P Vilakazi: Provincial Driver of the Year Championship gala

8 September 2007

Programme Director
Mayors
Councillors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

In the past two weeks, we have had two fatal road accidents in the province
that involved big trucks. In the first accident, between Geysdorp and
Delareyville, the truck driver allegedly failed to observe a stop sign and
collided with a minibus taxi carrying 13 passengers. Three people were killed
in the process a male passenger from the truck and two female passengers from
the taxi. Twelve other passengers, including drivers from both vehicles, were
injured, six of them seriously.

In the second accident, the driver of a truck from Namibia apparently fell
asleep while driving and lost control of his truck, colliding with a BMW sedan
at Kanana village outside Rustenburg. Two people from the BMW the male driver
and a woman were killed instantly. After the two vehicles had collided, another
sedan car came and hit the BMW from the back. Fortunately no life was lost in
the third car.

According to Statistics South Africa (Stats-SA), road accidents remain one
of the contributors to non-natural deaths in South Africa. The national
Department of Transport has observed though, that road fatalities have been
reduced at an average 7,4% in the past few years. This means that we must
continue our efforts to improve this situation. I am reflecting on this painful
and unfortunate situation because these accidents are always a reminder to us
that there is still a lot we must do to fight road carnages.

This competition, the Driver of the Year Championship is an attempt by
government to contribute towards safe driving and exposing our people to
opportunities offered by the transport sector. This year marks the 10th
anniversary of this competition in the North West province and it is a pleasure
that we have gathered here this evening to honour men and women who have
excelled in driving. It is also an opportunity for us to assess the impact this
competition has had to develop our people's driving skills and the general
safety on our roads.

Few participants we have interviewed have told us that indeed a competition
of this nature can contribute a great deal in promoting safety on our roads. Mr
Samson Khumalo of Maboloka village in Brits has participated in this
competition since its inception driving a "horse and trailer" truck. After
winning in this category in 2005, he represented the province at national and
not only won in his category, but also became the overall winner, beating
everyone in all categories. He went on to represent our country in Germany and
gained more exposure not only on safety issues but also on other opportunities
offered by the transport sector. But what impresses me most about him is his
assertion that "he always gains a lot even when he did not win."

Mr Joseph Molawa from Mafikeng is another participant in the "horse and
trailer" category who has been participating since the competition's inception.
He says the competition is a reminder for him to promote road safety throughout
the year. I am told more other people who have been in this competition at
regional, provincial and national levels concur with these views. Apart from
promoting road safety, this competition has helped a number of our participants
to be exposed to many economic opportunities in the transport sector.

It has helped many of our participants move from being drivers or employees
in their companies to being truck owners or truck owner–drivers, thus starting
their own lucrative transport businesses. Amongst them, I can mention Mr Leslie
Maaroganye from Southern District, who was working for Shell Company and is
currently self-employed. He owns the Mzanzi Logistics Company a petrol
transportation company. There is also Mr Motlatsi Matsaisa from Ngaka Modiri
Molema District, who has also moved from being an employee to employer. He now
has his own company that is contracted to the Amalgamated Beverage Industries
to transport soft drinks.

These achievements are therefore an indication that the past decade has
indeed brought about a fulfilling experience and insight on various strategies
we could use to improve driving in our province. Quite a number of people have
responded very well in this regard, leading to the growth of this competition.
But I want to caution that the task at hand is much greater than many of us
think. And we are committed, as government, to address these challenges.

This championship does not only serve to enhance and improve the driving
skills of heavy motor vehicle drivers and prevent or reduce crashes involving
heavy motor vehicles. It also serves as an incentive to the business sector to
invest in advanced training, thus presenting a sound business case for
excellent returns on investment with the reduction in maintenance costs and
improvement in productivity.

In conclusion, I wish to thank our sponsor, MAN, who are represented here by
Mr Ian Carmichael and Mr Blackie Swart, who was here during the day. I am happy
that your company has been with us for the past four years and hope we will
retain this relationship for more years to come. My sense of gratitude also
goes to the Rustenburg Local Municipality for hosting us. Allow me also to
thank our auditors from our Departmental Internal Audit Unit, Wellington
Molokele and his team, Lesedi Kgotle and Pulane Motlhabane. My congratulations,
to all those who will emerge as winners this evening and a sense of gratitude
to all participants for making this competition a success.

I thank you!

Enquiries:
Mandla Mathebula
Tel: 018 387 4810
Cell: 083 282 6133
E-mail:mmathebula@nwpg.gov.za

Issued by: Department of Transport, Roads and Community Safety, North West
Provincial Government
8 September 2007
Source: North West Provincial Government (http://www.nwpg.gov.za)