Date: 08/06/2004
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: I Jacobs: Gauteng Provincial Media Briefing, June 2004


GAUTENG PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT MEC MEDIA BRIEFINGS STATEMENT, BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT, ROADS AND WORKS MEC, IGNATIUS JACOBS, 8 June 2004

The Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works welcomes the challenges presented by the Premier, which symbolise the continued commitment of government to serve the people of the province.

The department commits itself to contribute towards the realisation of the priorities identified by the Premier, that of enabling faster economic growth and job creation; of fighting poverty and building safe, secure and sustainable communities; developing healthy, skilled and productive people; deepening democracy and promoting constitutional rights; and building an effective and caring government.

In meeting all the challenges the Premier put before us, we will need to ensure that we work very closely with all levels of government to ensure synergy and increased impact in government services delivery.

We will then take the opportunity presented by the Premier with the strengthening of existing high-level structures of provincial and local government to ensure an integrated framework of Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP), infrastructural development, and delivery of a reliable, accessible, safe and affordable public transport system.

We have already laid a firm basis to ensure that we develop a comprehensive and integrated transport plan for Gauteng. The transport plan will be coupled with the Growth and Development Summit agreements, and the trade and industrial strategy. We commit our approach to transport to be linked with the social and economic growth and development of the province.

Part of this strategy will address the challenges of traffic congestion and pressure on transport infrastructure as a result of urbanisation.

This strategy, to be released by the end of the year, will ensure that our province will have a reliable, safe and affordable public transport system. We will commission, a transversal team of taxis, buses and rail by the end of July to review the subsidy formula.

We will also make sure that the opportunities brought by the 2010 World Cup are exhaustively used to attend to the weaknesses within our current transport system. A consensus-seeking path for a radical paradigm shift within the taxi industry is currently being presented to associations for consideration.

This will assist in shifting the focus and approach so that we locate the taxi industry in the broader context of transportation and not view it separately as a Black transport challenge.

We will put the industry firmly at the centre of transport transformation in Gauteng. Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) in the transport industry is critical to success of wealth creation and distribution. BBBEE deserves a bigger share of wealth created within the transport industry.

The Gauteng Department of Transport, Roads and Works will pursue its efforts to deal with violence that threatens the lives of innocent men, women and children. We will continue to work with the MEC for Community Safety to ensure the safety of commuters in the taxis, and to deal with the perpetrators of violence. We will also continue with Be Legal Campaign. The deadline for collection of operating licenses has been extended to 30 June 2004.

Soon we will make an announcement on the North/South; and East/West roads infrastructure in Black townships. This will enable these townships to be part of the broad provincial transport system and enable Gauteng resident's easy access to main routes, in and out of the province. This will be part of the Transport Investment Framework to be announced by November 2004.

In September the Premier will launch Gauteng's Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). It will include all the existing public works projects and programmes at local, provincial and national level. We will also include the national parastatals' public works activities in our province. The EPWP will include building of schools, roads, health facilities and housing. It will also ensure that it develops an integrated framework for learnerships, internships and skills development for youth, women, persons with disabilities and the unemployed in Gauteng.

In November we will further announce an Infrastructure Development Strategy, which would seek to address bottlenecks in infrastructure planning and project management for infrastructure development and maintenance.

The Zivuseni project will continue but in an improved manner. We will have to consider continuity after the short-term jobs. We will have to link it with the broad strategy of job creation and skills development.

This would include links with all the institutions that would enhance this project to do more and better.

Our work will be guided by the ANC manifesto, which represents the interest of the people of the province. We will continue the people's contract to create work and fight poverty! Soon we will invite the media and make further announcements, which would enhance our work to build a better life for all.

For more information contact: Lebelo Maloka
Tel: 011 355 1509
Cell: 083 310 2057
Issued by: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng Provincial Government
8 June 2004