TUESDAY, 15 MAY 2001 __

          PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
                                ____

The Council met at 14:06.

The Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS - see col 000.

           DISRUPTION OF RURAL WOMEN'S WORKSHOP IN NONGOMA

                             (Statement)

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, before we move to the business of the House, I would like to make a statement as presiding officer of one of the Houses of Parliament.

Members will be fully aware that, as part of its efforts to deepen democracy, Parliament has embarked on various projects aimed at enhancing public participation. One of these projects is that of providing information to rural women on democracy and the parliamentary process. The intention is to assist women in increasing their opportunity to have their voices heard.

Projects such as these are hailed internationally as vital for the deepening of democracy. This is particularly important, given our own history of the absence of democratic consultation. International donors have prioritised such projects for funding purposes, and our Parliament has successfully held five such workshops in the KwaZulu-Natal province and workshops in three other provinces of our country thus far.

It is therefore with great dismay that I learnt that the sixth workshop, which was planned for Thursday, 3 May in Nongoma in KwaZulu-Natal, was disrupted, and that members of Parliament were intimidated, threatened and physically barred from carrying out their work and role as public representatives.

The report prepared for me, by members, on this incident, clearly sets out the steps taken by the committee to ensure provincial, local and community support for the initiative. It appears from the report that consultations were wide-ranging and sought to ensure the support of all relevant bodies and persons.

It is widely acknowledged that one of the most vulnerable groups in our country is rural women. It is thus essential for Parliament to ensure that this group of women is reached and provided with support to ensure that a better life for all has meaning in reality.

The harassment of members of Parliament and members of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature by, it is reported, among others, an individual who holds an elected position in a local council is an intolerable infringement of the rights of citizens to be assisted by their public representatives. An infant democracy such as South Africa requires that all members and Parliament should be able to function on behalf of the nation without fear or intimidation. It would be most worrying if such instances of harassment became a common means of interacting with elected representatives.

The reported actions of certain men wanting to decide for women indicates that South Africa still has a lot to do to enhance the status of women to that of fellow citizens of South Africa. It is time that all citizens accepted that women are not second-class citizens and that they can and should decide whom they want to listen to. I am convinced that the intention of the members participating in the proposed workshop was to ensure that Parliament takes an active interest in ensuring that the policies that we enact improve the lives of female citizens in our country. In my view, no person can justify interfering with such an objective.

Finally, the report makes reference to a particular party that is represented in our country’s elected institutions. I trust that, if any of this is true, that party will be taking action to call any known member to account.

In conclusion, I would like to appeal to us all, as members, to work hard at ensuring that no person or institution is able to repeat such harassment of members of Parliament. It is vital that each one of us, as we work within our political parties, ensures that we eradicate political and other forms of intimidation that serve as a barrier to the pursuit of democracy and development.

Lastly, I would like to express my appreciation to the members of the SA Police Service who provided safety to our members and played their proper role in assisting fellow citizens in upholding the values of the Constitution. [Applause.]

The CHIEF WHIP OF THE COUNCIL: Chairperson, I rise as Chief Whip of the NCOP. I would like to unequivocally support the statement made by our Presiding Officer.

It is important that we support the statement, particularly in the light of the fact that the target audience, as you have clearly indicated, was the marginalised rural poor women. We have a constitutional obligation to enhance and empower our women. Furthermore, the denial of access by public representatives to any areas within South Africa smacks of intolerance. We, as a multiparty democracy, are committed to a transparent, consultative and people-driven process. Therefore it becomes more important that we raise this matter. We thank the Chair for raising it as sharply as she did.

We also support the statement because of the intimidation and harassment that members of Parliament faced in carrying out their responsibilities, particularly in enhancing the understanding and education of rural women in terms of the nature of our democracy. We feel that this flies in the face of what our Constitution and Parliament seek to achieve.

Finally, we also would like to endorse the sentiments expressed in terms of the support that was given by the SA Police Service to the members of Parliament. May I, in conclusion, just indicate that I have spoken to the Whip of the affected party and she has quite clearly and categorically rejected the behaviour of those individuals and finds it very repulsive. She dissociates herself from it and has taken the responsibility to deal with the matter in the appropriate forum. [Applause.]

                          NOTICES OF MOTION

Mr K D S DURR: Chairperson, I will move at the next sitting of the House:

That the Council -

(1) calls upon the Minister of Trade and Industry to place a moratorium on the granting of new gambling or casino licenses until such time as the harmful effects of gambling can be assessed properly; and

(2) records that it is becoming increasingly clear that there is little economic benefit to society in gambling and that the effects upon family life and family values are devastating.

Mnr C ACKERMANN: Voorsitter, ek gee kennis dat ek by die volgende sitting van die Raad sal voorstel:

Dat die Raad -

(1) met groot kommer die onderlinge twis, agterdog en rugstekery in die Uitvoerende Komitees van Mpumalanga en die Noordelike Provinsie bespreek;

(2) van mening is dat hierdie aktiwiteite, politiekery en ‘n gebrek aan leierskap van die ANC in hierdie provinsies dienslewering aan die kiesers, veral die armste van die armes, ten nouste raak en tot verdere armoede en ellende aanleiding gee; (3) die President versoek om al die lede van hierdie twee provinsies se uitvoerende komitees te ontslaan deur op die bedanking van die twee premiers aan te dring; en

(4) van mening is dat die kiesers van die twee provinsies die geleentheid gegee moet word om opnuut ‘n verantwoordelike en effektiewe regering te vestig deur van die ANC-gekoöpteerde premiers ontslae te raak en deur middel van ‘n referendum demokratiese premiers vir beide provinsies aan te wys. (Translation of Afrikaans notice of motion follows.)

[Mr C ACKERMANN: Chairperson, I give notice that at the next sitting of the Council I shall move:

That the Council -

(1) discusses, with great concern, the mutual dispute, suspicion and back- stabbing in the Executive Committees of Mpumalanga and the Northern Province;

(2) is of the opinion that these activities, politicking and a lack of leadership from the ANC in these provinces greatly affect service delivery to the voters, particularly the poorest of the poor, leading to further poverty and distress;

(3) requests the President to dismiss all the members of the Executive Committees of these two provinces by insisting on the resignation of the two premiers; and

(4) is of the opinion that the voters of the two provinces should be given the opportunity once more to establish a responsible and effective government by getting rid of the ANC-co-opted premiers and appointing democratic premiers for both provinces by way of a referendum.]

Dr P J C NEL: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that I shall move:

That the Council -

(1) notes that -

   (a)  a tragic road accident killing six people and leaving a toddler,
       Maria Lebakeng, without a mother took place on Monday, 7 May
       2001, on a road near Potchefstroom;


   (b)  the accident happened in a 30-seater Afinta Motor Corporation
       (AMC) bus, apparently due to a fault in the steering column;


   (c)  the SA Bureau of Standards warned Minister Omar last November to
       instruct all provinces to remove the fleet of 2 700 AMC vehicles
       from the roads to be tested for safety;


   (d)  in spite of the fact that the Minister warned all the provinces
       on the day he received the warning, only Gauteng responded and
       took action;


   (e)  the accident could have been prevented if the Department of
       Transport had not failed to ensure that all the provinces took
       the same action as Gauteng; and


   (f)  this bus company is still shortlisted as a candidate for a R3,5
       billion Government taxi tender for the provision of new
       multiseater taxis; and

(2) requests the Minister of Transport to react promptly and firmly to the irresponsible action of the other provinces and to have the name of this company removed from the shortlist of candidates referred to above.

Mrs A M VERSFELD: Chairperson, I hereby give notice that at the following sitting of the House I shall move the following motion:

That the Council -

(1) calls upon the hon the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development to explain the delays in the case of Ming Clement Tum of the Palladian Trading Company, who was charged in the Magistrates’ Court in Kempton Park with contravening -

   (a)  the Income Tax Act in that he had not paid tax for five years;


   (b)  the Sea Fisheries Act in that he was alleged to have smuggled
       nearly 27 tons of abalone out of the country; and


   (c)  the Value-Added Tax Act;

(2) notes that, despite the fact that he has paid bail of R4 million - the highest amount ever set in a South African court - the case has been postponed for a period in excess of eight months;

(3) further notes that the accused continues to run his business and that Marine and Coastal Management had to renew his fishing permits;

(4) believes that everybody is entitled to a fair trial, but that, as always, justice delayed is justice denied; and

(5) is of the opinion that in this case the delay is seriously prejudicial to the interests of the state as well as of our scarce marine resources.

                     FARM MURDERS IN NORTH WEST
                         (Draft Resolution)

Mr J O TLHAGALE: Madam Chairperson, I move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes with shock and horror -

   (a)  the gruesome murders of Mr Gawie van der Merwe and his wife
       Dorethea on their farm Syferfontein near Hartebeesfontein in
       North West;


   (b)  that Gawie's body was found lying in the kitchen while that of
       his wife Dorethea was found in the adjacent back room;

(2) condemns the perpetrators of this horrible deed; and

(3) expresses its sympathy (regardless of race and colour) to the relatives of the deceased and prays that the perpetrators will not escape the long arm of the law.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

                CONFIDENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA'S ECONOMY

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mr G A LUCAS: Chairperson, I wish to move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes the recent report in the Sunday Times about the confidence shown by the IMF in South Africa’s ability to manage its economy;

(2) also notes that the prophets of doom are not succeeding in their quest to discredit the democratically elected government; and

(3) recognises the role played by the Minister of Finance and his department in instilling consumer confidence into our country.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

                   EXPLOSION AT BEATRIX GOLD MINE

                         (Draft Resolution)

Dr E A CONROY: Voorsitter, ek stel sonder kennisgewing voor: [Chairperson, I move without notice:]

That the Council -

(1) expresses its sincere condolences to the next of kin, family and friends of the twelve mineworkers who lost their lives in an explosion at the Beatrix Gold Mine in Virginia last Tuesday;

(2) conveys its wishes for a speedy recovery and complete recuperation to the two mineworkers who sustained serious burn injuries; and

(3) notes that this tragedy is even more shocking as it comes only months after the mine in question was honoured with a shield for one million accident-free shifts.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

ADDRESS BY NCOP SELECT COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON AT NORTHERN CAPE ANTI-CRIME CONFERENCE

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mrs E N LUBIDLA: Chairperson, I wish to move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes the successful anti-crime summit that was hosted in the Northern Cape from 9 to 10 April 2001;

(2) further notes that the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Affairs was invited to deliver the keynote address; (3) believes his invitation is proof of the high esteem in which the chairperson is held by communities engaged in the battle against crime;

(4) also believes that the invitation reflects a growing awareness among ordinary people of the important role of the Select Committee and the National Council of Provinces as vehicles through which they can express themselves; and

(5) acknowledges that the presence of NCOP members at such gatherings will positively contribute to raising the profile of the institution and fulfilling its role in the public-participatory nature of our democracy.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

              AMICABLE RESOLUTION OF KOKSTAD LAND CLAIM

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mr N M RAJU: Madam Chair, I move without notice: That the Council -

(1) notes with approbation that a Kokstad farmer, Mr C L Bryden, who owns a part of Blydefontein farm, had worked closely with the Eastern Cape Regional Land Claims Commission in reaching an amicable solution with the original owners, the Gwiji family, as reported in the Natal Mercury of 7 May 2001 - a daily morning newspaper in KwaZulu-Natal;

(2) further notes that Mr Bryden has promised the Gwiji family that he would lease their land from them until they are ready to return and start farming again and also that he has further offered to assist the family in their farming endeavours; and

(3) extols the unprecedented co-operation between Mr Bryden and the Gwiji’s, who had been dispossessed of their property in terms of the obnoxious Group Areas Act, as a welcome gesture of generosity, goodwill and justice, which are indispensable ingredients for interracial harmony and reconciliation between people in the Republic of South Africa.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Is there any objection to that motion? There is no objection. Members are in very conciliatory mood today. [Laughter.]

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

        KILLING OF PALESTINIAN POLICEMEN BY ISRAELI MILITARY

                         (Draft Resolution)

Rev M CHABAKU: Chairperson, I wish to move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) expresses its horror at the massacre, without provocation or combat, of five Palestinian policemen who had been on duty at a checkpoint;

(2) notes that -

   (a)  their bodies were dumped in a hole by Israeli military men;


   (b)  missiles were then fired on Palestinian residents;


   (c)  to add insult to injury, this tragic event was launched on the
       anniversary of Nakba, or the Great Catastrophe, when, in May
       1948, Palestinians were displaced from their motherland of
       Palestine, much of which is now occupied Palestine, called
       ``Israel'';


   (d)  there has been much violence and that the response to one rock-
       throwing incident is the mass destruction of homes of many
       families in which they have lived for many generations; and


   (e)  Palestine used to be a homeland for Jews, Christians, Muslims
       and Bahais, not exclusively for those of the Jewish faith, as is
       the case now;

(3) is in favour of peace, justice and reconciliation;

(4) opposes violence as a means of solving problems as too much loss of life has taken place and too much property has been destroyed;

(5) expresses its abhorrence at, and resolves to stop condoning, such actions here at home and abroad; and

(6) is of the opinion that it is time for South Africans to stop twiddling their thumbs when such genocide continues without condemnation of the actions of tyrants, especially against the poor, innocent and marginalised over there and right here in our provinces. Enough is enough!

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Is there any objection to the motion? There is an objection. The motion will therefore become notice of a motion.

