Mantsole traffic station, 06 april 2000
Ke A Leboga Letona Farisani,
Modulasetulo, Tonakgolo Ya Northern Province, Advocate Ngoako Ramathlodi,
His Worship, The Honourable Mayor Of Greater Warmbaths,
Bagashi Le Bashomedi Ba Thobela Fm Le Ukhamba Communications Baetapele Ba Rena Ba Dikereke,
Members Of The Media,
Distinguished Ladies And Gentlemen.
It is with great pleasure and honour that I am here today to address this important road safety awareness project. Road traffic safety is a national priority. As a country, we should collectively put all our resources together in affirming a safer and better life on our roads.
May I indicate from the beginning that I am pleased to see community and church leaders here today. Your presence confirms your dedication in getting into a partnership with us in a fight against the road carnage. We have to intensify and build a very strong movement across our society. Government cannot deal with the road carnage alone.
Churches, schools, big and small business, non-governmental and civil organisations and other grass roots organisations have a role to play and they should take ownership in educating and mobilising our people.
The fight against road carnage has begun. We have embarked on an aggressive process of engaging different stakeholders and role players. Discussions with the education sector have commenced and we will soon be talking to other community based organisations. We believe that road safety should be elevated and be placed high on the agenda.
Everybody should get involved. Operators, drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike are very powerful agents of change and compliance. Empowering road users to actively participate in the fight against road carnage will ensure that we emerge with a comprehensive input encompassing all sectors of our communities.
In putting road safety on the agenda south africa needs a comprehensive road safety plan which will root out the carnage on our roads. We need to evaluate current technology and invest in different forms of punishment so as to promote compliance with the law.
We also need to put in place tough measures that will send a clear message to drivers who disobey the rules of the road, who are reckless in their disregard for their own life and the lives of others. This is why my department is working on putting together a programme where south africans will openly debate with an attempt of assisting government in solving this crisis. Our arrive alive road safety campaign doesn't supersede the need for a more detailed and implementable road safety programme.
We have registered our concern about the quality of some vehicles on our roads (unroadworthy vehicles), the behaviour of drivers and pedestrians. These are some of the lessons we learnt. We are determined to work on these lessons and improve on them. The untold misery and heartache for the families of people who are killed everyday on our roads is one part of the story. The tens of thousands of people who live with disabilities and disadvantages for the rest of their lives as a result of injuries in car accidents is another part of the tale.
The message is that we will no longer tolerate unlawful behaviour. We cannot allow unfit drivers or unroadworthy vehicles to continue to use our roads.
I have been informed that this road safety awareness project will be taken to local communities and the first project will take off during the easter weekend on the n1 between gauteng and pietersburg, louis trichard and tzaneen. I am also told that the project will start at the taxi ranks in major centres in the northern province and gauteng where travellers would be equipped with route maps, travel and first-aid kits and event information on these routes.
Chairperson, we are moving closer to the Easter weekend. Yet again many people will be on our roads particularly this route from gauteng to the northern province with many people attending the annual pilgrimage in Moria. From our experience in the past, contributory factors to fatal crashes over this period are speed, fatigue, alcohol and pedestrians jay-walking. We want to appeal to all road-users to take extra precautions and ensure that we save lives during this Easter weekend.
In conclusion, may I take advantage of this occasion today to say something about the withdrawal of the South African Taxi Council (SATACO) from the taxi recapitalisation. It is our view that SATACO plays an important role in the process of transforming the taxi industry.
We believe very strongly that its role should not be diminished and that attempts should be made to find solutions to the concerns they have raised. We have been in discussion with the industry from 1994 and there were major problems experienced since then and we managed to overcome those difficulties. It is for this reason that I remain confident that we can find solutions and strike the right balance in order to get the taxi recapitalisation process to move forward in a way acceptable to all roleplayers. I have already met the president of SATACO and further meeting are planned.
I am meeting mec's today in Pretoria and we will be discussing this matter further and we are also arranging meetings with our colleagues at DTI so that we are able to strengthen a common view on this matter. Chairperson I need to reaffirm our commitment of fully empowering this industry because this is one area where black empowerment emerged strongly without government assistance or subsidy. We want this success story to be read and recorded in our empowerment history books. We dare not allow taxi transformation process to fail.
Thank you.