SANRAL is making significant strides in mainstreaming women-owned businesses into road construction, it emerged at a seminar the agency hosted in Durban this past weekend. "About 40% of all SMMEs (small, medium and micro enterprise) employed by SANRAL are female. This is part of our 'inclusion' mechanism to engage SMMEs on projects. Another 12% of SANRAL's conventional projects involving resealing, rehabilitation and upgrades worth R40million and more are contracted to SMMEs," said Marlize Nel-Verwey, SANRAL Project Manager.

She said 70% of Routine Road Maintenance projects go to SMMEs while 90% of SANRAL's community development projects are allocated to SMMEs. She added that SANRAL provided SMMEs with training, learnership and mentorship and then employs them to work on SANRAL projects. In her address, Dudu Nyamane, SANRAL Acting Chair said: "Infrastructure is a creation of wealth. SANRAL does not just build roads connecting one point to the other. In the road construction process lies massive opportunity to empower people. More needs to be done if we are to give women a voice to enable meaningful advancement. A co-ordinated effort across provinces and industries will be crucial to ensuring women empowerment is sustained." SANRAL brought to the event some of its female SMME contractors.

Nomkazimlo 'Nkazzy' Sibaca, an SMME owner who attended the event said: "I can hardly believe I am here today, meeting all these successful and ambitious women. I am most grateful to SANRAL for the training provided and for giving me an opportunity as an SMME. "I employ 12 people and thanks to SANRAL, my employees are able to feed their families. Being a business woman is tough and being an employer makes me responsible for the livelihoods of the people I employ. I urge women to never give up. The road to success is never easy but we must always persevere."

The event was addressed by Deputy Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and was attended by women from across the country, including women from SANWIT (South African Network for Women in Transport) and SAWIC (South African Women in Construction).