SANRAL assists local communities
The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) has helped youth in the Mossel Bay area to obtain a driver’s licence.
Hundreds of unemployed persons from the Mossel Bay area were eager to benefit from the SANRAL slope stabilisation projects on the N2 highway through Great Brak and Hartenbos Heuwels, SANRAL noted in a media release.
Local labour
In the interest of a fair chance and transparency, the shakeshake method was used to source local labour for both sites. Job seekers’ names are placed in a box and drawn with everyone present, to determine who will work on a project, SANRAL stated.
Project liaison officer for the Hartenbos Heuwels project, Jongilizwe Tyatya, said the areas identified closest to the project were Sonskynvallei and Powertown. Tyatya said the decision to use the shake-shake was acknowledged and accepted by all members of the project liaison committee.
“In addition to that, the contractor wanted an extended database from which further names could be drawn as more opportunities opened for local labour,” he said.
Loud hailers were used to inform the communities about the job opportunities.
Youth
“We prioritised opportunities for youth on these projects,” said David le Cordeur, a SANRAL project manager.
Over and above employment and training opportunities, more young people were given driving lessons and assistance with obtaining a driver’s licence.
“In our commitment to support the youth, we had to decide between helping many or targeting our support where we would see maximum impact,” said Deline Malgas, the project liaison officer on the Great Brak project. “That’s when we decided to assist young people who had already made the effort to obtain a learner’s licence on their own.” For the young people, having a driver’s licence is a dream come true. They completed their driving tests at the George Traffic Department in August. Malgas has continued working to unlock upliftment opportunities beyond employment on the project.
Needs
“We looked at the needs in our community and with the assistance of the project management team, we were able to render support to the local crèche,” said Malgas.
She said another good thing coming out of this community outreach was that one of the men who applied for work got a job at the crèche. Victor Jansen is disabled, but because SANRAL prioritises opportunities for marginalised groups, including women, youth and persons with disabilities, he had the opportunity to do work for three months, upgrading the crèche.
Tyatya said the project had changed the living conditions of some households in Sonskynvallei. Many households were solely dependent on social grants.