SPEECH BY THE KWAZULU-NATAL MEC OF TRANSPORT, MR S'BU NDEBELE, AT THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT PROMOTION PROGRAMME AND FUND-RAISING

15 November 2001, Durban Playhouse

His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu,
Minister of Transport, Mr Dullah Omar,
The First Deputy President of SANTACO, Mr Chris Ngiba,
Representatives of the newly unified Durban Long Distance Taxi, Mr Ben Sipho Shabalala and Mr Sponono Buthelezi,
The KZN Head of Transport, Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa,
Senior Management and staff from the KZN Transport Department,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen for attending our Public Transport Promotion Programme. As from today onwards the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport will be involved in an aggressive campaign to promote public transport. The first phase of this campaign involves building partnerships for shared vision and importance of public transport. The phase will result in the creation of a platform for discussion on this subject. This will be accompanied by the partnerships between bus and taxi associations as well as structures representing commuters. Negotiations are going on with local and regional companies to support and join us in this partnership. Fund-raising is meant for the establishment of mechanisms, structures and systems to support this partnership between government, the private sector and the entire civil society.

I am extremely delighted to announce that quite a number of musicians including the African Productions Company, have joined us in promoting public transport and many companies are showing an interest in our initiative. Public transport touches the lives of the vast majority of South Africans, particularly the Black majority. For most Black people in South Africa, it is the vital link to work, schools, hospitals and many other services and opportunities including recreation. In many ways, public transport represents both the present and the future not only for Blacks but also for the entire South African society. It is for this reason therefore that we in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport have concentrated our energies towards the regulation and transformation of the public transport system into one that can take its rightful place in a democratic South Africa.

One may ask why the emphasis on public transport rather than private transport? It is a well-known fact that car ownership in South Africa is skewed in favour of our White citizens. For every 1000 of our White compatriots there are 450 cars available while for every 1000 Africans there are only 20 cars. The rapid motorisation of the South African society should not be viewed as a reflection of the standards of living because it is a double edged sword impacting on economic, spatial, environmental and even political dimensions of social life. In a case study conducted by the Durban Metropolitan Transport Authority Project, the rapid motorisation of the people of Durban alone will culminate in the following situation by 2020:

• 14 more freeway lanes will be needed;
• 20 new Pine Parkades will have to be built; and
• Progressive exclusion of people from economic and social activities.

Public transport has become an important vehicle for Black economic empowerment in KwaZulu-Natal and all other provinces. The Department of Transport is promoting public transport right at the time when all legislative mechanisms are in place for a truly transformed sector. Chaos has been replaced with legitimate regulation. If we go back in time we will remember that one of the challenges that the taxi industry faced, for instance, was piracy, which stemmed from lack of regulation due to the Apartheid policies. I then appointed the Judicial Commission of Inquiry to make recommendations concerning the challenges faced by the taxi industry. The branding of taxis was one of the recommendations they came up with. As from 22 October, distinctive marking of taxis by origin-destination was displayed to all four regions in KwaZulu-Natal. These markings will distinguish legal operators from illegal ones and in turn will have huge benefits for taxi operators, passengers and enforcement officers.

Thus, the public is not being hoodwinked into pinning false hopes on something that is untransformed and unregulated. The taxi industry, for instance, has been democratised and has a national body, the South African national taxi Council which was inaugurated in Durban on 14 - 16 September this year.

I think it is also necessary at this stage to state that the transformation and empowerment of the public transport system is moving at a fast gear in KwaZulu-Natal. As recent as October 29, I was opening a petrol filling station in Vryheid established by 700 taxi operators who belong to the Abaqulusi Taxi co-operative. This will reverse the current expenditure felt by taxi operators in that region and instead they will plough the money back to themselves. By diversifying their business operations to include bus and freight operations, they will be able to integrate smoothly into the formal economy.

On the other hand, the South African Bus Operators Association (SABOA) has welcomed the suggestion of the partnership. The consolidation of the bus industry around SABOA is a crucial element in this promotion drive. The entire process will roll over to include even small bus operators in townships and villages because our fund-raising campaign is geared towards the setting up of sustainable partnerships involving bus and taxi structures that will have the capacity to operate in a meaningful manner.

In the final analysis, I want to bring back the issue of road safety especially because the festive season is just around the corner. Very soon, schools will be closing and businesses will be preparing to shut down. For us in the Department of Transport it is a period where there is literally no rest. While everything grinds to a halt, we step into top gear for the usual onslaught of holiday traffic. It is our duty as the Department entrusted with road safety to see to it that not a single life is lost because of deliberate and careless behaviour on our roads.

I want to warn lawbreakers, especially drunken drivers we have Zero Tolerance for them in this Province. Traffic officers throughout the Province will be on active duty throughout the festive season right up until next year. Alcohol and speed testing will be the order of the day and the normal routine during the night. We will be tough in ensuring that the measures we have set up as part of our Zero Tolerance campaign are strictly adhered to. We will have no mercy for traffic offenders.

I thank you.

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