Sandton - Hilton Hotel, 07 December 2000
INTRODUCTION
IT IS A GREAT HONOUR FOR ME TO BE HERE TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE THE EFFORTS AND HARD WORK OF INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS WHO HAVE MADE AND CONTINUE TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION IN OUR SOCIETY. YOUR OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND CONTRIBUTION IS RECOGNISED AND DUE TO BE REWARDED TONIGHT.
I WISH TO THANK THE ORGANISERS FOR THE INVITATION TO DELIVER THIS ADDRESS. I AM PLEASED TO SHARE THE PODIUM WITH CABINET COLLEAGUES. I HOPE THAT THESE AWARDS WILL RECOGNISE EXCELLENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT IN ALL IDENTIFIED AREAS OF OUR WORK TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF OUR COUNTRY.
ACCESS TO TRANSPORT HAS A DAILY IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF MOST MEMBERS OF THE POPULATION. TRAVELLING TIMES AND DISTANCES ALSO AFFECT AN INDIVIDUAL'S ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN FAMILY AND COMMUNITY LIFE AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES. TRANSPORT AFFECTS SOCIETY'S INVOLVEMENT IN ECONOMIC PROCESSES.
WORKERS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO REACH THE PREMISES OF THEIR EMPLOYERS, AND IN MANY INSTANCES, THEY CAN ONLY DO THIS IF THERE IS EFFICIENT TRANSPORT PROVISION.
CONSUMERS MUST ALSO BE ABLE TO GET TO RETAIL STORES WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. IN OTHER WORDS, TRANSPORT MUST BE CHEAP AND EFFICIENT IF THESE PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE ECONOMIC PROCESSES OF PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION IS TO BE MAXIMISED. IN TURN, IT IS THIS PARTICIPATION THAT ULTIMATELY DETERMINES THEIR WELFARE. IT IS THIS PARTICIPATION THAT CREATES JOBS, ENHANCES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTES GROWTH.
I BELIEVE THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING US IS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND TO INCREASE ITS COST-EFFECTIVENESS.
TWO WEEKS AGO I VISITED KWANDEBELE IN MPUMALANGA PROVINCE. LET ME PAINT YOU THE PICTURE I SAW THERE. EACH WORKING DAY, AN ORDINARY WORKING WOMAN, MRS SKOSANA, GETS UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO CATCH THE PUTCO BUS AT 3.15 AM TO THE EASTERN SUBURBS OF PRETORIA.
SHE ARRIVES AT 7 AM TO START HER JOB AS A DOMESTIC WORKER. AFTER HER DAY'S WORK SHE TRAVELS HOME AGAIN, GETTING THERE BY ABOUT 8 PM IF ALL GOES WELL. SHE TRAVELS SOME 320 KM EACH DAY, SPENDING AS MUCH TIME ON THE BUS AS SHE DOES AT HOME. OF COURSE THIS SITUATION IS NOT MRS SKOSANA'S FAULT: IT IS A LEGACY OF APARTHEID PLANNING. BUT SHE IS NOT ALONE.
IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THERE ARE ABOUT 23 000 LONG-DISTANCE COMMUTERS FROM KWANDEBELE, TRAVELLING AN AVERAGE OF 232 KM PER DAY AND RECEIVING IN TOTAL ALMOST ONE HUNDRED MILLION RAND (R100M) IN SUBSIDY EACH YEAR.
IF WE TAKE MS SKOSANA'S EXAMPLE, THE COST OF HER TRANSPORT IS ABOUT R7 700 A YEAR. OF THIS, THE STATE - THAT IS, THE TAXPAYER - PAYS 70% THROUGH SUBSIDY. SO HER JOURNEY TO WORK COSTS THE TAXPAYER R5 400 PER YEAR. AND MRS SKOSANA, A HARDWORKING SOLE BREADWINNER IN HER HOUSEHOLD, ONLY EARNS ABOUT R4 800 PER YEAR. SO THE SUBSIDY IS COSTING THE STATE MORE THAN SHE EARNS: IT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO PAY HER TO STAY AT HOME.
THE COUNTRY SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD THIS TYPE OF TRANSPORT SUBSIDY. IT IS ECONOMICALLY UNSUSTAINABLE, AND CANNOT POSSIBLY MEET ANY VALUE-FOR-MONEY TEST. AND THIS MAY NOT BE THE END OF THE STORY. ATTRACTED BY THE CHEAP LAND AND PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT, MORE PEOPLE ARE MOVING INTO THE AREA. IF THIS PATTERN CONTINUES, THE COST TO THE TAXPAYER WILL INCREASE STILL FURTHER.
