Date: 17/10/2010
Source: The Department of Transport
Title: SA: Ndebele: Address by the Minister of Transport, at the opening of the N3 Wembezi Interchange, Wembezi

Programme Director Mr Chris Hlabisa

MEC for Transport Mr Willies Mchunu

UMtshezi Municipality Mayor Cllr. M. Shelembe

Transport Portfolio Committee Chairperson Mr. T. Khaunda

Senior Government Officials

Distinguished Guests

Members of the Media

Ladies and Gentlemen

We are here in Wembezi as part of the Transport Month Campaign which seeks
to focus the country and all our people on the role of transport in the
socio-economic development of our people. The October Transport Month
focuses our attention on all the modes - road, rail and maritime and air. In
particular we answer some questions about the role that these transport
modes, together and individually, play in our lives in urban and rural
areas.

This year's October Transport Month Campaign has been influenced by a number
of elements. Typically, our activities this October are influenced by the
Opening of Parliament Speech by the tone set by President Jacob Zuma and
particularly the Performance Agreement that the Minister signs with the
President. During this October Transport Month we will take into account the
following six outcomes of the Department of Transport. These are

* Transport Infrastructure

* Public Transport

* Safety

* Rural Development

* Job Creation and

* The Environment

It is through the implementation of these outcomes individually and
together, that we will determine the effect of transport on our people's
lives. We have also focused the country's attention on safety by launching
the National Rolling Enforcement Plan as part of the Decade for Global
Safety in South Africa and the world.

SANRAL INTERCHANGE

In this regard this interchange today was requested by the people of this
area to consider the construction of an interchange on the N3 where the
provincial road MR29 crosses it just north of the Wagon drift Dam. This was
to give access to the people residing along MR29 at Wembezi,

Ntabamhlope, White Mountain and further westwards towards the Drakensberg
foothills.

In June 2005 SANRAL appointed BCP Engineers to conduct a feasibility study
in this regard. The study established a need for the interchange at Wembezi.

* The expenditure to date of this project is over R33 260 000.

* By the time of completion in 2013 the estimated cost will be over R46
million

ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN

At the beginning of October we launched the National Rolling Enforcement
Plan which is about safer roads in South Africa. Since the start of the NREP
campaign we have stopped more than 500 000 vehicles nationally.

Each road block indicates clearly that we are right with the NREP. There are
far too many transgressions. There are far too many deaths. We are going to
stop these unnecessary deaths.

We will stop no less than 1 million vehicles every month to check them for
roadworthiness, infringements and offences. In addition we will

produce 1 million new drivers over the coming year that are schooled in a
new driving culture that we will help us reduce accidents and death.

On Thursday we were in the Eastern Cape as part of the NREP.

* We stopped 783vehicles;

* We had 438 prosecutions;

* We had 33 warrants of arrests; and

* 17 public transport vehicles were impounded for using invalid permits.

We are convinced we are correct; we can see the need for renewed
enforcement. Safety and efficient transport are just some non-negotiables if
a country is to move fast to become a developed country.

SUPPORTING ECONOMIC GROWTH

Our legacy lies in part in recognising the importance of infrastructure as
the basis of a solid delivery process for economic growth. At a
macro-economic level research shows a correlation between investment in
economic infrastructure and economic growth. The effect of appropriate and
timely investment in economic infrastructure lasts up to 20 years and
beyond. Infrastructure development contributes tformation of the country
which has a correlation to a country's gross domestic product.
Infrastructure development also contributes significantly to job creation
especially in our country where economic growth is not labour absorptive.

Job-creation and increase in job opportunities is thus a key outcome to be
achieved by the transport sector through our various delivery agencies
(roads departments, agencies and technical services at a municipal sphere).

The roads component of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) remains a
key pillar of the Department of Transport's contribution to job creation
through the implementation of labour-intensive projects.

The following amounts are targeted for provincial roads development in the
2010 MTEF EPWP allocation:

* R2.2billion in 2010/11;

* R2.8 billion in 2011/12; and

* R3.3billion in 2012/13.

RURALTRANSPORT INFRASTUCTURE

Colonialism and apartheid balkanized South Africa. It created underdeveloped
Bantustans which contrast sharply with well-developed white-owned commercial
farming areas. This has left deep scars of inequality and economic
inefficiency in our country. As part of government we are engaged in efforts
to make a decisive intervention to change the conditions of our people
towards the attainment of the vision of a better life for all. To this end,
a Rural Transport Strategy for South Africa (RTSSA), aimed at achieving
sustainable growth and development for improved quality of life of the rural
communities, has been developed.

A project called Operation Emakhaya shall cover the following 6 strategic
priorities:

(i) Community access roads: to address rural roads backlog by building new,
rehabilitating the current access roads and instituting a regular road
maintenance programme, which links communities to public amenities such as
schools, clinics and essential social services;

(ii) Building of bridges and non-motorised transport facilities and related
infrastructure;

(iii) Developing and implementing the integrated public transport

networks for regular transport services;;

(iv) Developing and upgrading airport network with a proper road-link
infrastructure and services;

(v) Revitalizing the rural railway operations by expanding rail passenger
services and freight operations to the rural areas; and

(vi) Rural transport safety and law enforcement.

This programme seeks to respond to the massification of job opportunities
through building community access roads and through labour-intensive
methods. We must also seek permanent jobs through the construction of
transport infrastructure and road maintenance programmes such as those
pioneered in this province of KwaZulu-Natal such as Zibambele and Vukuzakhe.
We also believe that the extension of rural transport services would yield
further benefits to new entrants of transport operators.

