SPEECH BY KZN MEC FOR TRANSPORT, S'BU NDEBELE AT THE ROAD TRAFFIC INSPECTORATE 60TH ANNIVERSARY COCKTAIL PARTY

2 December 1998, Pietermaritzburg

The Premier, Dr Ben Ngubane, My colleagues in Cabinet, Honourable members of the legislature, Officials of the Department of Transport, Officers of the Road Traffic Inspectorate - current and retired, Guests, Members of the media, Ladies and gentlemen. I thank you all for joining us this evening to honour the KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate in this, its 60th year of operation.

Mr John Schnell, Chief of our Road Traffic Inspectorate, has taken us through the history of the Road Traffic Inspectorate over the past sixty years. One cannot help but feel pride for the institution RTI has developed into since it was founded in 1938. We are indeed proud of the quality of leadership, past and present, that has championed RTI 's successes. But I am particularly proud of the calibre of staff that RTI has attracted - the foot-soldiers in our crusade for safer roads. For this reason, we are honouring so many officers this evening for their dedication to duty and outstanding achievements in various categories. RTI has gained a reputation as the most prestigious law enforcement agency in the country. This has been achieved through the commitment of the staff as well as the levels of service excellence one has come to associate with RTI. But RTI's greatest achievement is how it has been able to transform in a democracy. In many ways the Road Traffic Inspectorate has been a leading agency of change in our provincial government. We come from an era where uniformed enforcement agencies were distrusted by the majority of our people - RTI has consciously worked to build up the confidence of the community it serves. Among our awards this evening is a category for the RTI station which has been most successful in promoting racial harmony. Not many law enforcement agencies are able to present an award of this sort because the challenge of transformation has not been easy. But RTI has made a commitment to transforming itself to reflect the community it serves. We also have a special award for an officer with a special commitment to equity. This officer, at great personal risk, was able to testify in a police commission of inquiry about racism in the area in which he is based. In doing so, he was not only able to ensure that racist elements are rooted out of our enforcement agencies but he also displayed that he is a true South African - a person committed to undoing the legacy of apartheid and building racial harmony.

We also have awards for bravery, dedication beyond the call of duty and dedicated long service.

Over the past sixty years, RTI has been driven by and lived up to its motto of "Saving Lives". In many ways, the realisation of our vision for our province and our country depend on the values in this motto - humanism, tolerance, self-discipline, responsibility, unselfishness, equality and a commitment to peace and justice for all. It is these same values which drive our Asiphephe (Let us be Safe) Project which aims to create a culture of safety on our roads and in our province.

Honourable members, ladies and gentlemen, the reason we have gone all out to pay tribute to the officers of RTI is that their work is no bed of roses. These officers work under the most difficult and dangerous conditions, and their daily duties include things most of us would avoid doing in a lifetime. These officers operate under the most trying conditions, in terrible weather conditions and at all hours of the day and night. They sail down dangerous embankments, crawl under mangled vehicle wrecks and risk their lives to save people from burning wrecks. Many people who don't understand the nature of their duties, are still hostile to these officers because they see them as nuisances on the road and people who want to spoil their fun and take their money. But over the years that I have become associated with RTI, my heart has gone out to these officers, who at great personal sacrifice and trauma and anxiety of their families, work to save lives of others and promote road safety. This evening we also pay tribute to those officers who, as a result of their work to combat road violence, have themselves become victims of crashes and criminal violence.

RTI 's achievements so far have shown what can be done when we work together to pursue the common good. We are proud of these achievements, but we do not underestimate the difficulties that still lie ahead.

Overcoming the historic aggression of South Africans that manifests itself on our roads is no easy task nor one that can be accomplished in a short time. But even though we are beginning to turn the tide, the level of road deaths remains at a completely unacceptable level. While celebrating RTI's achievements we must accept that we are still at an infancy stage in our crusade to free our province of road trauma. Indeed, RTI's next sixty years bring challenges even greater than those we have overcome. The Asiphephe Project and the crusade to save lives requires a combined effort from all sectors of society and people from all walks of life. It requires all spheres of government - at national, provincial and local level - to fulfil the trust which motorists and citizens have placed in them.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport is fully committed to playing its part. We cannot promise immediate solutions, but together we will succeed in achieving safety and security in our province which is the right of every citizen.

For us all, therefore, the next 60 years of RTI must be the years in which each and every one of us shares the responsibility for building on the foundation that has been laid. As we enter the next millennium, we must know that history will judge RTI by our success or failure in turning the tide of road safety.

Tonight as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of RTI we should take this opportunity to thank those men and women, past and present, who have contributed to the fine institution that RTI has become. There are many people who are not honoured here this evening but who deserve to be saluted. I encourage them all to persevere in their good work and to continue building RTI as an agency we are all proud of.

Congratulations to you all!

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