Uza kulibuyisa ke ixesha lam. Ahambe ke lo mntwana ebaleka de ayekufika esikolweni, sele ediniwe. Uhlala imini yonke noko kudinwa kwakhe, efunda. Ukuphuma kwesikolo kufuneke abuyele ekhaya. Uyabona ke ukuba ungumntwana oyinkwenkwe, kufuneka agqithe ezinkomeni phambi kokuba abuyele ekhaya, ngoku anqanda ezi nkomo libe litshona ke lona ilanga. Udiniwe, kodwa kukho umsebenzi wesikolo ebewunikwe esikolweni ekufuneka ewenzile. Uwenza ngeliphi ixesha, ewenziswa ngubani?
Ziingxaki esinazo ezi. Kungoko simbulela urhulumente ngokucinga kwakhe, ecingela aba bantwana basemakhaya ngokuthi abafunele iibhayisekile ekuthiwa ngooShova Kalula. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[You will have to make up for my time. This child runs to school and when he gets there he is already tired. He has to stay at school the whole day, tired as he is, and learn. After school he must return home. You see, if he is a boy, he must go and fetch the cattle from the pastures before he returns home. Whilst he is gathering the cattle, the sun is setting. He is tired, but he has been given homework which he must do. When will he do his homework and who will help him do it?
These are the problems we are experiencing. That is why we thank the government for considering the children in the rural areas and thus providing bicycles for the Shova Kalula initiative. [Applause.]]
The Shova Kalula Bicycle Project, introduced in 2001, is a government- sponsored initiative providing subsidised bicycles to rural and peri-urban beneficiaries with mobility constraints. This project is part of the department's non-motorised transport, NMT, strategy initiative that aims to meet the target of delivering one million bicycles throughout South Africa by 2015, in line with the resolutions and action plan agreed to during the African Transport Ministers' Summit held in Addis Ababa in 2006.
It is a partnership between the national Department of Transport and provincial and local governments, intended to promote the use of bicycles as an alternative mode of transport. It also promotes the establishment of micro-businesses, which support the maintenance and repair of the bicycles.
Shova Kalula is a phased project that started with second-hand bicycles donated from Europe and England. Micro-businesses - where these bicycles were sold and serviced to sustain the project - were then set up. After an evaluation of phase one of the project, the Department of Transport resolved to distribute new bicycles only, owing to the fact that spares for some of the second-hand bicycles were unavailable.
During phases one, two and three, the department transferred funds directly to provinces to implement the project. However, realising that many provinces did not have the required capacity to manage the project, it decided to procure services centrally.
Up to the end of phase three, a total of 33 000 bicycles were distributed and 22 micro-businesses were established in seven provinces. [Applause.] As at 23 April 2009, the Department of Transport had distributed a total of 59 000 bicycles nationally. In addition, it reported that it intended to distribute 15 000 bicycles by the end of April 2010. [Applause.]
Iingxaki esidibana nazo apha kulo Shova Kalula kukuba thina sisemakhaya, nangona sibulela, kodwa siyibona ikukuza kukaNxele, ngoba okokuqala, sinemilambo nemilanjana ekufuneka aba bantwana batshove besenyuka besehla kuyo xa besuka emakhayeni abo. Abakwazi ukungena endleleni yeemoto, ngoba iza kuba neengozi.
Ingxaki yesibini esiza kuba nayo -masithethe ngomntwana oyinkwenkwe - kukuba xa efika esikolweni uza kunikwa le bhayisekile ze afike kowabo kukho umkhuluwa ongaphangeliyo, ekudala ehleli. Umbuzo wakhe uza kuthi: "Ye kwedini, uyithathaphi le bhayisekile?" [Kwahlekwa.] Athi ke yena: "Hayi, bhuti, siziphiwe ezi bhayisekile esikolweni. Kuthiwa masihambe ngazo." Athi ubhuti: "Yho, inkwenkwe enebhayisekile ndingekabi nayo mna!" [Kwahlekwa.]
Ayithathe le bhayisekile. Aye ngayo phi? Etywaleni. [Kwahlekwa.] [Kwaqhwatywa.] Xa ebuya etywaleni, akaboni andithi kuba kusebusuku kwaye uqhub 'ibhayisekile? Ayokuwa, folokohlo nebhayisekile yomntwana.
Into esiyicelayo kurhulumente kukuba makubekho ulongamelo lwezi Shova Kalula. Athi umntwana xa eyifumene kubekho into eyenziwayo ukujonga ukuba isekhona na kule nyanga kwaye ibikhona na kule veki iphelileyo; kubuzwe ukuba: "Kwedini ibhayisekile yakho iyephi?" Ze ke urhulumente abone ukuba ubanikele ntoni ezi bhayisekile. Umbono wona wamkelekile kakhulu kuthi thina sisemakhaya. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[The problems that we encounter with regard to the Shova Kalula project are that in the rural areas, even though we are grateful, we see the project moving at a snail's pace, because, firstly, we have rivers and rivulets which these children must cross, paddling up and down, when they leave their homes. They cannot use the same roads used by cars, for that would be dangerous.
