Kimberley, 5 June 2001
“The South African National Roads Agency has now built a two lane single carriageway surfaced road, which will serve Kimberley and Bloemfontein both socially and economically”.
PREMIER MANNIE DIPICO
PREMIER WINKIE DIREKO
MECS OF THE PROVINCES
MAYORS AND COUNCILLORS
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO THE S A NATIONAL ROADS AGENCY COMMITTED R37,26 MILLION TOWARDS THE CONSTRUCTION OF 28,8 KILOMETRES OF NATIONAL ROAD 8 BETWEEN AVONDSTER IN THE NORTHERN CAPE AND ALEXANDERFONTEIN IN THE FREE STATE. THIS SECTION OF ROAD WAS THE ONLY GRAVEL NATIONAL ROAD LEFT IN THE COUNTRY.
MY AGENCY HAS NOW COMPLETED THE TASK ASSIGNED AND WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO HAND OVER THIS ROAD TO THE COMMUNITIES OF THESE TWO PROVINCES. 5,7 KILOMETERS OF THIS ROAD LAY IN THE NORTHERN CAPE AND THE REMAINDER FALLS WITHIN THE FREE STATE. THE AGENCY HAS NOW BUILT A TWO LANE SINGLE CARRIAGEWAY SURFACED ROAD, WHICH WILL SERVE KIMBERLEY AND BLOEMFONTEIN BOTH SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY.
IT WAS AT THE MEETING HELD WITH THE LOCAL BUSINESS INSTITUTIONS AND FARMERS UNION THAT FINALLY CONVINCED THE AGENCY TO SURFACE ITS ONLY REMAINING GRAVEL ROAD SECTION.
IN FACT I AM A BIT DISAPPOINTED WITH THE SURFACING OF THIS LAST BIT OF NATIONAL GRAVEL ROAD BECAUSE THE GRAVEL ROAD KEPT THE AGENCY’S MIND ATTUNED TO LOW-TECH SOLUTIONS AND ITS FEET ON THE GROUND. IN CELEBRATING THIS OCCASION, LET US NOT OVERLOOK THE SUCCESS OF THE CONSULTATION BETWEEN THE COMMUNITIES AND THE AGENCY.
ADVANCING THE OBJECTIVES OF RDP
THE VALUE OF WORK EXECUTED, GOODS AND SERVICES PROCURED FROM SME’S AMOUNTED TO APPROXIMATELY R9, 0 MILLION. THAT IS 24,3% OF THE CONTRACT AMOUNT. THE FOLLOWING SME’S BENEFITED FROM THE PROJECT:
THROUGH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FORUM, A PROJECT LIAISON COMMITTEE (PLC) WAS FORMED.
THE PLC LOOKED INTO ISSUES PERTAINING TO ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. IN ORDER TO CREATE MAXIMUM JOB OPPORTUNITIES, LABOUR ENHANCED CONSTRUCTION METHODS WERE OPTIMIZED.
SOME 125 000 MAN-HOURS WERE SPENT ON LABOUR ENHANCED CONSTRUCTION OF WHICH 37 000 MAN-HOURS WAS PERMANENT AND 88 000 MAN-HOURS WAS TO TEMPORARY STAFF, EMPLOYED FROM LOCAL COMMUNITIES. OF A TOTAL OF APPROXIMATELY R 4 MILLION PAID OUT TO SALARIES, THE TEMPORARY STAFF EARNED AN AMOUNT OF APPROXIMATELY R500 000,00 DURING THE CONTRACT PERIOD.
TRAINING IN LINE WITH THE CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, A PROVISION WAS MADE FOR ACCREDITED STRUCTURED TRAINING TO THE VALUE OF APPROXIMATELY R 45 000 TO MEMBERS OF THE TEMPORARY WORK FORCE. COURSES RANGING FROM CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION, HEALTH AND SAFETY TO LAYING CONCRETE LINED OPEN DRAINS WERE MADE AVAILABLE.
