MEC Mamabolo visits Tshwane transport service delivery facilities
MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, has conducted site inspections of key transport infrastructure facilities in Soshanguve and Mabopane, north of City of Tshwane.
Accompanied by local councillors and leaders of local taxi associations, Mamabolo conducted a site inspection at the Mabopane intermodal facility which is home to minibus taxi rank, buses and train station.
The facility was identified by Premier David Makhura in his State of the Province Address as one of the transport nodes that needs urgent intervention from the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG).
“This visit was very important as it allowed us to experience, first-hand, what commuters have to contend with on a daily basis. There are many problems at this intermodal facility and we, as a department, must go back to the drawing board and come up with a quick turnaround strategy,” said Mamabolo.
His visit is part of an assessment process of all intermodal facilities across the province.
Yesterday, Mamabolo visited two facilities in Sedibeng District Municipality, namely the still under construction Vereeniging intermodal facility and the disused Bophelong taxi rank, near Vanderbijlpark in the Southern Development Corridor.
“These facilities are critical in our strategy to make Gauteng the City Region of Smart Mobility. They are hubs through which we can create opportunities that will contribute to the growth of our province’s economy,” added the MEC.
Mamabolo also paid an unannounced visit to the Mabopane Driver Learner Testing Centre (DLTC) where problems have been identified.
After speaking to members of the community, he has committed to come back to the facility once the department has come up with remedies to problems facing that facility.
“This was, but, one of the DLTC’s that I will be visiting. I have taken note of what our customers are saying about our facilities. These facilities a quite key if we want to deal with the road carnage on our network,” he said.
The MEC has reiterated his call for the formalisation of driving schools and the eradication of corruption from the process of training and testing new drivers.
As part of October Transport Month, the Department of Roads and Transport will host a Road Safety Seminar where driving school associations are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the MEC. This will lay the foundation towards the regularisation of the driving school industry.
Mamabolo has congratulated the City of Tshwane for hosting a successful Non-Motorised Transport Indaba which was discussing strategies of reducing reliance on cars for mobility.
“The future demands that we start now being smart about how we move people and goods. In the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there are enough technological advances that can assist the transport sector in finding alternative solutions,” said Mamabolo.
Enquiries:
Theo Nkonki
Cell: 082 719 6404
Melitah Madiba
Cell: 073 644 9935
E-mail: PressOffice.gpdrt@gauteng.gov.za