                          TRIBUTE TO FAMSA

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mrs J WITBOOI: Chairperson, I move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes the important work that is done by the Family and Marriage Society of South Africa (Famsa) and other NGOs in maintaining healthy, stable and happy family lives;

(2) particularly supports Famsa’s goal to improve the circumstances of children and to turn all homes and families into havens in a heartless world;

(3) salutes Famsa for attempting to provide hope and help for those who suffer;

(4) fully supports Famsa’s Family Day project in our primary and pre- primary schools; and

(5) calls on members to take part in this project by buying rainbow family tattoos for their children in an endeavour to assist Famsa in their wonderful work.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

RELUCTANCE OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS TO LIAISE WITH NATIONAL HOUSE OF
                         TRADITIONAL LEADERS

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mr P A MATTHEE: Chairperson, I hereby move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes that, in the 2000-01 annual report of the National House of Traditional Leaders, the following is stated:

   (a)  ``It is with a heavy heart that the National House reports that
       government departments were not keen to work with traditional
       leaders and never bothered to reply to letters written to
       them''; and


   (b)  ``The National House approached the Department (of Provincial
       and Local Government) and requested to have a representation of
       the House involved in the drafting of the White Paper process.
       To this request and after numerous follow-ups the department did
       not respond. The House was very disappointed to learn that the
       process is over without its involvement with regard to drafting
       and writing'';

(2) further notes that the Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Inkosi M B Mzimela, stated on 15 May 2001 that they had no control over their budget and had not been invited to participate in the budgeting process in respect of their budget;

(3) requests The Presidency as soon as possible to have the matter in respect of the failure by Government departments to reply to letters investigated and to report to the Council what the relevant details of this matter are and what steps will be implemented to prevent this from happening again; and

(4) requests the Minister for Provincial and Local Government as soon as possible to report to the Council on the lack of responses to requests of the National House of Traditional Leaders in respect of their involvement in the process of the drafting of the White Paper and their lack of participation in the budgeting process in respect of their budget and the fact that they have no control over their budget, and what steps, if any, he intends taking in this regard.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Is there any objection to the motion? [Interjections.] There are objections. The motion will therefore become notice of a motion. I would urge all the members objecting to remember that they are subjects of someone. [Interjections.]

              TRIBUTE TO PARLIAMENTARY MONITORING GROUP

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mr J L MAHLANGU: Chairperson, I move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) acknowledges the role played by an NGO by the name of PMG, the Parliamentary Monitoring Group, in the drafting of minutes of parliamentary committees;

(2) notes that information about what happens in the various committee meetings is placed on the Internet within 48 hours;

(3) acknowledges that -

   (a)  this does enhance the effort of taking Parliament to the people;


   (b)  it does make the South African Parliament accessible to the
       world; and


   (c)  it does promote openness and does fulfil the requirement of the
       Promotion of Access to Information Act passed by this Council;

(4) also acknowledges and appreciates the work done by this NGO and the persons serving it; and

(5) encourages members to visit their website: www.pmg.org.za.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution. ABSENCE OF OPPOSITION MEMBERS FROM DELEGATION VISITING COURTS IN NORTHERN PROVINCE

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mrs C NKUNA: Chairperson, I move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes that a joint multiparty delegation consisting of members of the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Affairs and the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development undertook to visit the courts in their respective provinces from 22 to 26 April 2001;

(2) expresses its disappointment over the absence of opposition parties from the delegation in the Northern Province, where only ANC members were part of the delegation and no other party was present for the whole period;

(3) believes that their absence shows their lack of commitment towards improving our criminal justice system; and

(4) further believes that the study tour reaffirms the ANC’s commitment to the people of South Africa and assures them that it is the only party which is truly committed to change.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Is there any objection to the motion? There is an objection. [Interjections.] The motion will therefore become notice of a motion.

            RURAL WORKSHOPS TO EDUCATE AND EMPOWER WOMEN

                         (Draft Resolution)

Ms M P THEMBA: Chairperson, I move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes that the Joint Monitoring Committee on the Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women held a number of workshops in rural areas in four of our provinces;

(2) further notes that the aim of these workshops was to educate and empower rural women on democracy, Parliament and avenues for participation in democratic structures of law-making processes and to build relationships between parliamentarians and rural women;

(3) acknowledges the important role such initiatives play in empowering rural women to feel part of the mainstream of South African political life; and

(4) therefore supports the statement made by the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces with regard to the incident that occurred at Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

                      WESTERN CAPE LIBRARY WEEK

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mr D M KGWARE: Chairperson, I move without notice:

That the Council -

(1) notes that -

   (a)  the Western Cape will be celebrating its annual "Library Week"
       from 14 to 19 May;


   (b)  during this period libraries will present special competitions,
       exhibitions and activities to local communities to make them
       aware of the services rendered by public libraries and the
       benefits arising from access to information in a library; and


   (c)  this campaign is aimed specifically at young library users to
       inspire the primary school pupils to realise the value and use
       of books; and

(2) extends its thanks and gratitude on behalf of the people of the Western Cape to the Department of Environmental and Cultural Affairs and Sport for their devotion in education; and

(3) urges parents, teachers, librarians and friends to take the first step into the wonderland of books.

Motion agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

          SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES

                      (Subject for Discussion)

Ms L JACOBUS: Chairperson, I might just ask for your protection from some howlers later on. I have been questioned on how I can be asked to introduce a matter of this nature and speak on the family. Firstly, I am not married and secondly, I do not have children. [Laughter.] I might seek your protection later on.

It is once again for me a privilege to address this House on a matter of great importance to all of us, namely the family. This day has been declared by the United Nations as the International Day of Families. To strengthen the importance that the UN placed on families, in 1994 they declared the entire year of 1994 as the International Year of the Family, and each subsequent year since then we have celebrated a Day of Families across the globe.

As a matter of personal opinion, I think families, parents, children and other loved ones should be celebrated every day of the year. All too often we find that many family members have fallen into the trap of abusing those close to them. Some abusers have even thought that if they bought flowers or cards, this would heal the pain and suffering they have inflicted on those they loved. More often than not those perpetrating the abuse would continue to do so.

I found the following definition of ``family’’ in an article written T R Nhlapo, where he says:

In both Roman Dutch law and African customary law the family is defined in terms of a relationship that arises from marriage.

Needless to say, I do not agree with this definition. Although some of us define a ``family’’ much more broadly than just comprising a mother, father, two children, a cat and a dog, there are still a great deal of people who are confined to a very narrow definition of family. A change in mindset is therefore needed in this instance.

Families in South Africa should be embracing the principle of ubuntu, according to which every member of the community has a responsibility towards others and where children and families are linked through bonds of caring and support.

The African definition of a family'' has always been broader than the so- callednuclear family’’. The nuclear family, especially with the high divorce rate, parents dying of HIV/Aids, etc, is becoming extinct. Families are being reconstructed with stepchildren, step-parents, gay parents, and single parents having to redefine what it means to be a family.

With the socioeconomic pressure facing us today, a new concept of children- headed households has also been introduced into the concept of a family. To cover the new evolutionary trend in families, these days there is a tendency to define family'' aseverybody whom I associate with in my day-to-day life’’. The implication of this extended definition is basically that no one can be classified as being without a family.

Let us just for a moment reflect on the role of the family. Amongst other things, it is supposed to provide love and protection, emotional and material support, affection and companionship, and also to educate. Personally, I find the role of education very important, and I want to link this with the definition of a family.

To illustrate this, one can listen to stories of children being ridiculed because they do not have the same physical traits as their parents or caregivers assumed to be their parents, they do not have the same surnames as their parents, they have two mothers or two fathers attending parents’ meetings, etc.

Personally, I was raised by an older woman in my younger life, shortly after birth, who I assumed was my grandmother, and later found out was not a blood relative at all. Later I was raised by a wonderful woman and a man who were not my biological parents, or biological relatives, either. These people played a very significant role in my upbringing to where I am today, in spite of them not being any flesh and flood of mine. To me, they are my family. They are the ones who, at various stages in my life, fulfilled the role of my biological family, whom up to now I have never known.

By relating this story, I am trying to illustrate that family is much more than just flesh and blood. We, as parents, or in my case a potential parent, should educate our children and fellow family members to respect people who are trying to make a positive contribution in the lives of those who, for some reason or another, have been separated from their biological families. These are families, and they provide the love, protection, education, emotional and material support that a family should provide.

In conclusion, this century has been declared the ``African century’’. Let us celebrate our families in that context, where every caregiver is, indeed, a family member. [Applause.]

Mev J WITBOOI: Agb Voorsitter en agb lede, tydens ‘n onlangse gesprek met ‘n Sweedse afvaardiging het ek verneem dat 80% van alle gevangenes in Sweedse tronke aan disleksie ly.

Dit is mense wat tydens hul skoolloopbaan verlore gegaan het omdat hulle nie kon byhou by die vereiste van die lees-en-begrip kurrikula nie. As gevolg van dié gebrek het hul drome begin vervaag en vroeg in hul lewe was hulle binne hul eie verwysingsraamwerk vir niks goed nie.

Die onvermoë om hul eie tekortkominge te bowe te kom en dalk die onvermoë in gesinsverband om hul probleme te help oplos, het miskien grotendeels daartoe bygedra dat hulle in die moeilikheid beland het.

Hoeveel van ons eie jongmense se liggies het al om verskeie uiteenlopende redes in pikdonker doodgegaan? Hoeveel huppel en lag het verander in bitterheid en hartseer? Kan ons vandag eerlik antwoord dat ons niks daarmee te doen het nie? Kan ons ons vandag blind of doof hou teenoor die beskuldiging van ‘n moeder van ‘n 15-jarige meisie wat dood is omdat sy vir die eerste keer met verdowingsmiddels geëksperimenteer het, dat die wet nie doeltreffend genoeg toegepas word nie teen diegene wat dwelmmiddels aan ons jong kinders verskaf? Kan ons eerlik sê dat die wet op onderhoudstoelae só toegepas word dat dit die arme kinders wat die meeste ly, bevoordeel?

Nee, ons moet beskaamd staan, skuldig voor miljoene Suid-Afrikaanse kinders op dié gesinsdag. Ons moet erken daar is leemtes, veral in die toepassing van wette wat dit ten doel het om die lig op hulle te laat skyn.

Deskundiges op die gebied van die misbruik van dwelmmiddels voorspel dat sterftes weens die gebruik daarvan, binnekort met vigsverwante sterftes gaan meeding. Ons kan dit nie toelaat nie. Ons kan iets daaraan doen, ons kan die lag in ons kinders en jongmense se oë terugsit. Ons moet dit net ‘n saak van erns maak deur ons te beywer om weer na ons wetstoepassing te kyk.

Famsa Wes-Kaap se slagspreuk op die plakkers wat hulle verkoop vir hul gesinsprojek, lui ``Elkeen kan ‘n ster wees’’. Laat ons as beleidmakers meedoen aan die wonderlike poging om dié spreuk waar te maak.

Ten slotte, die betekenis van die Internasionale Dag van Gesinne sal dalk van môre af in ons gedagtes vervaag, maar ek spreek die hoop uit dat elke keer wat ons ons bedieningsgebiede besoek, die vraag by ons sal opkom, hoeveel verskiete sterre lê hier rond en wat kan ons doen om weer die blink in hulle terug te sit? [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)

[Mrs J WITBOOI: Hon Chairperson and hon members, during a recent discussion with a Swedish delegation I learnt that 80% of all prisoners in Swedish prisons suffer from dyslexia.

These are people who were lost during their school careers because they could not keep up with the requirements of the read-and-comprehend curricula. As a result of this disability their dreams started fading and early on in their lives they were good for nothing within their own frames of reference.

The inability to overcome their own disability, and perhaps the inability to help with solving their problems within the family situation, maybe contributed largely to their getting into trouble.

How many of the shining lights of our own youth have gone out, for various divergent reasons, leaving them in pitch-darkness? How much play and laughter have changed into bitterness and sadness? Could we honestly say today that we have nothing to do with it? Could we turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to the accusation by the mother of a 15-year-old girl who died because she experimented with drugs for the first time, that the law is not being enforced efficiently enough against those who provide our young children with drugs? Could we honestly say that the maintenance grant Act is enforced in such a way that the children who suffer most benefit from it?

No, we should be ashamed; we are standing here, guilty before millions of South African children on this family day. We must admit that there are shortcomings, especially in the enforcement of laws that have the specific purpose of lighting up their lives.

Experts in the field of drug abuse predict that deaths owing to the use of drugs will shortly start competing with Aids-related deaths. We cannot allow this. We can do something about it, we can put back the laughter in the eyes of our children and youth. We must simply endeavour to look into our law enforcement as a matter of urgency.

Famsa in the Western Cape has the following slogan on the stickers they sell: ``Everyone can be a star’’. Let us as policymakers participate in this wonderful effort to turn that slogan into the truth.

In conclusion, the meaning of the International Day of Families will perhaps start fading from memory by tomorrow, but I convey the hope that every time we visit our constituencies, we will ask ourselves how many dimmed stars there are and what we could do to put the shine back into their eyes. [Applause.]]

Mrs J N VILAKAZI: Chairperson, hon MECs present and hon members, the whole world reflects serious contradictions which threaten to undo all that humankind has achieved. Humanity’s scientific and technological achievements are outstanding, to say the least.

Human progress has been such that we are on the verge of cloning human beings. Yet, with all the scientific and technological know-how, humanity is continuously beset by problems of rampant crime; drug abuse; bestiality; abuse of children, women and men; love-related murders; and HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases. Have we not, in our search for material prosperity, ridden roughshod over one institution that is very fundamental to the complete makeup of a human being, the family? Have we not abandoned the very foundation of any society, the family? I submit that there is no clan, community or nation without a family. Any nation is as strong and as healthy as its family unit is.

The International Day of Families gives us time to pause and ponder over these issues. I urge all of us in this House to use this day as our springboard. From here, let us initiate forums at various levels where the nation searches for answers to these questions.

This is one challenge that faces the African Renaissance. It must cross Africa to seek ways to resuscitate the family unit into an impenetrable fort, where all our youth will be chiselled for the future. Let the struggle for the resuscitation and preservation of the family unit continue.

Kafushane nje, ngifuna ukuthi: Umndeni omuhle nophilayo yilowo onothando kubo bonke emndenini, ikakhulu kubantwana okudingeka behambe ezinyathelweni zalowo mndeni. Uthando lomndeni kudingeka lube nokubekezela. [Kwaphela isikhathi.] [Ihlombe.] (Translation of Zulu paragraph follows.)

[In short I would like to say: a happy family is one that loves all its members, especially the children who are expected to follow in the footsteps of their elders. Family love should be a patient love. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]

Ms C BOTHA: Chairperson, may I just, to begin with, respond to your earlier statement on what happened in KwaZulu-Natal and say that a family, like democracy, needs nurturing. It just goes to show that legal guarantees do not suffice to embed values in society. It needs constant and vigilant nurturing.

