and Community Safety, J Thibedi
10 May 2006
May I take this opportunity to welcome all of you present here: Deputy
Director-General, Nic van Staden and the Senior Management of the Department.
This afternoon belongs to you our friends from the Media. It is this type of
gathering which I personally would like to see happen more often and not only
during pre-budget speeches. Forums like this one, which are serious yet semi
formal, accords the media an opportunity to establish contact with the Senior
Management of this Department, me included.
This partnership also helps the media to get to know without hearsay or
fabrication, what the Department is or is not doing as its mandate. I really do
not have to overemphasise the important role played by the media (both print
and electronic) in disseminating information to hundreds of thousands of
people, even millions of our people. Information is power and our people need
information to be empowered.
It is also for this reason that we have invited you. For you to get to know
us better, share with you ahead of the rest what we have succeeded in doing in
line with our mandate, our interventions as well as the challenges that lie
ahead of us.
There is no doubt that for us, this past financial year has been a period of
mixed fortunes but I am confident that we have tried under circumstances to
pull all stops to fulfil our mandate. We could have done better in other areas
with proper co-ordination and prompt intervention. In some cases and areas we
just had to stand back and give space to Mother Nature, for example, the floods
in Taung.
This Department is no stranger to reconfigurations. It is now in its third
consecutive change which has currently resulted in a 200 percent increase in
personnel, also with added responsibilities. Just in August 2004, the
administration structure of former Safety and Liaison swelled out ranks. We
have the third biggest slice of the budget after Education and Health and are
responsible for collection of 60 percent of provincial own revenue.
There has been massive improvement on our spending, 99 percent especially on
infrastructure when compared to the 79 percent in the previous financial year.
This is very important because it demonstrates that Department indeed has the
capacity to spend R1,5 billion allocated for this financial year 2006/07. We
are ticking with our scholar transport whereby hundreds of learners, especially
those in the farming areas who previously walked long distances to and from
school, now travel in a safe mode of transport, With more resources we can and
will cast the net wider to include a few learners who still walk unacceptable
distances to access institutions of learning in the province.
It is common knowledge that our taxi industry in North West in partnership
with this Department is leading the rest of the pack country-wide in respect of
its readiness for Taxi Recapitalisation (Recap).Iâm confident, come 31 May, our
legal taxi operators with registered associations would have all applied for
conversions from permits to Operating Licences. We are now in the last phase of
winding-up and privatising of North West Transport Investment (NTI) with only
two bus operations, Batswana Gare and Botlhaba, left to dispose of. This
process would hopefully be completed before the end of 2007. There is a
business plan in place and we have involved our counterparts in Gauteng to
ensure a speedy and smooth transition.
We took the bull by the horns and staged what became a very successful
International Air Show at Mafikeng International Airport. This is going to be
an annual event and can only grow bigger and bigger in years to come. The
challenges vary. Some can be seen.
I can read your minds that you are itching to ask me about the potholes and
terrible state of some of our roads. Yes I agree that we have a king-size
problem but we are doing something about it. From the middle of May until
August, R70 million will immediately be released to Bojanala, Bophirima and
Central Regions in well co-ordinated âZero Toleranceâ campaign strategy to
tackle the problem of potholes on our roads. The same will also go for grass
cutting.
I need to mention this, Lack of resources: funds will also be the main
serious handicap for us as the Department to move at great speed to address
some of the pressing needs. But we are getting there and the long-term solution
to addressing the poor state of some of our roads will be the route of the Road
Agency.
In conclusion our police have done us proud in their efforts to combat crime
and reducing crime especially priority crimes such as stock theft, house
breaking and contact crimes. We salute the team involved in the investigations
of Constable Francis Rasugeâs murder and the successful conviction of the
culprit William Nkuna. We plan to increase crime prevention initiatives while
at the same time we are ready to embrace the new Safety and Security Act that
is in the pipeline. We will also support the South African Police Services
(SAPS) restructuring. This would result in the utilisation of skills where they
are needed.
I thank you
Issued by: Department of Transport Roads and Community Safety, North West
Provincial Government
10 May 2006
Source: North West Provincial Government (Website: http://www.nwpg.gov.za)