ALTOGETHER, 55 CERTIFICATES WERE ISSUED TO PEOPLE, FOR SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING VARIOUS COURSES, DURING THE CONTRACT. I, THEREFORE APPEAL TO OTHER STATE DEPARTMENTS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR, TO UTILIZE THESE SKILLS THAT ALREADY EXIST WHEN DOING THEIR PROGRAMMES IN THE AREA.
BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT THE PROJECT IMPROVES THE ROAD TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES BETWEEN THE CAPITAL CITIES OF FREE STATE AND THE NORTHERN CAPE AND CERTAINLY BETWEEN MASERU IN LESOTHO AND THE NORTHERN CAPE, THROUGH FREE STATE.
THIS ROUTE IS IN THE ORDER OF HALF AN HOUR SAVING IN TRAVEL TIME FROM BLOEMFONTEIN TO KIMBERLEY COMPARED TO THE ALTERNATE ROUTE VIA BOSHOFF AND DEALSVILLE. TO ENSURE SAFETY ON OUR ROADS, INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS BETWEEN BLOEMFONTEIN AND KIMBERLEY WAS ALSO LAUNCHED IN MARCH 2001. THIS WILL ENSURE SPEEDY RESPONSE AND COMMITMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICE PERSONNEL, IN MONITORING THIS ROAD.
R 200 000 HAS BEEN USED IN DEVELOPING THIS SYSTEM. THE N8 INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WILL BE MAINTAINED BY THE AGENCY THROUGH THE FUNDS ALLOCATED IN THE ROUTINE ROAD MAINTENANCE CONTRACT ANNUALLY, TO ENSURE QUICK AND CO-ORDINATED RESPONSE TO ROADSIDE EMERGENCIES.
COMMITMENT BY THE AGENCY TO INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN ADDITION TO WHAT I HAVE SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OTHER DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING ROADS IN THIS REGION.
THE ROADS AGENCY HAS BEEN REQUESTED BY MY COLLEAGUE MR MALEBO, MEC OF THE FREE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, ROADS AND TRANSPORT, TO INCORPORATE THE N8 BETWEEN BLOEMFONTEIN AND MASERU, THE N6 BETWEEN BLOEMFONTEIN AND SMITHFIELD, THE N5 BETWEEN WINBURG AND HARRISMITH AND THE R30/P99 BETWEEN BLOEMFONTEIN, VIA BRANDFORT, VIRGINIA AND THEUNISSEN, AND KROONSTAD, INTO THE NATIONAL ROAD NETWORK.
THIS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IS SOME 600 KILOMETERS OF ROAD AND WILL BE DONE AS SOON AS I RECEIVE THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION FROM MY COLLEAGUE.
THE INCORPORATION OF THESE ROADS IS DONE IN LINE WITH OUR THINKING AND THE SUPPORT OF MY COLLEAGUES FROM VARIOUS PROVINCES OF EXPANDING THE NATIONAL ROAD NETWORK TO WHAT WILL BE KNOWN AS THE PRIMARY ROAD NETWORK. IT IS ENVISAGED THAT THE PRIMARY ROAD NETWORK WILL BE IN THE ORDER OF 20 000KMS.
LIKE ALL OTHER ROAD AUTHORITIES, THE AGENCY IS ALSO EXPERIENCING A SIGNIFICANT FUNDING SHORTFALL. THIS MAY BE A CONTRADICTION TO THE AIMS OF EXPANDING THE NETWORK. WE MAY ALL ASK, HOW WILL THE AGENCY FUND THIS EXPANDED NETWORK? WITHOUT GOING INTO DETAILS, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO NOTE THE SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION MADE BY THE AGENCY TO THE GENERAL FISCUS THROUGH ITS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME.
THEREFORE, I AM CONFIDENT THAT THEY HAVE THE ABILITY AND EXPERIENCE TO ENABLE SUCCESSFUL INCORPORATION. THE AGENCY WILL INVESTIGATE INNOVATIVE FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS OF WHICH TOLLING WILL CERTAINLY BE ONE SUCH MECHANISM IN ITS ENDEAVOR TO FUND THE REQUIRED EXPENDITURE.
