Speech by Minister of Transport, Ms Dipuo Peters at the launch of the RTMC - Road Safety Advisory Council, Emperor’s Palace, Kempton Park
MEC Butana Komphela,
MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane,
MEC Vusi Shongwe,
Ms Jean De La Harpe from SALGA ,
RTMC Board Chairman Mr Zola Majavu,
The CEO of RTMC Advocate Makhosini Msibi,
DDG for Roads Mr Chris Hlabisa,
Officials from the Department,
Members of the media,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It gives me pleasure to welcome you to this launch of the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s Road Safety Advisory Council.
This week and this month in particular, is the commemoration of the sixty years since the Congress of the People in Kliptown, Soweto, where the Freedom Charter was adopted. This was a mass gathering of the people who came as delegates from every village, town and city of our country in unison against the apartheid laws of repression.
The Preamble of the Freedom Charter declared that:
"We, the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know that South Africa belongs to All Who Live In It, Black and White and that No Government Can Justly Claim Authority unless it is based on the Will of All The People".
Sixty Years later, we celebrate the unity of the people of South Africa and the prescripts of the Freedom Charter find expression in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
The Preamble of The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa proclaims:
"We, the people of South Africa, recognise the injustices of the past, honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land, respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity."
With that Preamble it can be seen that the Constitution has its foundation in the Freedom Charter. Let us recognise that, under the ANC government, indeed the people govern. We have held democratic elections every five years. Every South African has the right to elect a government of his or her own choice.
The ANC can proudly say we have achieved a government based on will of the people and that all governments since 1994 can claim legitimate authority as the result of free and fair elections.
We are committed to building a South African nation that is diverse. The birth of a nation is never an easy task. We began this journey by removing all forms of legislative and institutionalised discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, culture and sexual orientation.
It is our task to work together to foster social cohesion and build a common South African nationhood. The National Development Plan (NDP) is an overarching plan and a vision to realise the ideals of the Freedom Charter to put in place a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it, black and white.
The NDP sets out Vision 2030 for South Africa where key targets have been identified and specific steps are set out for implementation.
It is a long-term, national development plan that takes a strategic, wide- ranging view of the challenges and opportunities before us and is based on deliberate consultation with every sector of the South African public.
It is a plan for dealing with unemployment, inequality and poverty, consistent with the National Democratic Society in both form and content. The ANC Government is best placed, as the leader of society, to bring hope to all South Africans around the vision of the NDP. To implement the NDP effectively, we must remain the most credible and be exemplary amongst our people.
Our people entrusted us, overwhelmingly, to give effect to the will of the electorate and we must do so according to the mandate upon which we were elected. Let us, therefore, give meaning to "Service to the People" and serve them with humility and dignity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This wonderful initiatives I am announcing today are intended to ensure that we have an aggressive and heightened programme on road safety to significantly reduce crashes on our roads and save lives.
Road traffic fatalities are amongst the main causes of death in South Africa today. This results in serious social and economic costs for the country. These consequences include the loss of family members who are bread winners and leave behind traumatised families. The economic ramifications include the increase in the social development and health budgets spent. I call upon the road safety ambassadors to engage with the CEO of RAF and Join in the RAF on the road initiative.
As a country we have committed ourselves to the implementation of the 2011-2020 United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety. We have committed ourselves to achieve this by implementing a 365 days road safety programme focusing on 4Es of Education (in partnership with Department of Education), Engineering, Enforcement and Evaluation. We are in the process of drafting the Mid-term Road Safety Country report as required.
As government we recognise that we cannot succeed in reducing carnages on our roads if we act alone. We require the participation of civil society, professionals, non-governmental sector, academics and other sectors for us to make an impact.
In 2013 at a National Road Safety Summit it was resolved that a National Road Safety Advisory Council be established to, amongst others, provide advice and guidance on road safety matters.