Then further, as a mother of five, I think I am entitled to speak here today, and also as a grandmother-to-be, anticipating next month. [Interjections.] So if I can take a little latitude today, the International Day of Families, to give credit where credit is due: Hallo, Ma! [Laughter.]

Geneticists will tell one that we are all one big family. To the Romans family was centred around the paterfamilias. Thank God that has changed today! Pantheists will tell one that we are one with nature.

The Deputy President has a bigger family than most of us, while some members of this House - hon members should follow my eyes - have told me pertinently that they cannot participate in this debate today because they are not family men at all: Lawrence! [Laughter.]

However, let us give honour today to some wonderful women who have expanded their homes and their hearts to include the ever growing number of Aids orphans in their families, and let us give them particular recognition. Also in the rural areas, where there are no old age homes in which to put grannies, they themselves have become the new heads of households embracing three generations of family.

One thing is quite clear: Family is not about defined or legal relationships or specific religious decrees. It is about the ties which bind us and are thicker than blood. It may include both men and women, but it need not. Two women can be a family, and so can two men. It includes the living and the dead. It reaches to the unborn. It crosses borders. It crosses oceans, and it reaches into foreign nations, across religions, across the colour divide. We cannot escape it.

Let me tell hon members what Adam thought about it, and I am going to quote from his diary: This new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way.'' He continues:My life is not as happy as it was.’’ Ten years later he has this to say: They are boys - we found that out. Abel is a good boy, but if Cain stayed a bear it would have improved him.'' He goes on:I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning. At first I thought she talked too much, but it is better to live outside the garden with her than inside without her.’’

And in Eve’s diary - I have it here with me: ``It is my longing that we may pass from this life together. I am not so necessary to him as he is to me.’’

The value of family, or the family values - I hope the celebration of this day will underline all the values which have brought us together here, and guide us to grow from our divisive and painful past to one which speaks with one voice of Mother Africa. As a progenitor of man, Africa can surely claim to be the source, not only of the Nile, but of the family.

I know of no other force in nature which ties as the family does, which supports as the family does, which disciplines as the family does, or loves as the family does, and no worthier object of international recognition. [Applause.]

Mr J O TLHAGALE: Chairperson and the honourable House, a large proportion of our people have, for various reasons, not had the opportunity of living together as husband and wife to raise a family. Very often the man was working elsewhere, where the circumstances of the day did not allow him to be with his wife. The family, together with all the problems pertaining to it, was therefore the responsibility of the wife and the husband had practically no contribution in the raising of the children.

Today is the International Day of Families. The significance of the day differs from person to person. Those who had the opportunity to be with their families throughout can look at it with pride and admiration, knowing that together they made it. However, to those who, owing to socioeconomic factors, have not built the family as a joint venture it is not as pleasant as it is for the other group.

The day is very important to us because it enables us to reflect on our responsibility. It enables us to reflect on our family values, to reflect on our successes, our failures and our neglect in the building of the family.

We have a responsibility to build our families in accordance with humane and Christian principles. We are pleased that we too are part of the international community and can today celebrate this important day. We love our families and we are grateful to our women, who are the most important kingpins. [Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you, hon member. You did not tell us whether you are married, or have children. [Laughter.] I am not sure why, because everybody else has done that. I thought it was a pattern among the hon members.

Mr K D S DURR: Chairperson, I hear hon members giving advice. I was once given very good advice by a bishop of my church who was preaching or talking to us about our family. He said that the best thing one could do for one’s children was to love their mother. [Laughter.] I think that is very good advice. I found it to be.

The ACDP believes firmly in happy and stable family life as the key building block of a stable community and society. Christian democrats worldwide accept the God-given biblical source of the male-female husband- and-wife relationship, living honourably in a lasting, loving, lifelong, faithful relationship. We believe that this is a sacred relationship for mutual health, comfort and companionship, both in prosperity and adversity.

We believe that parents should be role models who reflect fairness, leadership, charity and stability. Children are to be protected, nurtured and educated with authority, discipline and love. We believe that the state has a responsibility to promote greater social security, to enhance the centrality of the family system as a cornerstone of society.

We believe that the humanist programme ushered in by the Government to promote or accept gaming, gambling, sex workers, pornography, abortion on demand, a sense of entitlement and the overemphasis of rights versus responsibility has not helped family life in South Africa.

We believe that the collapse of law and order, particularly in certain urban areas, is contributing to the breakdown of the family. Therefore I would call upon the Government to urgently review the breakneck speed and direction of its humanist programme, in the interest of family life in South Africa. [Applause.]

Mrs E N LUBIDLA: Madam Chair, hon members, we welcome this opportunity today to celebrate the International Day of Families. In South Africa, particularly in African communities, families are seen as the building blocks of our communities and, in turn, our societies.

Without the fundamental family building block in place, we cannot hope to achieve socioeconomic stability and the eradication of poverty in South Africa. According to article 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights:

1. The family shall be the natural unit and basis of society. It shall be protected by the state which shall take care of its physical and moral health.

2. The state shall have the duty to assist the family which is the custodian of morals and traditional values recognised by the community.

3. K-The state shall ensure the elimination of every discrimination against women and also ensure the protection of the rights of the woman and the child as stipulated in international declarations and conventions.

4. The aged and the disabled shall also have the right to special measures of protection in keeping with their physical or moral needs.

Apartheid has contributed directly to the destruction of family life through unfair labour practices. One has only to think of the thousands of hostel dwellers separated from their families. In addition, members from democratic movements had to go into exile and thousands were incarcerated under the apartheid regime. We now have a special responsibility to ensure that families develop normally.

The one question we should ask ourselves is: Would we be better off without families? The question becomes more important when we realise that families are dying, whether we wish it or not. Some observers of contemporary social life argue that the family is doomed. Some go even further to say that the family should be doomed because it no longer functions in a useful way. According to this argument, the family contributes more misery than health, because it is ill adapted to modern social life. Other observers argue that the family is essential and ineradicable.

What is needed is help for troubled families, not radical changes or the abolition of family life. The increasing rate of family disruption, combined with various other changes in society, makes family life appear to be in peril to someone. At the same time the family was primarily responsible for matters such as education, religious training, recreation and providing the necessities of life. To some extent, these functions have been taken over by other institutions such as schools, churches and recreational facilities, but love, support and a sense of belonging are abstract values that cannot be replaced by institutions, no matter how good they are.

The family is the one area where Government cannot legislate to make the unit function in the way that is ideal. Of course we can pass, and have passed, legislation protecting children, getting dead-beat fathers to financially support their children, preventing domestic abuse, helping to ensure a crime-free environment, providing free health care for pregnant mothers and so on. But the crux of the matter is how the family, as a unit, stretches out its hands and draws all of those within its protective and nurturing embrace. That is vital. There is no way that we can dictate to families how they should behave. We can only show by example.

Just recently, in the National Assembly, we had a very moving illustration of the importance of family in the person of Comrade Ruth Bhengu. She showed tremendous strength, courage and love to her daughter, who had tested positive for HIV/Aids. Watching that, I was moved to tears, but the lesson that Comrade Bhengu was teaching us is that families are essential all the time, but especially in the face of such an enormous challenge. We should follow her example, stand together and fight the scourge of HIV/Aids and poverty together.

Unfortunately for us in South Africa, there are far too many examples of strong, important members of our families struck down by this scourge. Not a single family can say with any conviction, that they have not been affected directly or indirectly by HIV/Aids. So Comrade Bhengu’s example presents a direct challenge to us. Are we as families in this Assembly, in the streets and in every home going to stand together and face the challenges or are we going to hold on to our prejudices?

I love my country. I have faith that we, unlike any other country in the world, will fight with vigour for what we believe. We showed this when we overcame the stronghold of apartheid. We can do this again for the sake of our families and our country. We will hold our families together and broaden their base, so that every child will not be orphaned. When our elderly have to become parents again because our young people have died prematurely, they will not be alone; there will be a community to support them. Our young children who are forced to become heads of their households, for whatever reason, will find mothers and fathers: older brothers and sisters with no biological link, but a caring link. We will help reconstruct our families, devastated by divorce and violence, to feel secure and safe in a happy environment where no one will harm them.

Finally, our poor families will be housed, clothed and fed because we care as a family, community and Government. I believe we are strong enough and care enough to meet any challenge. We salute Comrade Bhengu for reminding us of what is really important and we accept the challenge.

The United Nations may have initiated the focus on families in 1994, but we in South Africa can show ourselves and the world in real terms exactly what it means to be a family nation that cares. [Applause.]

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr M L Mushwana): Obviously the hon member had some extra time, because I was not sure when she started speaking. [Laughter.]

Debate concluded. APPROPRIATION BILL

                           (Policy debate)

Vote No 32 - Transport:

The MINISTER OF TRANSPORT: Chairperson, hon members of the NCOP, I have a dilemma today, which is: Do I furnish the hon members with a shopping list of the 150-odd projects currently handled by my department, or do I select some key issues and focus on them? I have chosen the latter course because we need to prioritise, and I think it is important that the hon members should know where we are prioritising.

At the same time, the hon members are free to raise any matter they want to and I will deal with it.

Today I would therefore like to focus mainly on issues of safety: safety at sea, in the air, and on our road and rail networks. I want to place these issues in a developmental perspective that shows up the links between the safety and security of our people and the macroeconomic, developmental and redistributive goals that were put before us so clearly in the President’s state-of-the-nation address. We cannot separate transport issues from quality-of-life issues. How well is our system performing in terms of our people’s safety and their quality of life? That is the kind of question we need to ask ourselves.

I will deal very briefly with the question of maritime and aviation safety, first maritime. There have been a number of welcome developments in this sphere over the past year, but I am very much concerned about fishing vessel safety. Despite various general improvements in coastal safety systems, I have been deeply concerned about the high loss of life from our fishing vessels and the hardships suffered by families of our fisher folk.

I am therefore pleased to report that in March of this year, the SA Maritime Safety Authority hosted a successful seminar on fishing vessel safety in Cape Town, and that suggestions from this conference are being taken forward urgently.

Samsa has implemented a formal ad hoc fishing vessel safety inspection programme. Important safety conventions from the ILO, or International Labour Organisation, and the IMO, or International Maritime Organisation, are also being considered for incorporation into our law. A post-conference working group has been set up and an international conference already approved by SADC, and supported by the United Nations, will be held as soon as possible.

With regard to aviation safety, our Civil Aviation Authority is working satisfactorily. We have been receiving positive reports from ICAO, the international body to which we belong, and from 1 June to 30 June there will be an aviation safety month, to highlight the importance of safety in the skies.

Of course safety is also concerned with the HIV/Aids epidemic, so I have taken the initiative to convene a tripartite meeting to address HIV/Aids in all the transportation modes. The support of the ILO in this endeavour is also much appreciated.

Allow me to turn to rail safety. In commuter rail, the last six months has seen a number of very serious accidents that have caused loss of life, injury and grief to passengers and their families. In this regard I have two important announcements to make. The first is that my department has completed draft legislation for the establishment of a rail safety regulator for South Africa. I will be submitting this Bill to Parliament in its next session, hopefully, and we expect the new body to be functioning by approximately the end of this year.

The second announcement is that we have now cleared the way for the SA Rail Commuter Corporation to spend over R400 million in upgrading commuter rail safety over the next five years. The focus of the programme is on modernising the signalling systems by replacing old systems with the latest technology. Of course we can do with more money, but that is the money we have and it will be used very economically.

The new infrastructure will include cables, signals, point machines, track circuits, relay interlocking systems, centralised train control centres and the upgrading of rail-bound telecommunication facilities. These installations will greatly enhance the line capacity required to safely operate the intensive schedules of our urban commuter rail services.

I now want to devote a bit of time to the important question of road safety. I do not have to remind hon members that this is the major area where safety is a cause of serious concern. We are all acutely aware of the grim statistics that give rise to the phrase ``carnage on our roads’’. I have so often publicly touched on the pain and suffering of the victims of road crashes, and of their families, that I will not do so again today. The question I will instead address is: Where do we stand now in May 2001? What is being done, and what are the prospects for improvement in the safety of our road system?

At the outset, let me say that it is very heartening to note that the safety situation on our roads is in fact improving. Of course, we cannot begin to be happy about where we are, and there remains a huge task ahead of us, but it needs to be said that we have made progress.

The general statistical trend since 1994 is clearly downward, and has begun to show a welcome sign of consolidation, since the introduction of the Arrive Alive campaign in 1998. We are achieving year-on-year reductions in crash and fatality rates of between 6% and 9%, which has led us to believe that we may be able to start setting more stringent reduction targets a lot sooner than we initially anticipated, particularly once our forthcoming structural reform measures begin to bite.

I would like to thank everyone responsible for helping us to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities on our roads. Road safety is the responsibility of each and every citizen of our country. As Government we have been engaged in a year-long process of root-and-branch review of all the systems, institutions and structures that have a bearing on road traffic quality and safety management. We have consulted a wide range of stakeholders and role-players and have received constructive feedback from many organisations and individuals.

I am very pleased to say that we are now putting together the finishing touches to South Africa’s comprehensive new road safety strategy, which we have called the Road to Safety 2001-2005.

The Road to Safety is all about getting to grips, for the first time in our history, with the underlying causes of crashes and deaths on our roads. It looks hard at systems and structures and proposes a wide range of interlinked investment programmes and reform actions to radically improve the safety of the total road environment. Wherever possible, it opens up space for public empowerment and for private-sector and community participation. We want this strategy to belong to the whole country and to our people. We are determined to ensure that it becomes an instrument for turning road safety into a national crusade.

The Road to Safety identifies six key problem areas. Firstly, many drivers on our roads are not licensed, cannot drive properly or will not drive responsibly. Speeding, moving violations and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs are still very serious concerns. Secondly, many vehicles are unfit to be on the road. Thirdly, there is extensive fraud and corruption in the driver training and licensing, and in the vehicle testing and in the registration systems. I must say it as it is. Fourthly, poor fleet management and systematic overloading are widespread in road freight and public passenger transport. Fifthly, there are serious disparities in road conditions nationally, provincially and locally. Sixthly, we have a totally unacceptable rate of pedestrian casualties.

