Ministers of Transport and Meteorology in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will converge in South Africa, Pretoria to engage on matters of Regional integration.
The Ministers, joined by senior government officials, transport experts and delegates from SADC countries together with the media and social partners will officially launch the SADC Region Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 in line with the United Nations declaration.
Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele will, on behalf of South Africa, host the SADC Ministers and guests and lead the South African delegation during this Meeting that will deliberate on critical transport issues in the Region.
The SADC Transport and Meteorology Ministers' Meeting will be preceded by robust engagement and deliberation by a Committee of Senior Officials (COSO) from the 5th to 6th October 2011.
Among some of the critical issues during the Meeting, the Ministers will deliberate on and adopt the following:
- An Action Plan for the reduction of road fatalities in the Region in line with the Decade of Action for Road Safety;
- Progress on the status of implementation of the provisions of the SADC Protocol in the areas of Transport and Meteorology, in particular the harmonization of policies;
- Progress to date on the development of the SADC corridors including transport and trade facilitation interventions;
- Inter-regional and continental cooperation; and
- Regional priorities in Transport and Meteorology 2012/2014.
Members of the media are invited to attend and witness the official signing of the Programme of Action for Transport and Meteorology and the official launch of the Decade of Action for Road Safety in the SADC Region.
The details of the event are as follows:
Date: Friday 7 October 2011
Time:12:30
Venue: SADC Village, Royal Elephant Hotel, Wierda Road, Eldoraigne, Centurion
Road crashes kill more than 40 people a day and about 14 000 a year in South Africa and leave sores of people injured. This carnage has an estimated cost of R46 Billion on the economy. Globally, road crashes account for 1.3 million deaths. This epidemic kills on the scale of malaria. The UN has called on governments to launch a Decade of Action for Road Safety to reduce projected global road deaths by 50% by the turn of the Decade.
For confirmations and accreditation, members of the media attending the event are requested to register as follows:
Provide full names as printed in your South African identity document (ID) / passport for foreign reporters as well as your ID / passport number. No other form of identification will be accepted.
Please bring South African ID / Passport for accreditation to the event. Press Cards will not be allowed.
Attendance must be confirmed no later than 12h00 on the 4th October 2011 with:
Marius Garbers
E-mail: admin@baagisane.co.za
Tel: 012 362-6327
Cell: 082 789-7963
A route map is available on request.
Enquiries:
Sello Tshipi
Communications
Tel: 012 309 3846
Fax: 012 309 3313
Cell: 073 498 6722
E-mail: Tshipia@dot.gov.za
