Colleagues in the Executive Council
Mayors and Councillors
Representatives of the Various Media Houses
Stakeholders in the Transport Industry
Ladies and gentlemen
Theme: Transport Moving South Africa to do more together
Let me take the opportunity to welcome you all in this very important and special occasion wherein we launch October Transport Month. Year in and year out we are afforded this opportunity to showcase what we have been able to do both in the development of infrastructure and our efforts to safeguard the road users.
We are conscious of the fact that road infrastructure greatly enhances social and economic development. We therefore do everything in our power to make sure that the provincial road infrastructure meets the demands of the 21st century. The Department, in partnership with South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) and Mangaung, constructed a splendid N8 Interchange that made us proud during 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Likewise the new R59 linking Parys and Sasolburg is a marvel to drive on. We have not forgotten the rural roads.
Hence during this month we shall showcase the Springfontein, Bethulie Road which together with the N1 is giving the depressed Xhariep District a necessary boost. The department is also constructing the Monontsha Road and Route 4 in Qwa-Qwa through the Expanded Public Works Programme, or better known as the EPWP model. EPWP is a framework of construction that maximizes labour. Monontsha links Qwa-Qwa with Lesotho.
Naledi Transport Centre will also be unveiled during this month. For the first time commuters and travellers between the RSA and Lesotho will have a decent multi pronged Transport Centre that integrates taxis and buses.
I am sure some of you have seen that work has started in earnest on the R 700 (Bultfontein Road). This is one of the 23 projects that we need to undertake despite the acutely constrained resources.
We shall also alleviate the plight of farm school learners who travel long distances by giving them bicycles.
This time also affords us an opportunity to increase the efforts towards ensuring road safety. law enforcement and educational roadblocks are going to be manned 24 hours, seven days.
It is unfortunate that 95% of crashes that result in fatalities’ are caused by negligence and sheer disregard of the road signs and regulations. The Minister of Transport Dr S’bu Ndebele has challenged us to stop and inspect 1 000 000 vehicles. We shall do that with enthusiasm. Please be careful; let us not find you on the wrong side of the law.
The good news is that, as part of Operation Hlasela, the Department is extending business hours at major Testing Stations and Registering Authorities to open on Saturdays (07h00 to 17h 00 and Sundays (07h00 to 13h00). Bethlehem, Botshabelo, Harrismith, Kroonstad and Phuthaditjaba Registering Authorities (Bloemfontein Lengau Testing Centre and Heilbron District Licensing and Testing Centre).
The department is also about to close the chapter on the transformation of the Maluti Bus Services. This will demonstrate a first-of-its-kind ownership of the taxi industry in this contested transport sector that for years placed the taxi industry in the periphery. At the end of Transport Month the Cabinet will pronounce itself on the new business model.
Let me also invite you to an Educational Roadblock so that have a feel of what we want to do, to make sure that road crashes are greatly minimised and lives are saved.
Source: Free State Provincial Government