The Road to Safety therefore concentrates its attention on the three major components of the system. First the road user, second the vehicle and third the road environment. It says, in each area, what we must do and how we must concentrate our resources to achieve the maximum sustainable impact in the short, medium and long term.

Time is short today, so let me just give hon members a glimpse of the key interventions that are planned. The first element is the road user. On the road user side, we focus first on basic driver competence, and on the testing and licensing system. We are going to support provinces in upgrading substandard driver licensing testing centres, professionalising driving licence examiner qualifications and tightening deregistration criteria for both the driver licensing testing centres and examiners. We are also going to introduce a user-friendly computerised learner driver’s testing system that offers the test in audiovisual format in all national languages and minimises the opportunity for fraud.

To address the wider patterns of corruption and malpractice in the administration of the full driving test, we will significantly expand the number and upgrade the capacity of the current driver licensing testing centre inspectorate, with the emphasis on providing them with strong technical and forensic auditing skills.

We are also going to take steps to formalise and regulate a driving school sector. This will mean setting strict accreditation and registration criteria for owners, clearly defined customer service standards, and higher levels of technical knowledge and driving skills for driving instructors.

Finally, as regards driver competence, particular attention will be paid to the fitness of professional drivers in the heavy freight, bus and coach industries. We will tighten the existing practical, theoretical and medical tests for the renewal of the professional driver’s permit. We will also work with operators, trade unions and the Department of Labour to ensure that proper training systems are in place and that professional drivers are guaranteed safe working hours and conditions. We will be launching the Road Traffic Management Corporation later this year, which will introduce much greater control and coherence into road traffic management systems on road enforcement and the professional development of officers nationally. I am also pleased to confirm today that the road traffic infringement agency will come into being hopefully in the second half of this year; certainly before the end of the year. This will enable us to take routine traffic violations out of the courts and into an administrative adjudication system that will radically improve traffic fine collection and, in due course, implement the points demerit system against both offending drivers and transport operators.

In addition, I can tell hon members that we have cleared the ground for consultation with our colleagues in the criminal justice system to gain consensus for more uniform sentencing patterns and for the introduction of much tougher penalties for major traffic offences, without interfering with the independence of our courts.

Our other major category of road users is pedestrians. However, if hon members will allow me, I will return to this issue a little later on after I have made some comments on our roads infrastructure, which itself has some important bearings on pedestrian safety.

In the meantime, let me tell hon members what we are doing to achieve improved vehicle fitness. I turn to the question of vehicles. Here, again, we will start out by not only upgrading substandard public vehicle test stations and attending to examiner competencies, but we will go a step further. The many areas of weakness in the vehicle testing system that have emerged over the last few years have led us to the conclusion that a thoroughgoing review and reform of the entire vehicle testing system is needed. This includes looking again at its ownership structure and thoroughly revising the current manuals, regulatory procedures and systems for monitoring quality standards and detecting malpractice.

Incidentally, I can mention to hon members that, very unfortunately, on Sunday a disgusting article appeared in a Sunday newspaper, dealing with an ANC bus which was involved in an accident. This accident had taken place during the Easter holiday period. The reporter and that particular yellow newspaper had weeks and weeks to look into the matter. They published the article on Sunday. As a matter of form to be able to say that they consulted the Department of Transport, they telephoned my media liaison person at half past six on Friday night just to cursorily ask the question, indicating that the whole tenure of the article was to blame the Minister, without bothering to check the facts of the matter. [Interjections.] I consider that to be shameful behaviour on the part of this newspaper and, if necessary, I will indicate to hon members what the facts are in that particular matter. However, what I am saying is that we consider vehicle fitness to be of utmost importance.

Also, regarding the question of fleet operator regulation, we have already begun a process of consultation with operators on key safety issues. I have already mentioned the issue of professional driver competence, but equally important is the issue of vehicle and general fleet safety management. Our preferred approach is to encourage committed industry self-regulation. But we have also made it clear that where this is not forthcoming, we will not hesitate to intervene with regulation and the enforcement of meaningful penalties.

Together with the respective road freight and public passenger industry associations and trade unions, we are about to embark on a formal consultation process to define the terms and create the necessary monitoring and enforcement mechanisms for a standard operator code practice. This will lay down stringent criteria for vehicle maintenance and safety management systems. It will be implemented through a compliance review system and will include prohibitive sanctions for transgression.

We will, at the same time, carry forward negotiations that have already started on the implementation of key safety technologies, such as top speed limiters and tyre safety management systems.

Turning to the minibus industry, the main thing I want to report here is that very significant progress has been made with the democratisation process in the industry. All nine provinces have finally elected representative provincial taxi councils. We are moving forward steadily with preparations for the first historic national conference of the taxi industry, which will adopt a new constitution and elect the industry’s first ever fully representative national leadership before the end of this year.

These developments will impact positively on private-sector confidence in the industry and will give a major boost to the recapitalisation process. This, in turn, will open up much better prospects for negotiation on general taxi fleet safety management and on the specific safety elements that need to be incorporated into the electronic management systems to be fitted to the new 18-seater and 35-seater vehicles.

I must now turn to the question of the road environment. Firstly, on the question of overloading, all vehicles, whatever their condition, run on roads. Let me, therefore, begin by addressing the question of overloading. As hon members know, overloading of passengers in the bus and minibus-taxi industry is of very serious concern to all of us. It has played a major contributory role in many of the recent fatal bus and taxi crashes, and we will do everything in our power to stop it through the enforcement of fleet safety management.

Hon members will also know that the practice of calculated and systematic cargo overloading is widespread in the road freight sector. We have consulted widely on this issue with stakeholders and technical experts, and are urgently revising the current national overload control strategy to formulate a sustainable long-term approach to funding and operations. This includes getting full provincial commitment to budgetary allocations within the MTEF framework; implementing a revised operational strategy for interprovincial and cross-border monitoring and enforcement actions, in close co-operation with the National Roads Agency; making optimal use of existing traffic control centres and decommissioning those that are not sustainable; extending the use of public-private partnerships to manage and maintain prioritised traffic control centres and to install and operate weigh-in motion sensor systems; increasing the deployment of mobile weighbridges and new weigh-in motion sensor strips; and developing standards to secure their evidential viability in court.

We will also need the support and backup of the criminal justice system by helping to provide the required technical training for prosecutors and judicial officers, and by fully taking on board the need for realistically deterrent sentences, especially for repeat offenders.

I think hon members will understand from everything I have said so far that the wide range of measures I have described cannot be implemented overnight. They require fundamental restructuring work including consultation, and significant legislative and regulatory changes. I am not promising instant or overnight miracles, but I am confident that major reforms will be achieved each year during the lifetime of the strategy and that the situation we will be looking at by the end of 2005 will be very different from the picture which we are witnessing today.

Then of course, another issue is that we need to establish a balance between road and rail. The damage caused to our road network by freight overloading is one of the reasons for Government’s recent strategic decision to encourage a shift in the balance between road and rail in the transport of heavy freight. An efficient and well-managed national rail network is also a potentially cheaper and more environmentally sustainable mode of freight transportation than road haulage, particularly in the areas of containerised and bulk cargo.

It is therefore imperative that we support rail by creating a level playing field for fair price competition between it and road haulage. This level playing field does not at present exist, mainly because the road freight industry is currently not obliged to factor the externalities, or hidden costs, associated with its operations into the prices it charges its customers. These take the form of damage to our road infrastructure; the effect of the industry’s heavy fuel consumption on our balance of payments; and the additional burdens placed on our traffic management and health systems by its contribution to air pollution, traffic congestion and road crashes.

We therefore need to do two things at the same time: reduce these external costs and ensure that the road freight sector internalises at least some of them more equitably in the context of its competition with rail. Overload control is the first step towards effective external cost reduction. But as a second step, my department is considering developing a modelling exercise that will for the first time fully quantify road externality costs in terms of infrastructure damage, pollution, congestion and crashes, and will look at fair ways of charging road hauliers for these costs, always taking into account the fact that the road freight industry, unlike rail, receives no direct state subsidy.

Thirdly, I think the time has come to review the 56-ton gross vehicle mass limit currently in force in our country. This is one of the highest in the world, and compares unfavourably with those in force in the countries of the North, which range from 28 tons to 44 tons. Even in the SADC context, Mozambique, with a 38-ton limit, Botswana, with a 51-ton limit, and Zimbabwe, with a 55-ton limit, are more restrictive than we are.

We are therefore considering amending the Road Traffic Act to introduce a lower maximum payload for road freight. This would have two major effects. It would add impact to overload control measures aimed at reducing road externality costs, and it would increase the unit cost of road freight in such a way as to create a price incentive for certain categories of customers to switch from road to rail. Taking this approach would of course require detailed consultation with all interested parties, both from an industry perspective and in terms of harmonisation.

Let me deal with one more issue before I close, and that is the issue of pedestrian safety. I think this House already knows how much effort national and provincial government have jointly been putting into the struggle for radically improved pedestrian safety. I believe that this is a battle in which very significant victories can be won in a very short space of time.

The formula for success is quite simple, I believe: Educate the children throughout their school years; get local communities involved in identifying hazardous locations and suggesting practical upgrade solutions; create road safety forums to give community representatives a strong presence in local council safety management and spatial planning processes, in effect, planning their own community’s safety; carry out low-cost remedial engineering works and traffic calming measures to create safe conditions for crossing and walking or cycling along main roads; get NGOs and private sector sponsors actively involved in supporting targeted multidisciplinary upgrade programmes and funding reflective bands for every schoolchild in South Africa; get the full co-operation of schools and parents’ associations to implement scholar patrols; and get teachers and children, especially high school students, to carry the safety message into the wider community as a badge of pride. So, there are many things that we can do in this regard.

May I conclude by saying that I have focused on the issue of safety, particularly road safety, because if we can make a dramatic impact on the road safety situation in our country, we will be making a very big contribution towards preserving life, and towards ensuring that the very thing which hon members have been celebrating today, the International Day of Families, becomes a reality for the millions of families all over our country. [Applause.]

Ms P C P MAJODINA: Chairperson, before you took the Chair, people were declaring their marital status. I am single and very happy. [Laughter.] My warm greetings to you, revolutionary greetings to Minister Omar and my colleagues.

The debate in front of us is an exciting one, because in the absence of any form of transport, we could not have been here today debating this policy. This country is still suffering from the legacy of the past, in which public transport was an issue for a certain race. The situation was worse when it came to subsidies. We did not have a well-defined public transport system in order to accommodate the growing needs of this country, a public transport system which should be client- driven, rather than supply-driven. We need a safe, reliable and effective public transport system, a system which will subsidise commuters, not the operators, such as the case in hand.

When we passed the Bill on taxi recapitalisation we were all rejoicing that this industry would have peace for the first time ever. Commuters would be safe and served with the dignity they deserve. Taxi owners would receive a subsidy, a benefit which was never given to them, having noted that the motive of the recapitalisation project was to integrate the taxi industry into the mainstream of the public transport system and to put in place a sustainable platform in order to level the playing field to create a competitive environment for all road-based passenger transport modes.

We thought it would be operational by now. We were allowed to raise the expectations of commuters very high. When they reached a climax, the whole matter went extremely quiet. This hurt the feelings of our voters. The matter should be implemented immediately. I must also remind this House that at the moment there is no subsidy whatsoever to the taxi industry - subsidies only go to rail and bus transport - when 60% of citizens are using taxis.

Regarding the bus subsidy, as a matter of fact, there is no change of regulations when it comes to that. The previously disadvantaged community have not been getting subsidies as their white counterparts have. An urgent audit should be done, because I would be defying an electoral mandate if I let the status quo remain. We are public representatives, and the directive from the majority of people who voted us here was to better people’s lives, but up to now nothing has happened.

Mrs A M VERSFELD : Ek stem saam. [I agree.]

Ms P C P MAJODINA: The department should not react towards small companies when their buses are involved in accidents when they are not assisted to develop further.

The Department of Transport should also be congratulated on bringing down fatalities during the Easter holidays.

Providing maintenance of transport infrastructure in South Africa is closely linked to the provision of housing in our country. Provision of housing must be accompanied by the provision of auxiliary services, including transportation infrastructure. This should happen through an integrated development strategy, as clearly defined by the President during his state-of-the-nation address.

Provision of transport infrastructure depends on affordability, road safety, functional efficiency, continual upgrading and maintenance. Capacity-building in local government has become essential for the Department of Transport, because this sphere of government is expected to carry out lots of tasks, as indicated in the National Land Transport Interim Arrangements Act.

It is therefore also a challenge to the Minister that the Department of Transport should consider adopting some of the roads which are not tagged provincially, nationally or locally, with special reference to rural provinces, particularly the Eastern Cape, where I come from.

I must make a declaration here that the actions of the Department of Transport, the Minister and the select committee augur very well, but that does not mean that we cannot speak out. I want to be upfront on this: The constituency that I represent here is a rural, remote one. They are very poor indeed. They have not seen anything that bettered their lives, especially when it comes to the transport system. They are still travelling distances using ``yellow pages’’ and that means two feet. Schoolchildren arrive quite exhausted at school because there is no viable public transport to assist them. Some are exposed to risk when they are packed on the backs of bakkies, trucks or tractors to attend school activities like sport.

Very recently, about five schoolchildren in the Eastern Cape fell from the back of a truck and died when they were attending a sports activity. When is Minister Omar going to change this pathetic experience? It is high time that they got subsidised in various ways. Why cannot we negotiate that in the meantime we get bicycles or some mode of transport to assist them as a short-term measure? I would like to thank the Minister with due respect. [Applause.]

Mr S M A MALEBO (Free State): Chairperson, it is an honour to follow the comrade. I wish I had enough time to reply to some of the statements that she made, but, owing to time constraints, I am not in a position to do so. However, I rise to support the Minister in this Budget Vote debate.

I do not rise to support the Minister because he is a Minister, but because he is a Minister who co-operates well with us as MECs in our province. He is a Minister who seeks consensus and seeks to involve us at all times in the work of his department. He is a Minister who executes his executive tasks in a manner that demonstrates how to effectively execute a constitutional function that is cost-cutting to all spheres of government and therefore gives meaning to co-operative governance in our country.

