Chairperson, hon members and the MECs who have been able to come here, the MEC for transport in the Western Cape, hon Carlisle; the MEC for transport in KwaZulu-Natal, hon Willies Mchunu; and the MEC for transport in the Eastern Cape, Ms Barry, I thank you very much for gracing this debate.
It is now only 49 days to the start of the World Cup. This is an African World Cup. To begin with, all 53 African heads of state will be part of this World Cup. They have been formally invited.
Secondly, for the first time in the history of Fifa, six countries from Africa will be participating in the World Cup. Plans are already under way for the transportation of general spectators from Algeria, Cameroon, the Cte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria when they arrive in South Africa, and throughout the tournament. Already the six African Ministries of transport participating in the World Cup are co-ordinating plans on how all the spectators will be transported. This will be finalised in Ghana next month when we meet all the participating countries from Africa.
A number of participating teams will be using SADC member countries as base camps. This has vast transport implications and will culminate in an update at the SADC Ministers of transport meeting to be held in Maputo next month. Through the Local Organising Committee, we are co-ordinating with all the participating countries to ensure smooth and efficient transportation of fans.
As you know, Chairperson, the backbone of any World Cup is the massive participation of the host country. In this regard South Africa will not disappoint and transport will not disappoint.
A command centre based in Gauteng with co-ordinators in all the nine host cities will be operating by the end of May. Two days ago, President Zuma officially opened the O R Tambo International Airport upgrade. This is a R2,3 billion investment. Later that day, we launched the country's transport plan for the World Cup.
The transport plan is a statement of our readiness to transport fans to stadiums in all nine host cities and to all corners of our country, during and after the World Cup. After the World Cup, the infrastructure left behind must change forever the way we travel for leisure and business. After the World Cup, infrastructure and services left behind must benefit the rural and urban poor in urban and rural areas.
Notwithstanding the progress we have made over the the 15 years, we are facing challenges with regard to the maintenance of our secondary road network. Nothing best indicates a country's state of development than the condition of its roads. The following figures indicate how much we still need to do to become a fully developed country.
The numbers give a summary of schools which are without any road access in South Africa in 2010. In the Eastern Cape 859 out of 5 401 schools are not accessible by road. In the Free State 28 out of 2 472 are not accessible. In Gauteng - which of course is our developed province - out of 2 202 schools, only 2 are not accessible by road. In KwaZulu-Natal, out of 5 331 schools, 403 are not accessible by road. In Mpumalanga, out of 1 793 schools, 17 are not accessible. In the Northern Cape, out of 473, 9 are not accessible. Out of 4 131 in Limpopo, 129 are not accessible. In North West out of 2 257, 47 are not accessible. Lastly, out of 1 577 schools in the Western Cape, 16 are not accessible by road.
Add to these figures a total of 31 clinics in the country which do not have reliable access by road: 21 out of 695 in the Eastern Cape, five out of 485 in KwaZulu-Natal and some provinces have one or two clinics without access by road.
In addition to the lack of access roads, we have challenges with regard to maintenance backlogs. The total paved and gravel network at provincial level is 184 816 km. At least 40% of this network has reached a crisis point. The total paved and gravel network at municipal level is 339 849 km. We are developing a means to quantify the backlog at the municipal level so that we can have accurate localised numbers. What we know is that our country needs R75 billion over the next five years to arrest this decline.
This year we are addressing these challenges by implementing an integrated national maintenance programme and a rural transport strategy for South Africa. This is not a new programme. Successive Ministers of Transport from 1994 have spoken out for the increase of the budget for road maintenance. The absence of roads defines who we are, either as a developing country, a developed country or an underdeveloped country.
This leads me to the next intervention that we are making - the provision of road infrastructure in our rural areas. The rural access improvement programme is part of a comprehensive rural transport strategy for South Africa which aims to do the following: to build bridges and nonmotorised transport facilities; to develop and implement the integrated public transport networks for regular transport services; to develop and upgrade the airport network with a proper road-link infrastructure; and to revitalise rural railway operations by expanding rail passenger services and freight operations to the rural areas.
Furthermore, through the Expanded Public Works Programme, we will contribute to job creation through the implementation of labour-intensive projects. To kickstart this process, we have secured initial funding of R1 billion dedicated to rural road infrastructure. We will also be institutionalising our rural infrastructure and services portfolio through the establishment of a dedicated agency.
This, hon MECs, will be over and above what you have in your budgets. A project management team and unit have been appointed to drive this programme.
In many municipalities and provinces we have identified the lack of dedicated funding for road maintenance, poor asset management and capacity challenges as the causes of poor road conditions. Insufficient investment in maintenance of the road infrastructure is a huge challenge. To address this, we are planning to develop a ring-fencing mechanism through the creation of a maintenance fund. Road maintenance cannot happen by accident.
