Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele says the Board of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) should be given space and support to continue delivering quality road networks in the country.
In a statement, Ndebele commended the Sanral board for working swiftly to provide leadership and clarity following the announcement of the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer, Nazir Alli earlier this week.
"The board must be given space and the necessary support as they work towards ensuring that Sanral continues to deliver quality road networks to the people of South Africa. They will within a reasonable period of time undertake a thorough process of finding a suitable candidate to steer Sanral forward," said the minister.
"We express our sincere gratitude to Alli for his contribution to the success of Sanral over the years," he said.
Ndebele said they have not been made aware of the reasons behind Alli's decision to leave the agency. "We respect his decision and wish him well with his future endeavors," he said.
The minister expressed his confidence that the board will give the necessary support and guidance to the acting Chief Executive Officer Koos Smit.
"We wish to congratulate Smit and wish him all of the best in this critical position. We assure taxpayers, relevant stakeholders, Sanral board and staff of our unqualified support for the agency during this period and beyond.
"Sanral is a very critical agency of our government and nation at large. It is responsible for 18 000 km's of the country's road network. Roads are our nation's lifeblood," he said.
The department on Friday rubbished media reports suggesting that Chris Hlabisa topped the list of people to take over as Sanral CEO.
"The report is devoid of any grain of truth, misleading and can only be aimed at causing confusion and advancing narrow self-interests at the expense of the department and SANRAL's currency. The insinuation that Hlabisa is "Ndebele's buddy" is a figment of someone's imagination aimed at casting aspersion over a professional working relationship," said the department.
Once the board finalises the process and agrees on a candidate, it will request Ndebele to table its recommendation before Cabinet, which has the authority to appoint or not to appoint.
