Chairperson
Honourable Members
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is now only 49 days to the start of the World Cup. This is an African World Cup. To begin with all 53 African heads of state will be part of this World Cup. They have formally been invited.
Secondly, for the first time in the history of FIFA, six countries from Africa will be participating in the World Cup. Plans are already under way for the transportation of general spectators from Algeria, Cameroon, Cot d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria when they arrive in South Africa and throughout the tournament.
Already the six African Ministries of Transport participating in the World Cup are coordinating plans on how all the spectators will be transported. This will be finalised in Ghana next month when we meet all the participating countries from Africa. A number of participating teams are using Southern African Development Community (SADC) member countries as base camps. This has vast transport implications and will culminate in an update at the SADC Ministers of Transport meeting to be held in Mozambique next month. Through the Local Organising Committee we are coordinating with all the participating countries to ensure the smooth and efficient transportation of fans.
Chairperson as you know, the backbone of any World Cup is the massive participation of the host country. In this regard South Africa will not disappoint and transport will not disappoint.
A Command Centre based in Gauteng with coordinators in all the nine host cities will be operational by the end of May. Two days ago, President Zuma officially opened the OR Tambo International Airport upgrade. Later that day we launched the country’s Transport Plan for the World Cup. The Transport Plan is a statement of our readiness to transport fans to stadiums in all nine host cities and to all corners of our country during and after the World Cup
After the World Cup, the infrastructure left behind must change forever the way we travel for leisure and business. After the world infrastructure and services left behind must benefit the rural and urban poor in urban and rural areas.
Road infrastructure
Speaker, notwithstanding the progress we have made over the 15 years, we face challenges with regard to maintenance of our secondary network. Nothing best indicates a country’s state of development better than the condition of its roads.
The following figures indicate how much we still need to do to become a fully developed country. The numbers give a summary of the schools which in 2010 are without any road access in South Africa
* In the Eastern Cape 859 out of 5 401 schools are not accessible by road
* In Free State 28 out of 2 472 are inaccessible
* Gauteng 2 out of 2 202 are inaccessible
* KwaZulu-Natal 403 out of 5 331
* Mpumalanga 17 out of 1 793
* Northern Cape 9 out of 473
* Limpopo 129 out of 4 131
* North West 47 out of 2 257 and
* Western Cape 16 out of 1 577 are not accessible
Add to these figures a total of 31 clinics in the country which do not have reliable access by road: These are in the Eastern Cape (21 out of 695, KwaZulu-Natal five out of 485, while some provinces have between 1 and 2 clinics without access to a road.
In addition to the lack of access roads we have challenges with regard to maintenance backlog. The total paved and gravel network at provincial level is 184 816km. At least 40% of this network has reached the crisis point. The total paved and gravel network at municipal level is 339 849km.
We are developing a means to quantify the backlog at the municipal level so we can have accurate localised numbers. What we know is that our country needs R75billion over the next five years to arrest this decline. This year we are addressing these challenges by implementing an integrated national maintenance programme and a rural transport strategy for South Africa.
This is not a new programme. Successive Ministers of Transport have spoken out for the increase of the budget for road maintenance. The absence of roads defines who we are either as a developing country or a developed country.
Rural road infrastructure
Honourable Members this leads me to the next intervention we are making which is the provision of road infrastructure in our rural areas.
The Rural Access improvement programme is part of a comprehensive Rural Transport Strategy for South Africa (RUTRSSA) which aims to do the following:
* Build bridges and non-motorised transport facilities
* Develop and implement the integrated public transport networks for regular transport services
* Develop and upgrade the airport network with a proper road-link infrastructure and services
* Revitalise rural railway operations by expanding rail passenger services and freight operations to the rural areas
Furthermore of through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) we will contribute to job creation through the implementation of labour intensive projects. The Department remains committed to supporting and monitoring the implementation of this programme by provinces.
To kick start this process, we have secured an initial funding of R1billion dedicated to rural road infrastructure. We will also be institutionalising our rural infrastructure and services portfolio through the establishment of a dedicated agency. A project management team and unit have been appointed to drive this programme.
National Maintenance Programme
We have identified the lack of dedicated funding for road maintenance, poor asset management and capacity challenges in many municipalities and provinces as the cause of poor road conditions. Under-investment in maintenance of the road infrastructure is a huge challenge.
To address this, we are planning to develop a ring-fencing mechanism through the creation of a maintenance fund. This strategy is not only about sourcing additional funding for maintenance but ensuring that existing funds are used for the purpose they were intended for.
The strategy is also about better management of our road assets. The advantage of this programme is not only that it will arrest the decline of our infrastructure, but that it will create thousands of jobs and contribute to the growth of our economy. We are also exploring new technologies toward the regular maintenance of all our roads and we will make an announcement in the few weeks.
