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IFP: KP Sithole: Address by Inkatha Freedom Party MP, during the parliamentary budget vote debate on Transport, Parliament (05/05/2015)

IFP: KP Sithole: Address by Inkatha Freedom Party MP, during the parliamentary budget vote debate on Transport, Parliament (05/05/2015)

6th May 2015

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At the outset let me state that that the IFP supports Budget Vote 35.

Road Transport infrastructure in South Africa remains precarious at best with a
recently advised total value of road maintenance backlogs being approximately
R150-billion rand.

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10% of all good roads in South Africa are mostly under SANRAL as our provinces
do not have enough budget to conduct the required road maintenance and have
therefore no other alternative but to turn to SANRAL for its E-tolled
assistance. This all comes at the additional expense and payment of our road
users.

E-Tolls must be scrapped! The South African public must not be held liable for
the incompetence and ineptitude of government.

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There are still too many deaths on our roads which can be avoided. Take the R573
for example, this is a notoriously well-known ‘killer’ road which requires
urgent reconstruction. We only hope that 1.1billion rand allocated to it will
not escalate as happened with the Presidents Nkandla road construction.

Our Rail infrastructure, which is one of our most important means of transport
is old, in a state of great disrepair and near collapse. Yet the Minister has
advised that government will invest billions of rand’s in South Africa's
transport infrastructure over the next three years in a bid to reduce road
deaths and traffic congestion in the country. This needs greater impetus
minister.

Our ports require maintenance and constant dredging. Durban port authorities
have confirmed recent incidents of grounding of ships in Durban harbour due to
the movement of harbour bed material and inoperative port dredging vessels. This
must not be allowed to occur as it is an additional unnecessary hindrance to
economic growth by retarding the flow of goods in and out of one of this
country’s main ports.

South African Airways has failed this country and will continue to keep failing
this country all at the expense of the taxpayer. The question is - When will
government accept this fact and say enough is enough?

How many more times must we hear "just one more" bail-out, SAA can be turned
around” – It cannot as long as it is not being run as a for profit business.

We are of the strong opinion that this parastatal should be sold and placed in
private hands where it can be run as a for profit business and be subject to
market constraints of supply and demand, competitors and shareholders oversight.

Taxi recapitalization has become synonymous with “daylight robbery” being
perpetrated by the state against taxi business owners. A mere sum of R70000,00
per taxi is nowhere near current market value of many of the vehicles and this
must be urgently reviewed.

The aim of this programme was to encourage minibus taxi owners to sell their old
and un-roadworthy vehicles and purchase new ones to improve the safety of their
passengers but due to lack of accounting and financial mismanagement by the
department this programme is nowhere near completion and is wildly over budget.

The Department itself has many shortcomings which stem in part from its failure
to fill vacant posts. Currently there approximately 200 vacant posts. When will
these vacant posts be filled?

In conclusion, this Department has many challenges which must be overcome. The
first step, Honourable Minister is to acknowledge those challenges and then work
towards surmounting them.

The IFP looks forward to working together with you and your department in
keeping transport in South Africa safe, reliable and well maintained.

I thank you.

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