May I report to the House that the past financial year was a year for us that was filled with pain and joy. It was a year in which we saw the road infrastructure suffering major damage due to the floods. Those floods showed us that unless we maintain the infrastructure that we have, we will not cope with any disaster that may follow. These disasters, unfortunately, hit the poorest of the poor harder than any other person.

This previous financial year, on the other hand, was a year of joy because the significance of maintaining and providing good road infrastructure was recognised and agreed to by all. The debate about allocating enough resources to our road infrastructure was won or concluded when everybody awoke to the fact that unless we provide enough resources to our roads and bridges needs, we shall not make significant progress in whatever we do in the area of housing, health, education etc.

Therefore, in this year, our Free State government ended the era of the budget that could best have been described as robbing Peter to pay Paul because, for the past 15 years, there has never been any additional allocation of funds to the roads function. The minor maintenance that was done was concentrated on safety aspects, especially the filling in of all dangerous potholes, painting of road markings at dangerous spots where road accidents occurred frequently and maintenance of those gravel roads that were very essential for both rural and farming communities.

In this financial year, we see a departure from that bad way of doing things. For the very first time, we have significantly dedicated financial allocations for road maintenance. For this financial year an amount of R245 million, including R29 million for reconstruction of roads that were damaged by floods, will be spent on providing the maintenance of our road infrastructure. This, if one compares it to the previous financial year, is an increase of 68%.

Some of those allocations will do the following. We will attend to the much talked about road in the Free State from Ficksburg to Clocolan. This year, that road will be totally rehabilitated. The tender has already been allocated to a Free State-based joint venture. The handover of the road will be on this coming Friday. Work will commence on Monday next week.

On the other hand we will use that amount that has been dedicated especially to road infrastructure for the completion of the Thabong bypass project. This will improve the road network and integrate Thabong and Welkom. We will proceed to repair the steel bridges at the Caledon River. We will continue to upgrade roads in the rural areas of Qwaqwa, especially Road 16. We will repair the damage that has been caused by the floods. We will repair the bridge at Harrismith. I could go on, but of the most importance is that we will attend to all the gravel roads in the province.

Unless we protect our investment in road infrastructure by resealing our tarred roads timeously in order to prevent water ingress to lower areas in our roads, the future estimates of doing this work later will be nearly eight times more to rebuild the same roads. Therefore, R10 million will be spent for repair and resealing of our tarred roads whilst R28 million will be spent on regravelling and blading of our rural and farm road networks. [Interjections.] That hon member does not like good news. The plan is to extend over a period of three years, ie the MTEF period, and about R300 million to R700 million will be spent so that we can reduce this backlog.

I must admit upfront that this budget that is dedicated for the roads is just a drop in the ocean if compared to the billions that are needed to reverse the maintenance backlog. However, before we dismiss this honest attempt, let us not forget that it is the drops that fill up a river which will end up flowing and making our landscape beautiful.

I would like to make quick remarks about other aspects. We will distribute about 5 000 bicycles to various farm schools in our province. This is a joint project between us …

Mrs A M VERSFELD: … en die Wes-Kaap. Ja, die Wes-Kaap het dit al lankal gedoen. [… and the Western Cape. Yes, the Western Cape has done it a long time ago.]

Mr S M A MALEBO: Only if that member does not know the history of bicycle distribution could she make those kinds of statements. I pity her. She is here for the first time. If she had been here previously, she would have known that the bicycle project started in our province. She must thus shut up. [Laughter.]

That is significant because in the pilot project that we ran in 1995, we noted that the performance of children in the classroom increased tremendously, not only in terms of attending school but also in terms of them doing their school work. Therefore we believe that that is an important way of improving our children’s access to various schools.

May I also include that the restructuring of our bus service in our country has taken a major turn in the rural areas of Qwaqwa through the transformation of the Maluti Bus Service. We have extended the bus service in the whole area by going into a joint venture with the private sector. The old bus fleet that we could not recapitalise was recapitalised. Today, the whole of Qwaqwa enjoys a subsidised bus service like other urban areas.

Lastly, as has been mentioned, we are moving fast in restructuring the taxi industry. This year, we will concentrate on rooting out whatever is illegal. We have started by closing all illegal ranks in the province. All those taxis that come from outside our province are expected to sign a certificate of compliance to ensure that they comply with the procedure that has been laid down for conflict resolution and the standard constitution of the taxi industry. Failure to do that will lead to the taxi operators not being allowed to operate in the province.

In conclusion, may I say that the construction industry has had great difficulties in the province due to the reduced number of road construction projects that took place. With this budget, we foresee a situation in which the industry will be given a major boost. Not only will we give a chance to black emerging contractors, but some projects will also be set aside for construction companies owned by women.

We hope to enjoy the support and advice of this House as we continue to ensure, through transport which is safe and reliable, that all our people find easy accessibility to resources, services, business and to all measures that improve the quality of their lives. [Applause.] Dr P J C NEL: Voorsitter, die vervoerstelsel van ‘n land raak die daaglikse lewe van feitlik elke mens.

Omdat die veilige vervoer van mense en goedere ‘n basiese voorwaarde is vir gesonde ekonomiese groei en sosiale ontwikkeling, sal die staat dus nooit van sy verantwoordelikheid kan wegskram om self dié dienste te verskaf wat nie deur die private sektor gelewer kan word nie. Daarom bly die vervoerinfrastruktuur vir die lewering van pad-, spoor- en seevervoerstelsels, asook pypleidings, die primêre verantwoordelikheid van die staat. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[Dr P J C Nel: Chairperson, the transport system of a country affects the daily life of virtually every person.

Because the safe transportation of people and goods is a basic requirement for sound economic growth and social development, the state will never be able to shy away from its responsibility to deliver those services which cannot be delivered by the private sector. For that reason the transport infrastructure for the delivery of road, rail and sea transport systems, as well as pipelines, remains the primary responsibility of the state.] It is, however, hard to believe that Government sees the transport infrastructure as a high priority if one looks at the fact that the money allocated for the building and maintenance of roads has constantly been cut over the past two decades to such an extent that recent statistics reveal that, at the moment, we have a backlog in the maintenance of road systems alone of R65 billion and, in the maintenance of railway systems, of R22 billion.

In the Free State alone the backlog of roads that require rebuilding and resealing amounts to R2,2 billion. The Free State will therefore need an extra amount of R600 million per year for a period of 10 years to address the backlog. If this money cannot be found, the maintenance requirements will increase dramatically in the following years.

If this trend cannot be reversed, we are in serious danger of losing our whole road network in the Free State.

Ek weet die agb LUR wat voor my gepraat het, is baie opgewonde oor die styging in die toekenning tot sy begroting, maar inflasie inaggenome is die reële styging baie minder as die absolute minimum wat benodig word om die agterstand in te haal. Wat die padongeluksyfers betref, het ek op 20 Maart vanjaar ‘n skriftelike vraag aan die agb Minister gerig om vas te stel hoeveel padongelukke gedurende die jaar 2000 in elk van die provinsies plaasgevind het. Tot my verbasing moes ek uit die antwoord van die Minister verneem dat geen statistiek vir padongelukke vir die jaar 2000 nog beskikbaar is nie, behalwe dié vir Desember, Januarie en Paasnaweek. Dit skep die indruk dat statistiek oor padongelukke, net soos statistiek oor kriminele oortredings, nou ook van die publiek weggehou word.

Ons is egter baie dankbaar oor die afname in padsterftes gedurende Desember en Januarie en ook vir die mate van sukses wat die projek Kom Veilig Tuis skynbaar behaal het.

Ek wil die agb Minister egter alle sukses toewens met al die padveiligheidsprojekte wat hy vandag hier aangekondig het, want die beraamde totale uitgawes vir die staat as gevolg van padongelukke, naamlik R13,8 miljard vir die jaar 2000, kan ons eenvoudig net nie bekostig nie.

Wat die Padongelukfonds betref, het ek ook uit ‘n vraag aan die Minister verneem dat die Padongelukfonds vanjaar weer eens op ‘n geweldige verlies bedryf is, naamlik R1,3 miljard. Aan die einde van die jaar 2000 was die totale tekort van die fonds R10,5 miljard. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[I know that the hon MEC who spoke before me is very excited about the increase in allocation to his budget, but taking inflation into account the regular increase is far less than the absolute minimum required to clear the backlog.

As far as the road accident figures are concerned, on 20 March this year I addressed a written question to the hon the Minister to determine how many road accidents occurred in each of the provinces during the year 2000. To my amazement I learned from the Minister’s reply that no statistics for road accidents for the year 2000 were yet available, except those for December, January and the Easter weekend. This creates the impression that the statistics on roads accidents, like the statistics on criminal offences, are now being kept from the public.

However, we are very grateful for the decrease in road deaths during December and January and also for the degree of success which the Arrive Alive project apparently had. However, I want to wish the hon the Minister everything of the best with all the road safety projects which he announced here today, because we simply cannot afford the estimated total expenditure for the state as a result of road accidents, namely R13,8 billion for the year 2000.

As far as the Road Accident Fund is concerned, I also learned from a question to the Minister that the Road Accident Fund once again operated at a huge loss this year, namely R1,3 billion. At the end of the year 2000 the total deficit of the fund was R10,5 billion.]

The question arises: Why should the Road Accident Fund annually operate at a loss when the SA Special Risks Insurance Association, Sasria, receives inter alia large amounts from road users.

Sasria currently generates a premium income of R200 million a year. It is common knowledge that Sasria funds are being utilised to repay Government debt, for which they were strictly not intended.

I would like to appeal to the hon the Minister to ascertain what amount in premiums is paid specifically by the road-using public to Sasria. We live in a violent society, characterised by public disorder, with daily car hijackings and many accidents on our roads with serious consequences for many innocent victims. I would like to appeal to the hon the Minister to look seriously into the possibility of acquiring funds from Sasria to offset any deficits of the Road Accident Fund and also to investigate the maladministration of the fund, to eradicate corruption and to stop increasing the tax levy on petrol and diesel sales for this purpose.

Sasria actually belongs to those who pay the premiums of R200 million per annum and the money should also be utilised for the compensation of victims of criminal activities where vehicles are involved. [Applause.]

Mr E M SOGONI (Gauteng): Chairperson, comrades, ladies and gentlemen, I feel privileged to speak in this House on the occasion of the Transport Budget Vote.

Transport is one of the critical pillars of the economy in both developed and developing countries. Transporting people, goods and services is therefore the most crucial task for any nation hoping to compete seriously for a share of the global economy.

Our young and fledgling democracy is faced with the challenge of providing safe, efficient, affordable and reliable transport. Equally pertinent is not only the urgent need for the creation of jobs and the development of our people, but the need to ensure that these ordinary people participate in the transport industry in a competitive way.

It is in this context that the Gauteng provincial government developed its own strategic objectives to contribute to the objectives of a better life for all. The following strategic objectives for transport were identified: to maintain capital infrastructure investment for optimal resource utilisation; to enhance financial accountability through budget control and the elimination of fraud and corruption; to secure alternative funding and resources for sustainability; to develop mechanisms for communication, monitoring and feedback; and to implement institutional transformation through targeted programmes of affirmative action and human resource development.

I would like to focus on the following issues: transport infrastructure, public transport and the Arrive Alive campaign.

The bulk of the departmental budget lies in the programme which is responsible for the maintenance and construction of new roads. This programme has the capacity to create new entrepreneurs. New contractors and consultants from among previously disadvantaged individuals have been able to access tenders, resulting in a skills transfer and the creation of jobs.

However, a lot needs to be done because old consultants from white established companies still get the lion’s share of tenders. In some cases, white companies exploit their unsuspecting black employees as partners. In other words, monitoring and evaluation are still being worked out. But high traffic volumes and backlogs in road maintenance and the construction of new roads are being worked out to overcome these challenges.

We hope that grants from the national department will be transferred timeously. We are also grateful for the conditional grant that was announced by the President during the opening of Parliament.

Regarding public transport, a lot has been achieved by transforming bus subsidies of over R577 million, which were previously accessed mainly by five big white companies. These companies enjoyed exclusive subsidies without any monitoring of standards of their bus fleets. Many of these buses were found not to be roadworthy.

New operators are beginning to access these subsidies which have clear timeframes. That is, big contracts now are being broken up to allow small operators in. As a result of bus crashes, over 4 000 buses were tested and, in some cases, others were retested for roadworthiness. Testing stations were inspected and some were found to be below SA Bureau of Standards requirements and, in some cases, examiners had to be suspended. That is gross inefficiency that our Government inherited from the erstwhile government.

Regarding the issue of taxis, violence, which ruled the industry for a long time, has largely been brought under control. The process of democratisation of the taxi industry has been completed, and Gataco, the Gauteng Taxi Council, was formed. The Minister witnessed that formation. However, the process of registration has not yet been concluded, though 90% has been done.

The permit board is up and running, streamlining the previous radius permits into route permits.

South Africa has not yet succeeded in implementing clear public transport policies, as other people have already mentioned. The poorest of the poor still wait in long queues in open bus stops, gripped with fear of unsafe bus stops and railway stations.

In Gauteng the travel time is longer because of traffic congestion on the roads. Many buses and taxis do comply with their permit requirements, though they still speed. A lot of them want to co-operate with our Government, because it benefits them.

Regarding the Arrive Alive campaign, South Africa spends lot of funds in the prevention of road crashes, but, alas, not with much success in terms of preventing those road crashes. Gauteng managed to reduce road fatalities by 19,2% last year. That was a commendable achievement. However, one death is still one too many. Clearly, a lot has to be done.

The national Transport department cannot achieve road safety alone. Politicians around here, the manufacturers of vehicles and many stakeholders have a role to play as well, as was shown in the Minister’s speech. Over 150 traffic officers have been employed as a result of national grants. The visibility of traffic officers will go a long way towards reducing the carnage on our roads, on condition that they do not hide themselves, as traffic officers normally do.

We read that the Road Accident Fund is under tremendous pressure. However, I must ask the Comrade Minister whether we should not look at the role of the insurance companies that take lots of money insuring cars. What is their contribution? They must be made to plough something back.

