Department Of Transport News Section

Transport Minister congratulates ACSA on winning bid for Brazil’s busiest international airport

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:43:34 +0200

8 February 2012

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has congratulated Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), an agency of the Department of Transport, on the outcome of the competitive bid process for the expansion, maintenance and operation of Brazil’s busiest international airport Guarulhos in Sao Paolo.

ACSA, in partnership with Investimentos E Participacoes EM INFRA-ESTRUTURA S.A. (“Invepar”), will own 51% of Guarulhos International Airport concession, with Infraero owing the remaining 49%. ACSA will provide airport management through a technical service agreement to the concession. Some of the immediate tasks include preparing detailed operational plans for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the Pope’s visit for the World Youth Day in 2013 and 2014 FIFA World Cup. ACSA currently operates in India; it is now in Brazil, and is pursuing similar ventures in Africa.

“The Ministry of Transport wishes to congratulate ACSA on the outcome of the competitive bid process for the expansion, maintenance and operation of Brazil’s busiest international airport Guarulhos in Sao Paolo. This is, indeed, exciting news for South Africa and our continent.

“This comes as current transport infrastructure has been recognised of being world-class standard. The report card on infrastructure released by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering last year states that the country’s best performing infrastructure was its aviation infrastructure which was awarded the report’s only A. According to the report, ACSA, the SA National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) and Ports have performed exceptionally well. Last year, the OR Tambo International Airport was named the best airport in Africa, and was also in the top three most-improved airports worldwide at the World Airport Awards for 2010/11 held in Denmark,” said the Minister.

Transport Minister emphasizes focus on road repair and maintenance

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:04:55 +0200

8 February 2012

Transport minister Sbu Ndebele said there would be a stronger focus on repairing and maintaining roads this year.

He was speaking in parliament on Tuesday, at the release of the Road Traffic Management Corporation report, on the festive season road death statistics.

The minister said among other things, a significant amount of money would be pumped into repairing pot holes and building decent roads in rural areas.

Around R8.4billion has been set aside for this project.

Ndebele said this was needed to change the number of fatalities on South African roads.

An estimated 1200 people die in vehicle accidents every month.

Ndebele added that improved roads are only one aspect of road safety and warned that driver behaviour also had to change inorder to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on national roads.

(Story by Chanel September , Edited by Thato Motaung appeared on Eyewitness News)

Minister Ndebele's call to value on the roads

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:25:27 +0200

7 February 2012

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has called on South Africans to value life on the roads.

Addressing Parliament’s Transport Portfolio Committee in Cape Town earlier today (7 February), Minister Ndebele said: “People must value life! It cannot be considered normal that every month we count no less than 1-thousand soul-less bodies due to road crashes, most of which could have been avoided.

“The overarching thing that we all agree on is a need to start taking a microscopic look at these bodies we count every year. We want to call on the nation, especially those people who use our roads every day, to ask themselves a number of questions about their role in Road Safety.

We want 2012 to be the year of action against those that seek to turn our roads into killing fields. We want drunk drivers to be isolated, and have their actions disowned by their own families for their destructive ways are deadly!

“Coupled with intensified and uncompromising law enforcement accompanied by harsher sanctions, we want to drive social conduct change programmes that would have as their primary objective to speak to the human beings behind the drivers of these vehicles we see on our roads daily.

“We are faced with a mammoth task of changing people’s conduct on our roads. We lose multiple lives every year due to road crashes. And frankly speaking this unnecessary loss of lives is preventable. If only we could change our mindsets as South Africa, we would be able to realize minimal and less fatal crashes on our roads.

“Road carnage is a problem that affects us all. It is therefore also collective responsibility that will see us making inroads in making our roads safer. South Africans in general are not lawless people. Hence, out of all licensed drivers, only a few individuals continue to display total disregard for the rules of the road. These are the few who are turning our roads into killing fields. They must be isolated and exposed for their deeds are not only a danger to themselves but pose a real threat to the sustainability of society,” said Minister Ndebele.

Meanwhile, the Minister has conveyed condolences to the families of at least nine people killed in a road crash between a truck and mini-bus taxi on the N1 just outside Makhado at Adams Apple in Limpopo this morning (7 February).

“We want to convey condolences to the families and colleagues of the at least nine people killed in a road crash in Limpopo this morning (7 February), and wish the injured a speedy recovery.” the Minister said.

Minister Ndebele on closing of licensing centres

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:05:40 +0200

1 February 2012

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has welcomed the take-over of KwaMhlanga Licensing Centre by the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison.

As of yesterday (31 January 2012), operations at KwaMhlanga Licensing Centre have been taken over due to non-compliance to the National Road Traffic Act. During the intervention period, the administrators, chief licensing officer, examiners and security at the station will be replaced by provincial departmental officials who will run the station until the Thembisile Municipality demonstrates its ability to perform the functions effectively. Non-compliance include learner licence bookings being reserved for preferred candidates, interference by driving school owners in the booking system as well as reluctance to utilize the computerized licensing system.

