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MINISTER OF TRANSPORT FIKILE MBALULA, Talks about Transport as the Heartbeat of Economic Growth and Social Development.
The Department of Transport is responsible for regulation and coordination of transportation in South Africa that is: Public Transport, Rail Transportation, Civil Aviation, Maritime Transport and Road Transport.
TRANSPORT
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THE HEARTBEAT OF ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
The adage of economists that ‘The value of infrastructure is in its consumption’ applies more suitably to transport infrastructure than any other sector of the economy. Roads give no returns by themselves, but they allow access to markets, institutions, and connect villages to cities and centres of economic activity.
The transport sector, including road, rail, air and maritime, facilitates trade and promotes access to social and economic activities such as going to work, schools, clinics, etc. The sector also helps to accelerate economic development.
The National Department of Transport (DoT) is both the referee and a player in this sector or a consumer and supplier at the same time, depending on the area of transport being considered. The DoT builds the roads for private operators to provide taxi and bus transport – but also runs a state-funded bus system to augment the public transport needs. The same goes for rail; the DoT builds the rail lines and runs the train network!
The mandate of the department to facilitate transformation of the sector is one of its biggest challenges. The department has to deliver state-of-theart modern transport, whilst addressing the legacies of an unbalanced past, with a limited budget.
South Africa’s national road network is in good to very good condition but this is not the case with our secondary road networks, or Provincial and local roads.
Considering that it is the secondary road networks that feed increased traffic volumes onto national roads, the relatively high transport costs associated with the unchecked deterioration of the secondary roads remains a significant factor in South Africa’s relative competitiveness in global markets. >
This has been a pervasive challenge for many years,” says Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula. “Effective road construction and maintenance helps reduce the transaction costs of South African products on international markets. Although rail, air and sea also add in, roads are the primary cost input factor,” he adds.
Moving People to Move the Economy
Production in the economy is driven by people, so their ability to travel to and from places of work – commuter transport – is key.
The majority of the working population lives in underdeveloped townships and villages, and depend on public transport to commute to and from work. Before the advent of the mini-bus industry, most commuters depended on ageing rail and bus infrastructure. The mini-bus taxi industry moved into the gap and moves millions of commuters to and from work, daily – something that cannot be ignored. However, this industry grew organically and was neither subsidised nor managed.
Upgrading the commuter transport infrastructure and service, particularly in the bus and rail sector, had to be done alongside the formalisation and transformation of the minibus taxi industry as a stakeholder. In the introduction of Rapid Bus Transit Systems such as Rea Vaya in Johannesburg, A Re Yeng in Pretoria, Leeto la Polokwane and Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT), the taxi associations were engaged and formed part of the new transport system.
“The impact of the quality of public transport services on the citizens is immediate in that they use this mode every day. The vision of an efficient, affordable, safe, effective and reliable public transport system can only be realized through systematic interventions that deliver tangible outcomes incrementally,” Minister Mbalula says.
He adds that the implementation of Integrated Public Transport Networks (IPTNs) that enable seamless movement of public transport users across modes are the department’s key priority. The efficiencies of the IPTNs will be enhanced by the rollout of a cashless fare system and integrated ticketing, changing the experience of the commuter for the better. However, the challenges of the majority’s limited access to banking and technology will be taken into consideration, and the transition will be phased.
In the major cities such as in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Polokwane and Pretoria, the integration is more complex because other modes of commuter transport such as rail (PRASA, Gautrain) and air, must be factored in.
Safe Rail Commuting
The transformation and upgrade of rail commuter transport has been more challenging as it straddles various socio-economic levels with large sections that are decades old.
The Passenger Rail Service Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has the unenviable task of replacing age-old infrastructure whilst repairing damaged networks and upgrading systems from historical to state-of-the-art technologies. This had to be done whilst the whole system was operational and not affecting the commuters negatively.
The rail system had to move from manual signalling to electronic wireless whilst the locomotives had to be upgraded to meet green emission standards in line with global practice. This implies a huge leap in upgrade resulting in major interrup-tions, for which there is no room as commuters need to get to and from work on time. The sector did not escape the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and still suffers from the impact of its socio-economic effect today. The reduction of the transport movement due to lockdowns was characterised by an increase in cable thefts as well as rail and sleeper damage for income generating purposes. This has placed a further burden on the department’s resources and reversed some of the progress that had been made.
“In keeping with the theme of “getting PRASA back on the rails”, the company is incrementally overcoming its challenges and achieving important milestones towards recovery. PRASA’s recovery plan also entails rolling out the new electric multiple unit (EMU) fleet. This will result in the provision of world-class trains that are locally manufactured at the Gibela plant in Dunnottar, Gauteng,” says PRASA Board Chairperson Mr. Leonard Ramatlakane.He adds: “Despite the challenges, PRASA has taken huge strides in delivering on its four main projects namely; Station Modernization, Signalling Programme, Fleet Renewal Programme and the Moloto Rail Corridor.”