After a public participation process where members of the public were in invited to nominate members to serve in the Council and in line with the resolution of the Road Safety Summit, the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s Shareholders Committee considered the names and recommended the appointment of members to serve on the National Road Safety Advisory Council.
It is important to understand that the appointment of members of this council has been made on the basis of competency to ensure that membership reflects the best possible set of skills to deliver on key functions. Members of the council are not representatives of an organisation or stakeholder group. It is not a federation of community structures
These are men and women who responded to the clarion to provide their expertise to help us build a better and safe country.
I am reminded of the words of former President Nelson Mandela who said: “The call now is for each of us to ask ourselves, Are we doing all we can, to build the country of our dreams?.... We must all strive to be inspired by the deep-seated love of our country, Without regard to race, colour, gender or station in life”
Let me deal with how this council will work. It is important to understand that the council is not going to deliver road safety initiatives directly. This will be done through RTMC, National Department of Transport and the Provincial Departments of Transport.
The council will meet quarterly to provide inputs into the strategic direction, oversight and critical assessment of proposed road safety initiatives and campaigns. It will:
Identify policy needs, engineering, public education, enforcement and community engagements measures to deliver:
- Safer roads;
- Safer travel speeds;
- Safer vehicles;
- Safer drivers;
- Overall safe road users;
- Recommend to the CEO of the RTMC, the Shareholders Committee and relevant bodies the process that should be taken to implement those measures;
- Evaluate the effectiveness of those measures;
- Report to the CEO of the RTMC on its operations and achievements;
The CEO of the RTMC may also request the RTMC’s Road Safety Advisory Council to undertake specific tasks on an ad-hoc basis. So are the HODs on Provincial specific issues.
I expect the council to evaluate how we have implemented the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety and advise on what we need to do urgently to achieve the target of a 50% reduction in road fatalities by 2020. We will be submitting the country report on progress made.
We must make road safety everyone’s business and members of this committee must assist us to influence road user behaviour through developing, implementing and monitoring of integrated Road Safety Education, Enforcement and Engagement programmes.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to introduce members of the Road Safety Advisory Committee. They are:
- Mr. Herbert Vusumuzi Ngcamphalala
- Mr Ngcamphalala is from Pongola in Kwazulu Natal. He has staged Community Outreach programmes such as road safety campaigns working together with the Department of Transport and communities.
- Mr. Ismai Amod
- Mr Amod has been involved in efforts to improve the quality of driver licencing in South Africa since 2000. He participated in an investigation led by Deloitte to investigate licensing fraud. He has conceptualised, developed, implemented and maintained computerised driving test system (Lpro) and an innovative road safety initiative (fatal move).
- Mr. Eric Mafuyeka
- Mr Mafuyeka is involved in Community Outreach programmes. He was a member of a task team from planning to launch of the Decade of Action Road Safety 2011 -2020. Project Co-ordinator of the long/short walk held on the 04 May 2013.
- Ms Paulina Ntebo Ramusi
- Ms Ramusi won the road safety speech competition as a student. She is actively involved in community based initiatives. She served on the board of Siyazi Transportation Services which was tasked with the recapitalisation of taxis in Limpopo.
- Mr Jan Coetzee
- Mr Coetzee is a Chairman of ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd. He has technical experience in the field of Road Safety and has served on Tshwane Road Safety Engineering Strategy, Ethekwini Road Safety Plan, N18 Taung Road Safety Audit, Mozambique Road Safety Plan, among others.
- Ms Nomaswazi Faith Lingwati
- Ms Lingwati is involved in directing Community Outreach Unit of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department; she conducts road safety lessons to nursery learners, primary schools, high schools and other members of the Community.
- Ms Innocentia Itumeleng Motau
- Ms Motau is a Managing Director: Shosholoza Operations and she actively participates in MSC logistics with truck drivers.
- Ms. Pumza Patiswa Tuswa
- Ms Tuswa has been in the field of transport for more than ten years. She owns Edu- Fleet, a company that is fully accredited by (TETA) specialising in transport related training.
