_ SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, THE HONOURABLE DIPUO PETERS, MP, AT THE OPENING OF THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, OVERPASS AND INTERCHANGE ON THE N8 IN THABA NCHU - 23 AUGUST 2014 The Honourable Premier of Free State, Ace Magashule, The Honourable MEC for Police, Roads & Transport Mr B M Komphela, Members of the Free State Legislature, The Executive Mayor of Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, His Worship Thabo Manyoni, Councillors, Members of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders, The CEO of The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd, Mr Nazir Alli and SANRAL Executives, Leaders of business, sports, and religious sectors, The Community at large, Members of the Media, Ladies and Gentlemen, Today we are gathered here celebrating 20 years of freedom and democracy. We are also celebrating Women’s month. Igama la makhosikasi, Malibongwe! 60 years of the Women’s Charter. 58 years of the Women’s March to The Union Buildings. As the ANC Government, we are working steadily to build this country and to ensure that there is development everywhere we go. We are happy today that we can celebrate this major infrastructure development with you. Ladies and gentlemen, Today we are celebrating the official opening of the interchange, overpass and pedestrian bridge on the N8 at Thaba Nchu, a beautiful part of our country steeped in rich history and culture. Government has taken a decision to prioritise infrastructure development as this is the foundation of socio-economic development. Through infrastructure the government is creating thousands of jobs and improving the quality of life of our people as well as boosting the economy of our country. In 2012 President Jacob Zuma established the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission! Chaired by the president to coordinate infrastructure development across all three spheres of government. This platform facilitated the crafting of the National Infrastructure Plan. Through the National Infrastructure Plan, the ANC government is building dams, bridges, roads, hospitals, airports, ports, power plants to boost electricity supply and as well as build and refurbish schools. It is an exciting programme which is changing the face of South Africa. Ladies and gentlemen, The need for safe and reliable transport infrastructure and services is fully captured in ANC transport policies. These policies found expression in the 1996 White Paper on National Transport. Guided at a policy level by the National Land Transport Act, the National Road Traffic Act of 1996, the Millennium Development Goals and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, we have developed a multifaceted approach to regulate the use of and decongest our roads, and ultimately reduce the fatalities on our roads. The 2012 National Development Plan (Vision 2030) – the blueprint for the South Africa we want also make provision for an efficient, reliable, safe and affordable public transport and infrastructure. Ladies and gentlemen, The efficiency of a country’s road network is vital for optimal socio-economic growth. Well designed and well maintained roads play a significant role in achieving national development and contributing to the overall performance and social functioning of the community. Transport facilitates growth and development across all sectors of the economy and society broadly such as agriculture, mining, tourism facilitates access to health and education. Without transport, trade and goods cannot take place, commuters cannot get to work and learners have to spend hours walking to school. Cognisant of the fact that road crashes/fatalities have damaging social and economic consequences, the government has to put together a comprehensive strategy that will address the scourge on our roads and improve the safety of our roads for all road users including, pedestrians, motorists and cyclists. Ladies and gentlemen, 10 percent of the South Africa’s road network of 750000 is considered very good whilst 30 percent is good and 60 percent is ranging from fair to very poor. The very good ones are under the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), a state owned company established in 1998 for road building, maintenance, operation and funding options. Whilst parts of provinces can count for the 30 percent good ones, the municipalities and some part of the province’s road network is fair to very poor. In essence, some of the roads are way beyond their useful life. This world class road agency continues to provide technical support to provinces with regard to the maintenance of roads. SANRAL has recently inherited several thousand kilometres of roads from provinces. Independent Research indicates that SANRAL continues to build the best roads in the world. Since its inception in 1998, SANRAL has leveraged private investment in road infrastructure by concessioning and tolling specific national routes. Today SANRAL has 21 403 km in its national roads portfolio. SANRAL has two primary sources of income. Non-toll roads (which comprise 84 percent of the total national road network) are funded from allocations made by the National Treasury. Toll roads (which comprise only 16 percent of the total national road network) are funded from borrowings on capital markets. Remember that the National Development Plan does make provision for State Owned Companies to use their balance sheet to borrow money from the markets. For SANRAL to build roads faster, we must borrow money which must be paid back through the user pay