Go George: only Thembalethu to go
Go George buses will at last be rolled out in Conville, Parkdene, Ballotsview, Borcherds and Lawaaikamp on Sunday 22 March.
National Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula and Western Cape MEC of Transport and Public Works Bonginkosi Madikizela made the long-awaited announcement in George on Tuesday 11 February.
But for now the streets of Thembalethu remain empty of the blue buses, as, according to the ministers, infrastructure issues in Thembalethu, such as the expansion of the Thembalethu bridge, must first be addressed.
Mbalula said the delay in the roll-out of Phase 4 was compounded by the state of the road infrastructure in Thembalethu. Immediate roll-out would worsen congestion, hence the division of Phase 4 into A and B.
"Government is firmly committed to ensuring that the residents of Thembalethu fully benefit from the roll-out of the Go George project.
“It is on that basis that the National Department of Transport has committed to raising the funding for the construction of the Nelson Mandela bridge. “Sanral will be given the mandate to construct this bridge as soon as possible. We are working hard to ensure that all funding issues are finalised by the end of March, so that we can get on with the business of constructing the bridge," said Mbalula.
Many issues
Upgrading Nelson Mandela Boulevard in Thembalethu into a bus-friendly road with two lanes on both sides, ended in a complete disaster and a huge financial blow when the contractors abandoned site in
2018 with almost none of the planned work done.
Regardless of the road woes, the roll-out in Thembalethu has been a thorny issue since negotiations with the taxi industry began
Our aim is to ensure that the people are the main beneficiaries of this project.
more than a decade ago, as taxi owners and drivers feared losing their only source of income. Many taxi owners subsequently agreed to give up their taxi permits and have become shareholders in the Go George holding company, George Link, but others took the taxi permit money in cash and do not receive any income from the bus company.
Xolani Booi, chairman of the George Community Forum, and Welele Mbudede of the Uncedo Taxi Association in Thembalethu, welcomed the announcement, but said this is not the end of negotiations and they will still engage with government about outstanding transport issues, including Go George and permits.
For the people
Speaking at the George council chambers, Mbalula said they returned to George to formally conclude the process of engagement and sought to find each other in resolving challenges confronting Go George. "It is rather unfortunate that it has taken us this long to reach a point where we can resume delivering a crucial public transport service to our people," he said.
"Go George is about delivering a public transport solution that not only advances our commitment to enabling seamless mobility, but also about leveraging government investment to empower our people. Our aim is to ensure that the people are the main beneficiaries of this project. The agreement we are initiating today must be about that, and nothing else."