Keynote address by honourable Thobile Mhlahlo, MEC FOR Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport at the launch of the Alicedale Road Construction Project and Cacadu district Sakha Isizwe community-based transportation programme, Alicedale Rugby Stadium

Today we are making history in this small town of Alicedale, as we are officially presenting a lasting solution to the challenges of poverty that have consistently ravaged this area for many decades.

This year, government has resolved to "intensify the struggle against poverty", through building a people's contract to create work, and fight poverty; and the advancement towards the realisation of Provincial Growth and Development Plan target of halving unemployment and poverty by 2014.

Our approach is informed by the fact that none of the great social problems we have to solve is capable of resolution outside the context of the creation of jobs and the alleviation of poverty.

Massive employment programmes have historically proven to provide cost-effective and high-quality solutions to the challenge of creating infrastructure in developing countries.

In such countries, which are largely characterised by high levels of poverty, unemployment, underdevelopment and an abundant labour supply, this strategy is increasingly recognised as a means to employment-intensive growth.

South Africa, particularly Alicedale is not an exception, when we analyse the poverty-stricken areas of our country.

In the recent past, the provincial government has made visible and decisive interventions in ensuring that we rescue this community from poverty and underdevelopment.

The Bushman Sands development is a visible example and there are more projects that are still coming to this area, including the building of an International Rugby Academy here.

These developments have prompted the Department of Roads and Transport to surface the road from N10 to Alicedale at a cost of R45million. This project, which started in May 2007, will take place for a period of 32 months and 120 local people will benefit.

Already, 100 people are undergoing training on:

* occupational health and safety
* small plant management
* concrete works
* fencing
* reinforcement

Furthermore, 40 local people have been employed to guard the construction site.

We see this as an important intervention to address unemployment and poverty, while providing valuable skills in the process.

It will further enable us to link Alicedale with the 2010 FIFA World Cup activities, which will take place mostly in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.

Cacadu District Interventions
There is a lot that the Department of Roads and Transport is doing in the Cacadu District and a lot that is still in the pipeline in order to boost the local economy.

Construction is underway on the 4,8km stretch between the N2 and Addo at a cost of R87 million.

Planning is underway for the continuation of this upgrade to Addo Town and the construction process is expected to start in April 2008 at a cost of R290 million.

We have dispatched the Department of Roads and Transport's internal road maintenance unit to re-gravel all roads within Addo area at a cost of R11 million.

The Department has further resolved to invest on the road infrastructure on the coastal route in order to unlock the tourism and business potential of the area.
More attention will be given to the coastal road between East London and Port Elizabeth (R72), which runs through the Ncanarha interchange on the N2 to the Nahoon interchange on the N2 in East London.

This is a vital arterial road that supports both industry (East London and Coega industrial development zones or IDZs) and tourism, and is also of importance for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

This road is similar in length to the N2 through Grahamstown, but is favoured by truckers due to the fact that it has fewer gradients. Traffic volumes on the R72 have increased significantly over the past three years.

This is by far the highest trafficked Provincial Rural Road. Through our routine maintenance programme, we will ensure that the R72 is trafficable, while we are weighing various options.

These options are highlighted in the feasibility study undertaken by the department through the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) on the possibility of tolling certain strategic routes, including R72. This study includes economic, funding, traffic and operational viability.

Presently, the department is doing the following:

East London Airport - Lilyvale: Rehabilitation of this section will commence in January 2008 and be completed by 2009 at a cost of R20 million.

Bushman's River and Kasouga River Bridges: the two bridges at Bushman's River as well as the bridge over Kasouga River on R72 will be widened starting in January 2008 and be completed by January 2009 at a cost of R5 million.

Ncanarha - Fonteinskloof: Planned commencement of rehabilitation of this section is during 2008 and completion early in 2010.

We have applied for funding to the national Government for the following projects:

* Upgrade of road from Motherwell to Addo, Addo to Paterson and Addo to Kirkwood.
* Upgrade of road from Grahamstown to Alicedale
* Upgrade of road from Hankey to Patensie to support the Citrus Fruit industry and tourism;
* Upgrade of road from Uitenhage to Witteklip (N2)
* Upgrade of road from Humansdorp to Oyster Bay

Back to Rail

All these interventions will be supported by rail renewal projects in various areas of the district.

