13 February 2001
Roads have come to play an increasingly pivotal role in freight transport as well as private and public passenger transport.
The Department of Transport recognises that they have clearly separable economic and social roles-though there are some overlaps.
The economic role is the movement of goods and people in support of wealth creation, including internal tourism. The social role is the movement of people in terms of their access to the labour market, social services, amenities, recreation and links with family and friends.
The arteries of the economy are provided by the national road network, managed and developed by the SA National Roads Agency (SANRAL).
South Africa is now acknowledged to have a national road network equal to any in the world. But the work on its extension and improvement continues and has gathered pace through a mixture of government initiatives and public-private sector partnerships bas ed on the Build-Operate-Transfer principle (B-O-T).
Third and final phase of the Lubombo Corridor road - the core of the Lubombo SDI project-now completed.
- Expected job creation on project: 16 250
- SMME participation:
- 20% (value) in design
- 15% (value) in construction
- 50% (value) in operations
- 2 520 Certificates awarded in various ranges of technical skills. 112 Joint ventures for design and supervision of roads projects. Rehabilitation and widening of approach roads and repairing of bridges at land border posts with neighbouring countries to ease traffic congestion:
- SANRAL has been tasked to begin construction work immediately; completion expected mid-2001. Inter-governmental attention is currently being given to the establishment of "one-stop" border posts between South Africa and its SADC neighbours.
Discussions are at an advanced stage between the NDoT, the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC) and Metro Rail, with a view to:
R300 million has been earmarked by national treasury for renewal and upgrading of rolling stock & signalling systems.
Spoornet is currently highly active in the SADC/Central Africa region, having helped to develop 10 rail corridors to provide compatible rail freight infrastructure and logistics and rational linkages from the interior to the various regional ports.
In South Africa itself, government has set as a priority the shifting of as much traffic as possible-both freight and passenger services-from road to rail. There are many grounds for this: the most obvious being safety, environmental protection, levelling the playing field for fair modal competition and road infrastructure preservation (see also Overloading" below). Preliminary work has already begun on creating a policy and legislative framework for the establishment of a Rail Economic Regulator.
The options that emerge from this process will help inform the restructuring process of both SARCC and Spoornet.
Government has taken the decision to separate Portnet's regulatory function from its operational function in order to radically enhance efficiency in freight handling and logistics and reduce costs while at the same time providing for independent regulatio n. Portnet will retain its landowner function, but will have to compete with international tenders for the concessioning of port operations.
A new National Ports Authority will be created, which will ensure independence and impartiality in carrying out the regulatory function.
The NDoT and ACSA will focus on airport development throughout the country, seeking to achieve synergy with provincial economic development plans and the national Tourism Development Strategy.
South Africa is a party to the Yamossoukro Declaration adopting an "open-skies" policy for Africa. We are also committed to a process of liberalisation of international air services. Like most countries, South African international air services are provided for through Bilateral Air Service Agreements - of which we have over 100, more than half of which are operational.
Government is currently considering a study undertaken last year into the feasibility of the La Mercy (King Shaka) airport project. Discussions are currently taking place within ACSA, and in due course we will be consulting with our strategic equity partne r Aeroporti di Roma, after which a final decision will be taken. We are fully supportive of the KwaZulu-Natal and Durban IDZ initiative, which includes the development of the new airport.
The Department of Transport will work in close cooperation with the cluster of other Departments charged with delivery on the rural development strategy, under the leadership of the Department of Provincial Affairs and Local Government.
Its particular contributions to the strategy will be:
Implementation of pilot projects in the extended use of non-motorised forms of transport such as bicycles and donkey-drawn carts.
NDoT will support provincial Departments of Transport and Public Works in working closely with the Municipal Councils of the rural nodes identified in the "State of the Nation" Address. During 2001 the Shova Lula Project will roll out 15 000 bicycle transport packages to at least one site in each province, and up to 17 sites nationally. The sites will be chosen with due regard to the national nodal points development programme. Shova Lula also aims to create local employment by supplying training to create expertise in bicycle repairs.
NDoT will support provincial Departments of Transport to work in close cooperation with Johannesburg Metro Council as the lead agent in the rehabilitation programme for Alexandra, establishing a new taxi rank and paying particular attention to road upgrade s, surfacing and safe access facilities.
Intensive work will be done, with the active participation of local schools and community organisations, to identify hazardous pedestrian locations, educate local school children and youth, extend scholar patrols and distribute reflective armbands. Busines s sponsorship will be actively sought.
