Remarks by the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr Lisa Mangcu, on the occasion of the its B-BBEE Charter Council Members Launch and Symposium, Gallagher Estate
Programme Director
Minister of Transport: Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga
Director General of the Department of Transport: Adv. James Mlawu
Deputy Director General for Integrated Transport Planning: Ms Rirhandzu Mashava Chairpersons of Boards of SOEs
Executives of all Transport SOEs
Executives and Senior Managers of Government Other Officials of Government Present
Captains of different Transport Sector Industries Research Institutions
Sponsors
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me take this moment to thank the organisers of this symposium for inviting the Ministry of Transport and allowing us to participate in this very auspicious event that seeks to present to the South African public our newly appointed Charter Council and to present to the sector our relevant Codes of Practice with aligned transport sector codes.
We also seek to specifically present this leadership, the Charter Council, to the various sub-sectors that make up this broad and very dynamic sector called transport.
We believe success in achieving our aims of a growing, transforming and ultimately inclusive economy is dependent critically on finding the correct personnel and skills; and therefore bringing on board the right minds that can ultimately find working ways of reviving and growing the transport sector.
In so doing, we also hope we found the right minds that will treat the transformation agenda in manners that will build lasting partnerships within the sector towards realisation of our goals of an inclusive economy that enables potential and ensures the equitable development of all South Africans.
I wish to thank the Director General of the Department of Transport very heartily for his warm welcoming remarks and I believe you all feel at home and ready to make your contributions, which will always remain invaluable not only to us, but to the many South Africans out there who need to see progress urgently.
We acknowledge the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequality as outlined in the National Development Plan 2030 and know that it is our contributions in these interactions that will feed into the overall actions geared towards the social and economic progress we all seek.
Our Medium Term Strategic Framework, guiding the actions of this 6th Administration, enjoins us to build the capabilities of the state in ways that must bring visible change in the lives of people.
The vision expressed by the framework is thus of:
“Strong leadership, a focus on people and improved implementation capability”. Elaborating on this vision, the Framework goes on further to state that, quote:
Facilitating this vision into action will involve a transition to a more functional and integrated government, which is capacitated with professional, responsive and meritocratic public servants to strengthen relations and efficiency. Intergovernmental and citizen engagements are also key enablers of this priority to ensure the joint pursuit of a capable state”, unquote.
This in essence places this Council within a path that seeks to ensure the realisation of this vision we hold of a capable people, capable government and dare we say a capable transport sector that has adequate capacity to ensure the realisation of the objectives of the National Development Plan.
Our MTSF, 2019-2024, states very clearly that faster and inclusive growth is key to improving and sustaining higher living standards, and successfully reducing the inequalities that still puncture our economy.
We have laid out preconditions for accelerating delivery through transformative innovation, 4IR, overcoming challenges with SOEs and ensuring a supportive macroeconomic environment for investment.
We are participating in this very symposium over these two days, due to the need for specific redress interventions to be concretised, because we believe that will allow us to broaden opportunity and employment for women, the youth and people with disabilities.
It is however also clear ladies and gentlemen, that these ideals are achievable only through dedicated economic inclusion, education and skills development initiatives.
Sustainable long-term growth is needed in order to drastically reduce unemployment; and this requires both broad structural reforms as well as targeted interventions.
It must have become clear to many in this sector that government has committed itself towards both broad structural reforms as well as targeted interventions.
These structural reforms are becoming evident in various subsectors, one of which is the rail sector, given the enabling private sector concessioning in that sub-sector to ensure we bring about efficiencies and a reliable supply of rail services.
This or the concessioning practiced already in the road construction environment are but a few transport sector related structural reforms, that must amongst others improve sub-sector output, create jobs, develop a skilled cohort of South Africans and grow sub-sector industries.
Many among us here will already be aware of number of interventions that are already been carried out since the beginning of the 6th Administration in 2019 and these include among others the President’s Stimulus Package, the Jobs Summit and the Investment Conferences.
These interventions will continue to bring about and possible redress to many South Africans who have found themselves in really dire living conditions.
The NDP sought to achieve average growth of 5.4 percent until 2030, which would mean economic growth would more than double between 2011 and 2030.
The MTSF 2019-2024 targets 2–3 percent growth by 2024 and with the current challenges since the COVID 19 pandemic and its devastating economic impacts, we continue to see a vacillation in our annual targets as most sectors still struggle to rise from those impacts.
This is notwithstanding the current energy crisis, which has seen government commit added resources and efforts lest we see an even bigger crisis .
Relevant for our purposes today is to understand that for a more equitable outcome to be realised in the economy, inclusive growth will imply equitable distribution of productive assets and thus radically reduce sources of inequality and social fragility based on ownership patterns.
This must done while ensuring that black economic empowerment is ultimately reviewed in order to guarantee that it becomes truly broad-based.
In conclusion ladies and gentlemen,
As the Ministry of Transport, we therefore support this symposium knowing that through such actions we are ultimately formalising the requirements set out in the NDP for a truly transformed and inclusive economy through which the talents and potential of all South African citizens can be realised.
I thank you all and wish you a very successful symposium that will contribute to the bigger project of a better South Africa for all.
