MEC NDEBELE TO ATTEND THE US AFRICA TRANSPORTATION MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE IN THE US

The National Minister of Transport, Mr Dullar Omar and Mr Sbu Ndebele have been invited by Mr Rodney Slater, US Secretary for Transportation to a US-Africa Ministerial Conference to be held in Atlanta, US from 27 to 30 September 1999. Ministers responsible for energy and transport from 50 African countries have been invited. International organisations (NGOs) delegates and Ministers and other regional organisations will also participate. Minister Dullar Omar is unable to attend this conference due to prior commitments. He has written to his US counterpart to ask that South Africa be represented by Mr Ndebele in his stead.

MEC Ndebele said, "The purpose is to underscore President Bill Clinton's commitment to advance Africa's economic growth and competitiveness globally, through efficient and integrated energy and transportation infrastructure development".

While in Atlanta, Mr Ndebele will also finalise the Exchange Programme with COMTO - The Committee of Minority Transportation Officials. Mr Ndebele added, "This is part of technology transfer and will provide for officials from KwaZulu-Natal to upgrade their technical skills in the US. While their positions are in some instances occupied by their counterparts from the US".

The Conference will focus on issues dealing with development and maintenance of safe and efficient transportation systems and the formation of National Policies that facilitates the movement of goods and passengers in a manner that supports economic growth of the country and the continent of Africa.

MEC Ndebele will firstly visit Curitiba, Brazil 21 to 25 September 1999.

He has had a long-standing invitation to visit Curitiba with his counterparts at National and in other Provinces. Public transport planning as set out in the National Transport Policy White Paper has been informed by the experience of Curitiba. Curitiba has an excellent MTA system in place and which assumes responsibility for the overall excellent MTA system in place and which assumes responsibility for the overall management, planning, co-ordination, funding and promotion of public transport as well as the provision of infrastructure.

This visit will be focusing amongst other things:

• The Metropolitan Transport authorities that are already in place.

• institutional structuring and positioning of Transport authorities within a local government framework.

• the powers and functions of transport authorities, and how the functions are exercised.

• the funding mechanisms, source of funding, instruments to secure funding and the contribution of various spheres of government.

• the role of the Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) and it's relationship to the Passenger Transport Authority (PTA) and the level of delegation.

• the staffing and skills base of the PTA and PTE.

• the planning tools used by the Transport Executive. The form of tendered contracts and mechanisms for the regulation of services.

• a look at examples of ticketing systems, passenger information etc.

• a look at certain operational systems, related to bus ways, bus lanes, terminals and ranks etc.

• the functioning, provisioning and planning and the Institute of Research and Urban Planning for Curitiba.

• the ways in which public transport is prioritised etc.

"The visit to Curitiba will be beneficial and crucial to the management, planning, co-ordination, funding and promotion of public transport as well as the provision of infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal, and hence the country as a whole", said Ndebele.

back