'Time to fight timidity is now,' says Ndebele

If the war against road carnage is to succeed, commuters who use public transport will have to learn to say: ‘No’ to irresponsible driving on the road.

That is a special message which KwaZulu-Natal Transport Minister, Mr S’bu Ndebele emphasised when he addressed many audiences in KwaZulu-Natal during the month of June this year, including the DOT’s 8^th Annual Summit and the Prayer Day which were held in Durban this month (June) respectively.

Known for coming out with many a creative, but relevant road safety awareness messages, Mr Ndebele has coined a well-received slogan against drivers who abuse passengers and risk their lives:

"I will never keep quiet and watch a public transport driver taking my life to the grave, I will never keep quiet…Ngeke ngithule, ngibukele u-driver, athath’ impilo yam’, ayis’ emangcwabeni, ngeke ngithule…"

Referring to the African culture of timidity and silence, Mr Ndebele said: "Sometimes it seems like our people do not have rights as people – it’s like their rights are being pushed down their throats. This timidity must come to an end."

He added: "It’s not what the traffic officers, the police, the taxi drivers or ordinary drivers are doing, but it’s also what the people themselves are doing, it’s also what the people themselves are doing."

"We are calling upon our people to learn to say: ‘No!’ The type of timidity that comes from not knowing who you are is dangerous."

"Both Limpopo MEC for Transport, Rev. Farisani and myself started our political careers in black consciousness, we started by asserting ourselves: ‘I am…’ If you are a human being, you become a full human being if you can say: ‘No.’ If you fail to do so, people have got different names for you. Our people can’t say: ‘No…’ "

"Yesterday, here in Durban, there was a taxi going to Chatsworth carrying 24 people in a 15-seater vehicle. You ask yourself: ‘Why do you agree to be transported like potatoes? We did arrest the driver. We need to make them aware that they are causing so many accidents by allowing this kind of thing to happen."

"Nothing hurt me as deeply as what I heard at a hospital in Umzinto after the accident that killed and maimed schoolchildren, including teachers. One of the injured school teachers was saying that long before the accident, she had been betting that within three months there was going to be a major smash because the taxis were playing the chicken game on the road."

"I said to her: ‘But you are a teacher, you are a leader – why do you keep quiet? You don’t have to confront a driver – he might harm you. But you can go to the Department of Transport, you can go to the police, you can go to the taxi association. Why do you keep quiet?’ " Ndebele asked.

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