Address by the Minister of Transport Ms Dipuo Peters at the Mthatha Airport site visit and public engagement programme at the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality
MEC for Transport Safety and Liaison, Ms Weziwe Tikana
Executive Mayor of OR Tambo District Municipality
Executive Mayor of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality
Mayor of Emalahleni Local Municipality Cllr Nyukwana
Speakers of Councils and Councillors present
Traditional leaders,
SACAA Board Members present
ACSA Board Members present
Acting Director General, Chris Hlabisa
Deputy Director Generals present
ACSA CEO
Official from national and provincial Departments
Business
Mphakathi wase Mthatha,
Media
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Molweni !!!!
It is my pleasure to be here today just a day after the June 16 celebrations, where President Jacob Zuma led the commemoration of the 40th Anniversary yesterday at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
As the Department of Transport, we pay tribute to the youth of South Africa as the country commemorated this historical day. Armed with zeal to see an end to unjust and discriminatory policies, including the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools, they confronted a system that for long had sought to oppress people on the basis of colour.
Focusing on the youth, the Department of Transport convened Provincial Road Safety Youth Summits in all nine provinces, which will lead to the hosting of the National Road Safety Youth Summit scheduled to take place on the 24 June 2016 in Gauteng.
Young people are a high risk population group on the roads, because they are inexperienced, overestimate their abilities, their behavioural patterns are strongly associated with social pressures that promote risk on the road. Not wearing seat belts, over-speeding, drinking and driving are but some of the ills common amongst the youth. It is for this reason that the Department of Transport is engaging and involving young people throughout the country on road safety in these summits.
The youth of today need to emulate the youth of 1976 in their desire for quality, desire for appropriate and equal education in a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous country.
As the ANC-led government we say, youth empowerment shall remain a central feature of our developmental focus. Initiatives that relate to putting in place sustainable platforms for economic growth cannot succeed without the massive participation of South Africa`s youth.
This participation is not only critical towards the empowerment of young people, but also serves as a bridge between the first and second economies. We need to respond to the fact that our youth, experience more acutely than other sections of the population, the entry barriers to mainstream economic activities, including a lack of access to capital, skills, and experience.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The National Development Plan (NDP) places a high premium on the quality of our transport infrastructure. It cautions against the possibility that poor transport links and infrastructure networks can raise the cost of doing business and damage both investment and trade. However, it also understands the strategic significance of such transport systems to promote equitable growth across all nine provinces, improve accessibility to social, educational and employment opportunities and raise the entire community from poverty.
Today, I am here at Mthatha as part of the government National Imbizo Focus programme under the theme “Together we move South Africa forward”.
On the 09th April 2015, I visited the Mthatha Airport to address concerns relating to the serious safety issues raised by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and to monitor progress in relation to the development of the airport.
I promised that I shall return to give feedback regarding progress in addressing these concerns and deficiencies in the development of the airport. Indeed, as a caring government of the people, we are back today.
In order to ensure that all deficiencies were identified and addressed, a working group was established and the ‘”Action Plan Mthatha Airport” was created on the 10th April 2015. Progress with the implementation of this plan is being monitored in close cooperation with SACAA and with regular engagements with the Eastern Cape Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison.
ACSA was awarded the contract to manage the airport and we are at the tail-end to resolve the human resource issues relating to the contract as well as resolving the identified concerns regarding the licence compliance as well as the security issues.
In the initial phase of upgrades to improve infrastructure to the Mthatha airport, an expanded fourteen thirty two (14/32) runway was completed in May 2013, allowing larger aircraft to service the airport. On the 30th May 2013, an aircraft operated by the SA Airlink was the first to land on the expanded runway. The new runway costed R 490 million to complete.
Upgrades to the Mthatha airport includes a new terminal building, a new lit helipad, new runway approach lights, a new road, and upgrades to the hangars.
On the 28 January 2014, Mthatha Airport contracted the upgrading of the airport's facilities, including a new passenger terminal, a rental car facility with accommodations for parking and washing vehicles, a refuelling station, a security fence and roadways.
The first phase of the airport upgrades project was completed in 2015. The next two phases of the airport upgrades includes the addition of commercial and retail facilities, and new cargo facilities.
