Ali to quit Sanral at 65…or when a new CEO is appointed

Azir Ali’s tenure as head of the South African National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) will end as he retires at the age of 65 in August.

Sanral has announced that it is looking for a successor to the man who oversaw the introduction of e-tolls on Gauteng freeways‚ causing a massive political storm and dividing the African National Congress with its Gauteng province against the policy.

But Ali may stay on for a while longer because “his last day in the office will be determined by the minister of transport‚ in consultation with Sanral’s board‚ subsequent to the appointment of the new CEO and a handover period”‚ according to Sanral chair Roshan Morar.

Ali has led Sanral since it came into existence in 1998.

The statement said: “He has been at the forefront of modernising South Africa’s national road network.

“Nazir Alli has run the agency in a prudent and ethical manner with unqualified audit reports for longer than a decade. His commitment to the country’s socio-economic transformational agenda ensured that educational institutions grew the next generation of engineers through an extensive programme of scholarships‚ bursaries and internships‚ in order to reflect the demographic reality of the country.”

But most residents of Gauteng disagree. Ali has been accused of imposing e-tolls to benefit un-named local investors and a global company which is set to profit to the tune of billions of rands.

Sanral has said what it is looking for in a new CEO: “The ideal candidate should be a visionary leader who is also a qualified civil engineer. This person must have extensive experience at senior management level accompanied by a solid track record of leading a similar or similar-sized organisation. He or she must be a person of influence‚ who will be charged with developing a tactical plan to advance the company’s mission‚ vision and objectives.”