Honourable speaker
Honourable Premier of the Free State provincial government
Honourable deputy speaker
Honourable Members of the Executive Council and legislature
Honourable mayors and councillors
Provincial Police Commissioner, Commissioner Mashigo
Provincial head of National Intelligence Agency
The General Commanding Officer of the Tempe Military Base, Brigadier-General Moadira
Regional Commissioner of Correctional Service, Mr ZI Modise
Regional Heads of Independent Complaints Directorate, Gender Equity and Human Rights Commission
Commissioned and non-commissioned members of the South African Police Service
Chairperson and members of the provincial community policing forum board
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Honourable speaker,
It most certainly gives us pleasure today to present the budget for the Department of Police, Roads and Transport totalling R1,577 billion. We are delighted because the tabling of this budget gives us an opportunity to reflect on the extent to which effective provincial policing (including road traffic policing) and improved road infrastructure network will contribute to the improvement of the lives of the masses of our people without disadvantaging our future generations.
The department’s approach will focus on the optimal delivery of services in a manner designed to promote coherent and systematic government action through inter-departmental alignment and integrated planning. Such alignment and integrated planning will contribute toward the demolition of our fragmented developmental state whilst its roots will remain immersed in the culture of democratic accountability and caringly focused on social, economic and environmental sustainability.
State accountability and transparency in community safety
Honourable speaker, delivering the state of the province address on 15 June, the Premier mentioned that the emphasis of government would be on greater state accountability and transparency to the people at all levels. Civilian oversight over police service delivery in South Africa emerged not so much as a specific structure but as a product of changing relationships between the police and the civil society.
Because police accountability is a democratic outcome of civilian oversight, partnership between the community and the police will be reviewed by the department through the accredited training of members of the community police forums (CPFs) consistent with their civic role to:
* cooperate with municipalities to jointly set local crime prevention priorities
* assist in the development of targeted local crime prevention programmes and projects
* identify flashpoints, crime patterns and community anti-crime activities
* mobilise and organise community based campaigns and activities and
* encourage regular attendance by local councillors at CPF and CSF meetings.
We intend creating decent work through programmes designed to promote community safety and develop physical infrastructure in the Province, particularly for our youth.
The creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods through roads infrastructure
Honourable speaker, road infrastructure delivery is strategically located to make huge contributions to the creation of employment opportunities and poverty alleviation. To that extent, the department will ensure that the labour intensive delivery of roads infrastructure provides an extensive support to the goals of the Extended Public Works Programme. For that reason, the total roads infrastructure investment set aside by government for the 2009/10 financial year amounts to R924 212.
With the existing global economic climate, it is essential that transport infrastructure is used to its full potential to encourage socio economic growth. It is a well known fact that a high gross domestic product growth rate is unsustainable without at least an equivalent long term growth in infrastructure investment. To address the mobility and accessibility of our rural community, we will continue our strategy of providing and upgrading access roads through the following specific projects. These projects are designed in such a manner that they facilitate job creation through labour intensive construction methods, skills development and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) contractor development. These are:
* Rouxville access road
* the paving of public transport routes within Thaba Nchu
* upgrading of dirt roads within Phahameng (Viljoenskroon)
* upgrading of the Monontsha border post road between Lesotho and Phuthaditjhaba
* upgrading of route four within Thabo Mofutsanyane
* upgrading of Vredefort Dome access road to a paved road
* re-gravelling of the access road between Thaba Phatshwa and Tweespruit.
Other rural projects that will be completed or undertaken during this financial year are the following:
* upgrading of the access road between Harrismith and Verkykerskop
* upgrading of the gravel road to a paved road between Springfontein and Bethulie
* upgrading of the paved road between Reitz and Petrus Steyn
* upgrading of the paved road between the N1 and Sasolburg
* rehabilitation of the paved road between Warden and Vrede
* rehabilitation of the paved road between Heilbron and Petrus Steyn
Taking into account the huge funding requirements needed due to the current backlogs in road maintenance construction, and the improbability of receiving the funding needed, an alternative short term turnaround strategy will be implemented in order to optimise the use of current funding levels and ensure the safe utilisation of our roads in preparation for the 2010 World Cup and beyond. This strategy entails the following:
* preventative maintenance through milling and patching on the paved roads which are in a poor to very poor condition
* the heavy blading including rehabilitation of the most important gravel roads
* routine maintenance (that is: vegetation control, shoulder repair and drainage maintenance) by means of our contractor development programme
* the implementation of an overloading control strategy along our main transport corridors.
Aligning with the 2009 manifesto, we will ensure that approximately 2 890 job opportunities will be created during the 2009/10 financial year. As part of the development of the N8 corridor, the South African Road Agency Limited (SANRAL) in partnership with the department and Mangaung local municipality is investigating the possibility of fast tracking the construction of an interchange at the airport in order to complete construction by May 2010. This interchange will improve access and safety for users of the airport as well as encouraging economic development along this corridor.
