Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has reiterated that not a cent has been spent on any high-speed rail project in South Africa, except the Gautrain.
The Minister was responding to statements by Mr Bantu Holomisa from the UDM that: “Recent statements by the Minister of Transport, Mr S'bu Ndebele, about his department's plan to spend billions of rands on luxurious speed trains and related projects for rail routes linking Johannesburg to Cape Town, Johannesburg to Durban and Johannesburg to Messina, leaves the UDM perturbed by the government's lack of prioritisation. We are particularly troubled by the reports that, as usual, there are certain politically connected companies and individuals who stand to benefit from these projects….”
“As the Department of Transport, our mandate is to provide, safe, efficient, reliable and affordable public transport. We wish to categorically state that, except for the Gautrain, to date not a cent has been spent on the roll-out of any high-speed rail project in South Africa. We have stated this on several occasions, including a recent press statement on 22 February 2011, where it is clearly mentioned that Cabinet is yet to approve a comprehensive rail upgrade programme for the country. Cabinet approval will then kick-start a process including a feasibility study on the viability of high-speed rail.
“As far back as 2005, through the National Transport Master Plan 2005-2050 (NATMAP), the Department of Transport outlined several critical transport projects, including high-speed rail for Johannesburg to Durban, Johannesburg to Musina, and the Moloto Corridor between Tshwane and the former KwaNdebele in Mpumalanga.
“The Department of Transport intends to call for Expressions of Interest on high-speed rail in July 2011. In June 2011, we will also be hosting an Investors' conference to consolidate the interest in our transport infrastructure projects, including high-speed rail. All Expressions of Interest will be subject to an inclusive and transparent process. Taking this into consideration, there is no way that anyone could know, before we have even called for Expressions of Interest, that they will win the right to construct any rail project. As the first country in Africa likely to have such a project, we owe it to the people of this country and the continent that our proposed green field long-distance high-speed rail sets high procurement, transparency, technical and safety standards for the rest of Africa. We call on all to give the process an opportunity to guarantee its integrity and to safeguard the interests of government and the people of South Africa for whom these projects are intended.
“Further, rural development is one of the key priorities of our government, and since 1994 billions of rands have been spent on rural road infrastructure. For the first time, this year (2011) the national Department of Transport has secured dedicated funding for road maintenance. As of 1 April 2011, we will roll-out the S'hamba Sonke (walking together) programme in a bid to address road maintenance on secondary roads and rural roads, and particularly potholes. This is a new and innovative nation-wide programme to focus on the maintenance of secondary road infrastructure using labour-intensive methods of construction and maintenance. We have set aside R6.4 billion in 2011/12, R7.5 billion in 2012/13 and R8.2 billion for 2013/14, amounting to a total of R22.3 billion in the medium-term. At least 70,000 jobs are expected to be created in 2011 alone through this programme. This is over and above provincial and municipal funding for rural road infrastructure.
“It cannot be that Holomisa is unaware of these pronouncements either in Parliament or through media reports. For whatever reason, his fascination with high-speed trains must be channelled to our call for Expressions of Interest on the desirability and feasibility of high-speed rail. Unless of course, Holomisa says that Ben Schoeman, the former apartheid Minister of Transport, did all the transport thinking and South Africans are not even allowed to think about how they can move faster than they are moving now. But, to say we must not even think beyond what Ben Schoeman thought is very disturbing indeed. Ben Schoeman thought of using transport to divide our people. We want to use transport to unite our people and make movement of our people and goods in South Africa as fast and efficient as possible.
Anyone who has any ideas to contribute on high-speed trains must use the opportunity through the Expression of Interest process, even if it is to say South Africa must not go beyond Ben Schoeman’s thinking and must remain as we are. In case Holomisa doesn’t know, the first concrete proposal to relocate the old Durban International Airport to La Mercy was made in 1974. It was followed by earthworks. The actual construction only commenced in 2006 by the new democratic government. Mr Holomisa, basic honesty requires at least an acknowledgement of these exciting developments,” said Minister Ndebele.
Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
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