Mudzulatshidulo, Minisi?a, Vho Sbu Ndebele, vhalangamavun?u vho?he vhane vha vha hone fhano ?amusi, dzi MEC dzine dza vha hone, vhatatisei vha NCOP, vhashumeli na vhaeni vho?he vhane vha vha ngeo n?ha vho ?aho u ri thetshelesa ?amusi, ndi khou vha losha. Ndo vha na mashudu mavhi vhukuma ngauri ndi vho tou nga ndo vha ndi na Minisi?a mulovha musi vha tshi khou ?wala tshipitshi tshavho ngauri vho tou kanda henefha?a he nda vha ndi tshi khou ?o?a u kanda hone. Zwine nda nga amba zwone ndi zwauri vho tou mvala mulomo nga gu?uu. Ndi ?o tou kanda henefhala he vha kanda hone, ndi tshi khou ?u?uwedza. (Translation of Tshiven?a paragraph follows.)
[Ms L MABIJA: Chairperson, Minister Sbu Ndebele, all the premiers present today, MECs who are here, hon members of the NCOP, staff members and all the visitors sitting in the gallery who came to listen to us today, I greet you. I am very unfortunate as it looks as if I was with the Minister yesterday when he wrote his speech, because he has mentioned exactly what I am going to say. All I can say is that he has taken the words out of my mouth. I will just anchor and motivate what he has said.]
Chairperson, the ANC promised a better life for all. That is why, following decades of neglect and racially skewed transport legislation, planning and development, South Africa has embarked on a process of improving the public transport infrastructure.
This initiative stems from the realisation that public transport has a significant role to play in enhancing rural and urban mobility, reducing road congestion, decreasing the impact on the environment through harmful emissions and serving the economy.
In line with its conception of transport as the heartbeat of South Africa's economic growth and social development, the ANC-led government, through its Medium-Term Strategic Framework, has committed the Department of Transport to revamp the public transport infrastructure to ensure that it is accessible, efficient, reliable and affordable.
Vho Minisi?a vho no ?i zwi sumbedzisa na u zwi ?an?avhudza nga vhu?alo zwauri vha khou ?o?a u ita mini. [The Minister has already indicated and explained in full what he intends to do.] Transportation systems in the country are characterised by and riddled with both intra- and intermodal inherited and acquired problems. To this effect, various transport components of the current transport systems are operated and regulated by different governmental agencies and private operators in all three spheres of the government.
In most cases there is little co-ordination amongst those responsible for the operation of various components of both rural and urban transportation systems. This has resulted in each agency and operator attempting to improve those elements under its jurisdiction without consideration of efficiency and effectiveness of the overall rural and urban transportation systems.
At times, this has been at the expense of other elements of the various modes of transport. It has also resulted in the exclusion of alternatives or modal system operations that do not have institutional sponsors.
A typical example is the lack of co-ordination in many urban areas between agencies responsible for providing operating infrastructure facilities and public passenger transport systems. Another example is the general inability of the taxi industry, Metrorail and bus operators to plan and operate their transport systems in an integrated manner, crippling South Africa's transportation systems. The hon Minister has already indicated how he is going to integrate the transportation systems.
Some communities live in remote areas where accessibility is almost impossible throughout all four seasons.
Ndi ?o fha tsumbo nga ha madalo e ra vha nao ngei ha Sekhukhune, he ra wana uri n?ila dza hone dzo?he dzi na matombo nahone dzo tshinyala vhukuma. U tshimbila n?ha ha matombo hu na uri u tshimbile badani. Ro dovha hafhu ra ya u dalela mu?we muvhundu une wa vha na mulambo muhulu. Masiani o?he a mulambo hu na tshiendedzi tshine tsha vhidzwa u pfi 'segwaigwai'. Vho Groenewald na Vho Tau vho ita na u tshi ?amela vha tshi khou ?o?a u pfa uri tshi tou itisa hani.
Sa izwi Minisi?a Vho Sbu vhe muthu ane a shuma lwa shishi, ndi khou ?o?a u vha humbela uri vha sedze-vho na shango ?a ha Sekhukhune. Zwi nga vha zwavhu?i arali hu tshi nga tshintshiwa 'segwaigwai' ha tou itiwa buroho ya vhukuma u itela uri vhathu vha kone u pfuka vha tshi bva kha sia ?i?we vha tshi ya kha ?i?we; vha tshi ya u vhona mashaka, u renga vhurotho, na zwi?we- vho.
