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Date
: 03/06/2004
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
Title: B Cele: Memorial service of people who died at
Sweetwaters
SPEECH NOTES BY KWAZULU-NATAL MEC FOR TRANSPORT, SAFETY AND
SECURITY, MR BHEKI CELE, AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE OF PEOPLE WHO DIED
IN SWEETWATERS, 3 June 2004
INTRODUCTION
In January this year six people died in a horrific bus crash in
Sweetwaters. The case is still sub-judice and we may not comment on
its finer details until the courts have made the decision. However,
our support and remembrance is not sub-judice. We are here to
remember all those who died in that bus accident.
SWEET WATERS TRAGEDY - WHAT THE DEPARTMENT DID THEN
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport was assisting in making
arrangements for the memorial service. The KwaZulu-Natal Department
of Transport co-ordinated with both Umgungundlovu District
Municipality and Umsunduzi Local Municipality in giving support to
the bereaved families by making proper funeral arrangements. We
also met the management of the bus company involved to discuss any
form of assistance for the families. We would like to thank the
funeral parlour for the assistance they gave to the bereaved
families.
We have made contacts with all bereaved families to discuss funeral
costs. The Department intervened financially to assist those
families that could not meet the needs of the funeral. We also
assisted in handling the memorial service and also brought the Road
Accident Fund officials to assist families in filling in the road
accident fund forms. Our officials were assisting in this
regard.
To all the bereaved families, I want to mention here and now that
the KZN Department of Transport is always available, as we have
always done before, to assist with whatever kind of assistance that
we can possibly offer during the most difficult moments in your
lives.
The Sweetwaters Bus Tragedy happened at the time when the
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport was doing its best to put an
end to these terrible incidents. We have done all in our capacity
to put into place programmes that will endure the reduction of road
carnage in KwaZulu-Natal. Through our Public Transport Enforcement
Unit (PTEU), we continue with our traffic enforcement activities on
strategic bus routes to ensure that tragedies like this one never
happen again.
* It is the responsibility of bus operators to ensure that buses
are roadworthy, properly maintained and are regularly
serviced
* Bus drivers too have the responsibility to check the
roadworthiness of the bus before they drive it
* Too often the desire to obtain profit goes against passenger
safety. Factors such as speed and overloading contribute immensely
to bus crashes
* Corruption and fraud in roadworthiness testing is also another
reason why the KZN Department of Transport is concentrating on this
aspect of safety.
WHAT THE KZN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT IS DOING NOW TO ADDRESS THE
SITUATION
* Multidisciplinary roadblocks and regular roadworthiness checks
are ongoing
* The KZN Department of Transport has a no-nonsense approach to
fraud and in this regard tare weight fraud scam. The Department has
uncovered quite a number of tare weight fraud scams and these
crimes continue to be investigated by the Inspectorate Section of
our Motor Licensing Bureau. A proclamation to empower the Special
Investigation Unit to prosecute offenders has been issued.
Media contact: Mawande Jubasi
Cell: 082 8055 748
Issued by: Department of Transport, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial
Government
3 June 2004
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