KWANDEBELE IS AN EXTREME EXAMPLE. BUT I HAVE CHOSEN IT TO ILLUSTRATE GRAPHICALLY THE MORE GENERAL PROBLEM OF LONG-DISTANCE COMMUTING, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY IS BY NO MEANS CONFINED TO KWANDEBELE, BUT OCCURS WITH VARYING DEGREES OF SEVERITY IN SEVERAL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.
I ALSO CHOSE THIS EXAMPLE TO INDICATE THAT IT IS NOT ENOUGH JUST TO CREATE JOBS WITHOUT LOOKING AT OTHER RELATED FACTORS, WHICH MAY BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE.
AT THE VERY MINIMUM IT IS NECESSARY TO DISCOURAGE THE FURTHER PROVISION OF BULK SERVICES IN AREAS THAT ARE DISTANT FROM JOB OPPORTUNITIES. THIS IS NOT JUST A TRANSPORT PROBLEM. THE SOLUTION CAN ONLY BE FOUND BY JOINT EFFORT AMONG ALL STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED, WHICH INCLUDE NATIONAL, PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES, WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITIES INVOLVED AND WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
WE ALSO NEED LEGISLATION, SUPPORTED BY OTHER FORMS OF PLANNING CONTROLS, TO ENSURE THAT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IS CONTAINED WITHIN SUSTAINABLE BOUNDARIES. ONLY THUS CAN WE TURN THE TIDE ON APARTHEID SPATIAL LEGACIES, AND ENCOURAGE COST-EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH.
WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS THAT, FOR US AS A NATION TO SUCCEED IN MAKING SURE THAT WE CREATE SUSTAINABLE JOBS FOR ALL OUR PEOPLE, WHICH WILL ENHANCE ECONOMIC GROWTH, WE NEED TO GO BACK TO BASICS. WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES WHETHER WE HAVE KEPT OUR BROADER DEVELOPMENTAL FRAMEWORK INTACT - WHETHER OUR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT GOALS ARE PROPERLY BALANCED AS WE MOVE INTO 2001.
THE RDP REMAINS THE POLICY ANCHOR ON WHICH ALL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES HAVE BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE BASED. THE RDP IS ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL TRANSFORMATION OF OUR SOCIETY IN ALL ITS ASPECTS. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF A TRULY DEMOCRATIC, NON-RACIAL, NON-SEXIST, PROSPEROUS AND STABLE SOUTH AFRICA POSITIONED WITHIN THE REST OF THE WORLD COMMUNITY.
ITS ETHOS IS AN ALL-PERVASIVE WILL CREATE A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL OUR PEOPLE.
THIS GOVERNMENT REMAINS COMMITTED TO TAKE THE RDP FORWARD BY SETTING OUT CONCRETE STEPS THAT WILL ACCELERATE GROWTH AND GIVE REAL ACCESS TO DEVELOPMENT. THESE STEPS MUST WORK IN RATIONAL COMBINATION WITH MARKET FORCES, SO THAT WE SET AND MEET REALISTIC TARGETS FOR REDUCING POVERTY, INCREASING EMPLOYMENT AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OUR PEOPLE.
WE HAVE WORKED AND ARE WORKING TOGETHER WITH OUR PARTNERS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR. TWO OF THE MOST CONCRETE AND POSITIVE MANIFESTATIONS OF THIS PRIVATE-PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP, BOTH OF WHICH ALSO IMPACT POSITIVELY ON SOUTHERN AFRICAN COOPERATION, ARE THE MAPUTO DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR AND THE LUBOMBO SDI. THEY PROMOTE RAPID ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT WITH A STRONG EMPHASIS ON REAL JOB CREATION AND SUSTAINABLE SKILLS TRANSFER.
CHAIRPERSON IN CONCLUSION, ALLOW ME TO CHALLENGE EVERYONE AT THIS WONDERFUL EVENT TONIGHT TO PLAY THEIR PART IN MAKING SURE THAT WE MAKE IT OUR BUSINESS TO PROVIDE QUALITY JOBS FOR OUR PEOPLE, WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF OUR NATION.
MY HEARTFELT THANKS TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS DAY POSSIBLE FOR US AND TO THOSE WHO WENT BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. TO THEM I SAY A SPECIAL WORD OF THANKS.
TO ALL OUR SPONSORS, PARTICIPANTS AND FINALISTS: CONGRATULATION AND GOOD LUCK.
FINALLY, I WISH TO REMIND YOU ALL TO OBSERVE THE RULES OF THE ROAD THIS FESTIVE SEASON BY FIRSTLY OBSERVING THE SIX COMMANDMENTS OF ROAD SAFETY. THESE ARE;
DON'T SPEED,
DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE,
DON'T OVERLOAD,
WEAR YOUR SEATBELT,
ENSURE VEHICLE AND DRIVER FITNESS, AND
PROMOTE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY.
ARRIVE ALIVE.