Hangei ha Sekhukhune hu na mimaini ine ya swika henefha kha 40 na mi?we miswa ye ra pfa uri i khou ya u thomiwa, ine ya nga swika henefha kha ?ahe. Nga fulufhelo ?ine nda vha na?o kha Minisi?a, ndi khou humbela uri vha ite zwauri havhala vhathu vha songo sokou bwa lupfumo fhasi mavuni, vhathu vhane vha dzula henefho tsini vha si na na dzibada, zwa u ?imvumvusa, dziburoho na dzin?ila, ngeno lupfumo lu tshi khou bva lu tshi ya nn?a ha Afurika Tshipembe. Vhathu vhane vha khou dzula henefha?a u mona na Sekhukhune, ho lalaho lupfumo, vha sa khou vhuelwa nga tshithu. Vhathu vha ha Sekhukhune vho sinyuwa vhukuma. Mu?we na mu?we o zwi vhona zwauri vhathu vha khou sinyuswa nga zwi pfalaho. Ndi khou humbela Minisita uri he?i fhungo vha ?i sedzese nahone vha ?i dzhiele ntha.
Ndido dovha hafhu nda amba nga bada ya N1 ire henengei Limpopo. Vhuponi ha Levubu, hu na buroho yo waho. Zwino ri tshi khou amba, zwo no vha na mi?waha mivhili yo wa. Vhathu a vha khou pfesesa uri a i lugiswi ngani ngauri muvhuso u na tshelede. Vha tshi ita mugaganyagwama zwi amba zwauri vha tea u lugisela nayo. Ndi khou tou sumbedzisa-vho uri kha vha zwi dzhiela n?ha zwauri hu na hou?a muratho wo waho, nahone zwino wo no fhirelwa nga tshifhinga.
Hu na i?we hafhu yo waho ine ya vha vhuponi ha Khalavha. Na yone yo no fhirelwa nga tshifhinga. Zwine wa nga amba zwone ndi zwauri mushumo une muvhuso wa khou ita kha sia ?a vhuendi ndi muhulwane. Ndi nga si vhuye nda ?wa ndi tshi khou ambesa nga hazwo sa i zwi Minisi?a vho no ?i zwi sumbedzisa zwo?he. A hu na ane a nga hanedza uri zwi nga si itee ngauri vha tshi vhuya vha zwi pulana; zwi amba zwauri vha ?o zwi ita, nahone vho no ?i thomisa. Musi vha tshi vhewa sa Minisi?a, vho tenda uri vha ?o zwi kona. Ndi na fulufhelo ?a uri vha ?o zwi kona.
Ndi khou ?o?a u humbela Minisi?a uri vhu?ifari ha vhareili vhashu, na ... [Tshifhinga tsho fhela.] [U vhanda zwan?a.] (Translation of Tshiven?a paragraphs follows.)
[I will give an example from our visit to Sekhukhune, where we found that all the roads have rocks and are in bad condition. You drive on rocks instead of the roads. We also visited another area where there is a very big river. On both sides of the river, there is a form of transport called "segwaigwai". Mr Groenewald and Mr Tau even rode on it just to test how it is.
Since Minister Sbu is a hard worker, I appeal to him to also focus on the Sekhukhune area. It will be good if "segwaigwai" can be replaced by a real bridge so that people will be able to cross from one area to another, to visit relatives, to buy bread and other things.
There are more or less 40 mines in Sekhukhune and we have heard that another nine new mines are going to start operating. With the confidence I have in the Minister, I request you to make sure that those people do not only dig the wealth from the ground when people who live near these areas have no roads, entertainment facilities, bridges and paths, while wealth is being taken out of South Africa. People who live around Sekhukhune where wealth is abundant are gaining nothing. The Sekhukhune community is very angry. Everyone knows they have valid reasons to be angry. I appeal to the Minister to look into this matter seriously and give it first preference.
I will also speak about the N1 highway in Limpopo. In the Levubu area, there is a collapsed bridge. As we speak, it is two years since it collapsed. People don't understand why it has not been repaired, because the government has money. Please include it also in your budget. I'm just trying to bring to your attention that there is a bridge that collapsed a long time ago and has not yet been repaired.
There is another one that collapsed in the Khalavha area. It too needs to be repaired. One can only say that the government is doing a great job with regard to transport. I won't say much since the Minister has already explained everything. Nobody can say this is impossible, since you have planned it; it means you will do it and you have already started. When you were sworn in as Minister, you agreed that you will deliver. I am confident that you will deliver.
I want to request the Minister that the behaviour of our drivers, and ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]]