We intend to expand the Kei Rail Project from East London to Port Elizabeth in order to save our road infrastructure.

We have allocated R10 million for the upgrading of the Narrow Gauge line from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur, as we intend to commence the operations in 2008 and promote tourism. We are investigating the possibility of introducing a train tourism service further up the Langkloof and in Somerset East and Graaff-Reinet.
All these developments will be captured in our Rail Tourism Plan, which the Department is going to develop.

Sakha Isizwe

Since 2006, the Department of Roads and Transport has introduced a new Programme called Community Based Transportation.

The main aim of Sakha Isizwe Community Based Transportation Programme is to institutionalise and guarantee a more balanced transportation system throughout the Eastern Cape Province, and at the same time, to create new work and business opportunities for the disadvantaged communities.

Through the Sakha Isizwe Household Contractors Programme, more than 2500 households have been appointed in Amathole (655), Alfred Nzo (501), Chris Hani (495), OR Tambo (540) and Ukhahlamba (380) Districts.

Today, as we celebrate Transport Month 2007, we are officially expanding the programme to the Cacadu District, where 985 households have been identified from areas such as Nelson Mandela Metro, Camdeboo, Blue Crane Route, Makana, Ndlambe, Sunday's River, Kouga, Koukamma, Baviaans and Ikwezi.

Of this number, 200 households are from Makana Municipality alone.

The household contractors' work entails road maintenance, upgrading, construction, focus on roadside animal management, fencing, pedestrian safety, footpaths, non-motorised transport, gabion basket manufacturing, rangers etc.

This new programme is expected to create an estimated 30 000 additional work opportunities over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework period, thus 5000 per district.

It would further result in the construction of approximately 300km of new low volume roads and the maintenance of approximately 5 500km of existing roads, thus significantly improving the quality of the overall provincial road network and transportation system.

The targeted roads will assist in improving accessibility to economic activities, tourism opportunities, schools, clinics and other government services.

Through our Sakha-Isizwe Routine Road Maintenance Programme using the 'up scaling' approach, the Department has allocated R2,58 million for the Cacadu District.

Beefing internal capacity

The department is busy restoring its own internal capacity through creating Centres of Excellence in Graaff-Reinet and Grahamstown. The primary focus of these centres will be the transfer of skills to both in-house maintenance and construction units as well as to communities.

They will serve as the fountain of technical, technological and engineering advancement for both the department and communities, as they would focus on labour-intensive methods of construction (Expanded Public Works Programme or EPWP) and mentoring of internal resource.

This concept is in line with the PGDP objectives as it would give content and effect to government's overall strategic objective of developing human capital to meet the acute shortage of technical and entrepreneur skills.

The department's project and programme management capacity will be enhanced by means of undertaking structured internship and learnership programmes. The successful interns and learners will then be appointed should vacancies exist. The department's bursary holders will also get hands-on experiential training and sharpen their project management skills at these centres.

Nonkqubela HIV-Aids Project

As government departments, we are charged with a responsibility to ensure that we support the needy groups of our society. Since 2006, the Department of Roads and Transport has established a good relationship with the Nonkqubela HIV-Aids Project here.

Today, we are donating doorframes, security gates for doors and windows, and a computer.

We believe that working together we can win the fight against HIV-Aids in this Province.

Youth Development

This week, the Department of Roads and Transport has published 64 bursaries for Grade 12 learners, who would like to study Civil Engineering (15), Mechanical Engineering (5), Mechatronics (3), Aeronautical Engineering (3), Aviation Technician (2), Transport Economics (3), Surveying (2), Traffic Air Controller (1), Maritime and Shipment (4), Rail Engineering (3), Port Engineering (1), Pilot studies (2), traffic law enforcement diploma (20).

We want five of the traffic law enforcement diploma candidates to come from Cacadu District.

In conclusion, I would like to congratulate all people, who have benefited from our projects, hoping that they would undertake their task with great vigour in the interest of reconstruction and development of our country.

I thank you

Issued by: Eastern Cape Provincial Government, Ministry for Safety, Liaison, Roads and Transport
9 October 2007