Contributing towards the township revitalisation initiative as announced by the Premier in his state of the province address, the department has in the current financial year allocated R100 million for the building of roads in townships, amongst others Batho, Matjhabeng and Ngwathe. The Department is however facing major challenges in fulfilling its mandate, namely:
* eradicating major backlogs in infrastructure provisioning and maintenance as well as capital equipment (roads building equipment)
* optimising the utilisation of scarce resources
* integrating service delivery between different spheres of government
* insufficient funding.
The department will have to investigate alternative service delivery models, to ensure long term sustainability.
Fleet management
In the 2008/09 budget speech, my predecessor indicated that the government Motor Transport unit and the Road Building Equipment unit will merge to form one entity called Fleet Management unit. The reasoning behind the decision was inter alia to ensure operational efficiency and cost effectiveness of scarce resources. I am proud to announce that the entities were successfully merged and early indications are that the new fleet management entity will have the lowest average cost per unit compared to other government owned fleets in the country. It is anticipated that the new combined entity will also have an unqualified audit report.
May I hasten to indicate that we are in no way underplaying the availability of relevant and appropriate skills such as engineering, construction plant operators, artisans and other related fields? We find solace in our ability to partner with other institutions in order to develop and produce the necessary skills. We are in partnership with Barlow World to train our students in construction plant operators and artisans, and will rigorously pursue this innovation with Central University of Technology and other relevant Institutions.
A rejuvenation programme will be implemented to enhance the capacity of our equipment fleet. An additional amount of R20 million will be made available for this project. The money will be utilised to stimulate the economy of the Free State as well as to create and maintain jobs. A combination between purchasing of new equipment as well as the rebuilding of equipment currently in the fleet will be undertaken.
Economic development through improved public transport system
Honourable speaker, transport is the driving force for economic growth and development. A good transport system integrates communities and ensures accessibility to services by all our people. The mandate of the department mainly deals with land transport that comprises the following functional areas:
* passenger transport
* freight transport
* transport infrastructure
* road traffic safety
* integrated transport planning
In order to address the above mentioned as well as other critical issues, the department will embark on the following projects:
Land passenger transport
Mr Speaker, this department for years on end has been dealing with the sensitive and highly contested matter relating to the transformation of the Maluti bus. We need to concede that this was a long tedious and painstaking process, but it must come to an end. This end is not next year or sometime in the future but now. I will convene an urgent meeting with affected taxi associations, in QwaQwa, Bethlehem and Harrismith as well as the FDC to close this chapter for ever. Our noble policy of transformation will continue unabated. I have applied my mind and came to a conclusion that taxi operators deserve nothing less but the best, and that best is the ownership of the Maluti bus.
The Free State provincial government has undertaken to revive the usage of rail between Bloemfontein and Maseru in a phased-in approach, based on the study conducted by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). The viability of this rail is premised on a number of variables such as, the available under utilised rail infrastructure, road accidents rates and cost of transport provision. The current modes of transport such as taxis and busses that are currently plying their trade on the affected routes will form part of the integrated rapid public transport networks (IRPTNs) in the corridor. R30 million has been set aside to kick start the project.
Freight transport
Through the support of the national Department of Transport, the department will commence with the Harrismith Logistics Hub which the study has confirmed could be a viable project in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district. The work will in this financial year entail infrastructure development such as earthworks, water, electricity, sewage, fencing, gates etc. At the moment, R21 million has been allocated for this project.
Land transport infrastructure
The department will work with the Mangaung local municipality in the construction of the intermodal facility, that integrates bus, taxi and rail services. The same cooperation will extend to the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) in the Mangaung area. Notwithstanding the fact that these projects will not be ready for the 2010 soccer spectacular, they will however be an important milestone in enhancing the integrated transport services and infrastructure development. The total budget for the project is R400 million, and the department has allocated a budget of R15 million for the current financial year.
Honourable speaker,
Guided by the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), we must, together with local government, provide a safe, affordable and reliable public transport system and quality infrastructure as well as access to well managed public transport system in the rural areas, particularly for the most vulnerable such as the elderly, differently able and learners. To contribute towards this ideal of ensuring accessibility by rural learners to transport, the department has been implementing the Scholar Bicycle project wherein bicycles are distributed to rural schools identified jointly with the Department of Education.
Approximately 2 000 bicycles will be distributed during this financial year.
Over this past weekend, as part of celebrating Mandela day, we handed 51 bicycles to the learners of Dinkweng (formerly Rietplan) in QwaQwa.
Road traffic policing and community safety
Honourable speaker, one of the mandates of this new department is the promotion of safety on the roads and the regulation there of
State accountability and transparency in community safety
Honourable speaker, delivering the state of the province address on 15 June, the Premier mentioned that the emphasis of government would be on greater state accountability and transparency to the people at all levels. Civilian oversight over police service delivery in South Africa emerged not so much as a specific structure but as a product of changing relationships between the police and the civil society. Because police accountability is a democratic outcome of civilian oversight, partnership between the community and the police will be reviewed by the department through the accredited training of members of the community police forums (CPFs) consistent with their civic role to:
* cooperate with municipalities to jointly set local crime prevention priorities
* assist in the development of targeted local crime prevention programmes and projects
* identify flashpoints, crime patterns and community anti-crime activities
* mobilise and organise community based campaigns and activities and
* encourage regular attendance by local councillors at CPF and CSF meetings.
