Irma Venter
Irma Venter is a Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.
E-tolling has its merits, says Imperial’s Rossouw
11th July 2013 The roll-out of e-tolling on Gauteng’s freeways was a “good workable system”, said Imperial Logistics chief integration officer Cobus Rossouw on... →
Taxi recap to end in September, govt mulls introduction of subsidies
8th July 2013 First approved by Cabinet in 1999, the taxi recapitalisation programme (TRP) would come to an end in September, said Deputy Transport Minister... →
Gauteng toll system awaits President’s signature
8th July 2013 All that stood between Gauteng motorists and the start of e-tolling on the province’s major highways was President Jacob Zuma's signature.... →
Gautrain needs more rolling stock if it wants to increase capacity
8th July 2013 The Bombela Concession Company (BCC) can double only one more morning train to eight cars on the Pretoria-Johannesburg line before it has provided... →
New technologies, old-fashioned tracking blended as rhino poaching battle heats up
5th July 2013 It’s an ominous sound, and a surprising one: a loud boom on a late Wednesday afternoon that ripples across the vast, quiet grassland next to the... →
Prasa set to spend R150bn over next ten years as it upgrades, expands
1st July 2013 The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is to spend an estimated R150.3-billion on key capital programmes over the next ten years, says... →
Prasa to sign R51bn rolling stock deal by end July
26th June 2013 Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) CEO Lucky Montana said on Wednesday that he “was confident” the agency would ink the deal for the... →
July set as publishing date for Gauteng’s 25-year transport plan
26th June 2013 If everything went according to plan, Gauteng’s 25-year integrated transport master plan (ITMP25) could be “published by the end of July”, said... →
Govt pays R830m in Gautrain subsidies
18th June 2013 Government had paid a monthly ridership guarantee to Gautrain operator, the Bombela consortium, since June 7, last year, amounting to... →
Call for SA’s road admin units to restructure
10th June 2013 There exists an inability in South Africa, with some exceptions, to deliver the country’s road programme effectively, says South African Road... →
R18.85bn for road maintenance, tolling to remain policy
28th May 2013 The Department of Transport (DoT) has a budget of R42.3-billion for the 2013/14 financial year, of which R18.85-billion would be transferred to... →
Mercedes-Benz SA starts work on R300m-plus BRT contract
24th May 2013 Mercedes-Benz South Africa’s (MBSA’s) Sandown Motor Holdings has won the tender to provide the 134 buses necessary for the roll-out of the 18 km... →
Stefanutti fined R323m in Comp Comm investigation
13th May 2013 Construction group Stefanutti Stocks said on Monday that the proposed penalty it had to pay the Competition Commission in this body’s nationwide... →
Govt’s Gautrain bill shrinks to R70m a month as ridership jumps
9th May 2013 The patronage guarantee government paid to Bombela, the operator of the Gautrain system, had dropped from between R80-million and R85-million a... →
Motorists to foot R40bn cleaner fuels bill in SA
8th May 2013 The R40-billion in costs required for South Africa’s refineries to produce cleaner petrol and diesel by 2017 would have to be passed on to the... →
Gautrain 2012 ridership up 60%, placing ‘severe strain’ on capacity
9th April 2013 Average weekday ridership on the Gautrain in March has jumped by 60% compared with the same month last year, says Bombela spokesperson Kelebogile... →
Bombardier Africa Alliance wins R1.1bn Prasa signalling contract
27th March 2013 The Bombardier Africa Alliance consortium had won a R1.1-billion contract to complete a conventional mainline resignalling project for the... →
Men, Swedes most aggressive drivers; SA drivers most likely to drive drunk – survey
25th March 2013 Young South African drivers were quite reckless compared with their counterparts in Europe, tyre maker Goodyear’s third yearly Road Safety Survey... →
Tshwane metro unveils first station in its A Re Yeng bus rapid transit system
19th March 2013 The Tshwane metro on Tuesday showed the media what its purple and green Tshwane rapid transit (TRT) system stations would look like, while it also... →
Gautrain arbitration case may only be resolved in 2015
25th January 2013 The arbitration case between Bombela and the Gautrain Management Agency has been ongoing for 18 months and will, in all likelihood, take another... →
Longer than planned Gautrain trips limit passenger growth
