MEC Ismail Vadi: Tabling of Annual Report 32013/14

Honourable Members
 

It is my pleasure to participate in the debate on the 2013/14 Annual Report of the Department of Roads and Transport. I will do so by dealing with the high level

issues as I have already given a more detailed presentation to the House when the Report was tabled on 30 September 2014. The Report sets out the achievements

of the Department; its challenges; and the pursuit of its medium-term goals. As such it serves as a document of historical record of the impact of the work of this

Department on the lives of our people.
 

Madam Speaker
 

e-Tolls Review Panel Firstly, allow me to compliment and applaud the Panel that was established by the Premier to review the socio-economic impact of e-tolls on the economy and people of Gauteng for completing its work on time. Its consultation processes were credible and extensive, which drew in a cross section of stakeholders, including the

wider public. To have completed the difficult mandate that it was given within a period of four months, and to have discharged its responsibility on schedule, is

commendable and laudable. As the Honourable Premier has indicated already, the Report will be made public early in next year. In the interim, consultation will be

undertaken between the Gauteng Provincial Government; the National Government and municipal authorities, after which the Office of the Premier will make a determination on the matter on behalf of the provincial government.
 

A re Yeng
 

We also are extremely pleased that the city centre route of the Tshwane rapid transit system named, A re Yeng, is now operational. The busses and stations are

beautifully designed and the colours blend in with the noted jacaranda trees of the city. Together with Rea Vaya, Gautrain and the revitalisation of Metrorail our efforts

in building a modern, integrated, safe and reliable public transport system in the Gauteng city-region is steadily gaining momentum. I trust that work on the

remaining phases of the system will begin in earnest and that the pedestrian pathways that are being constructed in the city centre will be completed expeditiously. I am mindful of the fact that the business sector in the Pretoria CBD has expressed some concerns over the delays in completing the walkway project, which is impacting negatively on their businesses. I have been in touch with the relevant political heads and urged them to ensure that the work is sped up.
 

Gautrain
 

The Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) is currently working on the following three areas: infrastructure upgrades of the current system; acquisition of additional

rolling stock for the current system; and extension of the network.
 

Gautrain system has been in operation for thirty months. During this period we have seen a huge growth in the ridership of the Gautrain. Daily rail commuters have increased by more than 24 percent during the past year and the growth in bus passengers have increased by more than 30 percent. This has put pressure on the system, especially during the morning peak period. To alleviate some of this pressure, Bombela has introduced more eight-car train sets in the morning peak. We now have 7 eight-car trains in operation during the morning peak period.

 

In addition, we will be extending the platform length of the station at OR Tambo International airport to accommodate a five-car train set; will provide additional surface parking at Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand and Rhodesfield Stations; introduced an earlier and later service on weekdays between Sandton and OR Tambo Stations; and will introduce a ‘short-run’ train service between Centurion and Sandton Stations.
 

Aerotropolis
 

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has been tasked to oversee the development of a Master Plan for the creation of the Ekurhuleni Aerotropolis, which is anchored around the OR Tambo International Airport. An international consortium was appointed in April 2013 by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality to develop an initial 5-Year Implementation Plan, which has now been completed and broadly approved by the EMM Mayoral Committee.

It is anticipated that the current process of consultation on the 5-year Implementation Plan will be concluded by February 2015.
 

ITMP25
 

What all this reveals is that the Department’s work is linked to an overall plan. It is reassuring that its projects are underpinned by forward-looking planning based on the 25-year Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25). This informs our approach to the roll-out of public transport infrastructure in municipalities and in the province, and to maintaining, rehabilitating and expanding the provincial road network. The ITMP25 provides the linkages between the various elements which constitute the transport value chain.
 

What is encouraging is the fact that delegations from several countries, particularly in Africa, have visited the Department with the express purpose of consulting us on the IMTP25. Our hosting on two occasions of the conferences of the African Association of Public Transport and the setting up of its offices in Gauteng has made us the focus of attention by public transport professionals and operators. We have met with delegations from Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Katanga (in the DRC) and exchanged ideas and shared common experiences. I also had the pleasure of hosting Western Cape MEC for Roads and Transport, Mr Donald Grant, who had come to look at our 25-year plan. Only last week, we received a Swedish delegation of transport planners and engineers to discuss the ITMP25.
 

These interactions have been beneficial to our officials and to them. The visits by these delegations are an indication that Gauteng has the technical know-how and expertise to contribute to the global institutional memory and intellectual data base of the transport value chain.
 