This would also see more recruits and professionals entering the transport
employment and small and medium businesses entering and staying in the
transport sector. Today's occasion, which involves a number of levels of
government, is an indication of the correctness of the slogan"Together we
can do more"! In promoting inter-governmental collaboration, the Department
has put together technical coordinating teams, systems and tools for the
delivery across sector and sphere.

In this regard, the process of prioritizing rural economic nodes and the
provision of rural transport to improve access, mobility and quality of
transport infrastructure requires funding. We will continue to look at means
outside the fiscus including public private partnerships and other
innovations as a means to fund our programmes.

SHOVA KALULA BICYCLE PROGRAMME

The Department of Transport has the responsibility to address access and
mobility challenges facing learners who walk more than 3 km as a single trip
to school on a daily basis, farm workers and rural women.

The primary project beneficiaries are currently those learners in the rural,
semi-rural and peri-urbtransport or alternatives. They rely on walking to
access their educational resource centres and the basic services. The Shova
Kalula bicycle project has been identified as one of the key strategic focus
areas in line with the requirements of the War on Poverty Campaign managed
in the Presidency. Provinces prepare the business plans for the
identification and selection of schools and enter into agreements with
municipalities to put control measures in place. The Department of Transport
then procures and distributes bicycles to the provinces, as per the approved
business plans.

* In support of job-creation, the Department of Transport is facilitating
the establishment of a bicycle manufacturing plant in South Africa.

* A feasibility study will be undertaken, together with the Department of
Trade and Industry in accordance with the industrial policy.

* The study will be concluded in this financial year 2010/11.

We have spoken elsewhere about the importance of the State of the Village,
the State of the township and the State of the District.

Therefore, the delivery of rural transport services must include the
delivery of:

* Rural transport infrastructure;

* Village-level or intra-farm transportation;

* Rural passenger and freight transport services; and

* Special needs transportation services.

We must support and improve the functioning of the market for rural
transport services so we can reverse the townward migration of the best
skills from the rural areas. Our focus remains the continued improvement of
the current set of government interventions for rural transport.

These include public transport regulation, freight logistics, subsidization
and recapitalization which are mainly peri-urban in bias. The purpose of the
Rural Transport Grant is therefore to improve mobility and access in rural
municipalities. This we do in support of Integrated Development Plans (IDPs)
by developing rural transport infrastructure including access roads, feeder
roads and bridges;

RAIL BRANCH LINES

The revival of rail as a viable means of transport has among others the
benefit of bringing the overall cost of transportation down. We have
identified and mapped branch lines including those that are under
concession. Where possible the branch line network is aligned to the
secondary road network in order to mitigate the deterioration of the road
network. Transnet has issued an expression of interest on branch lines and
has already started ring-fencing the branch line network over 5 years before
this can be transferred to the Department of Transport.

ROAD FREIGHT STRATEGY

Development takes place when people and goods are able to move freely and
with the least cost to our economy. With a significant proportion of freight
moving on roads, a road freight strategy is being developed by the
Department of Transport (DOT). This is to optimize freight movement,
encourage appropriate cargo on the right mode and preserve the road network
of the country. We have gazetted regulations on secondary road reduction of
axle mass limit. We have issued letters on the review of axle mass limits
for comment.

Owing to the amount of inappropriate cargo on our road network we are
spending high amounts of money on road maintenance. The state of our roads
combined with our estimated backlog of R75billion in road maintenance over
five years is a cost we cannot sustain.

This is what informs our planning, seeking to reduce rising road maintenance
costs, providing appropriate infrastructure and placing freight and
commuters on the right transport mode. We are identifying critical projects
ranging from institutional arrangements, funding options and infrastructure
projects. The infrastructure projects are to be implemented by relevant
Local, Provincial and state owned enterprises (SOE's) together with
Department of Transport. Here are some of the projects that have been
identified as high-impact National projects which will generate economic
development; provide jobs and address

· Development of Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks (IRPTNs) for
inter-city transport for the country;

· Beitbridge to Cape Town Rail Link;

· Road and rail regional access to Lephalale along R33 corridor;

· N2 Multi-modal Coastal route corridor;

· Development of emerging corridors in country; and the

· Johannesburg to Durban Rail Link.

It is therefore against this background that the 2050 vision for the
Durban-Gauteng corridor has been institutionalized and adopted on 15
September 2010 to be politically championed by the Minister of Transport.
This is underpinned by a decision-making Steering Committee structure
chaired by the Director-General of Transport, culminating into the various
work streams.

Its main objectives are:

· To streamline freight logistics within the corridor, related corridors and
sub-corridors.

· Lower logistics costs within the corridor, related corridors and
sub-corridors.

· Improve efficiencies within the corridor, related corridors and
sub-corridors.

· Provision of capacity ahead of demand.

· Short, medium and long term economic objectives.

The Steering Committee constitutes the following key stakeholders:

· Department of Transport (Lead Department).

· Department of Public Enterprises.

· Department of Trade and Industry.

· National Treasury.

· Provincial Premier's Offices (DGs)

o KwaZulu-Natal

o Free State

o Gauteng

· Provincial Departments of Transport of the above-mentioned provinces.

· Municipalities/Metros of the above-mentioned provinces.

· State-Owned AGENCIES.

· Secretariat.

This process will focus on the following key nodal points within the
corridor: Port of Durban, Cato Ridge, Harrismith and City Deep in
Johannesburg.

THANK YOU.