Keynote address by North West Premier Edna Molewa at the provincial launch of the Transport Month in Mafikeng

Programme Director
MEC Vilakazi
Councillors
Commissioner Beetha
Ladies and gentlemen

Let me start by expressing my sense of gratitude to be with you this morning. It is my great pleasure that we are gathered here to give due recognition to the importance of partnerships in our campaign to transform the transport service in our province and in the country. The transport sector is increasingly becoming one of the best engines for economic growth and social development. The rate at which our economy is growing, the increased investment in the economy and the ever-increasing influx of international visitors and the booming industrial development is a visible warning that our transport services and infrastructure should match this growth.

Over the past 13 years, South Africa has been host to many international events. We are glad to have been selected to host the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. We are working hard as the provincial government to ensure that our transport services will be in order come 2010. But we are working on a permanent solution to our transport challenges which will last beyond 2010. As government we are determined to accelerate economic growth, work opportunities, transform our public transport services and infrastructure and therefore fight poverty and unemployment.

The national government has decided to have Transport Month as an annual campaign, starting as a Public Transport Month in October 2005 and growing in scope over the past two years to become an all-inclusive Transport Month. The key objective of Transport Month is to champion the need for speedy transformation of public transport and non-motorised transport service. Public transport and walking are currently used by a substantial majority of our people in the province and throughout the country.

According to the results of the National Household Travel Survey, about 4,5 million workers and learners use a car to work or school while 21 million workers and learners use public transport or walk. Therefore, the aim of Transport Month must be to shift the focus of the passenger transport sector away from middle class suburban car users and towards ensuring affordable and sustainable mobility for all, in both rural and urban areas. This shift in focus of car use is aimed at promoting other modes of transport in line with international best practices of both developed and developing countries.

We have identified the need for more aggressive championing of public transport in the province and in the country. In addition, we believe visible champions of this kind of campaign are required, given the fact that over 80% of South Africa's households lack access to a private use of car and rely on public and non-motorised transport.

The key objectives of the campaign are to:

* raise awareness of the important role and benefits of public and non-motorised transport in the economy and society
* ensure popular participation in and partnerships for public transport transformation
* showcase government's initiatives for immediate improvements in the transport service in general;
* prepare the mindset of our people to use all other available modes of transport in all areas
* highlight the shortcomings in public transport, in particular and the lack of frequent public transport services in the most rural areas of the province.
This week, we will be promoting various modes of transport, including aviation through the Mafikeng International Airshow. During the second week, that is next week, we will be promoting public transport in the form of a special rail ride from here to Vryburg. We will also reflect on the progress we have made in transforming the public transport sector, especially the taxi industry.

During the third week, we will be showcasing our progress in infrastructure development by opening one of our newly-constructed roads at Mabalstad. The last week of the Transport Month will focus on non-motorised transport and we will be engaged in a bike ride in Mafikeng and donate about 200 bicycles to the needy communities in the province. Ladies and gentlemen, the promotion of road safety and education coupled with effective law enforcement has a long way to go to promote a culture of sharing of space and tolerance among road users.

For this reason, we will also intensify our law-enforcement strategy along our roads by deploying as many traffic officers and police as possible. By the way, today we are also unveiling a new for our traffic officers. Previously, we have identified key challenges facing public transport users such as the persistence of the apartheid spatial legacy and long distance commuting patterns, the lack of rural public transport services, the lack of significant upgrading of public transport infrastructure, and the lack of safe and user friendly pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

We want to encourage all spheres of government, civil society organisations and the business community to work together to promote and implement safe and increased levels of use of various modes of transport, including non-motorised transport like bicycles and animal-drawn carts. It is therefore very important that we have come here today to re-commit ourselves to realising the goal of a better transport system for our province. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) has highlighted the plight of developing communities as well as the significant potential for low cost mobility solutions.

They indicated that:

* eighty percent of South Africans depend on public transport
* about 50 percent of South African population lives in rural areas
* seventy-two percent of rural population are poor.

Taking into account the amount of financial investments required to improve the transportation system whilst there are competing priorities, there is no doubt that the use of non-motorised transport is a viable alternative, especially in rural areas. Some of the deep rural parts of our province are still inaccessible by means of conventional transport system. As a result, communities have for many years relied on animal-drawn carts to access schools, clinics, pension pay points and all other social services as the only alternative means of transport to walking long distances. Ladies and gentlemen, with those few words, I wish you well in this programme.

I thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
2 October 2007