The second problem that we will encounter - let us talk about a boy - is when this child comes to school he will be provided with a bicycle and when he reaches home there is an unemployed elder brother, who has not been working for a considerable period. His question would be: "Hey young boy, where did you get this bicycle from?' [Laughter.] The boy will respond: "No, big brother, we have been given these bicycles at school. They said we must ride them to school." The big brother would say: "Oh! A boy who has a bicycle even before I have one myself!" [Laughter.]
Then he would take the bicycle for himself. Where would he ride the bicycle to? To the tavern. [Laughter.] [Applause.] On his return from the tavern, he cannot see properly, because it is late at night and he is riding the bicycle. He falls with the child's bicycle.
What we are requesting from the government is that the Shova Kalula project should be monitored. When a child gets a bicycle, something must be done to find out if it is still available this month and was it available last week. He must be asked: "Young boy, where is your bicycle?" The government knows why these bicycles have been provided. The idea is acceptable to us in the rural areas.]
We recommend, then, that Shova Kalula be viewed within the context of South African transport history, that has neglected the role of the so-called "slow modes" of transport, namely, walking and cycling. This is because, even though the country arguably has world-class urban roads, it does not have adequate facilities and infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
South Africa's transport planners have historically provided high-speed car use for the rich, very basic transport for the poor and totally inadequate facilities for the millions of urban and rural people with no option but to walk or cycle.
Into yesibini endiyicelayo kurhulumente nendiyithandayo ngabantwana basezidolophini abahamba ngeekhumbi. Emakhaya, apho mhlawumbi kukho umnyinyivana wemadlana, aba bantwana bakhwela iiveni. Evenini ke ngumaqal' akhwele. Ukuba ukhwele kuqala, ndikholelwe, uza kusingatha abantwana abathathu; andimazi ke oza kulala ngecala ukuba ke yena uza kumthini olandelayo. Ingxaki yeveni kukuba ilayisha kakhulu. Kuthi ukuba kukho ingozi ibe mbi kakhulu kuba ilayisha ngaphezu komthamo wayo.
Siyamcela ke urhulumente ukuba akhe asikhangelele ezi veni zithutha abantwana. Sifuna nokwazi ke ukuba urhulumente unomnyinyivana weekhumbi zasezidolophini na, ukuba unawo, makawenze kuyo yonke indawo. Nasezivenini mawube khona. Ukuba iiveni ziyahamba endleleni nazo mazibe nento eziyifumanayo, zingahambi mahala. Kodwa ke ubungozi bufika apha ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[The second thing that I am requesting from the government which I also like, are the children in the urban areas who are using mini bus taxis for transportation. In the rural areas, where perhaps there is a bit of income, these children use bakkies for transportation. In a bakkie, it is first come, first served. If you were the first to get in, believe me, three children will be sitting on your lap. I don't know what will happen to the one who is next to him. How will he make space for the next passenger? The problem regarding bakkies is that they are being overloaded. When there is an accident, it becomes horrible and fatal because the driver has overloaded the capacity of the bakkie.
We are appealing to government to monitor these bakkies that are transporting children. We would also like to know whether government provides a subsidy to the minibus taxi industry in the urban areas, and if it does, we request that it be implemented everywhere. It must also be made available to the drivers who transport children in bakkies. If the bakkies are on the road, then they must be subsidised - they should not be transporting free of charge. But the danger is ...]
... in February 2009, three children died.
Uyabona ke ukubhubha komntwana omnye kuyinto embi kakhulu, xa sele bebathathu baninzi gqitha. [You see, the death of one child is a bad thing, so when three die, it is even worse.]
Three children died and four were seriously injured when the bakkie taking them to school crashed through bridge railings onto another road in Centurion. The children were thrown from the vehicle as it plummeted eight metres from the R55 onto the N14.
Again, in February 2009, six pre-school and primary school children died in a crash which occurred when an off-duty Pretoria police officer allegedly raced through an intersection and collided with the bakkie transporting children to school.
In March 2010, a bakkie carrying 27 school children overturned on the R617, in Kokstad.
Yiyo ke loo nto sisithi iiveni makube ngathi kuyaqiniselwa ukuthintelwa kokufumana kwazo lo msebenzi wokuthutha abantwana. Ewe, abantu balambile, kodwa mabangavunyelwa, ngoba kukho obu bungozi bokuba ithi yakufumana ingozi kulimale abantu abaninizi; kulimala abantwana abaninzi nyhani. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[That is why we are saying bakkies must be prohibited from transporting children. Yes, people are poor and are in need of some form of income, but they must not just be allowed to transport people, because of the danger involved. When a bakkie like that is involved in an accident many people are injured, and many children are seriously injured.]
I support the budget. [Applause.]