Minister Ndebele has welcomed the take-over: “As the national Department of Transport, we welcome this intervention by the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, as part of government’s efforts to enhance service delivery at driver and vehicle licensing centres across the country. This follows numerous arrests, convictions, dismissals and de-registrations of government officials as well as private individuals over the past year with regards to fraud and corruption. Several testing centres have also subsequently been shut down. Further closures and arrests are imminent.

“We are closely monitoring testing stations as well as the entire testing station regulatory process such as testing stations not managing and/or controlling testing in accordance with relevant legislation. Various legislative amendments are also being considered in order to deal effectively with the issue of fraud and corruption. Over the past eight months, the Ministerial Task Team, appointed to investigate fraudulent cross-border roadworthy certificates in conjunction with law enforcement agencies including the Hawks, has been engaged in gathering evidence to verify the number of vehicles issued with roadworthy certificates in the various provinces as well as those vehicles that failed roadworthy tests, but were subsequently roadworthied at testing stations in other provinces,” said the Minister.

On 13 December 2011, two Mpumalanga traffic officers were suspended after they were found guilty of fraud. The two were convicted by the KwaMhlanga Magistrate's Court in November 2011, after one of the officers issued an upgraded driver's licence to the other without a test in 2008. The two officials were fined R20,000 each, with half the amount suspended.

On 16 January 2012, the case of three people accused of illegally helping members of the public to get learners' licences was postponed by the Worcester Magistrate's Court in the Western Cape police. The two traffic officers and a civilian were granted bail of R10,000 each.

Dumile Mkheta (21), Zandile Sophi (40) and Gary Choice (40) face charges of corruption and fraud. The group allegedly issued licences for R2,500 each, which was paid to a runner. The runner would SMS to the examiners the details of the member of the public that had paid the money, while the examiners are then alleged to have given crib notes to those that had paid.

On 27 January 2012, Dennis Januarie, a senior official in Uitenhage's traffic department, was fired after being found guilty of misconduct. Januarie was found guilty on 16 charges of dishonesty. He was found guilty of telling his staff to perform illegal transactions and for failing to perform his duties diligently, carefully and to the best of his ability. Januarie had allowed people applying for their driver's and learner's licences not to have their eyes tested. He also allowed the illegal conversion of foreign licences to South African licences.

Meanwhile, Minister Ndebele has instructed Department of Transport officials to engage the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), after a North West motorist was fined R15,000, suspended for five years, by the Brits Magistrate's Court on Monday (30 January) for driving at 200km/h from Sun City to Pretoria. The fine, or 12 months' imprisonment, was suspended on condition that Fardeen Mahomed (22) did not commit a similar offence in the next five years. Mahomed was caught speeding in a BMW 330i on the N4, near Brits, on New Year's Day by North West traffic officials. The speed limit on the road is 120km/h. He was on his way to Laudium.

“We have instructed our officials to engage the NPA on this sentence, and we will also bring this matter to the attention of the Minister of Justice. For similar offences, the courts have imposed heftier sentences, including heftier fines or imprisonment without the option of a fine, as well as suspension or cancellation of driving licences,” Minister Ndebele said.

On Monday (30 January), thirty (30) taxi drivers involved in illegal transportation of passengers and wrong routes were fined, and seven taxis impounded for operating without permits around Phokeng in the North West province.

This traffic law enforcement operation, dubbed Hamba Kahle, is in support of the National Rolling Enforcement Plan. Among those arrested during the special operation was a 31 year-old taxi driver who was arrested on the R565 Chaneng-Boshoek road, outside Phokeng, for overloading 45 learners in a 14-seater Toyota Quantum. The driver was allegedly transporting the learners from Boshoek Primary School to Phokeng when he was stopped by traffic officers. The same driver was earlier in the morning issued with a ticket for driving a taxi without an operating licence.

School wants additional safety measures to prevent road crashes

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:41:52 +0200

1 February 2012

Management at a primary school near Stellenbosch on Wednesday appealed to traffic authorities to implement adequate safety measures in the area to avoid road accidents involving its learners.

Vlottenberg Primary School pupil Aiden Jumath was knocked over and killed while trying to cross a busy road in the area on Tuesday.

Principal Ruth Dreyer said the eight-year-old’s death was yet another wake up call for traffic authorities.

“This is actually the school’s 10th learner that we’ve lost in an accident."

Dreyer said over the years, she had made several appeals to traffic authorities to build a pedestrian bridge.

Traffic authorities are usually on duty to help people cross roads, but eyewitnesses to Jumath’s death said none were anywhere to be seen on Tuesday.

(Story by Regan Thaw, Edited by Lindiwe Mlandu appeared on Eyewitness News)

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Traffic Calming, Speed Calming and Road Safety