J Radebe: Handing over of Torch of Peace

17 January 2007

Programme Director
Minister of Education - Mrs Pandor
Deputy Minister - Ms Hangana
MMC Advocate KC Kekana
Distinguished Guests
Members of the Media
Teachers and Learners
Ladies and Gentlemen

We are here to witness the handover of the Torch of Peace from the Arrive
Alive Campaign to the Safer Schools Campaign. In December in Upington we
received the Torch of Peace from the campaign against the abuse of women and
children. These campaigns are intended to instil a strong sense of humanity,
preserve lives and avoid violence, crime and accidents wherever possible.

With regard to road safety, our Arrive Alive campaign continues to work for
positive change of road user behaviour in order to reduce the number of lives
that are lost on our roads. We lose more than 13 000 lives on our roads every
year at a cost of more than R43 billion to the economy. The death toll on our
roads over the December 2006 festive period alone was 1 394 from 1 194 crashes.
This shows a slight reduction compared to the 1 491 deaths in 2005 during the
same period.

We are confident that the reduction in the number of deaths in the above
figures is an indication that our road safety strategies are bearing fruits
Ironically, our economic growth also plays a contributory role in the sense
that more South Africans are able to buy vehicles. Last year new vehicles sales
in South Africa peaked to 714 340 units, 15,7% more than the number sold in
2005. This leads to a drastic increase in our vehicle population. These factors
also mean that a great number of inexperienced drivers are entering our roads
on a daily basis leading to an increase in road accidents.

We are targeting to achieve the reduction in road accidents through a number
of interventions. Through our National Road Safety Strategy we continue to
introduce rigorous and innovative ways to improve road safety.

Last year just before the festive season we launched an intensified Arrive
Alive Campaign and the Rolling Enforcement Plan for the festive season with a
specific focus on critical offences contributing to accidents such as drunken
driving, speeding, non-wearing of seatbelts and unroadworthy vehicles � which
are all related to driver�behaviour. These interventions will continue
throughout the year.

We will continue to intensify our law enforcement during 2007 with more
patrol vehicles to be deployed in hazardous routes throughout the country to
ensure compliance. More law enforcement officers will be deployed countrywide
to ensure persistent police visibility.

Law enforcement officers will continue a thorough clamp down on overloading
and unroadworthy busses, vehicles and taxis that use our roads.

I must also stress that the drivers demerit and merit point system will also
be piloted in Tshwane this year, in order to deal with habitual traffic
offenders. The Bloemfontein High Court's ruling last year to impound vehicles
involved in committing offences such as drunken-driving and speeding is being
utilised to our full advantage. Our law enforcement agencies will arrest
reckless drivers and will always ensure that such drivers forfeit their
vehicles to the state. We are serious about this and the Asset Forfeiture Unit
is working with us.

The provincial Departments of Transport are investing more than R 1,5
billion in road safety initiatives, which is over and above municipal road
safety campaigns. The National Department of Transport is also contributing
more than R50 million annually on road safety.

Today, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are handing over this Torch of Peace to the
Department of Education so that they carry on with the Safer Schools Campaign.
Schools should be centres of learning not violence and abuse.

Lets make it a habit to always: Buckle up, Slow down, Walk Safely, Sober Up
and Rest after ever 2 hours or 200 kilometres of driving when using our
roads.

Let us all Arrive Alive!
Ke ya leboga!

Issued by: Department of Transport
17 January 2007