Gauteng Transport Commission
 

The establishment of the Gauteng Transport Commission is a noteworthy step forward. It will further the institutional arrangements for the province and municipalities to plan, coordinate and integrate their decision-making as a City-Region, rather than as individual, isolated spheres of government. The immediate areas of cooperation are integrated rail planning in the province; the promotion of standardised Intelligent Transport Systems, particularly in respect of integrated ticketing, integrated fare management, passenger transport information and traffic management; the development and integration of Bus Rapid Transport Systems; the support of sustainable transport options, including non-motorised transport; and the effective implementation and integration of travel demand management. It is administratively and economically unproductive if the Department and transport entities in the cities plan in silos on transport matters which necessitate synergistic and cooperative decision making. We are pleased that the Gauteng Transport

Commission now has fully functional offices established at the premises of g-Fleet, which in itself is a sound, cost-saving measure.
 

The Annual Report highlights the trend that transport is an enabler for broader economic growth and the Department is conceptually and functionally linking and

integrating the transport more stridently with the broader economic growth and development goals of the province as set out in the Premier’s transformation, modernisation and reindustrialisation agenda. Our approach is to unlock the role of transport by increasing its beneficiation capacity to add value to the economy.
 

Conceptually and operationally the idea is not to only create a transport corridor, but to unlock economic value and making these transport corridors more economically viable. Developments around a number of Gautrain stations are a practical demonstration of how a transport hub can act as an economic beehive that leads to urban renewal and broader economic development. The PRASA rail revitalisation programme would further continue on this trajectory.
 

There can be little doubt that it is the government’s infrastructure development programmes and projects that provided a key stimulus to the economy during the global economic downturn and transport forms an important and integral part of it.
 

It is the lifeline for the economy at a time when the international demand for our raw materials and goods are in decline and consumer spending is depressed due to job losses and rising inflation.
 

Madam Speaker
 

Outdoor Advertising
 

Last Friday we had an interesting debate on outdoor advertising and the feasibility of securing private sector funding for road maintenance in return for roadside advertising rights. I wish to make a number of points in this regard. Firstly, the DA Members who spoke in the debate pleaded with the ANC not to “politicise” what from their side was a genuine effort to help the government. Let me inform the House of how the DA is already abusing the situation. For instance, on the R500 where a sinkhole has developed, which is properly signposted by the Department’s road signs, the DA placed a billboard on the roadside which reads as follows: “Please be cautious – sinkhole ahead. Notice brought to you by the DA in the interest of community safety”. This “notice board” that is placed on the road reserve is an illegal advertisement erected without permission or authority to do so on Departmental property. It poses a potential risk to motorists. I wish to appeal to the leader of DA, the Honourable Moodey, to intervene in this matter, to go there today and remove this illegal advertisement and to ensure that this not occur again. Should this not be done my officials will institute the relevant procedures to remove the illegal advertisement.
 

Secondly, I am led to believe that the DA had invited representatives of three advertising companies to witness to last Friday’s debate. If it was the case, then we have a classic example of how a party is camouflaging particular business interests as public interest matters. Now Members can see the danger of what the DA was proposing – come election time, these roadside adverts will suddenly be turned into free DA advertising spots using public spaces.
 

Lastly, I have written to the Chairperson of the Committee requesting that the Department be given an opportunity to brief Members on the steps being taken to better regulate outdoor advertising.
 

g-FleeT
 

One of the downsides of the past financial year is the ‘adverse audit opinion’ of the Auditor-General on g-FleeT. This came as a shock to us considering that g-FleeT had received unqualified audit for the previous two financial years. During my introduction of the Annual Report on 30 September 2014, I made a commitment to the House that we would submit a full report on this occasion. I would like to report to the House that the Department has intervened and to date has taken the following corrective measures: The Head of Department has issued a letter of warning to the g-FleeT CFO; the 2013/14 trial balance has been corrected and submitted for consideration to the AG’s office; and an auditing firm is to appointed shortly to assist with the preparations of the 2014/15 financial statements.
 

Open Tender
 

As I have said in the introduction that every Annual Report gives us the opportunity to capacitate ourselves to address and redress the challenges that emerged during that period. As far as possible our corporate governance should be of a standard that major problems do not recur. We will continue to pursue the goal to develop a culture of sustainable excellence in the public service, which would result in a higher standard of service delivery to our people. In this regard I am pleased that the MEC for Finance and Treasury has selected the Department for piloting the “open tender” system in our province. This process has already started and on Friday, the tender for the upgrading of Cedar Road, through which the open tender system is to tested, was advertised.

This serves to indicate that the Public Service primarily must provide an enabling administrative environment based on ethical principles that support economic development and growth.
 

Let me conclude by thanking the Head of Department, Mr Ronald Swartz, and the entire staff of the Department for their support and good work ethic; our transport stakeholders for their instructive interactions with us; and the members of the Committee for exercising oversight on the work of the Department.
 

We should remember that road safety must be a top priority for all of us, particularly during the festive season. Only yesterday we hosted a very important consultative meeting on developing a new and comprehensive road safety strategy for Gauteng. But we know it needs more than words; it needs every person in our province and in the country at large to take responsibility for safety on our roads.
 

We wish all Members in the House and the staff in the Legislature a safe and blessed festive season.