Date: 16/09/2003
Source: Ministry of Transport
Title: Omar: Opening of public transport interchange in Phillipi, Western Cape
SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, DULLAH OMAR, AT THE OPENING OF THE STOCK ROAD (JOE GQABI) TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE IN PHILLIPPI, 16 September 2003
Comrades, ladies and gentlemen
I thank my colleague, executive councillor Daniele Landingwe for inviting me to this important event. It is also a pleasure for me to say that in the Western Cape we now have good co-operation and co-operative governance involving the three levels of government - national, provincial and local - all moving in the same direction. The result is that we are able to celebrate the opening of this transport interchange in Phillipi for the benefit of our people.
This new transport interchange accommodates the rail, bus and taxi modes of transport. It is designed to make the transport system serve the people. It is designed to create greater convenience and to provide adequate facilities. The existence of the interchange will uplift the area, promote economic development, create opportunities for jobs and give an impetus to the informal sector.
This interchange is an excellent example of what we want to do all over South Africa, so that we truly address the legacy of apartheid and make sure that our work benefits everybody - especially the millions of historically disadvantaged. The interchange also highlights the focus on an integrated transport system and an intermodal approach.
Even though the constitution does not describe public transport as a basic need (such as it does with regard to health, education, housing etc.). In government - national, provincial and local - we are doing our best to ensure that we develop a public transport system that is accessible, affordable, efficient, liable and environmentally friendly. That has been government's approach. We regard public transport as a basic need. Those of you who have been to Park Station Johannesburg and Pretoria Station amongst others, will realise what the potential is for development at an interchange of this kind.
At the level of transport, intermodal integration is one of the fundamental objectives of government. Here at the new interchange, taxis, buses and trains all converge to move people, to move products and goods. Our objective is that all over our country where we have large numbers of people living together and having to travel every day to and from work or to participate in other economic activities, we will have a national transport infrastructure of accessible and appropriate facilities that provide easy access and meet the people's and the country's needs.
This facility was built immediately after the completion of a housing project here in Phillippi. It is a significant, bold step towards a systematic approach to infrastructure development through integrated transport plans and integrated development plans and it is an ideal way to ensure provision of transport to people wherever they live. In this particular instance, the station and the transport interchange will help ease passenger congestion in the area and enhance the commuting experience of the people of this great complex.
The brand new station has a modern design and it features the latest in access control, ticket offices and ablution blocks. People with disabilities can easily access the station. A number of trading stalls facing the taxi and bus rank have been provided for informal traders. The interchange has a bus and a taxi rank built by the city of Cape Town. The economic impact of both facilities is significant, with a total of about R75 million having been spent on the project. Not only will the passengers be the beneficiaries of this project, it will provide economic upliftment for the entire community. Already, the labour utilised in this project came from the communities, thus contributing to the development of skills. Informal traders will be accommodated to the maximum possible capacity of the area. A modal interchange by its nature creates economic activities; and that is what we are looking forward to experience here in Phillippi complex. In due course we hope that our infrastructure including roads will also promote the use of bicycles and safe cycling.
The rail station is part of a bigger project by the SARCC to upgrade rail stations across the country. The aim is to provide commuter rail service that will enhance commuter experience, improve commuter safety, facilitate modal integration and also create economic empowerment opportunities for those who have been left out in the economic activities of our country. In the last 10 years the SARCC, through its subsidiary Intersite, has developed nine (9) stations upgraded at a cost of R75 million in the Western Cape alone. This is in response to the government's mandate of making rail the preferred mode of public transport within the context of the promotion of the broader public transport.
Buses and taxis are important modes of public transport and they are also feeders into the rail mode of transport. These three transport modes together with others not mentioned here should be seen as complementing one another. To have all the three modes accessed from one location here in Phillippi is a step ahead towards the provision of seamless public transport to our people. To take modal integration to a high level, the national department of transport and SARCC are working towards a through ticketing system; a system that will allow passengers to use one ticket to access all these three modes of public transport.
This facility belongs to you, the community of Phillippi, and it is for you to take care of it and for Metrorail, the rail operator, bus and taxi operators to provide quality services from it.
It is indeed fitting that this model transport infrastructure be named after an exemplary South African, the late comrade Joe Gqabi. Let me take this opportunity to say a few words about the man. He was a courageous, selfless freedom fighter who was dedicated to our struggle against apartheid. Born in Aliwal North in the Western Cape, he was amongst the first to answer the call of Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1961. He spent most of his life fighting for the liberation of the majority of South Africans. He was assassinated by the apartheid regime on the night of 31 July 1981 in exile in Zimbabwe. In his speech at the funeral of the late comrade Joe Gqabi in Harare on 9 August 1981, the late comrade O.R. Tambo, president of the ANC, said: "the future is bright. The end is glorious; it is peaceful. But the intervening period is dark, bitter and finds its glory in the act of struggle. Joe Gqabi is part of this glory because his life has been exclusively one of struggles for his people, for Africa, for mankind!" It is in his memory that today this facility will be named after him. As we open this facility, we also honour this great man in glory. I acknowledge the family and relatives of the comrade Joe Gqabi present here today.
In conclusion I thank all who were involved in this project. First my thoughts go to executive councillor Daniele Landingwe and the City of Cape Town. Without you there would be no interchange, no taxi rank and no bus terminus. Thanks are also due to the SARCC and Intersite responsible for the station and its facilities. I thank all involved in the project - professional teams, construction companies, workers - who together made it happen.
Thank you all for the co-operation approach to bring this wonderful facility to a successful conclusion.