Lastly, what is the progress in the establishment of a traffic court, because the civil courts are overflowing with the backlogs of civil cases? This could result in uniform fines, so that we do not hear of people paying thousands of rands in some provinces, yet in other provinces people who have committed the same offences, perhaps, get away with murder.

As the President said, we are on track, there is no need to panic. [Applause.]

Ms B THOMSON: Chairperson, allow me to take this opportunity to commend the Minister of Transport, Comrade Dullah Omar, for his leadership role in transforming our transportation system into one that serves the interests of all our people. As a result of the sterling work done by the Minister of Transport and his department, our nation’s transport system has matured to a level where transport no longer revolves solely around the interests of a small minority, but is geared towards providing efficient services to the majority of our people.

In the coming years, transport policy concerns will increasingly focus on the effects of transportation where people live and where business is located - the effects these location decisions have on land use patterns, on the congestion of urban transportation systems, on the use of natural resources, on air and water quality and, most importantly, on how the Department of Transport can prioritise its budget to maximise much needed economic growth.

The degree of success with which we meet the above challenges will, of course, depend on the degree of success with which we can meet the current challenges which face our transportation system. At the moment, there are many challenges confronting our transport system, but there are also many successes that have been achieved since 1994. One of the biggest challenges is the enormous economic cost which road and rail accidents place on our country’s limited resources.

According to research done by the SA Institute of Race Relations, as many as 107 people were reported to have been killed and 274 injured in 18 train collisions and 275 derailments in 1999. The economic cost of these accidents was estimated to be around R265 million.

Furthermore, the research also indicated that out of 728 train drivers tested for driver fatigue, 23% tended to fall asleep while driving. What is even more of a concern is the contents of an article in The Star newspaper of 28 March 2000, in which the results of tests done on drivers of heavy vehicles such as buses, showed that more than half of them were unfit to drive.

This was soon followed by a revelation by the Gauteng department of transport that out of a total of 256 buses belonging to a certain company tested by the SABS, as many as 222 were found to be unroadworthy.

These statistics are very disconcerting. If one adds to this the state of disrepair into which some of our local and provincial roads fell after the devastating floods of last year, then it becomes very clear that provinces face an enormous challenge in terms of road safety.

Although there are many factors which can cause road accidents, the three main factors that are responsible for our high number of road accidents are speed, vehicle or mechanical defects and road conditions.

The ANC has already indicated its determination to deal with these factors.

In November 1999 the Minister of Transport made an announcement in terms of which the maximum speed limit for buses was reduced to 100 kph. Law enforcement against traffic offences, particularly speeding, has also been set up. In some cases penalties of up to R25 000 have been imposed on speeding motorists. This zero-tolerance approach to speeding will further be enhanced once the point-deduction system, in terms of the Act, is implemented.

In order to deal with unroadworthy vehicles, the Department of Transport announced in May 2000 that it intended to introduce compulsory annual roadworthy tests from 2002 for all private vehicles older than three years. Close attention is also being paid to corruption at vehicle testing stations where officials issue roadworthy certificates for vehicles that are not roadworthy in exchange for money.

In terms of driver-related issues, the department announced that it would introduce measures such as annual medical tests for professional drivers to detect drug use and hidden medical conditions. Stricter tests which will not compromise the standard of skill required to drive a vehicle are being looked at, while the department is also considering the compulsory registration of driving schools and their training curricula. Road maintenance is a huge public cost in most countries and represents as much as three quarters of the total annual road infrastructure budget in some industrialised countries. We as a developing country cannot afford to spend that amount of money on maintenance alone, not with the legacy of inequalities that characterises our rural areas in particular, where road infrastructure was virtually ignored by the apartheid regime.

Instead of accusing the Government of ignoring the backlog in road maintenance, we should focus our efforts on initiatives which will reduce road damage. For example, freight traffic is the main cause of road damage. We could reduce road damage if heavy vehicles were required to have more road-friendly suspension systems. [Applause.]

Chief M L MOKOENA: Chairperson, I have been mandated by the Northern Province to participate in this debate and raise issues that directly affect the peace-loving people of the north.

For any country’s economy to be viable, its transport service has to be reliable. Who can challenge the Minister’s policy? It is now up to implementing agencies to effect them.

Let me take this opportunity and congratulate the Minister and the department on the Arrive Alive campaign. The same goes for traffic officers who work tirelessly during the Easter holidays. I am aware that the going was tough, and it needed the tough to get going. The low figures of the death toll on our roads bear testimony to this.

The Arrive Alive campaign seems to be meeting its objectives. What can we do to make it more effective? This should not be treated as an event, as it seems to be in the eyes of some people. We should not hear about this campaign only during December or during the Easter holidays. Let us fit this campaign into the department’s programme. It has saved many lives. Even those radical drivers who use our roads for speed training are now extra careful.

This campaign can only succeed if we road users co-operate with traffic officers. Those who choose to deliberately ignore road regulations should be dealt with accordingly. This should not be seen as an inconvenience to road users. I am saying this because there are people who see traffic officers as their enemies on the road. They are there to save lives, to enable law-abiding South African citizens who adhere to road regulations at all times to use the road with pride, knowing that using the road is not a privilege, but a right.

Having said that, let us not forget that there are people who allow their conduct, behaviour or attitude to dominate their lives. Traffic officers are also human beings. At times they tend to fall into the same trap. There is no reason for them, when stopping a motorist, to look so angry. That kind of behaviour belongs to the old traffic officers of the old order. They must be friendly and happy when stopping road users. [Interjections.]

What is the purpose of having these traffic officers on the road? Is it to issue more tickets or to do visible policing? No, they are there to assist motorists and, wherever possible, to save lives.

Is it the policy of the department, as my colleague on the other side rightly said, that traffic officers should hide behind bushes, sheds and bridges? I wonder who came up with this hide-and-catch attitude? [Laughter.] We will soon stop calling them traffic officers, but ``hide-and- catch officers’’. [Laughter.] I think this kind of attitude is bad. Let us not allow our bad attitudes to influence our thinking.

I am not deviating, but I just want to give a good example. We have seen this kind of bad attitude displayed by some Fifa officials, who issued a statement warning the whole of South Africa that the recent soccer stampede would jeopardise Africa’s chances of hosting the soccer World Cup. Another bad attitude. I wonder since when has any occurrence in one of the countries in Africa affected the whole continent?

Hon members will be shocked at the following examples. As I said, I am not deviating, but I am dealing with bad attitude here.

For example, in England in 1985, 56 people died in a game between Bradford and Lincoln City; in Mexico, 10 people died in a game between Lincoln Universidad and America; in Brussels in 1985, 39 people died in a game between Juventus and Liverpool; to crown in all, in Hillsborough, Sheffield, 1989, 96 people died in a game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Surprisingly, all statements from Fifa were of sympathy and condolences to those countries and soccer bodies. There was no condemnation or warning. This is the kind of attitude I was referring to.

I once said in this Chamber that minds are like parachutes: They only work when they are open. [Interjections.]

In the 1999-2000 financial year the Government launched a rural transport strategy project which aimed firstly, to focus on freight and passengers; secondly, to ensure the delivery of transport infrastructure and services; thirdly, to provide the basic means of access and mobility to our rural people; and, fourthly, to support the integration of sustainable rural communities into the social and economic life of South Africa.

Can the hon the Minister tell us how far we are with this project? Let me emphasise what was rightly said by my chairperson, the hon Majodina: It is true that rail and bus services are not just subsidised, but highly subsidised. Surprisingly, the taxi industry is not.

I might be wrong, but my rough calculations show that the taxi industry is mostly owned by people from the previously disadvantaged communities, while the majority of bus owners are from among the haves or the well-to-do. How long is this abnormal scenario going to continue? It would be interesting to know who sits on the panel which decides who is to be subsidised. [Interjections.]

I want to thank the hon the Minister for his efforts regarding the testing grounds. Once more, let me raise the question of this very item of testing stations. Most testing stations which were located in the rural areas have been closed down in favour of those in towns. I agree that some of them were in a very bad state. For people to reach these stations, they have to travel long distances. What is happening now is that corrupt people are making certain that their cars pass the test while parked in their garages. [Interjections.]

I beg my dear fellow South Africans who own guns or who are trigger-happy please to understand that road signs are not targets on a shooting range. Road signs are not notice boards where they can write their messages. They are there to remind and assist motorists and road users. [Interjections.]

The level of taxi violence has gone down, and this can only be attributed to the hon the Minister’s direct intervention. This shows that he cares about his people.

Motho ke motho ka batho. [No man is an island.] [Applause.]

Mr T MHLAHLO (Eastern Cape): Chairperson, hon Minister of Transport, an efficient, reliable and cost-effective transport network system is a prerequisite to socio-economic development of the Eastern Cape.

Transport provides an invaluable link between the different spheres of society on the one hand, and the wide range of life-based opportunities on the other. As a catalyst, a reliable, safe, affordable, integrated transport system contributes both directly and indirectly to the improvement of the quality of life among the rural and urban communities.

People in certain parts of the province still walk for two to three hours before they reach any form of public transport situation that is no longer acceptable to governments today. These communities rely on public transport to access basic health and welfare services, as well as educational institutions, work places, market-places and other forms of social networking.

The total neglect, segregated investment and the lack of strategic and scientific focus to the detriment of blacks, in particular the rural poor, created the legacy that we are struggling to transform and develop today.

The provision of an efficient and affordable transport service yields positive by-products such as, improved community mobility, effective communication and promotion of socio-economic activities. These positive spin-offs contribute directly towards economic growth and sustainable rural development, as enshrined in the provincial growth and development strategy.

The interaction with our stakeholders has played in the past, and still continues to play, a vital role in ensuring that the department remains focused on its core business, namely to provide and facilitate a safe and affordable multi-modal transport system which is integrated with land - use and ensures the optimal mobility of people in the province of the Eastern Cape support of provincial growth.

We have gained a tremendous amount of experience over the past five years. Of course, all these experiences are within the context of realising the national policy of our department. Such experiences have helped us reflect on our ability and readiness to adjust according to the challenges of the present time. Simultaneously, through these experiences, we have been able to diagnose problem areas and other impediments which curtail improved and accelerated service delivery.

Within the framework of the department’s multiyear strategic plan, there are key areas which we have begun to realise in our province as part of the approach of realising transport strategy in this country.

One is a rural transport development strategy as part of the provincial Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy.

Another project is the East London-Umtata rail passenger service, which we will pursue as this project moves from feasibility study stage to design phase. We will link up with the Departments of Trade and Industry, Agriculture and Land Affairs and of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in order to render this project the multi-sectoral entity it is designed to be. The relevant national Ministers will be requested to underwrite this project in pursuance of our national unity and development.

A new rail passenger service from East London to Umtata will be introduced shortly in our province. This is the first step towards an integrated inter- modal transport system involving rail, buses and taxis in the province of the Eastern Cape. Metro Rail will continue to play its role in this project.

The passenger bus subsidy scheme in the Transkei area will continue, without any interruption, under improved conditions which will entail the introduction of an electronic monitoring system and a new permit system linked to the subsidy allocation.

At present we are involved with the transformation of the Mayibuye Transport Corporation, which will be in line with the entrepreneurship development, as well as with the introduction of an appropriate monitoring and an effective financial management and accounting system.

A new bus passenger transport contract for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Area will be finalised, taking into account the new challenges of the Coega project.

The general objectives of the national taxi council, which is guided by the hon Minister, have been realised in our province, because we have put in place a provincial taxi council so that we can realise our national policy and the intentions of Government.

The recapitalisation of the taxi industry will be pursued, taking into account, among other things, the needs of the aged and people with disabilities.

Transport infrastructure improvements, particularly in the rural areas, will be prioritised, especially in the previously disadvantaged populated areas of our province. A close working relationship with district municipalities is vitally important and will be forged in order to achieve these goals.

Eight vehicle testing stations will be established in strategic areas of our province, and the department will continue to contribute towards the urban renewal strategy for those townships that were identified by President Thabo Mbeki, namely Motherwell and Mdantsane.

A bicycle project, `Shova Lula’ will also be introduced in our province as a means of transport for non-motorists and also an efficient and affordable form of transport for learners in the rural and farm schools. This project is a joint venture of the national Department of Transport, district municipalities and the provincial department of education.

After July this year the use of yellow number plates in our province will also promote and help market the use of personalised, specific number plates. All these intentions are within the context of realising the national policy of the Department of Transport.

The Umtata and Bisho airports will also be reorganised so that they become organised as safe areas in our country. Of course, we noted that these are part of the inheritance of the past Bantustan systems, which were key elements of apartheid in this country. The Bisho and Umtata airports will, of course, be restructured so that we can provide an economic activity and support tourism in our area.

The Government motor transport will be transformed in such a way that the procurement, maintenance and utilisation of Government vehicles add value to service with minimum financial and security risk to Government. In the process entrepreneurship development opportunities will be explored.

Traffic management, including road safety education and law enforcement, will be stepped up throughout this year. The existing link with the traffic departments of district municipalities and the co-operation with the SA Police Service, which we actually experienced during the festive period, are also going to be intensified.

One of the important activities of the provincial department of transport in the Eastern Cape, in consultation with other relevant role-players, is the campaign on HIV/Aids awareness. This does receive high priority within the Department of Transport. The restructuring of the department will also continue and the process of devolving some of the offices to some municipalities within the context of the new municipal system is also getting Government priority.

All these activities are actually located within the general policy of the hon the Minister. In a sense, one can begin to say that we are not only supporting the policies of the Minister, but that the Eastern Cape province is beginning to realise the objectives of those policies in practice.

With those few words I want to say that we are confronted with challenges. We cannot behave in this House as if things are normal. One of the shortcomings which confront our province is the limitation of our budget. Our budget is unable to provide, in an efficient way, for the necessary basic services.

However, we need to voice this so that the NCOP becomes aware of this reality of life, because we cannot address the levels of poverty without taking into account, as we are all aware, the fact that the Eastern Cape actually comes first in this country in terms of its population and poverty indicators. So we do need the support of Government in such a way that we provide these services for our people. These are some of the indications that prove the fact that we are still on course.

The department of transport in the Eastern Cape is part of the national agenda of Government. We are not behaving in a manner that is separate from what the national strategy is all about. I think we can easily say to the NCOP members: Yes, we are still on course, and I think we are spending Government’s allocated budget properly and on time. With those few words in this regard we want to support the efforts of Minister Dullah Omar.

