Liaison, Roads and Transport at the launch of the Alicedale Road Construction
Project and Cacadu district Sakha Isizwe community-based transportation
programme, Alicedale Rugby Stadium
9 October 2007
Today we are making history in this small town of Alicedale, as we are
officially presenting a lasting solution to the challenges of poverty that have
consistently ravaged this area for many decades.
This year, government has resolved to "intensify the struggle against
poverty", through building a people's contract to create work, and fight
poverty; and the advancement towards the realisation of Provincial Growth and
Development Plan target of halving unemployment and poverty by 2014.
Our approach is informed by the fact that none of the great social problems
we have to solve is capable of resolution outside the context of the creation
of jobs and the alleviation of poverty.
Massive employment programmes have historically proven to provide
cost-effective and high-quality solutions to the challenge of creating
infrastructure in developing countries.
In such countries, which are largely characterised by high levels of
poverty, unemployment, underdevelopment and an abundant labour supply, this
strategy is increasingly recognised as a means to employment-intensive
growth.
South Africa, particularly Alicedale is not an exception, when we analyse
the poverty-stricken areas of our country.
In the recent past, the provincial government has made visible and decisive
interventions in ensuring that we rescue this community from poverty and
underdevelopment.
The Bushman Sands development is a visible example and there are more
projects that are still coming to this area, including the building of an
International Rugby Academy here.
These developments have prompted the Department of Roads and Transport to
surface the road from N10 to Alicedale at a cost of R45million. This project,
which started in May 2007, will take place for a period of 32 months and 120
local people will benefit.
Already, 100 people are undergoing training on:
* occupational health and safety
* small plant management
* concrete works
* fencing
* reinforcement
Furthermore, 40 local people have been employed to guard the construction
site.
We see this as an important intervention to address unemployment and
poverty, while providing valuable skills in the process.
It will further enable us to link Alicedale with the 2010 FIFA World Cup
activities, which will take place mostly in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
Cacadu District Interventions
There is a lot that the Department of Roads and Transport is doing in the
Cacadu District and a lot that is still in the pipeline in order to boost the
local economy.
Construction is underway on the 4,8km stretch between the N2 and Addo at a
cost of R87 million.
Planning is underway for the continuation of this upgrade to Addo Town and
the construction process is expected to start in April 2008 at a cost of R290
million.
We have dispatched the Department of Roads and Transport's internal road
maintenance unit to re-gravel all roads within Addo area at a cost of R11
million.
The Department has further resolved to invest on the road infrastructure on
the coastal route in order to unlock the tourism and business potential of the
area.
More attention will be given to the coastal road between East London and Port
Elizabeth (R72), which runs through the Ncanarha interchange on the N2 to the
Nahoon interchange on the N2 in East London.
This is a vital arterial road that supports both industry (East London and
Coega industrial development zones or IDZs) and tourism, and is also of
importance for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
This road is similar in length to the N2 through Grahamstown, but is
favoured by truckers due to the fact that it has fewer gradients. Traffic
volumes on the R72 have increased significantly over the past three years.
This is by far the highest trafficked Provincial Rural Road. Through our
routine maintenance programme, we will ensure that the R72 is trafficable,
while we are weighing various options.
These options are highlighted in the feasibility study undertaken by the
department through the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) on
the possibility of tolling certain strategic routes, including R72. This study
includes economic, funding, traffic and operational viability.
Presently, the department is doing the following:
East London Airport - Lilyvale: Rehabilitation of this section will commence
in January 2008 and be completed by 2009 at a cost of R20 million.
Bushman's River and Kasouga River Bridges: the two bridges at Bushman's
River as well as the bridge over Kasouga River on R72 will be widened starting
in January 2008 and be completed by January 2009 at a cost of R5 million.
Ncanarha - Fonteinskloof: Planned commencement of rehabilitation of this
section is during 2008 and completion early in 2010.
We have applied for funding to the national Government for the following
projects:
* Upgrade of road from Motherwell to Addo, Addo to Paterson and Addo to
Kirkwood.
* Upgrade of road from Grahamstown to Alicedale
* Upgrade of road from Hankey to Patensie to support the Citrus Fruit industry
and tourism;
* Upgrade of road from Uitenhage to Witteklip (N2)
* Upgrade of road from Humansdorp to Oyster Bay
Back to Rail
All these interventions will be supported by rail renewal projects in
various areas of the district.
