On behalf of the Department of Roads and Transport, I would like to express our warm welcome to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to the province of the Eastern Cape. We hope that your deliberations will assist all of us in dealing effectively with the challenge of providing a safe passage for our people and visitors, when they use our road network.

As a strategic institution, the RTMC is expected to assist government in this country to overcome the current fragmentation of traffic management functions across hundreds of provincial and local jurisdictions. It has a task to bring a new professional coherence and improvement co-ordination of road traffic management.

With the implementation of the National Road Safety Strategy under way, we are observing with great interest the impact this strategy will have on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals for the Transport Sector and goals that are highlighted in the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) project, which include 50 percent reduction of fatalities by 2014. We need to accelerate our pace of developing and implementing programmes that will ensure the reduction of deaths on our roads and the provision of an enabling transport environment for the successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Road accidents continue to frustrate development as they usually take away our loved ones, who are mostly active participants in the economy. As a developing country, South Africa enjoys a period of high economic growth rate, which provides space for the previously marginalised individuals, particularly the youth, to participate actively in the economy. There are growing numbers of young people, who have entered the job market and have bought new cars. This means our road network is dominated by inexperienced drivers, who pose a huge risk to other road users.

Over the past three years, cars have become more affordable and some manufacturers have reduced their prices, some by 15 percent. The emergence of a strong black middle-class market that has purchased between 25 percent and 40 percent of the motor vehicles in South Africa has become a significant factor. This year alone, there is an expected increase in car sales by between 4 percent and 7 percent.

The continuous increase on the number of vehicles that are being registered in the Eastern Cape and the demand for number plates confirms this research. The demand for personalised and specific number plates in this province is increasing beyond expectations resulting in revenue collected exceeding the target of R293 000 as at the end of December 2006 by R1,428 million.

This trend forces government to invest more on public transport in an effort to prevent congestion on our roads and to further increase road traffic safety awareness with a particular focus on the new drivers. We have already started with the recapitalisation of old taxis in South Africa and government is investing R7,7 billion in this project. We are further making visible and decisive interventions in improving the conditions of buses.

As we continue to initiate various programmes that seek to facilitate the movement of people and goods, we are further charged with a responsibility to increase road safety awareness. All countries in the world have realised the importance of investing in road safety initiatives through deliberate and determined efforts of many sectors of society, both governmental and non-governmental.

Our government is trying its best to ensure that all road users respect the law, but we have further observed the importance of constantly reminding our people about their roles and responsibilities when they use our roads.

I strongly believe that we need more partners, particularly from the private sector in order to make the necessary impact. We must collectively mobilise resources in order to enhance our capacity when we run our Arrive Alive campaign, which is a continuous and tactical programme designed to achieve effective practical co-operation between the three spheres of government in all ongoing road traffic and road safety management.

We must endeavour to design an Arrive Plan that will provide a seamless national law enforcement plan that responds to the demands of prevailing circumstances in an effective way. During that process, we must capacitate municipalities, especially those that are situated in rural conditions through assisting them to establish their own traffic law enforcement units.

That approach will ensure that we concentrate all our energies on effective management in day-to-day enforcement and quality control, linked to innovative efforts for effective and efficient service delivery.

In conclusion, I am confident that the RTMC is capable of making the necessary difference and bring a significant reduction in the number of fatalities and serious injuries suffered by our people in our country.

I wish you all the best in this session.

I thank you.