WITH REGARDS TO TOLLING I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE AGENCY’S ENDEAVORS TO THE PROPOSED TOLLING OF THE N1 BETWEEN BLOEMFONTEIN AND KROONSTAD, I BELIEVE THAT THE NOTICE OF INTENTION TO DECLARE THE ROAD A TOLL ROAD HAS BEEN RELEASED AND THAT THE AGENCY IS CURRENTLY AWAITING THE FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC, LOCAL AUTHORITIES AS WELL AS THE FREE STATE PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT.
I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT WELL OVER R200 MILLION WILL BE SPENT ON THE N1 BETWEEN KROONSTAD AND BLOEMFONTEIN OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WHICH I AM SURE WILL LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT JOB CREATION IN THE FREE STATE.
OVERLOAD CONTROL IT IS COMMONLY KNOWN THAT THE ESTIMATED ROAD PAVEMENT DAMAGE CAUSED BY OVERLOAD VEHICLES IS WELL IN EXCESS OF R 600 MILLION PER ANNUM. IN PROTECTING OUR ROAD STRUCTURE I BELIEVE THE AGENCY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FREE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT, ARE EXPLORING VARIOUS OPTIONS TO CURB THE OVERLOADING OF HEAVY VEHICLES ON OUR NATIONAL ROAD NETWORK.
WITH THIS INITIATIVE, THE AGENCY WILL CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE FUNDING OF AN OVERLOAD INITIATIVE AT THE KROONSTAD WEIGHBRIDGE.
THE AGENCY HAS EMBARKED ON VARIOUS ADHOC OVERLOAD CONTROL INITIATIVES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. ALTHOUGH I COMMEND THIS IDEA, I BELIEVE WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE AND COME UP WITH A HOLISTIC STRATEGY THAT WILL ULTIMATELY PROTECT ALL OUR ROADS. I AM SURE THAT YOU WILL AGREE THAT THE MONEY SPENT ON OVERLOAD CONTROL, CAN BE FAR MORE EFFICIENTLY UTILIZED IN OTHER TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT.
ARRIVE ALIVE CAMPAIGN LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I APPEAL TO THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRY AND OTHER ROAD-USERS TO OPERATE WITHIN THE LAWS OF OUR COUNTRY. OUR ARRIVE ALIVE CAMPAIGN IS A YEAR ROUND – 24-HOUR DAY CAMPAIGN.
THROUGH ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS, LIKE THIS ONE, THE PROVISION OF THE ALL WEATHER SUPERIOR ROAD, CONTINUOUS EDUCATION AND TRAINING VIA OUR ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAMMES AND ULTIMATELY ENFORCEMENT MEASURES CURRENTLY BEING IMPLEMENTED, WE SHALL NOT REST UNTIL WE HAVE OVERCOME THE SENSELESS KILLINGS ON OUR ROADS AND THE LAWLESSNESS THAT GOES WITH IT.
I MUST THANK THE CO-OPERATION OF THE POLICE FORCE AND THE JUSTICE SYSTEM FOR AVAILING THEIR RESOURCES AND PERSONNEL TO WORK WITH US IN ENSURING THAT THE OFFENDERS ARE BROUGHT TO BOOK AND PAY HEAVILY FOR THEIR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR ON OUR ROADS.
VOTE OF THANKS I WISH TO THANK HONORABLE PREMIERS WINKIE DIREKO AND MANNIE DIPICO, FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY AND MY AGENCY FOR THE SPEEDY DELIVERY OF THIS ROAD. THEY HAVE ASSURED ME OF A CONTINUED CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR RESPECTIVE TRANSPORT AND ROADS DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE DELIVERY OF A SUPERIOR NATIONAL ROUTE NETWORK IN YOUR PROVINCES FOR THE MUCH-NEEDED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF OUR COUNTRY.
IN MY CAPACITY AS THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, I DECLARE THIS ROAD - THE NATIONAL ROAD 8 (N8) - OPEN.
I THANK YOU.