Shova Kalula Bicycle Programme
The Department of Transport has the responsibility to address access and mobility challenges facing learners who walk more than three km in a single trip to school daily. The primary project beneficiaries are learners in rural, semi-rural and peri-urban areas who have no access to public transport. Provinces are required to prepare the business plans for the identification and selection of schools and enter into agreements with municipalities to put control measures in place. The Department procures and distributes bicycles to the provinces.
Rail infrastructure
Chairperson, South Africa experienced a rail tragedy yesterday. On behalf of our Government and our people, we would like to express our sincerest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the bereaved.
Personal safety remains a priority to ensure that rail continues to regain its market share in the public transport sector. So far our cooperation agreement with the SA Police Services has seen the roll out of more than 2000 rail police officers in our provinces.
This has contributed to the reduction of security incidents as well as index of crime by more than 40%. Our plan is to ensure that 5 000 police personnel are deployed in our trains by the end of this year. We have to come to terms with the fact that the passenger rolling stock fleet has reached the end of its economic life. The average age of the coaches is between 35 �" 40 years, with a maximum economic life of 46 years, and ours is beyond this lifespan.
Let us state this very clearly, if we do not act now , that is, recapitalise our rail fleet, the urban passenger rail system could collapse in all our cities within the next decade. The revival of rail as a viable means of transport has among others the benefit of bringing the overall cost of transportation down.
We have identified and mapped branchlines including those that are under concession. Where possible the branchline network is aligned to the secondary road network in order to mitigate the deterioration of road network. To date an expression of interest issued on branchlines by Transnet has attracted close to 100 responses.
Transnet has already started ring-fencing the branchline network over five years before this can be transferred to the Department of Transport. The draft Branchline Strategy & the 2010-2014 Implementation Plan is jointly being conducted by the Department of Transport (DOT), the Department of Public Enterprises, National Treasury among others.
Public transport
An efficient, reliable and affordable public transport system is at the centre of our transformation agenda. Our role as government is derived from our belief that the provision of public transport is primarily a public responsibility and not for gain. We use various instruments- licensing, municipal transport planning and subsidisation to ensure universal access for commuters.
The operating license is the central instrument for government to ensure reliable, efficient and affordable public transport system. This responsibility has been executed by provincial licensing authorities.
We have decided to restructure the licensing system such that our inter-provincial operations are licensed through a National regulatory authority- the National Transport Regulator.
Metro Council with capacity will be tasked with the licensing responsibilities within their cities. This will relieve provincial authorities to focus on their provincial inter city operations. This institutional re-alignment will streamline our licensing processes and be our major focus this financial year.
Role of public transport operators
With reference to the recent strikes by some taxi operators we must state the following: Whilst we acknowledge that taxis provide the public operator services for gain, we must emphasise that they provide an essential service. It is a contract between operators and the commuters.
It is because of this principle that withdrawing services by operators without due consideration of commuters interest is unacceptable. We want a pledge which commits all of us on procedures and instruments regulating our rights and responsibilities. It is against this backdrop that in March 2007, Cabinet approved the Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan 2007 to 2020 in order to create a lasting legacy of the public transportation of South Africa.
Phase One of the Action-Plan targets 12 cities and six districts for initial implementation. Because the transformation of public transport is incomplete without taxis, the National Joint Working Group (NJWG) has been established. The NJWG has the mandate to address all matters of concern to the taxi industry.
As part of this approach the department will develop a National Passenger Road Plan which will be our framework for the integration of road-based public transport system. The plan will serve as a guide in transforming the subsidised commuter bus regime into an integrated road based public transport system.
Road safety
Honourable Members moving violations remain among the greatest threat to road safety. This includes texting or smsing while driving which according to the latest research could increase the chances of crashing by 21%. An average of 40 people dying on our roads everyday cannot be treated as a normal situation. The Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) will intensify efforts on tight and visible law enforcement.
Through the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO), we intend to reduce the rate of fatalities on our roads. By the end of May we will have formed Community Road Safety Councils (RSC) in all nine provinces. The RSCs will help us create safer environments through road design, enforcement and education.
Through partnerships with the Ministers of Basic and Higher Education, we are intensifying road safety education in our schools. All 18-year olds in South Africa must have a drivers’ licence and help us introduce a new culture of driving on our roads.
In line with this, by July we will have appointed the new service provider for the tamper-proof card licences which will be integrated into the country’s identification system. These developments in transport will, in time, move South Africa from being a developing to being a developed country.
I would like to thank Deputy Minister Jeremy Cronin for his active support and friendship. We acknowledge the role of the Select Committee. I thank Director General Mr George Mahlalela and his staff for their work and dedication in delivering transport infrastructure and services to our people.
We also acknowledge the role played by the Chief Executives, the Managing Directors, Chairpersons and Boards of all our agencies in the delivery of our transport programme.
Thank you!
Issued by: Department of Transport
22 April 2010
