Honourable Mayors
Members of the Mayoral Committees for Transport
Councillors and officials from the municipalities and the Department
Residents of Sedibeng
Members of the media
This is not a celebration of the successful upgrading of a portion of the R82/Old Vereeniging Road. It is really a celebration of the past political struggles and socio- economic linkages between the residents of the Sedibeng and the wider Gauteng City Region. If anything at all, this road symbolises those struggles, linkages and relationships.
Little do we realise that a road has its own history and story to tell. If the Old Vereeniging Road/R82 was given a voice, what would it say? What would be its story line? What part of its history would it reveal? The first thing this road would say is that great leaders from across the political spectrum travelled its path for over a century. Proudly, it would claim to be the real ‘road to democracy’. From the negotiation of the terms of the Treaty of Vereeniging between Afrikaners and the British during the Anglo-Boer War in 1902 to the signing in Sharpeville of our first democratic Constitution on 10 December 1996 by former President Nelson Mandela, the R82 was used - and travelled on - to shape and to determine the political destiny of our country.
In recollecting the Sharpeville massacre of 21 March 1960, it will recite with a heavy heart the poem of Farouk Asvat entitled, Massacre at Sharpeville, which reads as follows:
People of Sharpeville
Conquered
As the soil of Sharpeville
Now you have left your pass behind
Now you have burnt the evil spirit
That had bound you so long
Now you are free
People of Sharpeville
Now you are bare
Of the armour
That had restricted your movements
Around you stenguns and saracens shift uneasily
Suddenly your air is filled with fire
As it burns into your lungs
And your gut shoots out
And blood oozes from your eyes
But your blood will not run dry
It flows with the strength of underground movements
To sadly nourish the tree of freedom
Mighty as the baobab
So you can rest in its shade
After the long journey
So you can eat of its fruit
Denied you so long
People of Sharpeville
The Old Vereeniging Road would talk of the formation in 1984 of the Vaal Civic Association; the declaration of the state of emergency later that year; Operation Palmiet, which saw 7000 army personnel deployed in October 1984 in Sharpeville and Sebokeng; the Boipatong massacre of 17 June 1992; and the Delmas Treason Trial in which sons from this community were charged for high treason.
I think it would talk about the despicable Group Areas Act that enforced racial segregation. The R82 would let you into a secret, which later was confirmed by former white Mayors, that under the instruction of John Vorster a line-on-map was drawn to make it clear that racial separation was to be firmly entrenched. With tears in its eyes, it would talk about the destruction of the non-racial community that lived in Evaton and the forced establishment of racial communities such as Roshnee for Indians; Ruster-Vaal for Coloureds, and Sebokeng for Africans. Even today, when we look at the townships of Sharpeville, Evaton and the communities of Arcon Park, Sonlanpark, Unitaspark and Three Rivers, that line of separation still marks the social landscape of the apartheid years.
Then there was the tragic event of 19 March 1993 and the legal battles of the ‘Eikenhof Three’. Some of you present here will remember Zandra Mitchley, her fourteen year old son, Shaun, and his friend, Claire Silberbauer, who were murdered on the Old Vereeniging Road not far from where we are today. At that time, three ANC activists, Boy Titi Ndweni, Sipiwe James Bholo and Sipho Samuel Gavin, were arrested, charged and found guilty even though they pleaded their innocence and insisted that the confessions were false and had been extracted under torture.
Sipiwe Bholo and Sipho Gavin were sentenced to death three times (later commuted to life sentences) while Boy Titi Ndweni was sentenced to seventeen years in jail. This R82 would remind us that later during a Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearing, Phila Dolo, a Pan African Congress activist claimed responsibility for the attack. In his amnesty application, Dolo told the TRC that he supervised the operation in his capacity as commander in the Azanian People's Liberation Army, the armed wing of the PAC. After a lengthy campaign by the ANC and PAC to free the 'Eikenhof Three', they were released from Johannesburg prison in 1999, having spent five years in jail for a crime they had not committed.
The R82 will tell us that before the development of the R59 and the Golden Highway, it was the thread that connected the people of the Vaal with the people of Johannesburg. It linked the deliberately severed communities of the past and connected them socially and economically.
It will talk of the thousands of students - those seeking education at universities like UJ and Wits, and other colleges and training institutions - who have travelled this road on a daily basis year-in and year-out. Sadly, it will tell the tale of the many failed promises made in the past to upgrade it and extend its lifespan.