principle. SANRAL is also a major Small Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) development contributor and a job creator. During the 2013/2014 financial year, SANRAL awarded 202 contracts for new works, rehabilitation and improvement, periodic and special maintenance, routine road maintenance, community development, supervision and other activities to the value of R11.6 billion with R9.5 billion being spent on non-toll roads. Ladies and gentlemen, A traffic study undertaken by SANRAL SOC Limited identified a number of intersections on a section of the N8 in need of safety improvements. Thaba Nchu’s residential area is south of the N8, whereas the community facilities, such as schools, clinics and the commercial centre, are to the North, resulting in significant pedestrian movement across the N8, with an associated conflict with vehicular traffic. Compounding this problem is the reality that a number of school children cross this section of the road every day. It is a dangerous situation that can lead to serious accidents and motor vehicle crashes. Two intersections on the N8 have been upgraded to an interchange and an overpass. To improve safety, dedicated pedestrian crossings were introduced on the N8. Construction commenced at the beginning of January 2011 and was completed in April 2014 at a total cost of some R101million. It is pleasing to know that during the construction period, 157 local people, including site staff, were employed. R19 million was paid to labour for the duration of the contract. Employment was created and about 17 women were employed and 95 youth benefitted from the construction. There were two SMME subcontractors employed at an estimated cost of R 22 million. A total of 107 employees received training at a cost of some R334 000. Ladies and gentlemen, In South Africa, roads are the most popular means of transportation for people to travel from one point to another. They can go to work, to schools, to factories, etc. by their private vehicles or using public transport. It is said that ‘Time is money’ - efficient roads considerably improve travelling time, enabling goods and people to reach their destination quicker and safe. Efficient roads reduce congestion and have a positive impact on productivity. Hence the cost of doing business is highly enhanced, with the advent of an efficient transport system. Tourism benefits a great deal from a good system of transportation. Indeed, it is easier for passengers to travel safe and sound. Through an efficient transport network, the geography/spatial apartheid is being dismantled, allowing people of different races and background to move easier between towns and cities, thus promoting the exchange of cultures and building the rainbow nation. We are proud to say that the National Development Plan has identified transport infrastructure as a key economic driver. There is no dispute that infrastructure development and service delivery are crucial for generating economic growth, alleviating poverty, reducing the scourge of inequality and increasing international competitiveness. Ladies and gentlemen, The toll funding option allows us to bring projects to fruition that would otherwise not be possible, if we were to rely solely on the fiscus. Our government continues to explore partnerships through which we can secure funding to reverse the current infrastructure backlog. Like I said, South Africa has a total road network of at least 750 000 kilometres. While some of the roads, particularly those in urban areas are in a good condition and are maintained regularly, we cannot say the same of roads in other parts of our country, especially in the rural areas. According to the statistics, poor road infrastructure is one of the main causes of road fatalities in the country. Building a secure road infrastructure network is therefore one of the priorities of government. It is for this reason that the vision of the Department of Transport is to ‘make transport the heartbeat of the economy’. This clarion call, as articulated in the vision of the Department is not a slogan, but it is an imperative that should find expression in the programmes of the three spheres of government, and the state owned companies and agencies. Since 1994, the democratic government elected ANC government has continued to make significant strides to provide accessible, secure and quality road infrastructure. The launch of this revamped section of the N8 is one of many investments by Department of Transport and SANRAL to achieve this goal. Further work is being done to improve the maintenance of provincial and local roads so as to ensure that South Africans have access to adequate road infrastructure wherever they are. The Department of Transport together with its agency SANRAL, remain committed to support provinces and municipalities in their goal to upscale the provision of adequate infrastructure and services. In conclusion, I want to acknowledge that the Premier of the Free State, Honourable Mr Ace Magashule has signed off more than 27 bridges to SANRAL for building, operation and maintenance. I also want to acknowledge that SANRAL have received more than 3000 kilometres from provinces for the same reason. We are looking forward to sustain the record of very good roads funded, built, operated and maintained by SANRAL. This will we do in honour of President Nelson Mandela who had the vision and foresight to create this agency to focus on roads infrastructure. Ke a leboga, I thank you.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 12:32:23 +0000
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