Programme Director,
Chief Executive of Transnet Freight Rail,
HoDs present,
Senior Government officials: both provincial and local spheres,
Representatives of Transnet Freight Rail,
Private Sector,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is with immeasurable pleasure that I extend my warmest Limpopo welcome to all of you to this auspicious occasion. Thank you for honouring us with your presence to witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ourselves, as the Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport and Transnet Freight Rail.
Today’s event in fact forms part of the building blocks which reconfirm that we are indeed a government that is actualising its commitments to its people. We hope that the signing of this MoU will advance our ultimate goal of developing and changing the living conditions of our people for the better.
Transport is a basic necessity for sustainable social and economic development. Transport can also play a catalytic role in addressing poverty and development needs. We are clear in our strategic vision of playing our part in driving our province and country towards being a developed economy. No economy can thrive without developed rail, road, maritime and aviation infrastructure networks. No economy can develop unless its transport sector plays its part in facilitating the movement of people, goods and services throughout the economy.
Freight transport makes a vital contribution to the economy and society, and is the heart of globalisation. It is therefore important to recognise that the transport and economic dimensions in the SADC regions are linked; the one cannot be seen in isolation from the other, goods and services need to be transported much more frequently in order to sustain the economies.
Programme Director,
As the department we have begun a process to establish our own freight databank for we know the importance of employing information for development control and long-term planning. The databank will show growth (concentration of industry) and potential growth areas – which could be a barometer of economic activity levels in the province and therefore indicate the vibrant areas to invest in.
For the provincial government the freight databank will serve as a genuine platform upon which the private and public sectors can collaborate on matters of mutual interest .e.g. overload control measures – government can explain eloquently why this is necessary given, for example, the deteriorating network around the mining areas of Greater Tubatse, Lephalale and Musina. We cannot in the process forget the areas of high agricultural activities. It is important to me as someone who is serving the people that the private sector can engage about the difficulties encountered at border posts, the challenges they face dealing with Transnet Freight Rail, the roads that they feel should get priority attention and so on.
One of the thorny issues I have raised on numerous occasions is that clearly as the provincial government we are not totally aware of what cargo comes in and out of airports, moves on certain transport corridors and on the airstrips we do not run. By highlighting this, the databank will galvanise the government to find ways of acquiring such information.
In order to grow the economy and achieve productivity gains, greater access and robust spatial distribution of logistics platforms (network) are key to manufacturing and retailing sectors. The trickle-down effect is improved management of inventories and modern logistics planning and sustainable land use planning at municipal and provincial levels.
For us as Limpopo province, understanding the current freight travel patterns and transport mode choices by customers within our borders and those traversing through, is necessary as it has a direct bearing on not only supply chain transport movements (from source to supply points), but on the total cost of operations, wear and tear of the transportation system’s infrastructure and maintenance. This includes the cost of interactions with non-logistics related activities. Therefore, if the national economy has to grow, freight transportation movement has to significantly improve its performance (efficiencies) to positively impact on the social, economic and environmental landscapes of our key economic zones.
Programme Director,
We are hosting this event during a month in which our country and the international community celebrate the 93rd birthday of President Nelson Mandela. Transport for us is about: access and mobility, improving the quality of life, social development and economic growth. And therefore we can honour Nelson Mandela - uTATA Madiba - by focusing as a sector on the key strategic objectives identified in the National Planning Commission, being elimination of poverty and reducing inequality.
I have no doubt that with the immense challenges we tackled before that task will not be insurmountable as we begin with steps such as the one you will be witnessing. I will be putting my signature on the dotted lines to signal the provincial government’s full commitment on improving the movement of goods.
I thank you all.
