launch of the Commuter or Passenger Safety Campaign
4 October 2007
Western Cape MEC for Community Safety Leonard Ramatlakane says today's
launch of the Commuter or Passenger Safety Campaign is about positioning the
province towards promoting public transport ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
Speaking at the launch of the Commuter Safety campaign at the Cape Town
central train station, Minister Ramatlakane appealed to stakeholders in public
transport to shoulder government in efforts to promote public transport.
The programme coincides with the national Department of Transport's
programme which has adopted October as the month of Transport.
Through the programme, the Department of Community Safety in partnership
with the South African Police Services, Metrorail will be rolling out various
events throughout the province that are aimed at inculcating a culture of joint
responsibility between the commuter and the owner or driver of pubic
transport.
Awareness programmes in the form of interactive talks, workshops,
distribution of pamphlets, and a visit to 40 schools will be conducted with the
aim of interacting with educators and pupils on the safety of public
transport.
Passengers are not aware about their rights and responsibilities both as
passengers and as citizens. Very often their rights are taken for granted by
public transport owners.
The objectives of this campaign are to:
* raise awareness about the safety of all public transport passengers
* educate passengers about safety and how to prevent crime
* share information about available assistance should one find
* her or himself being a potential victim of crime.
It is expected that more than 500 000 public transport users will be reached
through this programme and they will know about how to be safe in the different
modes of public transport. Passengers will understand and become aware of the
potential dangers when using public transport and what to do to access
help.
The Department of Community Safety is to start the distribution of 50 000
pamphlets with information about crime, safety tips, and available assistance
and how to access it.
Targeted areas:
The campaign will be rolled out in the Metropolitan areas, targeting the
eight passenger contact points namely:
* Cape Town Station
* Bellville
* Phillipi
* Retreat
The following taxi ranks will also be targeted:
* Site C (Taiwan Taxi Rank)
* Joe Gqabi
* Station Deck in Cape Town
* Paarl
* Worcester
* Site C (Taiwan Taxi Rank)
Please note, tomorrow, the National Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe will
officially open a fly over bridge at De Doorns on the N1, a scene of many
pedestrian fatalities on the N1.
Enquiries:
Makhaya Mani
Ministry of Community Safety, Western Cape
Tel: 021 483 3873
Cell: 082 780 4493
Issued by: Department of Community Safety, Western Cape Provincial
Government
4 October 2007
