Public hearing of the GauTrain amendment Bill
The Portfolio Committee on Roads and Transport in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature will be hosting all interested stakeholders to a second and final public hearing on the proposed Gautrain Management Agency Amendment Bill. This is in view of the Committee’s constitutional obligation to facilitate meaningful engagement with all relevant stakeholders in processing any Bill where a Committee shares its preliminary views on the Bill with the public and takes into account submissions from stakeholders.
The Bill seeks to amend the Gautrain Management Agency Act, Act 5 of 2006 by amending the following aspects of the Act:
- Objects of the Gautrain Management Agency.
- Extending the scope of projects and function of Agency
- Providing for limitation of liability.
On 3 September 2007, the Gautrain Management Agency Act came into operation and its purpose was to provide for the establishment of the Gautrain Management Agency as a provincial entity to manage and oversee the concession agreements for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link Project.
The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link Project was the original project which provided the link from Hatfield in Tshwane to Park Station in Johannesburg and from Sandton to OR Tambo Station in Ekurhuleni. This was regarded as Phase One of the project and only limited to that phase.
The Gauteng Province now seeks to expand its rapid rail network to new areas and will therefore embark on new projects or an extension of Phase One project. The limited scope of the Gautrain Management Agency Act has provided the motivation for the proposed Amendment Act, in order to enable the envisaged expansion. Should the Bill be successfully amended and passed in the House, the powers of the Agency will be extended to cover possible extensions as well as new or similar projects, including broader public transport and rail related projects that fall within functional areas of the province’s powers under Part A of Schedule 4 to the Constitution.
The public hearing will be held on:
Date: 17 October 2017
Time: 16h00-18h00
Venue: Duncan Hall in the City Hall, Cnr Harrison and President Streets, Johannesburg
For more information on the Bill including the committee’s preliminary views on the Amendment Bill, log on to www.gpl.gov.za.
Members of the Media are invited to form part of the engagements. All Committee activities are open to the public, and people of Gauteng are encouraged to participate meaningfully in all GPL processes.
For more information or interview queries, please contact:
Ms Thabisile Nzuke
Cell: 082 619 4411
Mr Thebe Khumalo
Cell: 072 266 1021
