during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University
of Limpopo and the CSIR at University of Limpopo
26 May 2006
The Roads Agency Limpopo Board members,
The Executive Board Members, GAAL,
The boardsâ members of Polokwane International Airport,
Limpopo Airport Holdings,
The labour movement,
Standing Committee on Transport,
Members of the Provincial Taxi Council,
Fellow partners from the CSIR and the University of Limpopo,
The heads of department from other departments,
Honourable students,
Executive and Senior Management from the Department of Roads and
Transport,
Ladies and gentlemen
I greet you all:
An occasion as significant as this one is very rare; this is one occasion
that demonstrates the seriousness that amongst others government and academic
institutions portrays towards skills development and youth empowerment. It is
on this note that I want to appreciate our partnership with the University of
Limpopo and the Council for Scientific and Investigation Research (CSIR).
The development and implementation of this B Adm LG (B Admin in Local
Government), now known as B Com (Transport Management) which entails and is in
line with the competency requirements of transport management is an initiative
which the Department of Roads and Transport has undertaken as a contribution to
provision of education in our province.
We as a Department have seen it fit to participate in skills development as
a long term investment in human capital, hence the funding of the 100 students
studying towards this degree. This 100, I am told is the whole population of
students studying towards this degree at this university.
We do not wish to end it here, as a Department we wish to take good care of
our investment and make sure that we equip these students in programmes aimed
at equipping them with the knowledge and expertise to can be the best there is
in the transport field, just what we need.
Ladies and gentlemen, the national Department of Transport is in the process
of proposing the National Transport Master Plan (NTMP), a programme that is
aimed at the management of the unique South African transport behaviour this if
approved will later cascade down to an extent where it will be included in the
curriculum accordingly.
The provincial Department will also join the national Department of
Transport in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a programme
which promotes relationships and partnerships between government departments
and institutions of higher learning both continentally and internationally.
Part of the aims of this programme is to make sure that students receive
learnerships through which they will serve as exchange students to other
countries in the African continent and in the rest of the world to study best
practices in transport management in order to come and impart within South
Africa.
As a committed Department we also intend to absorb all these students to
whom we are awarding bursaries into our employ so that this whole exercise that
we are going through should not be a futile one.
To all our partners, I wish to say that the signing of this memorandum of
understanding (MoU) is indeed an understanding that we are all in this together
that we are all interested in the development of our youth towards the
betterment of our country and may this be the beginning of an endless journey
whose fruits shall be directly and indirectly enjoyed by everyone in this
country.
I wish to thank all of you for the effort and dedication demonstrated since
the inception of this project and wish to say that the MoU we will sign, but as
from now on, the onus is with the students to ensure that they maintain this
seed that we are planting so that the fruit borne is that of the best quality
ever produced.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Transport, Limpopo Provincial Government
26 May 2006
Source: Limpopo Provincial Government (http://www.limpopo.gov.za/)