This strategy is not only about sourcing additional funding for maintenance, but also about ensuring that existing funds are used for the purpose they were intended for. The strategy is also about better management of our road assets. The advantage of this programme is not only that it will arrest the decline of our infrastructure, but that it will also create thousands of jobs in the process.
The Department of Transport has the responsibility to address access and mobility challenges facing learners who daily walk more than 3 km in a single trip to school. The primary project beneficiaries are learners in rural, semirural and peri-urban areas who have no access to public transport. Provinces are required to prepare business plans for the identification and selection of schools. They are also required to enter into agreements with municipalities to put control measures in place. The Department of Transport will procure and distribute bicycles to the provinces.
South Africa experienced a rail tragedy yesterday. On behalf of our government and our people, we would like to express our sincerest and heartfelt condolences to the families of the bereaved. Yesterday I was able to trace two of them and I spoke to the survivors. Personal safety remains a priority to ensure that rail continues to regain its market share in the public transport sector. So far, our co-operation agreement with the SA Police Service has seen the roll-out of more than 2 000 rail police officers in our provinces.
We have to come to terms with the fact that the passenger rolling stock fleet has reached the end of its economic life. The average age of the coaches is between 35 and 40 years, with a maximum economic life of 46 years. Ours is now far beyond this lifespan. Let us state this very clearly: If we do not act now, that is, to recapitalise our rail fleet, the urban passenger rail system could collapse in all our cities within the next decade.
An efficient, reliable and affordable public transport system is at the centre of our transformation agenda. Our role as government is derived from our belief that the provision of public transport is primarily a public responsibility, and not for gain.
We use various instruments: licensing, municipal transport planning and subsidies to ensure universal access for commuters. The operating license is the central instrument for government to ensure reliable, efficient and affordable public transport. This responsibility has been executed by provincial licensing authorities.
We have decided to restructure the licensing system such that our interprovincial operations are licensed through the national regulatory authority, the national transport regulator. Metro councils with capacity will be tasked with the licensing responsibilities within their cities.
With reference to the recent strikes by some taxi operators we must state the following. Whilst we acknowledge that taxis provide the public operator services for gain, we must emphasise that they provide an essential service. It is a contract between operators and the commuters. It is because of this principle that withdrawing services by operators without due consideration for commuters' interests is unacceptable. We want a pledge which commits all of us on procedures and instruments regulating our rights and responsibilities.
It is against this background that in March 2007 Cabinet approved the public transport strategy and action plan. It is this pledge that we will be finalising with my colleagues in the provinces. It will then be signed between us and the taxi industry.
If someone has a problem with some traffic officer, what has that got to do with Mrs Molefe who is travelling from Diepkloof to town? It has absolutely nothing to do with that person. We cannot use our people with disrespect. For example, a taxi operator cannot have a quarrel somewhere and then leave people stranded. That is totally unacceptable.
Phase 1 of the action plan targets 12 cities and six districts for initial implementation. Because the transformation of public transport is incomplete without taxis, a national joint working group has been established. The national joint working group has the mandate to address all matters of concern to the taxi industry.
Moving violations remain among the greatest threats to road safety. We all know drinking and driving, and speaking on the cellphone while driving are threats to road safety. However, to send an SMS while driving is more dangerous than speaking on the cellphone. Twenty-one per cent of crashes are due to this malady. An average of 40 people die on our roads every day and this cannot be treated as a normal situation. The Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Management Corporation, RTMC, will intensify efforts on tight and visible law enforcement.
This year we are implementing the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Bill which removes road offences from the court system, unless one chooses to have his or her matter considered by the court. Traffic offences will be dealt with administratively. This is already having an effect.
By the end of May we will have formed community road safety councils in all nine provinces. The community road safety councils will help us create safer environments through road design, enforcement and education.
Through partnerships with the Ministers of Basic and Higher Education, we are intensifying road safety education in our schools. All 18-year-olds in South Africa must have a driver's licence and help us introduce a new culture of driving on our roads.
In line with this, by July we will have appointed a new service provider for the tamper-proof card licence which will be integrated into the country's identification system. These developments in transport will in time move South Africa from being a developing to a developed country. I would like to thank the department, Deputy Minister Jeremy Cronin, the portfolio committee, and the select committee for the assistance and the co- operation we have received over the year.
I thank the director-general, Mr George Mahlalela, and his staff for their work and dedication in delivering transport infrastructure and services to our people. We also acknowledge the role played by the chief executives of our entities, the managing directors, chairpersons and boards of all our agencies in the delivery of our transport programme. I thank you. [Applause.]