Programme Director: Xola Bekebu
Honourable MEC of Transport: Ms Thandiswa Marawu
The honourable Acting Executive Mayor
All Councilors Present
RTMC: Acting CEO: Mr Gilberto Martins
Senior Traffic Chiefs
Officials from all three spheres government
Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS)
Organized Labour
Distinguished guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
Programme Director,
Traffic Officers form an important part of Law Enforcement agencies in South Africa. The Objects of the Traffic Police service are to prevent and combat traffic crimes, to protect and secure the road users of the Republic and their property, and to uphold and enforce the traffic laws.
Programme Director, when the high court of history sits in judgement on each one of us, recording whether in our brief span of service we fulfilled our responsibilities to the State.
Our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by the answer to four questions:
1. Were we truly men and women dedicated to service?
2. Were we truly men and women of courage?
3. Were we truly men and women of choice judgment? And above all;
4. Were we truly men and women of integrity?
Each and every one of us gathered here today will have to be able to respond introspectively, whether as men and women serving in the Transport Sector, were we diligent with what has been entrusted to us. History will judge the police service and the traffic management fraternity on Chapter 11, Section 205 (3) as per our Supreme Law of the country.
Ladies and gentlemen, a prosperous nation is the one that excels in transport infrastructure development and transport services at the same time striving to minimize accidents in all modes of transport especially, road safety.
SOUTH AFRICAN TRANSPORT MILESTONES: 20 YEARS INTO THE DEMOCRATIC DISPENSATION
In just a few months from now in 2014 we will be celebrating 20 years since the dispensation of the democratic order in South Africa. As the Department of Transport inclusive of its Transport sector partners, we are in the process of evaluating our milestones and the following take centre stage:
· Road Infrastructure development
· Road Safety through the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety
· Milestones in public transport
· Rail services achievements
· Maritime transport
· Advancement in aviation transport
• Strategic Infrastructure Projects known as SIPs
We are doing this assessment on our achievements mindful that South Africa, over the 20 years has traversed a road that is…Tough, challenging, competitive, ever-changing but above all rewarding, with an aim to bring about a better life for our people.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
The South African government through its National Development Plan has placed much emphasis on infrastructure development.
The availability, and quality, of infrastructure in general and road infrastructure in particular, is an indispensable asset which has a major impact on any country's international competitiveness and its ability to attract investment in order to grow its economy.
One of the major strengths of South Africa which position this country as the gateway to Africa is the fact that we have the most developed infrastructure on the continent.
However there is an opportunity to further strengthen this position if we keep investing in this infrastructure.
Currently, South Africa is ranked position ten in the international index, in terms of the length of our roads network, and sits at position eighteen for the quality and standard of our roads in the world.
In roads transport, infrastructure development is seen, for instance, in the on-going construction, upgrading and maintenance of our roads network in all nine provinces; which promote increased connectivity and create an enabling environment for local, regional and continental trade.
The much maligned Gauteng Freeway Improvement project at the R21 and the N1 is a case in point, through the GFIP,
the province has seen positive socio-economic spin offs as a result of expedient traffic flows. In this instance our Traffic Officers play a very significant role in manning the nation's road network which is an asset to this country.
THE 2011-2020 DECADE OF ACTION FOR ROAD SAFETY
It is disturbing that some 1.3 million people are estimated to die on the world's roads each year, while as many as 50 million are injured and almost 3200 road fatalities are recorded daily, globally. It has been estimated that global losses due to road traffic injuries total a 518 billion US Dollars, and cost Governments between 1 and 3 percent of their gross national product.
South Africa as a signatory to the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020; has committed itself at an international level to half road fatalities by the year 2020.
The latest Global Status Report on road safety in 178 countries shows that road traffic injuries remain a public health problem, particularly for low-income and middle-income countries.
The Report indicates that in Africa, 62% of the reported road crashes occur in 10 countries. One of these is South Africa. The majority of the reported crashes involve vulnerable road users, cyclists, and pedestrians at the most.
