Friday 20 September, 2002
"South Africa Government commits itself to create an enabling environment for the Search and Rescue function"
In his address to the Search and Rescue conference, Dullah Omar, the National Minister of Transport sated that the South African Government is committed to ensure that the Search and Rescue organisation in South Africa remains a leader in Africa. The conference is held on Friday, 20 September 2002 at Lord Charles Hotel - Somerset West, Western Cape Province.
The primary objective of the conference is to economically develop an effective and efficient Search and Rescue (SAR) Programme by the optimal use of the limited available national resources through the conclusion of Memorandum of Understandings with authorities able to provide such resources
The conference aims to: address the deficiencies identified by bringing potential resources on board the SAR Programme; clarify the role and responsibilities of South African Search and Rescue (SASAR) in managing aviation and maritime related disasters; clarify the role and responsibilities of the different rescue agencies in handling other types of disasters within South Africa; pave the way for mutually inclusive / complimentary contingency plans within South Africa; launch the SASAR Constitution; launch the SASAR website; and develop a strategic plan for SASAR.
The Government commits itself to the creation of an enabling environment for the Search and Rescue function to be provided to the aviators and mariners who find them in distress. The South African Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue Bill were debated by the parliamentary house of assembly on the 12 September 2002 and would soon become an Act of Parliament. Once promulgated, the Bill would provide the necessary legal framework for the provisioning of Search and Rescue services as well as legitimise the existing Search and Rescue structures in South Africa.
The government has acceded to South Africa's association with the Cospas-Sarsat programme in 1999. This enables the South African Government of to offer Cospas-Sarsat services as a ground segment provider. The installation of the Local User Terminal (LUT) and establishment of the mission control centre in Milnerton will see Telkom SA, in the spirit of NEPAD, providing distress alert services to the rest of the Southern African region as well as certain countries in central Africa on behalf of the National Department of Transport.
The department is spending millions of rands annually to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of Search and Rescue communications. During the past year, the department paid an amount of approximately r16 million to Telkom SA for maritime and Search and Rescue information services rendered on behalf of the Department.
There is therefore a need to strive for the maintenance of the available limited Search and Rescue resources within the SASAR organisation. There is also a need to continuously assess the capability of SASAR and attempt to look out for potential contributors to the SAR programme, in terms of service and resources in order to maintain or increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the search and rescue programme.
"All of us present here today must ask ourselves these questions 'what's our involvement with the search and rescue programme? Do we have a moral obligation and responsibility to assist those in distress? Is there a role that we could play or a contribution that we could make during search and rescue operations', I express the hope that at the end of this conference all of us will have decided on the contribution we could make to the SASAR organisation. I call on all of you to be 'friends of SASAR'", concluded the Minister Omar.
Issued by: Innocent Mpe
Deputy Manager: Media Liaison
Tel: 012 309 3331
Cell: 082 908 0054
Fax: 012 309 3925
mpei@ndot.pwv.gov.za