The process of realising unity in the taxi industry has to remain our priority, at the level of the province and nationally. We have to do so with one intention, ie to provide public transport for ordinary South Africans, because it is those who constitute the poorest of our communities who rely on this public transport. I also fully support the hon member who spoke before me in that we also expect an element of acceptable behaviour on the part of those who own those taxis. With those few words I thank you very much. [Time expired.]

Mr N M RAJU: Madam Chairperson, hon Minister Mr Abdullah Omar, hon special delegates and hon colleagues of the NCOP, I would like to focus only on road transport matters.

At the latest briefing by the Ministry of Transport to the Select Committee on Public Services we were informed that the SA National Roads Agency Limited is the company responsible for the maintenance and development of some 7 000 km of national road network in South Africa. The company has to manage assets of more than R135 billion.

The principal tasks the company is charged with are, firstly, to strategically plan, design and construct and operate, rehabilitate and maintain the national roads; secondly, to deliver and maintain a world- class primary road network; and thirdly, to undertake research and development to enhance the quality of roads. Obviously, the company is registered in terms of the Companies Act and we welcome this business-like approach to handling the formidable task of strategic planning, rehabilitation and maintenance of the country’s national roads.

Let us, for a moment, focus the microscope on the Road Accident Fund, the RAF. Every motorist and/or user of petrol or diesel in whatever way is levied, and the money so collected ends up in the fiscus before being allocated to the provinces. It is my party’s serious contention that a substantial percentage of this money be specifically earmarked by the provinces for the maintenance of those roads, especially in rural parts, where potholes flourish and become the bane of many unwary motorists. After all, Madam Chairperson, not all of us are fortunate enough to be smiled upon by providence to be able to own 4 x 4s.

It is the Minister who sends money to the provinces from the RAF, and I suggest that the hon the Minister take the initiative, or the bull by the horns, to be more precise, in ensuring that provinces give priority to the rehabilitation and maintenance of specific roads with the money so allocated. My compatriots in Mpumalanga, for instance, should not suffer the indignity of driving their jalopies on roads full of potholes which appear like porkmarks on an ugly face.

I wish to compliment the hon the Minister for the excellent results obtained from the introduction of weighbridges to check overloading on the national high-ways in the different provinces. The correct nomenclature, I believe, is traffic control centres, or TCCs.

According to an answer given by the hon the Minister to my counterpart in the National Assembly, Mr Stuart Farrow, some 33 708 operators had been charged at these centres since they became operational. At Mantsole in the Northern Province 13 219 had been charged on the N1. At Messina, also in the Northern Province, the figure was 2 891. Members have just heard from the hon Mr Mokoena that the Northern Province residents are peace-loving people, and yet these operators, driving overloaded vehicles, are too many. At Umhloti in my province, the case at hand, the figure was 3 245, also on the N1.

My party, however, wishes to exhort the hon the Minister to further speed up the establishment of these TCCs in other parts of the provinces, not only on the national roads, but also on the district roads, which are just as important as arterial roads. The Minister must also ensure that no bypassing of these roads is allowed, thereby sabotaging the noble efforts of the Ministry in keeping a check on overloading and on trucks in a state of disrepair.

Finally, we would like to see the visible policing of traffic lawbreaking taking on a higher profile in the country. The business of negative speed- trapping by traffic cops hiding behind bushes and shrubs must really be frowned upon. My party is especially concerned at the major shortfall in the filling of vacant positions in traffic law enforcement. We would like to see a reduction in the number of vacant posts. Traffic law enforcement must become a state of high consciousness in the minds of all road users - users of motor vehicles and heavy haulage trucks, pedestrians and the public at large.

By the way, is the gender aspect receiving full attention in the filling of posts in traffic policing? [Interjections.] Of course, personnel, irrespective of sex, must be qualified and properly equipped before being considered for the filling of posts. Where women are considered for posting, certainly absolute measures must be taken to ensure their safety and security. [Interjections.] Now that video cameras are in vogue in speed- trapping, for instance, no woman officer is expected to man such equipment all by herself.

One final point I would like to make is that recently the country has been shocked by the spate of public transport accidents, many resulting in fatalities. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Order! Hon member, I give you 100% for the gender perspective aspects. [Laughter.]

Mnu M S MALAKOANA (KwaZulu-Natal): Sihlalo, ngivela esifundazweni esihlala njalo siyingqalabutho nomhlahlandlela uma kuziwa ezindabeni eziphathelene nezokuthutha. Ufakazi wakho konke lokhu engikushoyo umhlonishwa uNgqongqoshe u-Omar, njengoba benomkhankaso kazwelonke ka-Arrive Alive. Phela, lowo mkhankaso wasukela laphaya esifundazweni sakithi KwaZulu- Natali. Igama lawo ngesiZulu kuthiwa u-Asiphephe.

Kukhona lapho kuye kuthiwe abantu abangashayeli uma bedle amanzi amponjwana. Lokho kwaqala esifundazweni sakithi. NgesiZulu esikahle kuye kuthiwe: Umuntu makomele ngasekhaya, angaphuzi bese eya koshayela emgwaqweni. Njengoba kuzwakala bebeka abanye ozakwethu bethi ezifundazweni zabo sekuzoba khona amabhayisekili, okuthiwa yizimbembeshwana ngesiZulu esikahle, ngoLwesibili lwesonto eledlule kwesethu isifundazwe besethula izimoto ezihamba ngebhethri. Leyo bethri iyavuselelwa ukuze zikwazi lezo zimoto ukuthi zelekelele abasemakhaya, abasebuswezini futhi abasingethwe ubuphofu, ukuze bakwazi ukucosha usizo.

Sihamba phambili KwaZulu-Natali njengoba leliya lungu like labeka nje, likhulume kahle. Inhloso yalokho ukusiza bonke abasemakhaya ababhukuda ebuswezini nasebuphofini. Ake ngilinganise ngokuthi: Lo ntanjana engiwugqokile unophawu loMnyango wezokuThutha waKwaZulu-Natali. Uma ngiluchaza lolu phawu ngizothi: lapha kuqale kwakhonjiswa umgwaqo omahhadla- hhadla, kweza itiyela kwase kuba yisondo. Lo mgwaqo omahhadla-hhadla umele ubuphofu, itiyela lisho intuthuko kanti isondo limele umnotho. Sithi siyathuthuka-ke, sihamba kanjalo.

Ake ngiyishintshe inkulumo yami ngithi … (Translation of Zulu paragraphs follows.)

[Mr M S MALAKOANA (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, I come from a province that is always excellent when it comes to issues of transport. Hon Minister Omar is witness to what I am saying, as he and his department are part of the Arrive Alive Campaign. This campaign was started in my province, KwaZulu- Natal. In Zulu the campaign is known as Asiphephe [let us be safe].

People are warned not to drive when they are drunk. This idea was started in KwaZulu-Natal. In Zulu we say a person must be thirsty once he is close to his home. He must not drink while he is still going to drive. My colleagues have mentioned that in their provinces they are going to have bicycles, ones that in Zulu we call motorbikes. Last Tuesday in KwaZulu- Natal we launched cars that use batteries. The battery is charged so that those cars could assist the rural people who are poor in getting some help.

We are number one in KwaZulu-Natal as that hon member has said. He spoke very well. The idea is to help people who are poor. Let me use an example, by saying that this tie that I am wearing bears the logo of the Department of Transport in KwaZulu-Natal. In explaining this sign, I can say: A gravel road is shown, upon which a tarred road is followed by a wheel. This gravel road stands for poverty. The tarred road stands for development and the wheel stands for the economy. We like to say this is the way that we are progressing.

Let me change my speech by saying …]

… one of the key phrases …

The CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES: Order! Hon member, I regret to inform you that you did not alert us about needing an interpretation service.

Mr M S MALAKOANA (KwaZulu-Natal): My apologies, Chairperson. Let me change. [Laughter.] [Interjections.]

One of the key phrases that the hon Minister of transport in KwaZulu-Natal, Minister Ndebele, uses is that: ``It is not the economy that builds roads, but roads that build the economy.’’ This is an important statement in the light of the challenges that the province of KwaZulu-Natal and the whole of South Africa faces in the implementation of economic growth strategies and integrated development. The central nervous system of a healthy economy is a well-developed road network.

The integrated development plan and the provincial growth strategy for KwaZulu-Natal and all other provinces, I would assume, will not be sustainable without a concerted effort to strategically address key deficiencies in the current configuration and development priorities of our road network.

One of these deficiencies is evidenced in the current condition of our rural road network. The legacy of underdevelopment in rural areas cannot be reversed if our spending priorities on building a healthy road network in previously neglected areas are not shifted towards addressing those concerns. Our children will continue to risk crossing dangerous overflowing rivers to gain access to schools or to write matric exams. Valuable learning time will continue being lost during rainy seasons as a result of overflowing rivers and unreliable transportation during this period. Access to areas of work and hubs of commercial activity, hospitals and service centres will continue to be difficult for sections of our rural communities in remote areas.

We have all seen how effective policing is hindered by the lack of properly developed community access roads. The implication of this is that the service delivery machinery of provincial and local governments will be rendered ineffective if key components of the road network are not adequately addressed.

The projects already under way in revitalising the economies of small towns and surrounding areas will require driving on a healthy road network system. This will, in turn, go a long way towards leveraging key investment potential in previously underdeveloped areas in the provinces. Improved funding of road infrastructure development projects is also required to consolidate economic benefits, such as poverty eradication and reducing high unemployment.

We have another challenge facing South Africa, which is the need to reduce fatalities on our roads. A comprehensive road safety engineering strategy has to articulate clear modalities of engagement, specifically the procedures for identifying road engineering priorities, methods for collating accident statistics, identifying accident hot spots, and preventive strategies through improved engineering. The deployment of financial resources has to address immediate engineering deficiencies in our road network, including community access roads.

Improved road safety engineering has to be coupled with road safety education campaigns to raise community consciousness and awareness about road safety. Arrive Alive nationally and Asiphephe in my province’s community outreach programmes need to consolidate the process of transferring the ownership of road safety responsibilities to communities themselves and to inculcate a culture of respect for road safety.

It is noteworthy that the KwaZulu-Natal department of transport has pioneered community-based campaigns in this regard. However, financial constraints might make it difficult to achieve the desired levels of coverage.

The maintenance of the public transport system in South Africa in general has to strike a delicate balance between promoting black empowerment through the taxi industry, and eradicating the criminal element, low safety standards and any other negative aspect associated with the industry. However, this process requires meaningful consultation with all the relevant stakeholders to reach consensus on strategies to turn the industry around into a vibrant engine for black economic empowerment and economic growth.

Insecure, unsafe, costly and inadequate passenger transport accounts for much of the misery experienced in South Africa today. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr D SILKE (Western Cape): Chairperson, it gives me great pleasure to enter this debate today, representing the Minister of transport in the Western Cape, Minister Piet Meyer. It think that we all agree in this House that transport is a critical function for our country. Without a properly maintained road and transportation infrastructure, this province, the Western Cape, or any other for that matter, as we have heard, will simply not be able to provide economic growth for its population. It is therefore amidst some financial relief for this department that I am particularly pleased to participate in this debate today.

However, the reality as to a lack of adequate funding to meet the backlog of infrastructure regarding our roads has been highlighted by a number of speakers this afternoon. I really want to add my voice to the chorus which in fact does exist today in this House. Just to give hon members some figures, particularly from the Western Cape province: In this province it should be noted that a sum of some R724 million would be needed to address the backlog for rehabilitation and construction of our roads, a further R184 million just for surfacing and resurfacing of our roads, and another R325 million just for gravel road upgrading in our province.

These figures are very substantive. It is a huge backlog. In fact, a previous speaker mentioned the fact that what we are getting in this particular budget does seem like a drop in the ocean, but that every drop help fill up the river. I think that is what he said. My view on this would be that much more needs to be done to address these backlogs we are staring in the face. Every year they are just getting more and more expensive to address, so the problem is being compounded.

We in the Western Cape have identified eight core strategies which will enable the transport branch of the department of economic affairs, agriculture and tourism to optimally contribute towards our provincial policy goals. These include - and I will spell them out in broad terms before I go on to some specifics - and providing a policy and legislative framework, providing, maintaining and managing a provincial road network that is of a sufficient standard to enable goods and passengers to be transported economically.

It also includes promoting the establishment of appropriate public transportation systems, an issue that I will delve into in a moment, improving the quality of service delivery and empowering the previously disadvantaged sector of the province. This we do though the promotion of what we call affirmable business enterprises. If I have enough time I will touch on that. We aim to improve road safety and road infrastructure protection measures, and develop financial resources and, of course, human resources as well.

In our province a comprehensive five year priority delivery programme has been developed in line with these core strategies, and each year a service delivery programme is prepared, scheduling key measurable objectives that have to be achieved to ensure that these provincial policy goals are met.

During December of last year, certain sections of the Western Cape Road Traffic Act of 1998 were brought into operation by the premier of this province, making it possible for this province to amend vehicle licence fees, and for municipalities to make or amend their parking regulations. During the coming year, the Western Cape will be putting forward its own draft transport legislation on planning and regulatory matters, and this will enable us to replace part of the National Land Transport Interim Arrangements Act, relating to provincial matters.

The restructuring of the provision of public transport in the metropolitan areas, as well as in the rural areas, of the Western Cape province is now an urgent necessity and a daunting challenge for all of us. It is essential if we want our metropole to grow and provide for all our people.

If we are to be a truly competitive player internationally, and are also to service the ever increasing transport needs of our people, one of the key problems we are faced with in this province - and, I think in others, because speakers have spoken of very strongly - is the poor state of our public transportation system.

It would be fair to say that we, in this country as a whole, have a hopelessly inadequate public transportation system. This applies across the board, to users in the poorer parts of our cities and, of course also those in wealthier suburbs, who, for a variety of reasons, also need public transport just as much as the poorer sectors of our communities.