Ladies and gentlemen,
· The Decade of Action for Road Safety says the Traffic Management Fraternity and the nations of the world have to at all cost save 650 000 lives from road carnage.
· It means 650 000 or more children are given an opportunity to grow in a normal society where there are families headed by adult parents rather than children.
· For South Africa with approximated 14 000 annual recorded road; it means an estimate of 7000 or more economically viable citizens must be saved each year.
This effectively means that all the critical components that make up the “Safe Systems” approach under the 5 Pillars of the Road Safety Global Pillar must work in tandem to ensure that the greatest impact is made to offence rates and road traffic crash causalities.
THE 365 DAYS ROAD SAFETY PROGRAMME
On road safety initiatives, we are currently rolling out the 365 Days Road Safety programme which aggressively deals with challenges associated with pedestrian safety, passenger safety, cycling safety, driver and vehicle fitness.
The 365 Days Road Safety Programme is meant to address and elevate Road Safety so that it is operational and functional.
This Road Safety Programme is coordinated, integrated and comprehensive and focuses on Education and Awareness, on Law Enforcement, Engineering and Evaluation which involves the activities of Provinces, entities and municipalities. It is important to make mention that the revised Road Safety Strategy which has been completed is being implemented in the 365 Days Road Safety Programme.
THE NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY SUMMIT HELD IN OCTOBER 2013
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We should all acknowledge that the fight on road safety needs a collective pragmatic approach and a national collaboration strategy, which I believe the National Road Safety Summit recently held has forged a way forward.
As per the deliberations of the Summit, we resolved to focus attention on road safety education, engineering, enforcement and evaluation inclusive of the UN Global Road Safety Plan.
AARTO
The provisions and the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act commonly referred to as AARTO we want to implement it nationally by 2014.
This will enable us to better regulate law enforcement outputs, enforce compliance with road traffic and transport laws, enforce the payment of fines, subject habitual infringers to rehabilitation programmes.
VISIBLE POLICING
The department of Transport is looking at increasing the number of traffic officers for better visibility and better policing. Based on scientific comparative studies it is important to know the ratio of Traffic Officers needed per population size, so that when we consider an intervention to increase the current 17000, it should be premised on a known percentage or number increase.
It is worth mentioning that we are also considering declaring the Provincial Traffic Law Enforcement as Essential Services.
INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
The Departments of Transport and Communication which are part of “ In-Vehicle ICT Solutions for safe driving and ICT for efficient traffic Management” are working towards a solution in addressing the challenges faced by both sectors.
We are further looking into capacitating the incident management system. Collaboration is needed with academic and scientific institutions to collate and analyse road traffic data that will inform and direct road traffic law enforcement management strategies and operations.
CORRUPTION
We are currently engaging the Department of Police, particularly the Crime Intelligence branch on strategies to combat the corruption experienced in License Testing Stations.
This Summit must assist us and discuss means to deal with this rife corruption in the License Testing Stations. Because what is evident is the fact that some of the senior management themselves are at the centre in committing these corrupt activities. They endorse the issuance of illegal permits to unroad-worthy vehicles and fraudulent driving licenses.
Programme Director, according to a scientific survey conducted nationwide that sought to find out who is likely to corrupt or be corrupted in South Africa? There was an overwhelming mention of traffic officers topping the list.
What does this signify? Why is it that we have easily corruptible traffic officers? Where is the presence of Senior Traffic Management who are supposed to deal with these matters?
This very Summit must be able to tell us going forward what responsive resolutions you are going to adopt that will address these present challenges.
At present you have a cadre of traffic officers whom some refuse promotion and prefer to be on the road in order to continue with these corrupt practises.
Have you ever paused to ask why? Can it be that this practice is exacerbated by subjective promotions based on subjective decisions which promote nepotism and cronyism? This very Summit must intensively discuss the career pathing of traffic officers.
