SPEECH NOTES BY KWAZULU-NATAL MEC FOR TRANSPORT, SAFETY AND SECURITY, MR BHEKI CELE, AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE OF PEOPLE WHO DIED IN SWEETWATERS

3 June 2004

INTRODUCTION

In January this year six people died in a horrific bus crash in Sweetwaters. The case is still sub-judice and we may not comment on its finer details until the courts have made the decision. However, our support and remembrance is not sub-judice. We are here to remember all those who died in that bus accident.

SWEET WATERS TRAGEDY - WHAT THE DEPARTMENT DID THEN

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport was assisting in making arrangements for the memorial service. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport co-ordinated with both Umgungundlovu District Municipality and Umsunduzi Local Municipality in giving support to the bereaved families by making proper funeral arrangements. We also met the management of the bus company involved to discuss any form of assistance for the families. We would like to thank the funeral parlour for the assistance they gave to the bereaved families.

We have made contacts with all bereaved families to discuss funeral costs. The Department intervened financially to assist those families that could not meet the needs of the funeral. We also assisted in handling the memorial service and also brought the Road Accident Fund officials to assist families in filling in the road accident fund forms. Our officials were assisting in this regard.

To all the bereaved families, I want to mention here and now that the KZN Department of Transport is always available, as we have always done before, to assist with whatever kind of assistance that we can possibly offer during the most difficult moments in your lives.

The Sweetwaters Bus Tragedy happened at the time when the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport was doing its best to put an end to these terrible incidents. We have done all in our capacity to put into place programmes that will endure the reduction of road carnage in KwaZulu-Natal. Through our Public Transport Enforcement Unit (PTEU), we continue with our traffic enforcement activities on strategic bus routes to ensure that tragedies like this one never happen again.

• It is the responsibility of bus operators to ensure that buses are roadworthy, properly maintained and are regularly serviced.
• Bus drivers too have the responsibility to check the roadworthiness of the bus before they drive it.
• Too often the desire to obtain profit goes against passenger safety. Factors such as speed and overloading contribute immensely to bus crashes.
• Corruption and fraud in roadworthiness testing is also another reason why the KZN Department of Transport is concentrating on this aspect of safety.

WHAT THE KZN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT IS DOING NOW TO ADDRESS THE SITUATION

• Multidisciplinary roadblocks and regular roadworthiness checks are ongoing.
• The KZN Department of Transport has a no-nonsense approach to fraud and in this regard tare weight fraud scam. The Department has uncovered quite a number of tare weight fraud scams and these crimes continue to be investigated by the Inspectorate Section of our Motor Licensing Bureau.

A proclamation to empower the Special Investigation Unit to prosecute offenders has been issued.

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