Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, members of executive councils and of departments of transport from the provinces, distinguished guests, officials of the department and public entities, where I come from there is a saying that goes:
Tau t?a hloka seboka di ?itwa ke nare e hlot?a. [United we stand; divided we fall.]
In simple terms it means that together we will move South Africa forward. Poverty, inequality and unemployment still affect the lives of our people. The ANC government is committed to working with our people to address these challenges and move South Africa further forward towards the achievement of the Freedom Charter. In terms of the National Development Plan and Vision 2030, South Africa needs to invest in a strong network of economic infrastructure designed to support economic and social objectives. Infrastructure provision should be more affordable and efficient and also be linked to higher levels of public investment. To enhance the performance and efficiency of the transport system or sector, the department facilitates and co-ordinates a Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, Prasa, capital programme, which includes the refurbishment of rolling stock, the upgrading of signalling systems, increasing line capacity and extension, as well as improving operational performance.
Prasa has just completed its long-term national strategic plan, with a vision that extends to 2050, to map out its role in terms of developing rail service in rural areas and the integration of the mainline passenger services and long-distance bus services. This strategy forms part of the country-wide travel demand needs, based on existing demand information, in order to update the proposal for the metropolitan areas plus long-distance bus services. It also identifies key corridors on the rail and bus network, thereby setting priorities for transport integration and identifying hubs for investment and development activities. This clearly indicates and confirms that Prasa and the Department of Transport understood the mandate that was given to the ANC by the overwhelming majority of our people in the last election.
Rail is the backbone of the public transport system. Many of our people use rail as their primary mode of transport, both as daily commuters and long- distance travellers, because of the affordability and the role that it plays in the migration pattern of employment in various sectors. Our people still travel from urban areas to home in the rural areas at month-end and for holidays. Actually, the traffic congestion in most cities decreases and also improves during school and public holidays.
Re ya gae go ikhut?a ge dikolo di tswalet?we. Ke maikhut?o a set?haba. [We travel home during school holidays. It is a holiday time for many people.]
We are very happy that there are plans to develop rail in the previously disadvantaged areas. The Department of Transport and Prasa should be commended in this regard. [Applause.] The following developments are in the pipeline and, as the portfolio committee, we will motivate for the department to be allocated more funds in order to realise these developments: The Limpopo Rail Plan, which has almost been finalised and will include the possibility of speed rail between Musina and Johannesburg; the N8 Rail Development Corridor in the Free State, which will link Kimberley, Thaba Nchu, Mangaung and Maseru; the possibility of linking Kimberley in the Northern Cape and Mahikeng in North West; and the linking of Queenstown to Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.
The following rail expansions have also been prioritised: the Moloto rail link, the Bara link, the Motherwell rail link and the King Shaka Airport link. [Applause.] These developments will also go hand in hand with station developments in order to improve service quality and bring back dignity to our people. Proper shades, ablution facilities and waiting areas will be improved to avoid long queues and exposing our passengers to harsh weather conditions.
There are also challenges in this sector and they need to be addressed in order to further improve service quality. There is a problem with service reliability, with departure times and punctuality, as well as with co- ordinated timetables. Sometimes trains arrive at destinations in the early hours when there is no transport to take people further. We must also improve on the first leg and last leg of the integrated transport - how people get to the rail service and how they go back. We also need to improve our technology, including an integrated ticketing system. We need to deal with the issue of speed and the dwelling times between stations, as well as with the problem of interfacing with Transnet. There is also a shortage of skills and too much use being made of consultants because of this shortage of skills. I am happy because the department has put forward a programme to decrease the use of consultants and increase the skills base. The department will also be finalising various rail-related policies and strategies in this financial year. Key among them is the National Rail Safety Strategy. The aim of this strategy is to regulate and enhance rail transport safety. Most of the accidents are due to human error and theft of cables. We call upon the Minister of Police to assist the department and bring these culprits to book because many lives are lost due to this recklessness.
There is also an urgent need to assist our provinces and municipalities to complete their Provincial Land Transport Frameworks and Integrated Transport Plans in line with the provisions of the National Land Transport Act. Consultants are taking our provinces and municipalities for a ride because they just cut and paste plans from one province to another. In Limpopo you will find a plan devised for uMgungundlovu in KwaZulu-Natal.
The department made the undertaking that they would assist our provinces and municipalities. The integrated rapid public transport networks, IRPTNs, have also improved public transport, especially in Johannesburg and Cape Town, where it is called MyCiTi. I do not know why our colleagues from the opposite side are not commending the ANC government for the Rea Vaya bus rapid transport system. It is the ANC government that is doing that. [Applause.]
The ANC government will continue to invest in the upgrading and expansion of the country's rail and road infrastructure to create jobs and reduce unemployment. Local manufacturing of new rolling stock will create 8 088 direct job opportunities and the implementation of other transport projects will develop more work opportunities. New jobs will also be created in the transport sector by facilitating and implementing a Blue Economy Business Model. This will be done by altering the way in which we run our industrial processes and tackle resultant environmental problems, refocusing from the use of rare and high cost energy resources to instead seek solutions based on simpler and cleaner technology.
I am also surprised that our colleagues on the opposite side are not commenting on the "big five" companies that were found by the Competition Commission to be colluding over prices when dealing with road construction. [Applause.] They do not say anything about it because maybe they are getting a donation from them. I think our government is working more to improve public transport and it is high time that our colleagues from the opposite side must come and ride with us to improve the public transport system.
The department is geared towards improving our public transport system. The Minister and the Deputy Minister take their time to brief the portfolio committee on their plans and on what to do. We are very happy that they have the interests of the department and of South Africa at heart. Together we will do more. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]