Ladies and gentlemen of the media, good morning.
Let me at the outset thank the media for their sustained interest in this important project in our country. Also thank you, to those of you, who have covered this project fairly, positively and objectively.
With tolling on the Gauteng e-roads set to commence on the 3rd December, it is important to note that the system has been up and running for over 18 months. During this period, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) has had the time to test the system in a live environment, albeit without any transactions or billing taking place. But billing is just one component of the system.
SANRAL is ready and we expect a smooth beginning to the actual collection of tolls on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, come the 3rd of December.
The Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) is a world-class system and I would like to bring a few of its elements to your attention. The Gauteng Freeway Management System operates out of this building (the Central Operations Centre) and is made possible by, among other others, high definition cameras monitoring the e-tolled roads and linked to this Centre.
This sophisticated system began implementing the SANRAL On-Road services in a phased manner in May 2012. On-Road services comprise of emergency medical responses in the event of an incident, towing services and constant monitoring of traffic flow on the Gauteng freeway network. The objective is to improve the safety of motorists – particularly in the event of an incident – and reduce the impact of incidents on the flow of traffic.
Services are decentralised at strategic positions across the network to allow for rapid response to incidents. Services are operated 24 hours per day, seven days a week. In the past year the units responsible for implementing these services have responded to over 4 000 incidents. These incidents include crashes, stranded vehicles, breakdowns and medical assistance.
The On-Road service fleet comprises of ten light motor vehicle towing other vehicles, eight heavy vehicle towing vehicles, ten incident response vehicles for scene safety and control, and an additional six medical response vehicles equipped with intermediate life support equipment and six “medics on bikes”. All vehicles are staffed by personnel who are experienced in medical and incident management services.
The first 60 minutes after an incident is called the “golden hour” – it is the most critical time in which lives can be saved after a serious incident. SANRAL’s On-Road services provide quick response for the first line of medical assistance during this time. This is one of the benefits of this project: a quick response to incidents.
The cameras that are mounted on the gantries enable us to capture every vehicle that is using the e-tolled network and those images are relayed back to this centre to talk to the data we have of every vehicle. In an automated and electronic manner, the transaction associated with every vehicle takes place.
This is where the concept of e-tolling comes from. Everything happens electronically. Motorists do not have to stop in the middle of a busy highway in order to manually pay their tolls. They drive at normal highway speed and as they pass a toll gantry, they are charged electronically and can pay their tolls electronically too. This is what e-tolling means: the electronic collection and payment of toll fees. It is simply an electronic method that enables a toll transaction to take place.
The software that is the backbone of the system was developed locally, at least 90 percent of it. The international partners provided the hardware of the system. We should applaud ourselves as South Africans that we do have the intellectual prowess to come up with innovations of this nature.
I thought I should say that to dispel the myth that the system is 100 percent developed and all the revenue that may accrue from it will be going offshore. There are local firms that are participants and service providers of various aspects of the system.
The system has already won an international award for technology, thus underlining the excellence of the work SANRAL and South Africans in general are capable of.
At this centre, there are about 1 300 employees – all South African – who have been employed as a result of this project. The majority are young people who have been given an opportunity to earn a living and support their families.
Critically, they have been given an opportunity to develop skills in the ICT sector – a very strategic sector in our economy. The direct and indirect jobs that have come through this project are, regrettably, often overlooked.
For all the benefits and the spinoffs emanating from this project, money has had to be spent and will still need to be spent. I implore our motorists and citizens to join hands with us in building road infrastructure and creating jobs. Their e-toll fees will be going towards a good causes and strategic priorities, namely infrastructure development and job creation.
I encourage motorists who will be using the e-tolled roads to obtain their e-tags so that they can qualify for the 48 percent discount and the other related discounts. We have had our differences and debates on this matter. It is about time we move on.
We thank those motorists and businesses that have already purchased and/or fitted their vehicles with e-tags. We are particularly thankful to the banks, car rental companies and other fleet managers for cooperating with us.
Let me single out the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the progressive and nation-building stance it has taken on this matter by encouraging its members and business in general to get their vehicles tagged. Together, we can build a better country and with road infrastructure we can all be proud, and one that will outlive us.
I thank you!
