Transport Minister and Freight and Logistics Business Leaders Partner to Promote Road Safety, Truck Driver Wellness and Empowerment
The Minister of Transport, Ms Dipuo Peters will offcially pre-launch the October Transport Month 2015 campaign at the Highway Junction Truck Stop in Harrismith on Thursday, the1st of October to promote road safety, driver wellness, wellfare and driver empowerment among truck drivers in the country.
The initiative is a partnership between the Department, the Highway Group and leaders in the freight and logistics business in their demonstration of commitment to bring road safety awareness and truck driver wellness sharply under the spotlight thus reducing the carnage on South Africa’s roads and also contributing to the social and economic development of the country.
The Truck Stop is the biggest such facility of its kind in the continent and the fifth largest in the world. The intersection of the N3 and N5 outside Harrismith where the junction is situated is by far the busiest road transport corridor into the entire African continent. Well over one thousand (1000) truck drivers pass through this intersection almost on a daily basis.
Driver fatigue and poor health are some of the main causes of road crashes resulting in injuries and fatalities, thus the focus of the initiative is to increase driver and truck operator awareness of the significance of driver wellness and truck roadworthiness.
Through this intial interaction, Minister Peters will engage and interact with more than one thousand (1000) truck drivers, business leaders and stakeholders in the freight and logistics industry. During the evenet, truck drivers will undergo testing for a variety of wellness tests including high blood pressure, diabetes, eye testing etc to encourage and sustain good driver health, wellness and fitness. Countless trucks will also be put through on the spot testing for vehicle roadworthiness.
The Minister will be joined by Free State MEC for Police, Roads and Transport Mr Butana Khomphela, the Local Municipality Mayor of Maluti-A-Phofung, Councellor Vus’muzi Tshabalala, CEO of Highway Junction Mr Ben Deysel as well as various business leaders in the Free State and senior government officials.
By invitation of the Local Municipality Mayor, Minister Peters will also officiate a ribbon cutting ceremony of the Free State province’s first gas retail container in Riverside in Qwaqwa. More than a hundred such containers will be rolled out in the province in partnership with Oryx Oil and O’kleva.
The containers are operated by women and young entrepreneurs in the Municipality of Maluti-A-Phofung and form part of the Harrrismth Logistics Hub.
Minister Peters will also engage and interact with business leaders in this industry during a Business Luncheon in Harrismith to look at the challenges facing the industry and how, in partnership with government and other key role players and stakeholders, these can be addressed.
The details of the Minister’s itinerary for the day are as follows:
Cutting of the Ribbon for Gas Retail Containers:
Date: 01 October 2015
Time: 09h00-11h00
Venue: Riverside, Qwaqwa
Business Luncheon: Minister and business leaders in the freight and logistics industry
Date: 01 October 2015
Time: 12h00-15h00
Venue: Sir Harry’s Lodge (Harrismith), 1 King Street
Interactive Dinner: Minister, truck drivers and business leaders
Date: 01 October 2015
Time: 18h00-21h00
Venue: Highway Junction Restaurant (1 Industrial Road, Hardustria, Harrismith)
All media houses are invited to attend. Journalists attending the event are requested to confirm their attendance with Motlatsi Lebea on: 073 323 9333 or LebeaM@dot.gov.za or Sakie Mohono on: 082 385 5600 or mohono@freetrans.gov.za
Enquiries:
Sam Monareng
Cell: 073 491 3382
