Thank you Programme Director
Leadership of Citrus Growers Association
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is my pleasure as the MEC for Roads and Transport to be given this opportunity to be with the Citrus Growers Association. We feel honoured and privileged to be among the men and women who play an important role in the provision of healthy living in our communities. Research in the health sector shows that fruit is important in the development of a healthy mind and a healthy body, as well as in a well maintained metabolism. We are proud that our province is one of the major producers of citrus fruit which we supply to the rest of the country, SADC and the world. We therefore without any shadow of doubt have reason to declare ourselves South Africa’s food basket.
Programme Director,
Transport is a necessity for sustainable social and economic development. Transport can also play a catalytic role in addressing poverty and developmental needs. As government, we are clear in our strategic vision of playing our part in driving our province and country towards being a developed economy. We in the transport sector know very well that no economy can thrive without developed rail, road, maritime and aviation infrastructure networks. No economy can develop unless its transport sector plays its part in facilitating the movement of people, goods and services.
Freight transport makes a vital contribution to the economy and society, and is the heart of globalisation. It is therefore important to recognise that the transport and economic dimensions in the SADC regions are linked; the one cannot be seen in isolation from the other, goods and services need to be transported much more frequently in order to sustain the economies.
Programme Director,
The province handles an estimated 2.9 million freight vehicles per annum which transports a total of 62 million tons of freight, including citrus fruit. Only 13.2 million tons of freight is transported by the inter-provincial / international arterial and branch lines. There is continual debate about competition between road and rail transport and a stated official intention to reverse the trend towards increasing rail transport.
The province has 21 999 km of road network, 7 144km (about 32% of total network) is paved and 14 855km (about 68% of total network) is gravel. The damage caused to our roads by the transporting of freight through road places enormous strain on our budget. The province has therefore embarked on the promotion of rail transport, which we invite you to take advantage of. Transnet Freight Rail has however seen an operating efficiency decline for a number of years which can be ascribed to:
- a lack of short and long term maintenance which has led to
deterioration in equipment serviceability; - age of equipment;
- reduced operating staff experience causing backlogs, derailments
and accidents; - reduced line capacities due to a lack of maintenance; and
- failure to modernise the rolling stock and locomotives leading to low
levels of operational capacity.
Programme Director,
The aim of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) is to form strategic partnerships between the Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport and TFR to create logistics and consolidation hubs for agricultural, mining products and other commodities to be railed from the province to other parts of the country and for the export markets. This will enable farmers and coal mining companies in the province to have the majority of their products transported through rail.
Feasibility studies will be conducted to establish the technical and economic viability of improved railway systems. The feasibility studies will focus on, amongst other; the viability of rail freight services between Tzaneen / Letsitele, Durban and / or Cape Town harbour; the viability of establishing a citrus hub with sorting, packing and cold storage facilities; and the establishment of a Fresh Produce Market in Polokwane. The feasibility studies will commence within our current financial year.
Programme Director,
According to the MOU, Transnet Freight Rail will endeavour to assist with the acquiring of freight rights for the transport of commodities, particular citrus fruit and avocados from Tzaneen and Polokwane to the ports of Durban and Cape Town or any other agreed destination. They will develop a best practice rail solution such as finding best and / or alternative ways to provide rail solutions for the service either through optimisation or collaboration. TFR further intends to determine the rail-related resource requirement and if required, prepare a business case for approval of the provision of additional resources. The Department is responsible for the funding of the proposed rail projects. Different funding models will be investigated in conjunction with TFR.
Programme Director,
We have begun a process to establish our own freight databank for we know the importance of employing information for development control and long-term planning. The databank will show growth (concentration of industry) and potential growth areas – which could be a barometer of economic activity levels in the province and therefore indicate the vibrant areas to invest in.
For the provincial government, the freight databank will serve as a genuine platform upon which the private and public sectors can collaborate on matters of mutual interest .e.g. overload control measures – government can explain eloquently why this is necessary given, for example, the deteriorating network around the mining areas of Greater Tubatse, Lephalale and Musina. We cannot in the process forget the areas of high agricultural activity.
It is important that the private sector, including the agricultural sector, can engage about the difficulties encountered at border posts, the challenges they face dealing with Transnet Freight Rail and the roads that they feel should get priority attention.
Programme Director,
We thank the Citrus Growers Association for the role they are playing in the eradication of hunger from the face of our people as well as in the creation of jobs. As government we have identified job creation as one of our priority areas and we therefore feel duty bound to congratulate you for adhering to government’s call for a better country. Let me make a clarion call to the vegetable growers to emulate you on what you have done. The future of this province in so far as the production of agricultural goods looks bright. It only calls upon all of us to join hands and work towards a common goal of feeding our province and the country.
Thank you.