- Mr. Ronnie Zondi Maswanganyi
- Mr Maswanganyi has previously participated as a safety marshal on both the Arrive Alive Road Safety Campaign and Speed Kills campaigns. He worked with the Department of Transport on law enforcement particularly on road safety matters.
- Ms. Maria Mankwana Raoleka
- Ms Raoleka served as the Secretary of Gauteng Women in Public Transport (GWIPT). In August 2009 she was elected as a Secretary of South African Network for Women in Transport (SANWIT). She was further appointed by the Minister of Transport to become Road Safety Counsellor. In 2012 she was appointed by the Member of the Mayoral Committee of Transport in Johannesburg Ms. Rehana Mosajee to become Road Safety Champion Counsellor.
- Mr Themba Baloyi
- Mr Baloyi is a founding member and Director for Discovery Insurance and the former General Secretary of the Black Insurance Professionals of Southern Africa.
- Mr Eckart Kruger
- Mr Kruger in an engineer and a consultant for the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa on vehicle safety issues and on technical matters.
- Mr Vernon Billet
- Mr Billet is from South African National Taxi Association (SANTACO). As a senior official in SANTACO he has played a key role on road safety campaign in the taxi industry.
- Mr John Mabida
- Mr Mabida is a unionist and has served as Deputy President of the Police Prisons and Civil Rights Union. He has also been the chairperson of the Joint Mandating Committee of COSATU and the political head for collective bargaining.
- Prof Marion Sinclair
- Prof Sinclair is an academic from the University of Stellenbosch where is responsible for coordinating road safety research. Previously she was the programme manager for Safer Roads Partnership for Hampshire and Isle of Wright in the United Kingdom.
- Prof Roger Behrens
- Prof Behrens is an academic from the University of Cape Town. He is the Director of the Centre For Transport and the Director of the African Centre of Excellence for Studies in Public and Non-Motorised Transport.
- Mr Skhumbuzo Mpanza
- Mr Mpanza is the General Secretary of the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO). He has served as board at the KwaZulu Sharks Board.
I further which to announce that to enhance our road safety programme we have also partnered with high profile soccer players and television personalities who have gracefully agreed to be ambassadors for road safety. These soccer stars and television personalities will not be members of the Road Safety Council but they have agreed to make themselves available to participate in initiatives that will promote safe behaviour on the roads. Associating with such prominent personalities will resonate with millions of football fans and television viewers and go a long way to influence good behaviour on the roads.
Our ambassadors from the football fraternity are the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper, Itumeleng Khune, Mandla Masango of Kaiser Chiefs, Mpho Makola of Pirates and Thabo September from Supersport United. We also have a former award winning local and international referee Ace Ncobo. From the entertainment industry we have Nambitha Mpumlwana, Nyaniso Dzedze, Tumie Ngumla and Zenande Mfenyana.
Ladies and gentleman,
Let me also thank Mr Lindelani Mkhize for agreeing to use the platform that Joyous Celebration has to spread the message of road safety. Road safety will be a key feature of every event or concert that Joyous Celebration will be staging this year.
We have taken these measures because we want to inculcate a culture of road safety awareness and taking responsibility for road usage. We are seeking to place road safety high on the agenda of every individual, family and interest group. We want our message to reach every sector of community be they school children, the youth and elderly.
We have also partnered with the Disabled Association to work with survivors of road accidents to educate the public and warn them about the consequences of failing to obey the rules of the road. We will be piloting this partnership in five provinces with a high number of accidents namely Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West.
We have introduced regulations, for example child restraint, which we should actively monitor and ensure compliance.
These initiatives are part of concerted efforts that we are making, including new laws and regulations which we have introduced recently to curb fatalities on our roads.
In conclusion,
I would like to remind you of the words of Mother Teresa, the great humanitarian a missionary when she said: “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
Let us begin today to work together and build a South Africa we all aspire for. Congradulations to the Advisory Council Members, and we are looking forward to working with you and save lives on our roads.
I thank you.