Shova Lula will support KwaZulu-Natal's Scholar Bicycle Project and the construction of the Ivory park cycleway in cooperation with the Midrand Council. We have also committed funds for the extension of the Khayelitsha commuter rail line, in cooperation with the Province and the Unicity Council.
The NDoT continues to place the highest priority on aviation safety and exercises constant vigilance to ensure that the Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and the Air Traffic & Navigational Services Company (ATNS) enforce and comply with all the internationa l safety assurance norms and procedures to which this country is currently a signatory by virtue of its membership of ICAO.
Safety at sea is a matter of equally serious concern to the NDoT, and is continuously monitored by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) through Port State Inspections and the coordination of a National Search & Rescue facility.
In 2000, Search & Rescue negotiations were concluded with 5 states, and two new Search & Rescue Agreements were signed.
In 2001, negotiations will be carried out with a further 9 states and a sub-regional Search & Rescue Organsiation will be established.
The NDoT is currently developing legislation that will provide for the establishment of a Rail Safety Regulator, to separate the spheres of regulation and operations. A draft Bill is expected to be ready by the end of March 2001.
This year is seen as a watershed year in road safety: the year in which the NDoT will put in place the first waves of a comprehensive range of measures to attack the road safety problem on every front and start to make a dramatic breakthrough in reducing t he crash and death rates on South africa's roads.
Publication of the final version of the new safety strategy, The Road to Safety 2001-2005, after an intensive process of stakeholder consultation and revision over the past nine months.
The Road to Safety will be published in April 2001. Highlights of the strategy will be:
AARTO: Immediate implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act, providing for an administrative system of fine collection and for implementation of the driving licence demerit points system. This will be achieved v ia the incremental roll out, starting in Gauteng, of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA).
RTMC: Incremental operationalisation of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) as a government agency controlled by a Shareholders Board composed of the National Minister of Transport and the nine Provincial MECs.
The RTMC is empowered by legislation to manage and coordinate pooled provincial and local traffic policing resources, rationalise management and logistical systems, research and statistical data and professionalise traffic officer training and career deve lopment. It may sub-contract private sector support for any of its key functions as appropriate.
Early in 1996 a survey was undertaken to determine the extent of overloading on the road network. It was found that between 20% and 30% of all heavy vehicles were overloaded, causing damage in the order of R500 million per annum to roads.
In response, MINCOM created a National Overload Control Fund of R210 million contributed to by both NDoT and the provinces. This was to be spent over 5 years on the development and construction of a network of traffic control centres (weigh- stations), to monitor overloading offences.
However, not all provinces sustained their contributions, projects were scaled down, information gathering was poor, few Traffic Control Centres operated on a 24-hour basis and many operators found ingenious physical escape-routes and other methods of evas ion.
All this has resulted in an estimated increase in damage to the road network now thought to be in the order of between R800 and R900 million per annum. It is further estimated that the percentage of overloaded trucks on the road network has increased to ab out 30% - 40%.
Systematic overloading by unscrupulous cost-cutting operators creates an unfair playing field between road and rail freight transport and impacts heavily on operators who wish to operate within the law.
A new approach is thus currently being developed, whereby SANRAL is financing a comprehensive and effective corridor-focussed overload control management system. This was initially devised in conjunction with KwaZulu-Natal, but is now being incrementally e xtended to other provinces.
It is based on a systematic operational strategy which focuses on a combination of:
The next step to be taken will be completion of a technical study by SABS into the admissability of read-outs from such devices as evidence in court (as has already happened in the USA) and a consequent further redeployment of resources in the direction of this more flexible and cost-effective approach.
This long and difficult process, specifically designed to stabilise and transform the industry from a state of anarchically de-regulated tension, violence and economic instability, is at last nearing successful completion.
National and provincial Departments of Transport have worked tirelessly to formalise, legalise and unify the over 1000 taxi associations in South Africa into a coherent industry governed by democratic provincial and national structures.
The final legalisation process will be completed by June 2001.
Seven provinces have already completed the process of setting up democratically-elected Provincial Taxi Councils and a National Conference, to be held mid-way through 2001, will finally see the emergence of a national elected body for the industry as a who le.
By the end of 2001, we expect to see a fully formalised, legalised and democratically organised industry operating in strict accordance with defined route permits and starting to take full advantage of the many opportunities for growth and empowerment that will emerge through the provision of business training to the industry and the continuing formation of fuel, spare parts, servicing and other cooperative structures.
By the end of the year we expect to see the first batches of safe, well-designed and durable new 18-seater vehicles emerging onto the market from the taxi recapitalisation process; and within approximately 5 years we expect to see the completion of the process of replacement of the existing ageing fleet of approximately 126 000 vehicles by the new models.