But from today it will tell a different story. The R82 smiles as it realises that we have invested in its future existence, and will continue to do so over the next few years. In Phase 1, the department to date has spent R182 million to upgrade this into a dual carriageway from Eikenhof to Walkerville. The R82 will tell the tale of our coming here in March 2012 when we turned the soil for the expansion of this road. Gladly, we are here 18 months later to cut the ribbon marking the scheduled completion of this phase of the upgrade.
Phase 1 of the project entailed:
- the construction of 5.14km of dual carriageway;
- the construction of a bridge;
- the construction of six intersections for access roads along R82, which include two surfaced access roads and nine gravel access roads; and
- the construction of 16 taxi lay-byes along the road.
The R82 will attest to the fact that 13 local sub-contractors and 49 women, 146 young people and four persons with disabilities worked on it during the construction period. Also as part of giving back to the community, the contractor cleared a building site at the Elethu Themba School; donated building materials for the construction of the crèche buildings at the Adonia Fellowship Crèche; and leveled the entrance road to the Church of God in De Deur.
To keep the joy of the R82 alive for years to come, I wish to take this opportunity to announce that Phase 2 of the R82 upgrade will commence shortly. During the next phase, a further 4km will be rehabilitated and made into a dual carriageway at an estimated cost of R320 million. In addition, plans are at an advanced stage to commence with Phase 3 of the project, which will involve the upgrading of a further 11.3 km of road from the De Deur Post Office to Walkerville Manor. It is estimated to cost R550 million and will take 36 months to complete.
The upgrading of the R82 underpins our commitment to stimulate economic development in Sedibeng and to foster the social integration of all the people of this region. The rapid flow of goods and services along this road will stimulate trade and it will support the Sedibeng Growth and Development Strategy. New developments like Savanah City and the Eye of Africa will benefit greatly from the rehabilitation of
the R82. I want to reassure all of you that the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport remains committed to integrating the Sedibeng region into the Gauteng city Region.
Chairperson
I want to digress briefly and talk about the 25-Year Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25) that was released for public comment last week. The plan is underpinned by founding principles such as economic beneficiation; doing things in a “smart” and sustainable manner; and integrating transport networks, modes and services. Our new, attractively-designed transport logo and slogan, Gauteng on the move, captures the spirit and essence of this new paradigm.
Essentially, the plan proposes eight key interventions, namely, subsidised housing provision dissimilar to the current, single dwellings on stands within urban core areas; land use densification in support of public transport; reinforcing the passenger rail network as the backbone of the system; extending the integrated rapid and road-based public transport networks; strengthening freight hubs; ensuring effective travel demand management; mainstreaming non-motorised transport; and, ensuring continued provincial wide mobility.
A future transport system requires that Gauteng residents adopt a shift in transport modes from:
- motorised to non-motorised trips;
- private to public transport; and
- road to rail.
We will have to become more conscious of our environment; use cleaner fuels or alternatives such as compressed natural gas or electricity to power our cars, taxis, buses and trucks; and use transport technology intelligently. Although we might not like it, we will have to reduce traffic congestion through stronger travel demand management measures. Walking and cycling must be the preferred modes for short distances; followed by rail, bus and mini-bus taxis for longer distances, and yes, there is a place in the sun for motorbikes, tuks-tuks and pedicabs.
Private vehicle use for daily commuting to work and home must become the least favoured option as the public transport system is expanded and integrated. We will have to regulate our airfields and there will be a need for another intercontinental airport after the 25-year timeframe has lapsed. A well-developed freight and logistics “ring” will have to be created on the periphery of the core urban areas in the province and a properly structured Transport Authority should be established to better plan, co-ordinate and expand the future transport system. Funding for transport will have to increase fourfold over this period if we are to accomplish all that is envisioned in the plan.
Practically and more specifically for this region, this means that Sedibeng will have to enter into discussions with our department on the regulations of airfields; the proposed Vaalcon freight and logistics hub; the upgrade of the R59; the inter-linking of this region with other regions in the province that are stronger economically; and the further development of its public transport infrastructure. So, there is a lot that
we can and must do together to plan a better future.
Finally, this region will know its future demarcation in the near future. Whatever the outcome that is determined by the Demarcation Board, one thing is certain, step-by-step, and road by road, the Gauteng Global City Region is unfolding. And you are an integral and central part of the process. Gauteng is on the move; and when Gauteng moves, Midvaal, Emfuleni and Sedibeng moves inside its belly as well.
