair amount of surplus money started the motorised phase of early development from about 1920 onwards. Unfortunately, legislators had no appreciation of the revolu- tion facing them and concentrated government transport expenditure on rail expansion and improvement despite the rapid growth in motor vehicles. Roads were in a state of neglect and as late as 1920 the road authorities had hardly any staff, money, or technical knowledge. The first gleam of hope was the realisation that large sums of money could be raised by motor vehicle taxation, and by 1925 all four provinces had their licencing systems in good order and instituted the development of sound roads departments. Initially, roads in towns were the responsibility of municipalities, and rural roads connecting towns were a provincial responsibility. Following much public agitation for better roads, government created a National Road Board in 1935, classifying roads outside of municipal boundaries into provincial main roads, provincial branch roads, and national roads. Thus was born the concept of national roads as opposed to the previous regime when all inter- city roads were provincial roads. While South Africa’s primary national road facilities fell under the control of the National Roads Board, the provision of these roads was allocated to the provincial road authorities, monitored by ‘technical officers’ in the employ of the Board. The Board accepted a network of 14 primary inter-city routes covering the whole country. A criticism of the system for provision of national roads at the time was that the provision of the roads would remain with the provinces, monitored by the Board’s professional staff of Inspecting Engineers. The politics of the time precluded the tampering of the authority of the provincial administrations. This political ‘hot potato’ has remained a recurring theme in South The Johannesburg Ring Road