Issued by the Ministry of Transport, 16 September 2003
Source: Ministry of Transport
Title: Omar: Opening of public transport interchange in Phillipi, Western Cape
SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, DULLAH OMAR, AT THE OPENING OF THE STOCK ROAD (JOE GQABI) TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE IN PHILLIPPI, 16 September 2003
Comrades, ladies and gentlemen
I thank my colleague, executive councillor Daniele Landingwe for inviting me to this important event. It is also a pleasure for me to say that in the Western Cape we now have good co-operation and co-operative governance involving the three levels of government - national, provincial and local - all moving in the same direction. The result is that we are able to celebrate the opening of this transport interchange in Phillipi for the benefit of our people.
This new transport interchange accommodates the rail, bus and taxi modes of transport. It is designed to make the transport system serve the people. It is designed to create greater convenience and to provide adequate facilities. The existence of the interchange will uplift the area, promote economic development, create opportunities for jobs and give an impetus to the informal sector.
This interchange is an excellent example of what we want to do all over South Africa, so that we truly address the legacy of apartheid and make sure that our work benefits everybody - especially the millions of historically disadvantaged. The interchange also highlights the focus on an integrated transport system and an intermodal approach.
Even though the constitution does not describe public transport as a basic need (such as it does with regard to health, education, housing etc.). In government - national, provincial and local - we are doing our best to ensure that we develop a public transport system that is accessible, affordable, efficient, liable and environmentally friendly. That has been government's approach. We regard public transport as a basic need. Those of you who have been to Park Station Johannesburg and Pretoria Station amongst others, will realise what the potential is for development at an interchange of this kind.
At the level of transport, intermodal integration is one of the fundamental objectives of government. Here at the new interchange, taxis, buses and trains all converge to move people, to move products and goods. Our objective is that all over our country where we have large numbers of people living together and having to travel every day to and from work or to participate in other economic activities, we will have a national transport infrastructure of accessible and appropriate facilities that provide easy access and meet the people's and the country's needs.
This facility was built immediately after the completion of a housing project here in Phillippi. It is a significant, bold step towards a systematic approach to infrastructure development through integrated transport plans and integrated development plans and it is an ideal way to ensure provision of transport to people wherever they live. In this particular instance, the station and the transport interchange will help ease passenger congestion in the area and enhance the commuting experience of the people of this great complex.
The brand new station has a modern design and it features the latest in access control, ticket offices and ablution blocks. People with disabilities can easily access the station. A number of trading stalls facing the taxi and bus rank have been provided for informal traders. The interchange has a bus and a taxi rank built by the city of Cape Town. The economic impact of both facilities is significant, with a total of about R75 million having been spent on the project. Not only will the passengers be the beneficiaries of this project, it will provide economic upliftment for the entire community. Already, the labour utilised in this project came from the communities, thus contributing to the development of skills. Informal traders will be accommodated to the maximum possible capacity of the area. A modal interchange by its nature creates economic activities; and that is what we are looking forward to experience here in Phillippi complex. In due course we hope that our infrastructure including roads will also promote the use of bicycles and safe cycling.
The rail station is part of a bigger project by the SARCC to upgrade rail stations across the country. The aim is to provide commuter rail service that will enhance commuter experience, improve commuter safety, facilitate modal integration and also create economic empowerment opportunities for those who have been left out in the economic activities of our country. In the last 10 years the SARCC, through its subsidiary Intersite, has developed nine (9) stations upgraded at a cost of R75 million in the Western Cape alone. This is in response to the government's mandate of making rail the preferred mode of public transport within the context of the promotion of the broader public transport.
Buses and taxis are important modes of public transport and they are also feeders into the rail mode of transport. These three transport modes together with others not mentioned here should be seen as complementing one another. To have all the three modes accessed from one location here in Phillippi is a step ahead towards the provision of seamless public transport to our people. To take modal integration to a high level, the national department of transport and SARCC are working towards a through ticketing system; a system that will allow passengers to use one ticket to access all these three modes of public transport.
This facility belongs to you, the community of Phillippi, and it is for you to take care of it and for Metrorail, the rail operator, bus and taxi operators to provide quality services from it.
It is indeed fitting that this model transport infrastructure be named after an exemplary South African, the late comrade Joe Gqabi. Let me take this opportunity to say a few words about the man. He was a courageous, selfless freedom fighter who was dedicated to our struggle against apartheid. Born in Aliwal North in the Western Cape, he was amongst the first to answer the call of Umkhonto we Sizwe in 1961. He spent most of his life fighting for the liberation of the majority of South Africans. He was assassinated by the apartheid regime on the night of 31 July 1981 in exile in Zimbabwe. In his speech at the funeral of the late comrade Joe Gqabi in Harare on 9 August 1981, the late comrade O.R. Tambo, president of the ANC, said: "the future is bright. The end is glorious; it is peaceful. But the intervening period is dark, bitter and finds its glory in the act of struggle. Joe Gqabi is part of this glory because his life has been exclusively one of struggles for his people, for Africa, for mankind!" It is in his memory that today this facility will be named after him. As we open this facility, we also honour this great man in glory. I acknowledge the family and relatives of the comrade Joe Gqabi present here today.
In conclusion I thank all who were involved in this project. First my thoughts go to executive councillor Daniele Landingwe and the City of Cape Town. Without you there would be no interchange, no taxi rank and no bus terminus. Thanks are also due to the SARCC and Intersite responsible for the station and its facilities. I thank all involved in the project - professional teams, construction companies, workers - who together made it happen.
Thank you all for the co-operation approach to bring this wonderful facility to a successful conclusion.
Issued by the Ministry of Transport, 16 September 2003
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