We intend creating decent work through programmes designed to promote community safety and develop physical infrastructure in the province, particularly for our youth.
The creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods through roads infrastructure
Road infrastructure delivery is strategically located to make huge contributions to the creation of employment opportunities and poverty alleviation. To that extent, the department will ensure that the labour intensive delivery of roads infrastructure provides an extensive support to the goals of the Extended Public Works Programme. For that reason, the total roads infrastructure investment set aside by government for the 2009/10 financial year amounts to R924 212.
The policing of road traffic and road crime gained significance as road safety statistics indicate that road unsafely remains a major challenge. Road traffic policing strategies that we are currently utilising include amongst other things road blocks, traffic patrols, speed measuring, drunken driving monitoring and overloading control. In an attempt to reduce the number of crashes and resultant fatalities (the majority of which occur at night) the department will:
* Intensify the inculcation of the culture of proper road traffic enforcement with new values, service delivery and heightened visibility
* Increase training and education of all traffic law enforcement officials. This empowerment initiative will enhance professionalism and increase awareness and better understanding of matters related to road traffic law enforcement
* Improve licensing services and the elimination of fraud and corruption in the transport administration and licensing services. This will strengthen revenue collection by government and reduce the waiting period for learners and driver licence applications
* The introduction of electronic learners and driver’s licensing system in collaboration with the Road Traffic Management Corporation will enhance the anti–corruption efforts.
The fight against crime and corruption
It must be noted that alcohol and substance abuse are the main contributors to social crime whereby respect for life and property seems to have been lost over the years. In an effort to alleviate the scourge of crime, the department will consider regulatory measures such as revoking licences of liquor outlets where there is evidence of high incidents of crime related to alcohol abuse. Community members are urged to take individual and collective responsibility to reduce social crime levels.
Honourable speaker,
The prevention and combating of cross-border criminal activities by individuals and crime syndicates between the Free State and the Kingdom of Lesotho also warrants attention. Multiple collaborative relations along our borderline with Lesotho will be strengthened through endeavours intended to review the coordination and integration of the implementation of the Transnational Crime Reduction programme. With our Department of Police Roads and Transport we will be working with the Defence force to secure our borders.
Furthermore, partnership efforts will include the evaluation of the management and functioning of democratic cross-border structures such as district liaison committees and CPFs, with the fullest participation of our high commissioner in Lesotho and border municipal leadership. To demonstrate our seriousness on crime fighting, the department will compliment the national South African Police Service (SAPS) by building additional Police stations in Bloemspruit and Kagisano to meet the demands of the ever growing human settlements at the aforementioned areas.
We will also be rotating police officers from other police stations so as to remove laxity, complacency, and familiarity of officers to criminal elements
The recruitment of police reservists will always form part of our strategy to heighten police visibility. They will further strengthen SAPS capacity by releasing functional members to perform operational duties. For the current financial year, 86 reservists will undergo training to graduate as full time members of SAPS.
As part of improving management capabilities to enhance police service delivery, management and leadership training programmes will be presented as follows in the current financial year:
* Executive Development programme, three
* Station Management Learning programme, 80
* Middle Management Learning programme, two I
* Junior Management Learning programme, 100
* Basic Management programme, 200
In preparation for the 2010 World Cup, 914 members have been trained in crowd management. To improve the fight against crime, 300 members will be trained in crime prevention level I to deal with contact crimes.
Honourable speaker,
We are pleased to announce that the provincial fight against corruption in the Free State public service will be located within the Department of Police, Roads and Transport effectively from this financial year. The focus of our provincial anti-corruption drive will be on the transparent adjudication of tenders as well as efforts to enforce stronger accountability of the public servants involved in the tendering process. The department will also serve as the nerve centre of government’s property security management following the transfer of the whole Security establishment to the department.
In conclusion
I wish to indicate that, while there is a need to build upon our achievements and learn from our past experience in government since 1994, the Department of Police, Roads and Transport is committed to the improvement of the peoples’ lives through the promotion of a capable government in matters of community safety and roads infrastructure development for the achievement of the ideals of a democratic developmental state of South Africa.
It is without doubt that a capable government can only be achieved through the alignment between departments and integrated planning. To that extent, we will continue to rely on the collaborative effort of the executive team, legislature, communities and the expertise of our public servants, but most importantly, on the strong leadership of our Premier.
Ke a leboha
Issued by: Department of Police, Roads and Transport, Free State Provincial Government
23 July 2009
Source: Department of Police, Roads and Transport, Free State Provincial Government (http://www.freetrans.gov.za/)
