following the State of the Province Address
20 February 2007
In line with the Premier's Address, at the Opening of the Provincial
Legislature on 19 February 2007, we will implement programmes aimed at ensuring
the realisation of the goals expressed and highlighted, therein.
During 2007/8 we will focus on increasing the efficiency, pace and spread of
service delivery to a wider range of beneficiaries, address identified
weaknesses, and also consolidate the successes we have made so far.
Our strategic goal will be towards contributing to the sustenance of growth,
the broadening of participation in the economy and the extension of
opportunities to all, so as to deepen the quality of social development in
Gauteng. This we will seek to achieve through programmes to promote
volunteerism; a doubling of job creation rates and the successful
implementation of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa
(AsgiSA) and Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) and, women
and youth empowerment. This year we will intensify the struggle against poverty
and unemployment.
Our implementation programme is also informed by the political and strategic
mandate that seeks to ensure equitable and accessible provision of transport
infrastructure and systems; maintenance of socio-economic infrastructure; and
the building of social capital through the intensification of job creation
initiatives across the province. In this regard, we will do the following:
Provision of transport infrastructure and transport systems
* establishment of a Transport Authority of the Gauteng City Region that
deals with the responsibilities of provincial government as they relate to
transportation management, co-ordination, integration and implementation
* continue to implement the turnkey Gautrain Project as part of the development
of an integrated transport system
* work towards the tarring of all roads in the 20 Prioritised Townships by
2009
* use our road construction activities in 2007 to create 14 146 jobs, of which
4 244 will go to women, 2 122 to youth and 293 to people with disabilities; the
road maintenance programme will result in 2 043 jobs
* improve and resolve challenges relating to Driving Licence Testing Centres
by:
- introducing a centralised booking and decision making, so as to minimise
human interference, and reduce fraud and corruption; in this regard, we will
sign service level agreements with all municipalities with the view to make
centralised booking mandatory
- automating all testing centres in the province
- starting the process of building new testing centres in the Premier's 20
Prioritised Townships by constructing one centre in Mamelodi and another one in
Soweto.
* accelerate bus service transformation by:
- issuing new tenders within the next 12 months; changing the subsidy
formula to favour frequency so as to encourage bus service operators to do more
passenger trips and contribute to the mobility of more people
- phasing out all interim contracts.
* establish and co-ordinate a Strategic Public Transport Network [SPTN]:
- enhance spatial transformation in the form of a Strategic Public Transport
Master Plan
- reshape Gauteng province into a functional public transport urban space
- identify and develop key public transport nodes
- co-ordinate the SPTN such that it contributes towards integrated
ticketing
- include BRTs [i.e. Bus Rapid Transits] in the SPTN
* implement the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme through the:
- conclusion of the Conversion of Operating Permits to the new Operating
Licences by June; in this regard, we are glad to announce that all permits have
been verified
- intensification of stakeholder engagement
- the unveiling of the New Taxi Vehicles, with the scrapping of old taxis
already in place, will be launched on 8 March 2007.
* work towards the provision of an integrated inter-modal public transport
system, including infrastructure development and preparations for 2010; in this
regard, we will unveil our final 2010 Transport Infrastructure Development
Plan
* introduce and develop dedicated public transport corridors
* continue to strengthen and consolidate public transport initiatives
* implement the renaming of the R24 after the struggle stalwart Mama Albertina
Sisulu; also double R55 into a dual carriage way and rename it to Mita Ngobeni
(a 7 year old child who was killed by police in the 1980s) and lastly, rename
the R554 in Lenasia after the late slain Dr Abu Baker Asvat.
Construction, maintenance and upgrading of social infrastructure and
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)
* intensification of EPWP projects and ensuring that they further contribute
to job creation and poverty alleviation
* implementation of CAPEX and EPWP, including the 20 identified Townships
* establishment of a focused Project Management Unit
* help in addressing infrastructure backlogs and meeting current infrastructure
needs; in this regard, we will be involved in the construction of at least 68
infrastructure development projects in the 20 Townships
* upgrading of stadia and the 2010 practice venues
* establish an interdepartmental co-ordinating committee to review and develop
integrated and holistic plans
* contribute to the roll out of heritage sites throughout the province
* ensure that the job creation targets for vulnerable groups, such as women
(40%), youth (30%) and people with disabilities (2%), are met
* establish Gauteng EPWP Fund and improve implementation of EPWP projects; we
will also work with the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller in funding other projects;
in the same vein we will introduce more large scale projects and programmes,
with a minimum of R30 million, in terms of CAPEX
* increase the size of labour intensive, roads related projects and programmes;
also establish a provincial EPWP multi-sectoral network
* identify new projects in partnership with local government.
Renewal, upgrading and expansion of infrastructure
* sign memos of agreement with users and develop a master plan
* establish systems for effective revenue management and verify state
properties located in Gauteng so as to consolidate the database
* work with municipalities to ensure compliance and also identify opportunities
for EPWP.
For more information please call:
Alfred Nhlapo
Tel: (011) 355 7532
Cell: 083 376 8496
Issued by: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng
Provincial Government
20 February 2007