We intend to expand the Kei Rail Project from East London to Port Elizabeth
in order to save our road infrastructure.
We have allocated R10 million for the upgrading of the Narrow Gauge line
from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur, as we intend to commence the operations in
2008 and promote tourism. We are investigating the possibility of introducing a
train tourism service further up the Langkloof and in Somerset East and
Graaff-Reinet.
All these developments will be captured in our Rail Tourism Plan, which the
Department is going to develop.
Sakha Isizwe
Since 2006, the Department of Roads and Transport has introduced a new
Programme called Community Based Transportation.
The main aim of Sakha Isizwe Community Based Transportation Programme is to
institutionalise and guarantee a more balanced transportation system throughout
the Eastern Cape Province, and at the same time, to create new work and
business opportunities for the disadvantaged communities.
Through the Sakha Isizwe Household Contractors Programme, more than 2500
households have been appointed in Amathole (655), Alfred Nzo (501), Chris Hani
(495), OR Tambo (540) and Ukhahlamba (380) Districts.
Today, as we celebrate Transport Month 2007, we are officially expanding the
programme to the Cacadu District, where 985 households have been identified
from areas such as Nelson Mandela Metro, Camdeboo, Blue Crane Route, Makana,
Ndlambe, Sunday's River, Kouga, Koukamma, Baviaans and Ikwezi.
Of this number, 200 households are from Makana Municipality alone.
The household contractors' work entails road maintenance, upgrading,
construction, focus on roadside animal management, fencing, pedestrian safety,
footpaths, non-motorised transport, gabion basket manufacturing, rangers
etc.
This new programme is expected to create an estimated 30 000 additional work
opportunities over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework period, thus 5000 per
district.
It would further result in the construction of approximately 300km of new
low volume roads and the maintenance of approximately 5 500km of existing
roads, thus significantly improving the quality of the overall provincial road
network and transportation system.
The targeted roads will assist in improving accessibility to economic
activities, tourism opportunities, schools, clinics and other government
services.
Through our Sakha-Isizwe Routine Road Maintenance Programme using the 'up
scaling' approach, the Department has allocated R2,58 million for the Cacadu
District.
Beefing internal capacity
The department is busy restoring its own internal capacity through creating
Centres of Excellence in Graaff-Reinet and Grahamstown. The primary focus of
these centres will be the transfer of skills to both in-house maintenance and
construction units as well as to communities.
They will serve as the fountain of technical, technological and engineering
advancement for both the department and communities, as they would focus on
labour-intensive methods of construction (Expanded Public Works Programme or
EPWP) and mentoring of internal resource.
This concept is in line with the PGDP objectives as it would give content
and effect to government's overall strategic objective of developing human
capital to meet the acute shortage of technical and entrepreneur skills.
The department's project and programme management capacity will be enhanced
by means of undertaking structured internship and learnership programmes. The
successful interns and learners will then be appointed should vacancies exist.
The department's bursary holders will also get hands-on experiential training
and sharpen their project management skills at these centres.
Nonkqubela HIV-Aids Project
As government departments, we are charged with a responsibility to ensure
that we support the needy groups of our society. Since 2006, the Department of
Roads and Transport has established a good relationship with the Nonkqubela
HIV-Aids Project here.
Today, we are donating doorframes, security gates for doors and windows, and
a computer.
We believe that working together we can win the fight against HIV-Aids in
this Province.
Youth Development
This week, the Department of Roads and Transport has published 64 bursaries
for Grade 12 learners, who would like to study Civil Engineering (15),
Mechanical Engineering (5), Mechatronics (3), Aeronautical Engineering (3),
Aviation Technician (2), Transport Economics (3), Surveying (2), Traffic Air
Controller (1), Maritime and Shipment (4), Rail Engineering (3), Port
Engineering (1), Pilot studies (2), traffic law enforcement diploma (20).
We want five of the traffic law enforcement diploma candidates to come from
Cacadu District.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate all people, who have benefited
from our projects, hoping that they would undertake their task with great
vigour in the interest of reconstruction and development of our country.
I thank you
Issued by: Eastern Cape Provincial Government, Ministry for Safety, Liaison,
Roads and Transport
9 October 2007
