Executive Mayor and Councillors of OR Tambo District Municipality
Executive Mayor and Councillors of King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality
Representatives from freight and bus companies
Contestants
Departmental officials
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is indeed a great honour for me to address this glittering occasion, when we honour men and women who have made us proud of the quality of drivers that we have in our province.
Before I proceed with my address, let me first take this opportunity on behalf of the Eastern Cape Department Transport to congratulate all the 62 men and women for reaching the Provincial Stage of the competition since its start in May 2009 with 300 participants from the companies’ level, sub-district, and district up to this level.
We are convinced that we will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming national competition to be held in October 2009 in Limpopo and continue to be represented at the international competition.
Our gratitude further goes to the team of departmental officials, who worked hard to ensure that this competition continues to produce quality drivers, who will be a good example to other road users.
As government, we strongly believe that through this completion we can help to improve and enhance driving skills of heavy motor vehicles' drivers.
We are impressed by the level of participation of various companies in this initiative as this will assist in the achievement of our objective of preventing and reducing road accidents involving heavy motor vehicles.
Through this initiative, we can further educate, develop and motivate heavy motor vehicle drivers to be the best in what they do and understand the heavy responsibility entrusted upon them with regard to road safety and their contribution to the economy of the Republic of South Africa.
We have observed that this competition is growing in leaps and bounds throughout the Province and we are encouraged by the continuous increase of the number of entries from local to district levels. Companies have also shown remarkable interest to support the competition by making available their vehicles and requesting driver training from the department. It is gratifying to notice the steady increase in the number of women, who are involved in this competition – Malibongwe igama lamakhosikazi!
As we celebrate Women's Month, we have every reason to be proud of women, who will be receiving awards this evening. While we do that, we should simultaneously keep in mind the plight of the majority of women, especially in this province, who are still subjected to poverty stricken conditions.
Their lives are characterised by low levels of literacy, unemployment and inequitable access to education; inadequate food, health care, housing, water and other resources. Moreover, many women are still subjected to various forms of violence on a daily basis, directed at them by virtue of their gender.
As we grapple with the transformation our country on principles of democracy, women have a role to play to ensure that we build a solid foundation for future generations. Yesterday, I joined a roadblock organised by female traffic officers, South African Police Service (SAPS) members and road safety officials, which formed part of our Women’s Month Programme.
I was really amazed by the capability of those women to command and work together, while ensuring that they provide a safe passage to road users.
Today, we have every reason to believe that "the tide has turned" and that South Africa is on course in its efforts to build a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.
The remaining challenge is for the Department of Transport to honour its commitment that we have made through my policy speech a few months ago that we should continue to improve our road infrastructure in order to facilitate the movement of people and goods.
Our interventions will include re-checking speed limits on certain routes, including the R344, R392, R401, R726, R390, R391, R397, R393, R394 and R396.
We will further open satellite traffic stations on strategic routes that are critical in terms of road accidents in order to monitor traffic movements.
In conclusion, I would like to once more congratulate all of you and say "SODIBANA E- LIMPOPO!" (We shall meet in Limpopo)
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison Eastern Cape Provincial Government
15 August 2009
