FREE DAILY EMAIL

Date : 24/02/05
Source: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng Provincial
Title: Jacobs: Gauteng Media Briefing 2005

  Statement by MEC of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Mr Ignatius Jacobs


24 February 2005

The Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works as the custodian of job creation, developer of socio - economic infrastructure and provider of an efficient, affordable public transport system, is ready to respond to the challenges presented by the Premier in ensuring that our province contributes to the commitment of halving unemployment and poverty by 2014.

In terms of this, we have committed the department to facilitate the creation of 120 000 jobs annually, as a contribution to meet the national target, and 20% (24 000) of these jobs will be sustainable. This will be achieved mainly through the Expanded Public Works Programme, and through intensifying the labour content of the socio - economic infrastructure investments, along with the maintenance thereof.

The department has established a Project Management war room with the support of a technical team deployed from the Office of the HOD. This structure, called the Project Management Office (PMO), will serve as the information centre, capable of gathering, assessing and disseminating all information relating to all our infrastructure projects. It will track and evaluate the impact of all projects.

This war room will co-ordinate the integration of Zivuseni, Siyasebenza, Siyakha, and all Community Based Public Works Programmes into one new and revised Gauteng Public Works Initiative aligned with the National Expanded Public Works Programme - Infrastructure Sector. Also to be included in this office will be the capacity building programmes such as the Contractor Incubator Programme with the Emerging Contractor Development Programme ( Kubakhi ) linked to the Career Pathing of Contractors at various CIDB levels including learnership and internship interventions in line with CETA.

The EPWP infrastructure sector will cut across all components of the socio - economic infrastructure development and maintenance, such as provincial roads, schools, health facilities, welfare and social facilities, nature reserves etc.

From April 2005, we will radically change the content of the Zivuseni project to enable it to ensure that its skills content is intensified, but also lasts longer, at least 6 months.

In the period 2002 and 2005 the numbers of socio-economic infrastructure projects implemented by this department were 293. A budget of 3.19 billion was spent in creating 69 900 temporary (six months) jobs. A total of 7300 permanent jobs were created directly or indirectly through the socio-economic infrastructure process.

During the same period, 143 253 job opportunities were created directly or indirectly. The process of creating jobs was boosted through the Zivuseni Project that was initiated during the 2002/3 financial year and created just over 10 000 jobs in three months, backed-up by learnership projects.

One of the areas that has the capacity to ensure that we even exceed the target of creating 120 000 jobs is in the construction and maintenance of roads.

We have spent R913, 695 million on transport infrastructure between 2002 and 2004. Of these projects, we have spent just over R177 million and created 3272 temporary jobs over the same period.

1717 are EPWP projects in roads infrastructure and these projects are located throughout Gauteng in Metros and districts municipalities.

Some of the major projects we are currently busy with are the upgrading of K109 (P6/2) to a dual carriageway. The total length road is 15km dual carriageway. We envisage its completion by August this year.

Other road major road project that we are currently busy with includes;
* K60 in the Sandton/Sunninghill area with a length of 2 km.

* K29 the intersection and dual carriageway for the Cosmo City project with a length of 2 km.

* Upgrading of gravel road D2572 at Muldersdrift to a surfaced road with a length of 4 km. 3 km of road was planned for 2004/05 and 1 km in 2005/06.

In maintenance of roads we are currently busy with 8 major rehabilitation projects funded through the national grant.

The department is busy with the development of the new road network which will put more focus on ensuring that disadvantaged communities get easy access to major roads. We are glad to announce that the department is currently in a process of establishing of a new consortium to draw a new master plan and design of this new transport and road network. This consortium will be working with an international engineering consulting company, Dornier Consulting of Germany. We expect that by November 2005 the province would have a new transport and road network policy.

From April 2005, we will radically change the content of the Zivuseni project to enable it to ensure that its skills content is intensified, but also lasts longer, at least 6 months.

Two days ago, we launched Akanani Project Management Academy as part of this partnership. This academy is a joint project between Dornier Consulting and the South Africa (Gauteng) based, Da Vincil Holding.

This academy will produce project managers who will be recognised internationally and ensure infrastructure expansion and investment. It will further ensure our readiness to ensure that we meet the infrastructure challenges posed by the hosting of the 2010 World Cup.

More than 60% of Gauteng commutes with Taxis on a daily basis to different destinations. As government it is expected of us to deliver quality public transport system. We believe that this industry is an anchor to us achieving accessible, safe, and affordable public transport system.

Last year, we initiated a mediation process within the industry to make sure that we adopt common plans and strategies to advance the industry in Gauteng, regardless of affiliation. Thus far this process is proceeding well and we are dealing with critical issues such as; business development, implementation of newly revised Taxi recapitalisation project, Training, Finance, Projects, Subsidies, Contracting, and Service Level Agreements.

We are proud to announce that in next few days we will establish an office to pilot the project of recapitalisation.

In conjunction with an attempt to develop this industry, the team just came from Spain; on a study tour to assist us establish a Taxi Academy. This academy will train taxi drivers, owners and operators about business skills and customer care skills, amongst others.

The delegation attended the International Union of Public Transport conference on public transport financing. This will ensure that the Gauteng Taxi industry will enable to make meaningful contribution to the new commuter subsidy which we will announce before November as the Premier has pronounced.

The delegation also met with Barcelona Municipality and its Transport Operating Authority to learn from their experiences during the Barcelona Olympics held a few years ago. This will enable the taxi industry to ready itself for the hosting of the 2010 World Cup.

The delegation established good contacts throughout the world in an effort to ensure that they maximise the capacity of the industry and further ensure projects such as the launch of the Taxi Academy which Mr Jacobs will unveil in the next few months.

We have also established task teams to deal with issues which are seeds for taxi violence; these issues includes Routes, Registrations, Operating Licenses, Road Safety, Vehicle impoundment, and Self Regulation.

In an integrated process of infrastructural development, which includes the intergovernmental convention on infrastructure to be held before the end of May, we will also look closely at the matter of accessibility of people with disabilities to government building, we will then make pronouncements on the matter.

The Premier has already committed all of us to ensure that we work towards making Gauteng a Globally Competitive City -Region (GCR). We only believe that GCR can only be meaningful to the majority of our people if we ensure that it will ensure better services and access to opportunities to improve the qualities of their lives. The lessons learnt from other countries indicate that we are on the right direction.

Realising this, our department has already established a team that is looking at the implications for Public Transport, Roads and Public Works in GCR.

Our department has developed a comprehensive strategy that will ensure that communities and people from disadvantaged background access business opportunities. We have thus set a target of 40% of our business to go to Black Economic Empowerment Companies.

In the next few weeks, we will make pronouncements regarding the 2005/2006 Programme of Action of the Department to achieve the objectives in the ANC Manifesto.

Thanks For more information contact: Lebelo Maloka
Tel: (011) 355 2641
Cell: 083 310 2957
Issued by: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng Provincial Government
24 February 2005

SPONSORED BY

Advanced