We also need to interrogate the very curriculum of traffic officers offered during training. What values is the curriculum entrenches in student officers? Do we even know, what calibre of traffic officers we need, to accomplish such a mammoth task of law enforcement? Who exactly are we recruiting?
Programme Director, the curriculum should be structured in such a way that it is able to produce professional traffic officers who are able to withstand the temptations of corruption. The curriculum and the selection criteria must be able to effectively set apart a new breed of ethical professionals, who understand the implications of their every decision.
We equally need continuous training of senior management, who must at all material cost seek the best for this country. We need a calibre of Senior Managers who will consciously want to eradicate corruption instead of being the perpetrators.
In SAPS we hear of deliberate actions taken against police men and women who involved themselves in crimes and face the full might of the Law. But in Traffic Management where these crimes are rampant, we do not even hear of a single arrest.
It is appalling that we get reports of both senior and junior traffic officers who come at accidents scene when fatalities are reported, instead of arresting the offender the traffic officer drive with the offender to the nearest ATM to withdraw money.
I just cannot understand such erosion of conscience. We need answers. It is time such Summits discuss pertinent issues that will assist the growth and development of this fraternity.
SOUTH AFRICAN ROAD CARNAGE STATUS
It is sad that this Summit is held at the backdrop of many tragic accidents that have been witnessed all over the country such as the KwaZulu-Natal accident that claimed 24 lives, the Kwaggafontein, Mpumalanga on R573 / Moloto road accident that claimed 30 people, the Mkhomazi accident with 15 fatalities etc.,
Before I proceed, allow me to express our deepest condolences to the families and relatives of the 63 and other people who have been killed on our roads and we wish those injured a speedy recovery.
These kinds of crashes and collisions are examples of acts that we cannot tolerate as a nation.
If you sum up the number of fatalities from 2009 to 2011 period a sum of 41 689 lives were lost. The contributory factors include human factors (83.88%), status of vehicle fitness (7.46%) and roads and the environmental conditions (8.66%) by year 2011.
· I wonder what percentage would be attributed to traffic officers who engage in unlawful and corrupt practices.
· How many lives and child headed households are there as a consequence of road carnage, caused as a result of taxi driver who is authorize to operate with an illegal permit just because s/he has bribed an officer of law?
· I really question how many drivers of private vehicles are permitted to proceed driving under the influence of alcohol and with defective vehicles just because a professional Traffic officer will get a cool drink? Can South Africa afford such an expensive culture of unethical practices?
The road users have reported so many challenges that they encounter in the helm of our Traffic Officers. One of them is the freight industry, who expressed concern on the prevailing improper practice engaged by our very own contingent of traffic officers, the South African Police and the Fire Engine Officials who paint a very undisciplined and corrupt traffic management and police workforce.
These unlawful corrupt activities occur in all provinces. Allow me to mention a few.
In Mpumalanga province;
To be precise Emakhazeni (Belfast) area, there is impersonation of NRTA authorized officers by Fire Department employees.
They stop vehicles on public roads enter and perform inspections in relation to dangerous goods without authorization and then issue invoices for inspection service rendered – the question is can fire department employees perform these duties?
In KwaZulu-Natal
In Escourt and Ladysmith areas there is hijacking of diesel fuel tankers by individuals impersonating traffic and SAPS officials, but recently the actual traffic and SAPS members are now engaging in these despicable crimes.
At Ladysmith weighbridge dubious prosecutions are conducted, detaining vehicles releasing them only when bribes are paid.
In Free State;
Vehicles are impounded to illicit bribes, traffic officers of the law generate income by putting misleading signage showing illegal parking and there after demand payment.
Gauteng and Western Cape
Interpret the TRH11 differently depending on the officer in charge. They refuse to allow non-escorted loads to move during low traffic volume times.
Officers must be bribed first before carrying their duty to escort abnormal loads at night or over weekends.
In North West
On route vehicles are impounded for offences that do not exist, which exposes our Officers who are not conversant with the very legislation they are to enforce.