Safety in the Air
The DoT has to insure that world class safety standards are maintained in the airline industry. This has a direct impact on the country’s perception by the tourism and travel industry.
This industry is recovering from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst the larger airlines may be self-regulating in maintaining safety through their corporate tructures, smaller private aviators can easily fall between the cracks.
South Africa has maintained a high standard of safety globally. This owever is a costly exercise that equires constant monitoring as well as upgrade training for practitioners. >
The Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) has made major strides to improve our airspace management safely scenarios. Infrastructure investments to assist the programme include the continued renewal of terrestrial aeronautical navigation systems and continued maintenance of radar systems. ATNS operates from nine ACSA airports and 12 other aerodromes. Infrastructure investments to assist the programme include the continued renewal of terrestrial aeronautical navigation systems and continued maintenance of radar systems. resilient, and to prioritise, strategize, conserve and collaborate in response to the external environment,” says ATNS CEO Nozipho Mdawe.
“Within our business model and strategy, we are acutely aware of our external environment and how this is continuously evolving. We continue to understand the pandemic’s longerlasting impacts and how to best proactively future-proof ourselves against the devastating effects of other large-scale external disruptions,” she continues.
Mdawe adds: “However, looking to the future, we are privileged to be an organisation comprised of thought-
“Throughout history aviation has been impacted by change, and ATNS has continually proven its ability to remain leaders dedicated to excellence, technological innovation and sustainability. We are also developing and rebuilding the future aviation workforce as a world-class provider of air traffic management training. Combined, ATNS is well-positioned to secure value realisation in aviation for years to come.”
Safety on The Road
Walking is the most common mode of transport used in the country, with about 17.4 million South Africans walking to their various destinations, followed by 10.7 million individuals who make use of taxis and 6.2 million who use cars/trucks for transport. The fact that walking is the most common mode of transport explains why pedestrians are the highest number of people who die on South African roads. The number of fatalities have shown an increase post the lockdown period with alcohol intoxication being the most common related cause.
“Our efforts to reduce carnage on our roads by 25% in 2024 remain firmly on track. The safety of the pedestrians, motorists, and other vulnerable road users is paramount. Our focus will be on the use of safety belts, the roadworthiness of vehicles, fatigue, drunk driving, pedestrian safety and dangerous driving which includes
speeding, recklessness and overtaking on barrier lines,” says Minister Mbalula. Despite the prevalence of other forms of transport such as aeroplanes and trains, it is clear that the majority of South Africans still use mini-bus taxis. There are more than 200, 000 taxis on the country’s roads, transporting more than 4.5 million people per day in Gauteng.
It is common cause that during the rainy season we experience most ccidents caused by speeding and also the inappropriate control of vehicles in such conditions. These fatalities not only cause pain and suffering to victims and their families, but they place an enormous burden on the economy and the health system. It is possible to reduce road fatalities in our country if we adopt the highest levels of discipline and courtesy towards other road users.
World Class Roads
Properly surfaced roads without potholes are as important to road safety as traffic management and vehicle conditions. The South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) maintains and develops the country’s expanding national road network (currently at 22,253 km). Recognising the enormity of many demands on the fiscus and the advantage of constructive engagement with the private sector, SANRAL has proactively sought alternative sources of finance for road infrastructure and opportunities to reduce dependence on tax-based revenues.
The regional and local road network is the one that requires attention. The department has to surface new and previously untarred roads, particularly in rural areas, whilst fixing and maintaining deteriorating roads and bridges that are decades old. Moreover, a large number if these roads were not built for high volumes of traffic and heavier roads that are a product of a growing economy. New mines for instance are being developed in rural areas that had not anticipated a constant flow of heavy duty trucks; thus creating In this regard the department launched operation ‘Vala Zonke’ in Nguni, or Operation Kwala Kaofela in Sesotho. This project focuses on the elimination of potholes by systemmatically repairing damaged roads using labour intensive methods to create jobs.
At the launch Minister Mbalula said: “Addressing the maintenance challenges and backlog in our road network starts with putting in place measures that will halt the deterioration of our roads. Attending to potholes as soon as possible after they occur is the most effective way to arrest this decline.”
The prevalence of world class roads will be of no benefit to the South African community if the road uses are still reckless and unlicensed. The department is hard at work through the Road Traffic Management Company (RTMC) to ensure that expired licenses are renewed and vehicles are roadworthy. Law enforcement officers are also on standby to ensure compliance with road regulation.
“Safety on the road however, begins with every individual road user whether driving or pedestrian,” says Minister Mbalula. “All road users must appreciate that roadsare shared spaces. When we use the roads, we must embrace the age-old dictum that says: I am my brother’s keeper and I am my sister’s keeper.”
