Programme Director, DJ Pastor,
The Deputy Minister of Transport, Ms Chikunga
The Eastern Cape MEC for Transport, Ms Marawu
The Deputy Mayor of the Buffalo City Municipality, Cllr, Themba Thinta
The wife of our struggle icon, Steve Biko, Mrs Ntsiki Biko,
The Regional Manager of Metrorail, Mr Richard Walker,
Senior Officials from all spheres of Government,
Leadership of SATAWU,
Eastern Cape Taxi Association and the Taxi and Bus Chamber,
Community leaders,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to use this moment to convey to Honourable Premier Kieviet and her family, our sincere condolences for the sad loss of our Premier’s dearly departed spouse.
Their loss is our loss too, for as a community of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are bonded together by the belief that the loss of one of us is a loss of an important limb in the otherwise well-functioning body. May it be brought to them; strength to face this passing moment, comfort to accept the ways of our creator and healing to restore their faith in Him.
Programme Director, our thematic October Transport Month has been a whirlwind of positive energy that permeated every nook and cranny of our beautiful country South Africa. For us in the transport sector, never was there a dull moment. We traversed the length and breadth our country listening and talking to our people, linking and communicating with all fellow South in radio, television, meetings, twitters and all manner of social media.
Not only did we listen and talk, but we also took stock of what it is in transport infrastructure that will and must make our country work better for all of us. We went around announcing the good news about our immediate and future plans. Beyond all that and most importantly, we delivered concrete and life- changing transport infrastructure – in road, in rail, in marine and in aviation.
Today we are delighted to celebrate a month well spent and what better place to do it at than this place, the Steve Biko Memory Centre in King Williamstown. This event is termed a closing event – do we really think we’ve named it appropriately? I believe the project to bring a better life to all in our country is a life-long journey, it started in 1994 with the advent of a democratic government, led by the African National Congress, and it has no ending.
Having said that, Programme Director, this event is more than just a closing event, in fact, it is no closing event at all, but, even better still, an occasion to rededicate our government, and all our people together to do more.
Today’s event exemplifies a nation sufficiently energised to chart its destiny into a glorious future – a future devoid of poverty, hunger, unemployment and disease. We are here to launch the restoration of the passenger railway line between East London and King Williamstown.
It is a project that will bring fond memories of strong family bonds when we used to travel long hours in the train to be reunited with our loved ones in either of the two places. It also brings hope for jobs and a better life to many individuals and families in the area and the province.
It is about our memories and our hopes – it links not only East London with King Williamstown, but our past with the future too. As I indicated during the launch in Tshwane at the beginning of October - safe and reliable transportation of goods, people and services is key to the growth of our economy.
As a transport family we feel obliged and responsible to note that when the majority of our people wake up each and every morning they get into buses, trains taxis and airplanes for various intentions at various destinations. These movements are at the core of South Africa’s social and economic development - making Transport a notable need with which we cannot afford to ignore.
Since the launch of Transport Month in 2005 a lot has been achieved and communicated. The national department of transport, its entities and the provincial departments of heads and transport and municipalities have tirelessly worked together and transformed the shape of public transport in South Africa.
The transport system and infrastructure of today is very much different from the transport system of 10 years ago. South Africa is a much better place to be today than most countries in Africa because of various developments that include transport infrastructure compounded with safe and fast trains, buses and taxis.
As we alluded to during our budget vote in May Transport infrastructure and services remain crucial for generating economic growth, alleviating poverty, reducing the manifestations of inequality and increasing domestic and international competitiveness.
As government we strongly view transport as vital to our way of life, connecting people with jobs, schools, shopping centres, family and friends.
As witnessed during our Transport Month campaign, we have achieved considerable milestones and took necessary interventions to tackle the challenge of congestion on increasing and upgrading our freeways and increasing our public transport services.
Distinguished guests, as we reflect on the successes and challenges in the transport sector, it is important that I mention some of the major transport success stories.
These include:
- the upgrading and construction of the R20 billion Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project
- the construction of the R7billion King Shaka International AirportThe construction of the R1.3billion Bridge City Rail Link project
- the upgrading of the OR Tambo International Airport
- the upgrading of the Cape Town International Airport
- the launch of the Soweto and Tshwane Business Express trains by PRASA
- the R25 billion Gautrain Rapid Rail Link that runs from Johannesburg suburbs to the OR Tambo International Airport and then to Pretoria and back
Ladies and gentlemen,
These developments could not have come at any better time. These huge investments speak volume for themselves. South Africa has transformed for the better and these developments in the transport industry will herald growth in the tourism sector and increased economic growth.
We have seen progressive advances by our government on service delivery in the lives of our people in areas such as education, health and access to basic services. We have also witnessed a renewed focus on the need to address the challenges confronting vulnerable groups such as youth, women, and the rural masses of our people.
Specific to the Transport sector we have made significant strides to transform the socio-economic landscape of our country. This we have done, and will continue to do, to meet the social and economic aspirations of our people, especially the urban and rural poor.
As we stand on the brink of celebrating 20 years of democracy, we have worked tirelessly since 1994 to ensure that we improve the lives of South Africans. We have recorded notable advances in the transport sector.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good roads are the backbone of our economy. We have about 750 000 kilometers of roads in South Africa. Before 1994, the DoT was responsible for a road network of less than 530 km. In 1998, the ANC Government established SANRAL to look into the national road asset and is now managing over 19 700 km.
