Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport at the launch of operation new brooms,
Port Elizabeth
13 July 2007
Let me first take this opportunity to congratulate all the 50 new traffic
officers for their achievement and wish them all the best in their new career
as traffic law enforcement officers. You are now joining the provincial
contingent of law enforcement agencies, which is expected to safeguard lives
and property of everybody, irrespective of race or gender.
Everybody pins hope to law enforcement agencies, particularly traffic
officers in order to "Arrive Alive" at their various destinations. You join us
at a time when our province is experiencing serious road accidents and traffic
officers are expected to provide a lasting solution to this problem. Road
accidents continue to haunt our young democracy and impact negatively on our
country and global socio-economic conditions.
Government is trying its best to ensure that all road users respect the law,
but we have further observed the importance of constantly reminding our people
about their roles and responsibilities when they use our roads. We have
realised the importance of investing on road safety initiatives through
deliberate and determined efforts of many sectors of society, both governmental
and non-governmental.
This year, the focus is on young road users, including young drivers,
pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists who make up a high proportion of those
suffering death, injury and disability on the roads. I am convinced that our
officers are ready to respond to this challenge as they are charged with a
responsibility to ensure that we have an accident-free provincial road network
through a "zero tolerance" approach.
Earlier this week, the Department of Roads and Transport had a meeting with
all 383 provincial traffic officers and organised labour in an effort to
explain the new 24 hour shift system that we are going to introduce in order to
save lives of our people. We have realised that despite the clarion calls that
we continue to make to road users to stop travelling during awkward times,
there are people who are still doing that.
We are therefore left with no choice, but to turn to our traffic officers
for a sustainable intervention. On the basis of our discussions, I am convinced
that our officers are ready to serve with humility, honesty and integrity with
little family time in a quest to maintain law and order on our roads. This
means that the new officers have come at the right time and will increase our
contingent to 433. As we speak, another group of 20 trainee traffic officers
are at the Port Elizabeth Traffic College after receiving bursaries from the
department.
Every year, we will ensure that we send more young men and women to training
in order to strengthen our capacity to ensure the success of our Arrive Alive
Campaign, which is a continuous and tactical programme that runs throughout the
year to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries suffered by our
people in this province. This initiative will further assist in the
preparations for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, as we expect millions of people to
use our roads.
Already, our provincial traffic officers are working together with
approximately 500 traffic officers from various municipalities, South African
Police Services (SAPS), South African National Defence Force (SANDF), emergency
rescue services and traffic officers from the neighbouring provinces such as
Western Cape, Free State, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
Our approach is designed to achieve effective practical co-operation between
the three spheres of government in all ongoing road traffic and road safety
management. This approach seeks to ensure that we concentrate all our energies
through effective management in day-to-day enforcement and quality control,
linked to innovative efforts for effective and efficient service delivery.
The inclusion of 23 female officers demonstrates the department's commitment
to ensure that government policies on gender equality are implemented. As the
democratic government, we are charged with a responsibility to ensure that we
accelerate the process of emancipating women from any form of suppression. Our
main objective is to expose young people, particularly girls, in different
fields and opportunities in the transport sector and to broaden their career
choices.
Since 2003, 300 bursaries worth more than R3 million have been awarded to
young people, including girls, of the Eastern Cape to study civil and
mechanical engineering, aviation, transport economics, information technology
and traffic law enforcement.
The department has further introduced a Traffic Safety Management
Learnership and 76 young matriculants have been recruited to become Road Safety
Officers.
* Amathole: 15
* Mbashe 2
* Mnquma: 3
* Great Kei: 1
* Buffalo City: 3
* Amahlathi: 1
* Nkonkobe 2
* Inxuba: 2
* Ngqushwa: 1
* Chris Hani: 15
* Inxuba Yethemba: 2
* Indwana: 1
* Nkwankca: 1
* Intsika: 1
* Yethu: 1
* Emalahleni: 2
* Engcobo: 2
* Sakhisizwe 2
* Lukhanji: 4
* Cacadu: 13
* Nelson Mandela Metro: 3
* Makana 1
* Ndlambe: 1
* Blue Kraans: 1
* Ikwezi: 1
* Camdeboo: 2
* Blue Crane: 1
* Sundays River: 1
* Koukamma: 1
* Kouga: 1
* OR Tambo: 10
* KSD: 2
* Nyandeni: 1
* Qaukeni: 2
* Mbizana: 1
* Ntabankulu: 2
* Mhlontlo: 1
* Port St Johns: 1
* Ukhahlamba: 13
* Senqu: 4
* Elundini: 4
* Maletswai: 3
* Gariep: 2
* Alfred Nzo: 10
* Maluti: 2
* Matatiele: 2
* Mount Ayliff: 3
* Mount Frere: 3
Each learner will get a stipend of R1 200. These initiatives form part of
our comprehensive response to the challenges of poverty, unemployed and skills
shortage amongst our youth. In order to build Road Safety capacity and improve
service delivery, we will engage youth and offer a learnership programme for 37
students that will be recruited in all six districts within the province.
As a way of expanding our Maths and Science Project, we will pilot a learner
driver education project for grade 12 learners so that when they leave school
they already possess the required basic skills to be competent drivers with
proper attitudes for driving on a public road. Our first target is the group of
learners, who are already participating in the Maths and Science Project that
the department is running in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University and Engen.
I am still engaged in discussions with the Department of Labour with regard
to the training of volunteers in crowd controlling in preparation for 2010 Fifa
World Cup. This initiative will present another opportunity for young people of
the Eastern Cape to participate in the process of building their country and
defence of humanity.
We do all these things conscious of the fact that we still need to ensure
that we improve the condition of our public transport. The Eastern Cape is one
of the leading provinces with regard to taxi recapitalisation. As we speak, 2
041 scrapping applications have been received and 1 668 old taxi vehicles are
at the main scrapping site in Zwelitsha, of which 1 400 have already been
scrapped.
The department has appointed 24 Public Transport Inspectors, who will form
part of the new unit that has been set up in terms of Section 122 of the
National Land Transport Transition Act 22 of 2000 to monitor compliance of all
public transport operators with the provisions of the Act in the province.
These inspectors were trained in the National Land Transport Transition Act
(Act 22 of 2000), Road Transportation Act (Act 74 of 1977), Criminal Procedure
Act (Act 51 of 1977), Provincial Regulations, Law of Evidence, Criminal Law,
Bill of Rights and South African Law. Their duties will, amongst other things,
include monitoring of taxi operators' compliance to their operating licences,
checking of public transport vehicles (buses and taxis) conditions etc.
In conclusion, I would like to say welcome to the Department of Roads and
Transport. I wish you all the best in your work and hope that you would
undertake your task with great vigour and "clean hands." I hope that as the new
brooms, you will remove all unlawful and corrupt elements on our roads.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport, Eastern Cape
Provincial Government
13 July 2007
