The Mayor of Thembisile Hani Municipality Cllr Ndaweni Mahlangu;
Other Mayors and Councillors present;
RAF Board chairperson, Dr Ntuthuko Bengu;
DDGs Chris Hlabisa and J De Villiers RAF CEO, Dr Eugine Watson;
CEO of RTIA Japh Chuwe;
Officials from national and provincial Departments;
Business;
Members of the Community;
Media;
Ladies and gentlemen
My sincerely greetings to you all, LOTSHANI!!! Programme Director, Delivering the January 8 statement at Cape Town Stadium during the ruling African National Congress's 103rd anniversary celebrations, President Jacob Zuma said to achieve radical social and economic transformation, it is important for the country to use the Freedom Charter as a guide to shaping policies and legislation that are aimed at serving all South Africans.
The President declared 2015 as the Year of the Freedom Charter and Unity in Action. He called on all sectors of society to embrace the Freedom Charter as this year also marks the 60th anniversary of the historic document, which was penned in Kliptown, Soweto, in 1955. As we are gathered here today, we are to realise one of the many principles of the Freedom Charter that states that „the people shall govern‟. I am here today to listen together with my colleagues from the national, provincial and local sphere of government supported by the State machinery, in this regard SANRAL, PRASA, RAF and RTIA and the Department of Transport officials at all levels. Ladies and Gentlemen, Allow me to borrow from the words of the South African disability activists Michael Masutha and William Rowland, who had in turn heard the phrase used by an unnamed East European activist, saying “NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US” We are here today as government to listen to you and to plan together with you. The purpose of our Imbizo today is to give you feedback on the Moloto Development Corridor.
Today marks day five since the commencement of the government Imbizo Focus week which started on the 7th April 2015 and ends today the 12th April 2015. As the Minister of Transport I commenced the Imbizo Focus Week, with unannounced visits to the Springs and the Germiston Drivers License Testing Centres respectively. I further inspected the Germiston and the Park Station Infrastructure upgrades and also took a metro rail train from Park Station to Leralla train station in Tembisa. This was in response to the call by an ANC social media fan who challenged me to travel on this train in order to experience challenges faced by commuters daily. Further on, I visited the Mthatha Airport to inspect the state of the airport after its infrastructure upgrade and I also met with various stakeholders. I also visited Harrismith to engage communities regarding the N3 Highway developments and the establishment of the Harrismith Logistics Hub.
I proceeded towards Pietermaritzburg to handover houses for the needy families of Nhlazatshe, who were identified during the Presidential Imbizo. Ladies and gentlemen, Today I am here to hear from you sharing your ideas, hopes and frustrations so that together we can add to our country good story. Not only to do so, but as government we will be giving feedback regarding the exciting developments on the Integrated Moloto Development Corridor. Earlier this morning, we started by participating on the RAF-on-the-Road public awareness campaign. As we might know RAF, which is the consoling arm of government, is mandated to ensure that it makes funds available to help the victims of road carnages. As a result, it is important that as communities we should know how to access services that RAF offers at the time of our need. I am also delighted with the new legislation that seeks to transform the current regime towards a no fault basis road accident benefit scheme whereby we are cutting out the middle man (lawyers) and making the cake bigger for the beneficiaries.
The long awaited RABS bill is in the process of being finalised with public consultations concluded and parliamentary processes to begin. I would like to take this opportunity to thank RAF CEO, Dr Eugine Watson and the RAF Board and the entire staff for the job well done and off-course I thank you for your participation as well. Programme Director, Let me take this opportunity to report that as government we know have finalised the transfer of the Moloto road to SANRAL and National Treasury has allocated a R1.1 Billion for the upgrading and the safety improvements on the road, over a period of three years commencing from 2015/16 financial year. I take this opportunity to thank my counterparts from the provinces of Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Gauteng for co-operating with us to ensure that we deliver this mandate to the people this so-much-needed service, “together we can do more to take South Africa forward” I also take this opportunity to thank the people of Thembisile Hani and the surrounding municipalities for the patience and trust you bestowed in your government let by the ANC.
The days of the Moloto road to be called “ the notorious or killer road” are coming to an end because of this development. As the ANC-led government, through the leadership of President Jacob Zuma, we prioritised the Moloto Development corridor as one of the apex infrastructural projects of government. Going forward, the Moloto road will be one of the construction sites of our country and we know that through this project our people will be liberated from socio-economic challenges that beset them. The Moloto road development will ensure the reduction in road carnages and in halving of travel time from Marble Hall to Pretoria, as the majority of our people travelled in dark and return in dark at their homes, thus denying them time to spend with their families. We will soon invite you all for the sod turning ceremony. Ladies and Gentlemen, In October 2014 the Department of Transport concluded a feasibility study on the Moloto Rail Corridor Development Initiative and established a registered Public Private Partnership with National Treasury.
As the Minister of Transport, I have handed over the project to PRASA for implementation. I would like to report to you that PRASA will be meeting with National Treasury to present the recommendations of the feasibility study and for the possible funding model of this rail corridor. Upon the conclusion of this process, I together my colleages will comeback and report process to you continuously. Our doors as government always remains open to engage with you as your servants and as government we remain committed to reverse the spatial development patterns of apartheid. Ladies and Gentlemen, My department is embarking on a process of reviewing the Putco Sandfontein contract, which operates along the Moloto corridor to assess its operational challenge and viability.
This review was prompted by a series of commuter protests due to poor service by Putco. The review process is to find practical solutions that will enable government to intervene and resolve the matter appropriately. A comprehensive report would be made available at the end of this review process. It remains our wish that all our people should welcome the outcome of the review as it is an inclusive and integrated process with the sole intention of bettering the lives of our people. In conclusion, as we all know that the year 2015 marks 60 years of a historic moment in our history, when South Africans from all walks of life adopted the Freedom Charter in 1955, in Kliptown, Soweto.
As they declared amongst other things, that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people. That was a powerful, visionary and reconciliatory statement which set the tone for the non-racial democracy we have established. It remains the hope and wish of the ANC led government that together we move our South Africa forward. Let us make sure that by the implementation of the Moloto Corridor development will change the lives of the people of this region and South Africa to the better.
I thank you.
