CUTTING TO THE CHASE
Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande talks to Sowetan Motoring about his department’s plans . . .
Take us through a selection of the notable road transport campaigns planned by the department for 2019? We will be developing the capacity to conduct research, innovate and monitor our transport entities.
In line with government priorities to fight unemployment, inequality and poverty, our entities will play a much stronger developmental role in strengthening our economy.
We began the process of restructuring the department. To give effect to this priority, we have started to review the shape, size, structure and location of our entities. This intervention will help us to solve the many challenges we face in transport, whether it be traffic congestion, road accidents and fatalities, the taxi industry and the role of transport as the heartbeat of our economy.
We will also lead an initiative to mobilise both public- and private-sector funding to invest in innovation for the transport sector.
We will work closely with government departments, including the department of science and technology and higher education and training, state research institutions such as the CSIR, the private sector, institutions of higher learning, and transport stakeholders.
We will intensify consultations within the Southern African Development Community and the broader African continent, to work towards, and strongly position the transport sector, as one of the key mechanisms for regional and continental integration. We also intend to establish an RSA/People’s Republic of China transport forum that will be led by the two governments, involving SOEs, research, policy and higher education institutions, and the private sector.
This forum will, among others, be a platform to promote investments in our respective transport sectors.
What action does the department aim to take to reduce the death toll on our roads this year?
Among other interventions we will be doing the following:
The implementation of the Aarto Act and demerit point system;
The reclassification of all road traffic offences to Schedule 5 of the Criminal Procedure Act. This includes the quest for a mandatory minimum sentence for drunken driving, inconsiderate, reckless and negligent driving.
The engagements with the South African Police Services and justice department on the conditions for the granting of bail particularly on motorists caught speeding.
The intensification of the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit sting operation in collaboration with the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) at Driver and Learner Testing centres, at vehicle testing centres and driving schools. This will be undertaken to establish their adherence to regulations and standards and to deal with fraud and corruption.
The rollout of the road safety curriculum at basic education level is also under way, with the curriculum having been finalised.
The implementation plan for the introduction
We therefore appeal to all South Africans to use public transport and support government plans to decongest our road network and promote road safety
of the driving school instructor course. The South African Qualification Authority registered this ground-breaking qualification in December last year. The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) will work closely with driving schools to ensure the production of competent drivers.
We will also seek an urgent engagement with our counterparts from neighbouring countries to discuss how we can strengthen cross-border transportation of goods and people.
Road infrastructure upgrades: What’s on the cards for the coming 11 months?
Through the SA National Road Agency Limited (Sanral) Horizon 2030 Strategy, we have set-aside an obligatory 30% subcontracting to SMEs and cooperatives in all projects, in line with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) as released in May 2017.
In addition, Sanral offers training and skills transfer programmes to small enterprises. We have set aside about R3bn to upgrade the Limpopo and Mpumalanga sections of Moloto Road. An estimated 12,500 jobs will be created over a five-year period.
This financial year we will continue to develop our road network to unlock the Northern Mineral Belt in the Waterberg district of Limpopo, the Durban-Free State and Gauteng Logistics and Industrial Corridor; the South-Eastern node and corridor development, including Mthatha Airport and the N2 Wild Coast; and to unlock the economic opportunities in North West province.
Through the S’hamba Sonke Programme, we have maximised job creation in the road sector using labour-intensive methods and cooperatives model throughout SA.
We will also be setting up a panel of transport experts to advise the DoT on strengthening the role of all the modes of transport in the social and economic development of our country.
What improvements to the public transport network can commuters look forward to in the short term?
The ANC government developed short-, medium- and long-term interventions in order to respond to this situation and to improve the performance of passenger public transport across all modes.
The National Transport Master Plan (Natmap) 2050 has also developed a hierarchy of passenger transport corridors to promote modal integration and sustainable improvements.
Each corridor comprises a combination of network links and nodes that are based on the purpose and characteristics of passenger movements. This strategic network categorises corridors by movement, including international, interregional or interprovincial, intercity, and urban or rural.
We are currently implementing the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks (IRPTN’s) concept in 13 cities across the country.
To date about 200km of dedicated bus lanes and 120km of sidewalks and cycle lanes have been constructed and about 1,000 buses procured.
Altogether, the operational networks of Rea Vaya in Johannesburg, MyCiTi in Cape Town, A Re Yeng in Tshwane and Go George in George are transporting 172,000 passengers a day.
To ensure that the passenger rail system responds to the needs of South Africans and the economy, the Passenger Rail Agency of SA, (Prasa) Rolling Stock Fleet Renewal Programme and modernisation of passenger rail infrastructure is being implemented.
The government launched the new Prasa Local Train Factory in Dunnottar Park in Nigel in December 2018. The factory produced the first SA modern-built train.
A total of 3,600 train coaches will be manufactured in this factory at a cost of R53bn.
As of December 2018 a total of 1,042 workers were employed across various categories, for manufacture and maintenance activities.
The Rolling Stock Fleet Renewal Programme is expected to create 8,088 direct jobs with the Local Factory targeting the creation of 1,500 jobs.
The Local Factory will further have 99% South Africans employed, with a target of employing 85% historically disadvantaged workers and a minimum of 25% women.
In 2016, the department finalised the development of the National Learner Transport Policy. This national policy is now being implemented in all provinces and a total of 1,360,919 learners are benefiting from the Learner Transport Programme, making it 83% of deserving learners.
We will continue to monitor the implementation of this national policy, taking into cognisance the recently concluded impact assessment done in conjunction with department of planning and monitoring evaluation and national Treasury.
The department of transport is in the process of finalising the Public Transport Subsidy Policy.
This policy intervention will aim to transform and integrate the various public transport modes, which include buses and minibus taxis in particular.
To reduce input costs and enhance the sustainability of the Mini and Midibus Taxi Industry (MMTI), we will implement a commercially viable Revised Taxi Recapitalisation Programme (RTRP). The revised programme will enable the taxi industry to leverage and exploit downstream opportunities in the entire taxi value chain.
The government continues to engage with the taxi industry regarding all matters that are of concern to both the government and the industry, including the issue of subsidies for the sector, vehicle financing, taxi violence, as well as building co-operatives supporting the industry.
Due to the rapid increases in vehicle prices we are conducting a review of the scrapping allowance with a view of increasing it to enhance levels of affordability for new vehicles.
In congruence with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the National Land Transport Act Amendment Bill has been passed by the National Assembly to ensure that we regulate electronic hailing services and bring the necessary stability in the industry. Share insight into the challenges forecast by The ministry in achieving its objectives for 2019. Challenges forecast relate to the development of capacity to conduct research, innovation, effective oversight and monitoring of our entities, through whom most of the work of the department is implemented. However, the envisaged panel of experts will ensure that this challenge is mitigated. Also the generic challenges relates to overall government challenges of budget due to economic conditions in the country. What’s the latest regarding e-tolls and the backlash the system continues to receive from motorists? The matter on Gauteng Freeway Improvement Programme is to be decided by the cabinet. The president has been leading efforts to resolve this matter. Thoughts you would like to leave with Sowetan Motoring readers? The government has been steadfast in developing an integrated, effective, reliable, safe and cost-effective public transport system, which positions rail transport as its backbone, which must be used by all South Africans regardless of their social standing.
The key element of this strategy is a shift of traffic from road to rail. Rail-friendly traffic may be defined in both the passenger and freight context that typically includes transporting commuting passengers and freight using rail transportation.
We therefore appeal to all South Africans to use public transport and support government plans to decongest our road network and promote road safety.