Roads and Transport in the Eastern Cape at the launch of Roads and Transport
projects at Tsolwana Municipality, Ntabethemba
12 June 2007
It is indeed a great honour for me to get an opportunity to address this
historic event, which marks a turning point in the quality of life of our
people, who have been subjected to poverty for many decades.
Today we are making a bold step towards the realisation of the Millennium
Development Goals and our own Provincial Growth and Development Plan targets of
halving poverty by 2014.
In addressing poverty eradication, we have identified the need to vigorously
embark on initiatives that would assist our people, particularly women as they
constitute more than 50% of the population of this district.
As we celebrate the 31st anniversary of the June 16 Youth Uprising, we have
a responsibility as government and our social partners to mobilise young people
to ensure that they graduate out of the poverty matrix, which continues to pose
a threat to their future.
This can be achieved through deepening youth participation in
labour-intensive methods of work as espoused in the Expanded Public Works
Programme to ensure that they play an active role in building our country.
The Department of Roads and Transport in the Eastern Cape leads by example
when it comes to the rehabilitation of transport infrastructure, while
simultaneously fighting poverty through labour intensive methods of
employment.
Three months ago, we introduced the Sakha Isizwe Community-Based
Transportation Programme in the Chris Hani District in an effort to construct
and maintain rural road infrastructure and simultaneously push back the
frontiers of poverty. In this programme, poor households are employed to
maintain certain stretches of road and obtain salaries from the department.
Their work entails road maintenance, upgrading, construction, focus on
roadside animal management, fencing, pedestrian safety, footpaths,
non-motorised transport, gabion basket manufacturing, rangers etc.
As we speak, 395 household contractors have been employed in this district,
which adds up to a total of 1 995 household contractors throughout the
Province, which we intend to increase to 5 000 this year.
In this district, household contractors are mainly based in three local
municipalities such as Sakhisizwe, Emalahleni and Ngcobo.
Last year, we allocated R8m to the Chris Hani District for this programme
and we have now increased this amount to R10 million in order to create more
work for as many people as possible.
Today, we are officially introducing 14 household contractors for the
Tsolwana Municipality, who will maintain roads such as Lilyfontein to Kwezi and
Zola to Phakamisa.
We will increase this number to 50 households before the end of this
financial year. This means more work for our people and effective reduction of
poverty in this region.
We are in a process of identifying 139 household contractors to work in the
following areas:
* Sakhisizwe Municipality: Mhlwazi/Elliot - 28 km
* Lukhanji Municipality: Whittlesea/Katberg - 25 km
* Lukhanji Municipality: McBride/Tsitsikama - 25 km
* Lukhanji Municipality: Tsomo Valley - 25 km
* Emalahleni Municipality: Lupapasi - 18 km
* Emalahleni and Intsika Yethu Municipalities: Lady Frere/Cofimvaba - 18
km.
This massive road maintenance work will be supported by a substantial
recapitalisation of the yellow fleet over the next 10 years. We have already
started with that process by purchasing 12 graders worth R16.4milion. Two of
these graders will be based in the Chris Hani District to fast-track and
sustain the local routine road maintenance programme.
Last month, we dispatched engineers in this district to assess all the
bridges in an effort to rebuild the collapsed bridges and improve the
conditions of the existing bridges. Their report will indicate the areas that
need immediate intervention.
We remain committed towards improving scholar transport in this district
through our Shova Lula Bicycle Project in an attempt to create conducive
conditions for learners.
Two months ago, I handed over 375 bicycles to 16 schools from Emalahleni,
Sakhisizwe and Lukhanji local municipalities. Today, we are officially handing
over 800 more bicycles to ensure that more schools benefit in this district.
These schools are in areas such as Intsika Yethu (162), Tsolwana (196),
Sakhisizwe (97), Ngcobo (133), Nkwankca (27), Emalahleni (80), Lukhanji
(105).
As we continue to provide these facilities, we are further charged with a
responsibility to increase road safety awareness and underscore the preventable
nature of road traffic accidents.
Therefore, we have a collective responsibility to educate one another about
the impact that accidents have in our country's socio-economic conditions. We
have realised the importance of investing on road safety initiatives through
deliberate and determined efforts of many sectors of society, both governmental
and non-governmental.
This year, the focus is on young road users, including young drivers,
pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists who make up a high proportion of those
suffering death, injury and disability on the roads.
The Junior Traffic Training Centre that we are going to build here will
assist in grooming young children to become better and responsible future road
users. In an effort to build our Road Safety capacity and improve service
delivery, we are in a process of engaging young matriculants with full
exemption in English, who are aspiring to become Road Safety Officers.
We are targeting 15 youths from the Chris Hani District from areas such as
Inxuba Yethemba (two), Indwana (one), Nkwankca (one), Intsika Yethu (one),
Lukhanji (four) Emalahleni (two), Engcobo (two), Sakhisizwe (two).
Each learner will get a stipend of R1 200.
Next month, we will engage youth and offer a learnership programme for 37
students that will be recruited in all six districts within the province.
As part of transforming bus operations in the region, the department is
assisting Africa's Best 350, a single legal entity established by small bus
operators from the former Transkei region, in getting new buses that would be
safe, reliable and offer affordable public transport service.
The first 24 buses will arrive in July 2007 and will be distributed to the
Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo districts. In April 2008, 56 buses will be distributed
to the Amathole and Chris Hani districts.
With regard to the recapiltalisation of the provincial taxi fleet, visible
and decisive advances have been made and I would like to take this opportunity
to commend the positive response from the taxi industry. As we speak, 1 848
applications have been received and 1 400 vehicles are at the Main Scrapping
Site in Zwelitsha of which 1 233 have been scrapped and 102 are waiting for
scrapping. Already, 1 335 taxi operators have received their R50 000 scrapping
allowance.
In conclusion, I would like to recommit the Department of Roads and
Transport in changing the lives of the people of the Eastern Cape and this
region for the better.
The democratic state will not retreat from its obligations of fighting
poverty and building a better future for all South Africans.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Roads and Transport, Eastern Cape Provincial
Government
12 June 2007