Most of our road network is older than 25 years and it has exceeded its design life and that is why we have so many potholes, which in any case, the government has dedicated funding for its rehabilitation. In total, the maintenance backlog of our road network is more than R149 billion, a serious burden which the government cannot carry alone.
You would also be aware that construction has started on the first large new rail lines since the 1980s, to help to shift transport of coal from roads to rail in order to protect the road network and enhance efficiencies in the manner that we conduct business in this industry.
We inherited a rail infrastructure network was in a general state of decay with ageing stock, inefficient signaling systems that affects operations and dilapidated stations. This sector has been characterized by no investments and needed our intervention.
In response to this challenge, we have embarked on a deliberate investment programme in the rail sector, which will see the provision of more than 3 400 new train coaches or wagons and more than 140 locomotives, many of which will now be manufactured locally to create jobs and expand industrial capacity.
Work on the Integrated Public Transport Networks model also includes the City of Johannesburg, which has launched the first phase of the BRT, called the Rea Vaya system, with Cape Town having introduced the MyCiti system which will be completed over the next few years.
Similarly, construction has started with new BRT systems for Tshwane, Rustenburg, Nelson Mandela Bay and Polokwane.
Programme Director,
Through this government, our country’s harbours, pipelines and ports have been improved, with a brand new Port of Ngqura having been completed and its container terminal operating. The Durban and Cape Town harbours were expanded and the Port Elizabeth manganese terminal refurbished.
In fact, across the country, we have invested more than R22 billion in the upgrade of our airports, from Mthatha Airport to the OR Tambo International Airport. We have improved in the provision of the integrated transport network with the addition of the Gautrain, which links Pretoria and Johannesburg with the country’s largest airport.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The transport sector is a significant enabler for economic growth and social development, and we must promote the continued and sustained investments by government and the private sector across the four modes of transport, namely, road, rail, maritime and aviation.
This is aimed at wealth creation, skills development, job creation and poverty eradication, but beyond that, to redress the negative apartheid spatial development patterns and address regional integration objectives.
This work we do within the ambit of the vision of the National Development Plan – our nation’s strategic long term plan to tackle poverty and inequality – that seeks to mobilize the broadest possible national unity in pursuit of these objectives.
Ladies and gentlemen, this closing event does not mean that we are shutting down our commitment to build roads, bridges and rail networks. We will continue to upgrade and maintain our transport infrastructure as we move into the future. We will improve construction and upgrading our our provincial road networks through the implementation of the S’hamba Sonke Programme.
The key focus areas will include the increase of investment in the maintenance of key arterial routes to support the rural economy and the increased focus in the cost-efficient use of labour absorptive methodologies in road construction and maintenance.
Furthermore, the S’hamba Sonke Programme must contribute in delivering a Safe Road Environment through the eradication of potholes, road engineering band design and the rehabilitation of strategic routes.
Through the road construction and maintenance programme, we will continue to develop skills that are relevant to the industry.
Ladies and gentlemen,
To ensure that these efforts respond to our long-term goal of socio- economic development, the Department of Transport seeks to align its work with the National Development Plan through the National Transport Master Plan.
NATMAP, as a long term plan seeks to:
- develop future infrastructure facilities
- ensure a demand responsive socio-economic growth strategy, and sectoral integrated spatial development plan
- maximise the utilisation of existing infrastructure facilities
- develop a central land use and transportation Databank
- promote integrated multimodal public passenger transportation
- provide energy-efficient transport and reduce our carbon-footprint.
As the Transport Department, we envision a transport future that lends itself to an effective industry that is well-regulated and structured in such a way that it benefits consumers as well as industry.
We have also prioritized the following as key focus areas:
- Supply chain development for SMMEs
- Increased participation of women and youth in the transport industry
- Increasing the number of container ports, and an enhanced focus in on the potential of the maritime sector.
- Investment to improve the rail network as well as the number of carriages and locomotives
- Building rail networks around major power generating areas so as to get coal trucks off the roads
- Alternative road surfacing materials that will last longer and be cheaper to maintain
- Fixing potholes.
Distinguished guests; we have a good story to tell. South Africa due to increased infrastructure development in transport, water, energy and communications is indeed a better place today, than it was before 1994.
We have been saying as the ANC government’s clarion call since 2009 that, “Working Together We Can Do More”. Partnerships and cooperation with all stakeholders in the transport sector are a necessary precondition to the realisation of the noble plans we have in changing the face of transport in our country.
As a Minister of this department the journey I made in October Transport Month was both an inspiration lesson and invaluable experience. I have heard our people speak with vigour and honesty about how they think the country can move forward and how central transport infrastructure is to that forward movement.
I have heard them speak in honesty about what is required to change their lives but also how much confidence they have that the ANC will lead the way in that life-long project to change their lives for the better.
How well this government has done and yet how steep a mountain there is still to climb – and how most importantly it is their duty as much as it is government’s responsibility, how noble it is to do for their country what is in their collective power rather than expect the country to do it for them all the time.
I want to thank all of you for being a very active and committed transport family during our Transport Month Campaign for this year. You efforts, dedication and commitment should continue in good spirit and lead the people of South Africa into a brilliant and resounding future.
I thank you!