Having said that, I would like to congratulate the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison in the Eastern Cape, working together with all our aviation agencies to ensure that we have the improved and state-of-the-art airport.
Ndizanathi Sikhulisa uqoqosho kwii Airport Zethu!!! Uhulumeni ka ANC uyaqhuba!!!!
Program Director,
In December 1944, when Franklin Roosevelt and his peers signed the Chicago Convention, which contains the basic rules for civil aviation, they emphasised that the future development of civil aviation can greatly help and preserve friendship and understanding among the nations and peoples of the world. Over seventy-two years later, this vision has become an evident reality, to such an extent that air transport is now accepted as a fundamental pillar of our global society, as indispensable to our daily lives as medicine and telecommunications, and essential for social progress and economic prosperity.
The growing availability of affordable air travel has considerably widened aviation’s role in our sustainable society. Air travel is no longer a luxury commodity. The air transport industry has not only underpinned wealth creation in the developed world, but has also brought enormous benefits to developing economies by unlocking their potential for trade and tourism. It plays a vital role in facilitating economic growth, particularly in developing countries.
The Mthatha Airport will provide significant social benefits as well. It will improve the quality of life by broadening people’s leisure and cultural experiences thus contributing in poverty alleviation. The Airport will benefit tourism attractions such as the Wild Coast, the Tsitsikamma and many other places of interest and it will also be an affordable means of travel for the people of Mthata. The airport will also grow the AgriParks industry as well.
The Airport will further promote social inclusion and contribute to sustainable development and grow the economy of Mthatha as a town. Supported by an integrated transport system the airport will be able to attract more businesses and individuals to use the airport and will also grow the Industrial Development Zone of the town.
By facilitating tourism and trade, Mthatha Airport will generate economic growth, provide job opportunities, and increase revenue from taxes. As we all know that Mthatha is the Heritage Trail home of Legends such as Utata Nelson Mandela, the airport will also foster the conservation of protected historical areas. Its beautification should resemble the culture, traditions and history of the people of this area including our heroes and heroines.
The Agricultural sector in Mthatha and the Eastern Cape in general will benefit from the development of this airport, as the gross export and import industry will boom once the leverage brought by the airport is fully realised. As statistics points out that in modern and developed economies, almost 25% of all companies’ sales are dependent on air transport. 70% of businesses report that serving a bigger market is a key benefit derived from air services.
The Mthatha airport will also host an aviation training centre for the youth. The centre will equip the youth with skills that will enable them to partake in aviation related fields such as airport operations, aircraft maintenance, air traffic control and regulation, and activities directly serving air passengers, such as check-in, baggage-handling, on-site retail and catering facilities.
Communities around the Mthatha airport should be able to benefit from opportunities presented by this airport and must ensure that they protect and take care of this facility. I urge you to Guard it jealously!!
Ladies and Gentlemen
As I conclude, let me remind you that on the 3rd of August 2016, we will host the fourth democratic local government elections, and I hope that you have all registered to vote so that your lives can improve further. I know without a shadow of doubt who I am voting for and have no fear that you too know who you will vote for. Minthiro ya Bolabola, Actions speaks!!
As the Government of South Africa, we condemn all acts of violence and intimidation that have occurred in the run-up to the election in some areas. We must all ensure a peaceful and orderly campaigning, as well as free political activity throughout the country. The South African Police Service is hard at work in ensuring the stability and security of all.
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) is operational and the sub-committee on elections is co-ordinating safety and security planning for the elections.
The Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster has planned a series of outreach activities to various municipalities across the country to make sure that there is safety during elections.
We urge communities to work with the police so that we can all live in peace and harmony in our beautiful country.
The elections Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC) is also co-ordinating the assignment of addresses to households without formal addresses. Statistics South Africa and the South African Post Office are busy with that task. Ideally everyone in the country must have an address. It gives people dignity and it also makes the delivery of services easier. It also makes all in the country feel secured knowing that everyone inside the country is known and accounted for.
As I indicated earlier, we are here as part of the Imbizo programme which is a two-way, unmediated and interactive information sharing platform, a dialogue between government and people. We will therefore now give you an opportunity to engage with us as government on this airport development and other transport related matters.
ENkosi
I thank you