In Limpompo
There is general bribery by officers of loads travelling to Alldays and surrounds as well as in the weighbridges near Nylstroom and Mesina.
We are presented with more challenges on the road transport sector where truckers are allowed to make use of secondary arterial routes which are on the decline but also not designed to carry heavy freight. This is done so they can illegally compensate the very officers who must enforce the law.
We know and are made aware of all these unethical dismissable conducts in all these provinces.
The question is what steps are taken to decisively address this pandemic that is slowly eroding the country's investment opportunities, rendering useless our law enforcement efforts, but above all exposing the citizenry of this country to road carnage.
Our Traffic Officers must know and understand that every time they make a decision to be corrupt or agree to be corrupted they are signing a death or a disability warrant to innocent families and robing South Africa its human capital, a plethora of skills and talents.
We know that as a country we currently have few than required weighbridges. We are attending to this challenge.
According to research; at least R306 billion is lost to the South African economy annually as a result of road crashes.
We must be steadfast in finding solutions to curb incidents of this nature. This very Summit must be frank and address challenges head on, the recommendations must provide for implementable solutions.
It must be our everyday and lifelong responsibility to ensure that our people and roads are safe.
While our challenges in South Africa are many and varied there are still many dedicated traffic officers who work tirelessly to uphold the integrity of this profession. To them we say well done, this country does notice your selfless contributions. Although being only 17 000 we understand the challenges this present, and we will address the issue of capacity.
We know that most of you will not be with your families this festive season, as you will be full force on the road. For this, on behalf of the government and the people of South Africa, we want to thank you very much. We also would not be with our families as we will be joining major road safety operations.
It is our plea that you intensify your Festive Season road safety operations atleast a week before the festive season commences, which means this week and the following week. Such operations must be a coordinated effort between Transport, SAPS and other sister departments and entities that deal with issues of road safety.
Remember the festive season counting of road fatalities starts on this coming Sunday, the 1st of December 2013 up until the 7th January 2014. We want to reduce these fatalities at least by 5%.
THE GAUTENG IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME (GFIP) GOING LIVE
Programme Director, Ladies and Gentlemen, as you would have heard the announcement, as of the 3rd of December 2013 the eTolling will be going live. Your support of GFIP is indeed much appreciated. Please ensure that you tag your vehicle both gautengers and visitors to Gauteng province.
IN CONCLUSION
As the Department of Transport;
We will continue to work with all stakeholders, within and outside the state, to maximise the impact of our road safety campaigns.
I would like to take this opportunity and commend the Acting CEO Mr Gilberto Martins, his Executive management and staff of the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the Easter Cape Department of Transport and all other provinces, for a job well done in preparing for this Summit; acknowledging and promoting excellence in the Traffic Management Fraternity.
We congratulate those who will be receiving awards later today; and urge all our traffic law enforcement officers to make a positive impact on reducing the road carnage all year round. This will change the face of our road networks.
I once more want to take this opportunity to announce that all road users who will be using our road networks during the festive season, to please heed the call to value human life, to take responsibility and drive safely.
They must make sure that they take their vehicles for road-worthiness checks before they take any trips. Motorists must rest after every 200 km, it does not help to over speed loose lives or become disabled. Let them buckle up and observe all the rules of the road. They must not drink and drive and walk on our roads. This is the message to all road users.
Distinguished Guests, self-respect is the fruit of discipline, the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say NO to oneself!
Say no to acts of corruption! Say no to the defamatory practices that degrade the Traffic Management profession. Say no to loss of innocent lives!
We cannot do anything about the length of our life, but we can do something about its width and depth…may this traffic management profession that you have chosen also form part of that rich width and depth of attributes that will define a life well lived, a life that served the people of South Africa with excellence and patriotism.
I wish you well in your deliberations, as a nation, together we can half road traffic fatalities and declare the bank of road carnage bankrupt.
Your profession as traffic officers and managers is tough, is challenging, is competitive, is ever-changing but above all its must be rewarding. We shall be victorious no matter what it takes.
I thank you.