21st January 2013 The Gautrain system is currently carrying around 40 000 train passengers a day, and between 14 000 and 16 000 bus passengers a day, says Gautrain... →
AARTO in trouble if not applied consistently, says ITSSA
22nd November 2012 South Africa’s new Administrative Adjudication of Traffic Offences Act (AARTO) will not work if it is not well managed and applied in a consistent,... →
Electricity price hikes render Gauteng uncompetitive, says MEC
15th November 2012 Power utility Eskom’s push to increase tariffs was tainting Gauteng’s image as an investment destination, said Gauteng Economic Development MEC... →
The good, the bad and the ugly of SA’s economy
2nd November 2012 A lot of people were “terribly concerned” about South Africa’s future in the light of the current persistent labour unrest, and “quite rightly so”,... →
Tshwane ready to roll out BRT system with nostalgic station design
23rd October 2012 The 7 km, Phase 1A leg of the Tshwane bus rapid transit (BRT) system, running from the innercity to Hatfield, is on track to open in April 2014,... →
Prasa to conclude fleet renewal 'as quickly as possible' – Montana
5th October 2012 Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) CEO Lucky Montana is positive the first train in Metrorail’s R123-billion fleet renewal programme can... →
Imperial Logistics quantifies toll impact, questions privatisation of law enforcement
4th October 2012 Tolling on Gauteng’s freeways would add R60-million a year in costs to Imperial Logistics’ operating bill, excluding internal administration fees,... →
Sanral’s Alli appeals for reason on toll projects
4th October 2012 South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) CEO Nazir Alli on Thursday appealed to “all South Africans” to respect the decision by the... →
No quick fix for Gautrain ‘megaclaim’ as Bombela, govt gather global experts
30th August 2012 The delay and disruption claim the Bombela consortium had filed against the Gauteng government regarding the Gautrain project was unlikely to be... →
ITS welcomes Gauteng transport project after 'planning vacuum'
23rd August 2012 Transport authorities often find themselves either caught in the minefield of doing too little planning – resulting in uncoordinated action – or... →
Public transport about more than big bang, 'new flavour' systems
3rd July 2012 The introduction of new public transport services and hard infrastructure is not enough to entice commuters from their cars, onto rail and bus... →
Outa spells out its position on Gauteng toll roads
2nd July 2012 There are many reasons the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) is against the tolling of Gauteng’s freeways, says chairperson Wayne... →
SA aims to develop second, standard-gauge inter-city network – Prasa CEO
27th June 2012 Developing a high-speed rail system would not be a priority for South Africa over the next three to five years, said Passenger Rail Agency of South... →
Wednesday is crunch time for DNA database
12th June 2012 The Secretariat for Police is set to present a DNA policy, which is going to underpin the second draft of the DNA Bill, to the Portfolio Committee... →
E-toll revolt likely to be unsuccessful, predicts strategist
3rd May 2012 The strong public reaction against e-tolling on the Gauteng freeways was the “first tax revolt I have witnessed in South Africa”, said Momentum... →
Tunnel water issue far from resolved, warns Van der Merwe
26th April 2012 The issue of excessive water ingress in the tunnel between Park and Rosebank stations on the Gautrain system “remained unresolved”, said Gautrain... →
2037 Consortium appointed to draw up Gauteng transport plan
7th February 2012 The Gauteng government has appointed the 2037 Consortium to assist it in generating a 25-year integrated master transport plan for the province,... →
Tolling only viable option, says transport society
7th February 2012 The current uncertainty around whether or not tolling would be implemented on Gauteng’s highways has repercussions beyond the province’s borders,... →
R280m Bombela top-up likely as toll delay affects Gautrain numbers
31st January 2012 The Gauteng government will pay an estimated R280-million to Gautrain operator, the Bombela Concession Company, for the financial year ending March... →
Last leg of Gautrain route likely to open in April
16th January 2012 The remaining leg of the Gautrain route, running between Rosebank and Park station in downtown Johannesburg, was, as a best-case scenario, expected... →
Sanral suspends February start of Gauteng e-tolling
13th January 2012 E-tolling in Gauteng will not start in February, as indicated last year, said the chairperson of newly appointed South African National Roads... →
