This was emphasised by Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele at the first Transport MinMec meeting, after the fourth democratic elections in April, held in Cape Town earlier today Thursday, 2 July 2009.
"The 2010 FIFA World Cup is not only about sport but transport. We met with FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke and Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan yesterday, 1 July 2009, where FIFA pointed out certain shortcomings with regards to Transport, which were apparent during the Confederations Cup. Both FIFA and the Department of Transport cannot afford to be satisfied with impressive power point presentations about our supposed readiness for 2010.
"Mistakes were created for us to learn from. By next week, FIFA will be writing to us as transport to formally point out some of the transport challenges during the Confederations Cup, which we have already discussed with them. A concrete proposal is for us to appoint a dedicated 2010 Transport Coordinating Team driven by the national Department of Transport.
Each province will also appoint a dedicated 2010 Transport Co-ordinator reporting directly to the national department. This co-ordinating team will enable us to take decisive steps to overcome our shortcomings and ensure integration and coordination between national, provincial and local government 2010 transport plans. To this end, the coordinating team will submit a detailed report together with the required interventions at the next Transport Lekgotla scheduled for August this year," said the Minister.
Other key transport priorities highlighted by the Minister included:
* Engagement with the taxi industry to ensure that a new platform is created so that the taxi industry can participate more effectively in the mainstream economy.
* Job Creation, as transport has a major role to play in contributing towards President Jacob Zuma's commitment of 500 000 jobs by the end of this year.
* Fighting fraud and corruption, particularly with the driving licence system and the licensing of public transport operators through the Provincial Licensing Board.
* Investment in Transport Infrastructure with the necessary private financing for the further modernization of key transport infrastructure (ports, railways, pipelines) in order to build capacity required to sustain our economy in the future.
MinMec is a co-ordinating body chaired by the Minister, and primarily comprises of the nine MECs for Transport from the various provinces and other key officials. MinMec plays an important role in terms of the system of cooperative governance as enshrined in the Constitution.
Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Cell: 083 644 4050
Issued by: Department of Transport
2 July 2009