We are all too well aware of the increasing traffic congestion on our roads as a result of inadequate public transport. Our trains remain unsafe, in part, and in need of a massive infrastructural overhaul. The problems in our taxi industry are well documented, although we too in the Western Cape note a distinct improvement in this regard. We also are aware, certainly in our province, of continued problems with our bus services, although these too have improved over the last year or so.

However, I do feel that unless we get to grips with the serious problem and provide a real public transportation system for our metropole, our roads are going to become completely gridlocked, and our population increasingly confined to their homes out of fear. It is therefore essential to manage a process that looks at the needs of all income groups in this regard.

With a growing demand for road space, access, mobility and commuter facilities, it is no longer possible to build our way out of the congestion in urban areas. I am referring now specifically to the metropole of Cape Town. Many hon members from upcountry will understand and experience this congestion that exists in this city on a daily basis. The real issue before us is to face the challenge of providing a viable alternative in the form of affordable and convenient public transport, supplementing the commuter rail system, which, of course, is still the mainframe of commuter transport in this particular metropolitan area.

Restructuring public transport encompasses the densification of development within transport corridors, the optimisation of modal economies and service mix to meet commuter needs, more stringent road space management, and the improvement in levels of public transport performance and productivity. I am very pleased to say that these particular issues have been understood by the Western Cape government in particular, and have resulted, within the transportation department of our particular province, in the establishment of a brand new unit which will manage forward the processes of institutional, legal and enforcement activities, the formalisation of the minibus taxi industry, rural public transport enhancement, tourism, special needs passenger services and learner transportation facilities, as well as alternative public transport options for our metropole and our province.

In pursuing these objectives, attention will be paid to bus contract management and transformation, quality of services rendered, and an appropriate training and empowerment focus.

It is the intention to embark on an effective communication and marketing campaign to bring this new initiative to the attention of transport users, stakeholders and role players in an ongoing manner to elicit their comments and involvement in developing a social charter for commuter transport services. While the provincial government has allocated a very substantial sum, certainly for us, given the backlogs that exist in our province, of about R60 million for this particular purpose in the current financial year, it remains the intention to boost the finances available by inviting into partnership the unicity of Cape Town and private commerce in order to make headway in meeting this challenge.

An appropriate alternative to car travel is being investigated along the urban N1 route, while formalisation of the minibus taxi and bus services must provide the quality services required to serve communities along the N2, which of course is more or less equally congested.

The N1 freeway, which I am sure many hon members use, is one of Cape Town’s main primary road connections to the hinterland of South Africa. Cape Town, unfortunately, suffers from the fact that we only have two major national roads flowing out of it, creating this congestion. During peak periods sections of the N1 operate under saturated conditions, where the slightest disturbance impacts on the traffic flow, resulting in increased delays and costly multiple-vehicle accidents.

I am therefore pleased to report that in October 2000 the transport branch commissioned a study to assess the transportation corridor’s operation as an integrated facility with the emphasis on co-ordinated public transport modes. This study is due for completion towards the end of 2001, and I will be pleased to report the findings at a later date.

I thus want to emphasise the point that we in the Western Cape see public transport as critical. It is not only critical in taking vehicles off the road, it is critical in terms of allowing better access for all the people of our province to enter the workforce, to come to their place of work and, to get home on time and in safety.

I do believe that we hopefully will be the pioneers of this particular project, but we call very sincerely on the Minister here before us to assist us where possible in developing a public transport initiative for the Western Cape province. I think it is part of a broader strategy that should be applied across South Africa. [Applause.]

Mr B J MKHALIPHI: Madam Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, I must say upfront that I am at ease in participating in this debate just because the hon the Minister and his liaison officer keep us updated about all the relevant information in the Minister’s portfolio.

The hon Dr Nel has passed some remarks concerning the insurance company Sasria. I think that this hon doctor is playing marbles in this House. [Interjections.] For his information, in the late 1970s when this insurance company came into being, I asked one of its managers what it was for. He told me the following in Afrikaans:”Dit is ‘n versekeringsmaatskappy om jou te beskerm teen die donnerse klipgooiers.’’ [“It is an insurance company to protect you against the bloody stone-throwers.’’] [Laughter]

Loosely translated, that means that it is an insurance company to insure one against stone throwers. Thus, to the hon doctor I say that this company is not a creation of this Government. He should know better about where it came from and how it came about. [Interjections.]

My friend here, the hon Mr Raju, also passed some remarks concerning some vehicles. To that hon colleague and friend of mine, I say that if he envies a 4X4 vehicle, he should buy himself just one. [Laughter.] If he cannot afford it at present he should save and then he will have one. He should not make any innuendos in this House. The innuendos do not belong here.

Section 24 of the Constitution calls upon us, as Government, to accord every citizen the right to an environment which is not harmful to the health or wellbeing of an individual. Besides complying with the said constitutional obligation, the provision of a sustainable network of safe and accessible roads and transport creates a climate conducive to social and economic activities. Unfortunately, fragmentation is still with us and is an enemy which still hampers the effective mobilisation of all human and material resources for development. Therefore we will have to revisit our integrated development plan so that they are incorporated into our Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy to encourage a common approach to infrastructural planning among the local and district municipalities and provincial and national governments. If such arrangements are then in place and are honoured to the letter, a situation will not arise in which some rural roads are disowned and neglected especially in the rural areas of Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.

The advantage of an integrated approach is that it includes a monitoring and assessment mechanism that involves civil society. This can, to some extent, address the problem of stray animals and defiant pedestrians on our roads. During the 1999-2000 financial year, Mpumalanga province could not embark on any noteworthy remarkable road repairs or resealing due to lack of funds, except of course those amounts that were allocated for addressing the flood damage.

In contrast, the private sector partner working on the N4 toll road continued its multibillion rand programme of upgrading the Maputo Development Corridor route. The N4 route accords motorists a comfortable carpet ride, at a price of course, which involves more accidents and more overloading, while the southern route, ie the N17 route to Swaziland, is an endless series of potholes which have become a potential deathtrap for motorists. This is so despite the fact that the Oshoek border post is the busiest of all posts in the country, judging by its annual turnover which has been unequalled by any other border revenue office in the country for the past three years. I am afraid, then, that the rate of casualities and victims of accidents on this route will equal that of Moloto Road in the western region of the province.

An ideal situation would be to see all the stakeholders sharing in striving for a common mission in the provision and maintenance of our roads, especially in the rural areas. We need to see the National Roads Agency, the Road Traffic Management Corporation and other agencies in this sector being visible and active so that we do not only hear about these agencies in annual reports. We welcome, however, the financial contribution by the Road Accident Fund to the activities of the Arrive Alive campaign. It is only correct and proactive that the proceeds of the fund are utilised for accident prevention rather than compensating only the injured road users.

A certain number of entrepreneurs in the province are looking to us in the hope that our budget will address their expectations. Among others, I can count the collieries and maize field industries of the Highveld, the forestry plantations of the Eastern Highveld, the tourist hub and citrus orchards of the Lowveld, the upcoming sugarcane farmers in the Nkomazi area and many others. All those people call upon our budget to enhance their economic environment by means of good roads. [Applause.]

Mr M A SULLIMAN: Comrade Chair, I rise in support of Budget Vote 32 on Transport. I also want to make use of this opportunity to congratulate the Minister on the efforts that he has made to upgrade the community rail safety system over a period of five years. However, we all know that R400 million will not be, perhaps, sufficient to deal with those particular matters. However, I think that if we utilise our resources properly, we will be able to make progress. I want to express our sincere appreciation for the support that we have received from the Minister of Transport and for the commitment that he has shown in his department to helping our province to deal with our transport needs. The Minister himself has on many occasions highlighted the important role of provinces in addressing the inequalities created by the previous regime, which relocated black people to townships far away from cities and other centres of economic life, facilities and amenities.

On the occasion of the previous policy review debate on transport last year, the Minister pointed to the important role of provinces in transport when he said (Hansard 2000, col 1080):

The task of provincial government in transport is creative implementation in co-operation with and in support of the many hundreds of metropolitan and local councils across the face of South Africa. They are at the sharp end of delivery every day …

Mrs A M VERSFELD: Gaan vra vir Transnet. [Go and ask Transnet.]

Mr M A SULLIMAN: Comrade Chair, I think that that hon member must shut up. [Interjections.]

In pursuance of the objectives of co-operative governance, a number of mechanisms have been established to co-ordinate national and provincial action around transport.

For example, in the area of road safety, the Road Traffic Safety Board, which comprises a number of key stakeholders in the transport industry, has been revitalised to create joint ownership of the road safety strategy.

Our provincial department, which is represented on this board through the MEC, has made good use of this opportunity to play a role in formulating a road safety strategy and to sensitise the national department on the problems we, as a province, experience in implementing road safety strategies in our province.

As a province we are aware that we will have to do with the amount allocated to our local transport department. This is because the legacy of apartheid, which was caused by that hon member’s previous government, has caused many departments to compete for a fairer share of the provincial budget to address the inequalities inherited from that hon member’s old government.

It is this reality which has forced the provincial department of transport to be innovative and to take initiative to creatively implement policies to maximally utilise the available funding for transport.

We are stretching each and every rand to ensure that transport services are delivered to our communities. However, in order for us to effectively utilise the funds available to the provincial transport department, it is essential that we do proper planning, because to deliver in the right way to the right constituencies requires a high degree of planning.

For this reason we have embarked on a process to assess the state of roads in our province, which has culminated in the strategic analysis of provincial roads in the Northern Cape report. The final report, which was presented in January this year, details the current status of provincial roads and bridges. It makes a sober assessment of the state of our paved and unpaved road network and bridges.

In terms of the report, the Northern Cape covers a third of the total area of South Africa and has a total road network of 27 592 kilometres that consists of 5 481 kilometres of paved road and 22 111 kilometres of unpaved road.

The overall paved road network condition has systematically deteriorated from 80% in 1992 to 70% in 1999, and to 65% in 2000. During the period 1999 to 2000 the proportion of very good roads decreased by 55%, while the proportion of fair roads increased by 11%. Furthermore, we have also witnessed a decrease from 30% in the proportion of roads with severe surface defects to 22% during 1999 to 2000.

Some of the other findings in the report indicate that the percentage of the paved road network length with severe defects will increase from 22% to 55% in five years if the current level of funding is maintained; that an annual budget of at least R155 million is required to maintain the current roads; that half of the paved road network length will be in a poor to very poor condition within the next five years; that the current backlog of the total road network is approximately 23%, that a five-tier annual budget of R155 million will keep the backlog at the current level for the next six years; and that the current budget level will result in a loss in asset value of R567 million by the year 2006.

The Northern Cape department of transport also started the implementation of a bridge management system in 1999. Currently, 507 bridges on our provincial network comply with bridge definitions. These bridges have a total deck area of 211 300 square metres and an estimated asset value of R640 million. During the financial year 1999-2000 approximately 260 of the 507 bridges were inspected. These were the bridges where major defects were noticed during a survey. It is also estimated that about R16,24 million will be required for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the 260 bridges.

I know that the above statistics paint a very gloomy picture of the road infrastructure in the Northern Cape province, but they also point out the challenges facing us. If we had not conducted this strategic analysis of our provincial roads, we would never have known the true extent of the state of the roads in the province. Not only has it given the national Department of Transport an opportunity to familiarise itself with the immense difficulties we face in the province, but it has also provided us with a platform from which we can identify priorities and improve planning around the provision of a safe and reliable transport system for the people in our Northern Cape province. [Applause.]

Ms J L KGOALI: Chairperson, it is unfortunate that some members have gone out. I wanted to respond to the member from the Western Cape and say that I think it is about time that provinces became self-supporting at times, and also that he should not quote the figures he was quoting as if the province was not available. There is a provincial government in the Western Cape, and they must do something to assist the hon the Minister.

To the member Raju I want to say that women are so capable that we can carry an elephant. [Interjections.] He need not worry. We have the right to our appointments as officers, so we can handle an elephant. [Interjections.]

I want to say to Dr Nel that there are words in African languages that cannot be interpreted in English.

Wa tseba, ka Sesotho ho thwe ho boholwa e mathang. [In Sesotho we say that we always flog the willing horse.] Unfortunately, there is no interpretation. I therefore want to say to the hon the Minister that he is on track. We support him and we always will. It would be an insult if I tried to interpret that in English.

As far as economic power is concerned, one would like to point out that, within the South African context, the level and mode of transport that is used by the majority of people often acts as an indication of where economic power is vested. Buses, taxis and trains in South Africa are used mainly by blacks who happen to be the poorest of the poor.

On the other hand, aeroplanes are used mainly by businesspeople, people who hold the economy of the country in their own hands, and they comprise mainly the white minority. It is for this reason that we opted for an integrated strategy approach to our transport needs. We have embarked on the development of the 20-year strategy in response to a number of factors. As a result of changes in the political context that have opened South Africa to the world, economic reality for South Africa has evolved dramatically in the past seven years. In the past seven years we have done a lot more than what could be done in 40 years. For the first time in decades, South Africa has been exposed to the forces of globalisation and, as a result, has become far more linked to patterns occurring in the larger global economy. This manifests itself in nearly every aspect of the economy, from currency valuation to transport technologies.

Globalisation encompasses, amongst others, two particular phenomena that are especially relevant to South Africa’s transport sector, given the role of transport as the key facilitator of international trade.

In addition to a massive reorientation of external trade patterns, the South African economy has been undergoing substantial internal changes as well. The economic policy emphasis has shifted to creating jobs through a vibrant service economy with a strong foundation and job growth provided by the manufacturing of exports.

The new economic vision for the country places high emphasis on the expected growth in tourism, another transport-intensive sector. The transport strategy developed under apartheid set out to connect dormitory townships with urban employment nodes, leaving noncommuters largely stranded. The integrated development strategy is being put in place to provide all passengers with access to safe and reliable transport options to enable them to choose from different options, depending on their specific needs.

With the rate of approval of new housing developments gathering momentum, as the national Department of Housing strives to meet its objectives for housing delivery, transport will be needed to link commuters with their work locations, the unemployed with employment opportunities, scholars with schools, shoppers with shopping districts, and traders with communities and with one another. In short, the transport system must facilitate a new and higher level of social integration than before, breaking down barriers of isolation amongst communities and making possible new opportunities for all people in the country.

The strategy outlines the categories of customers whose needs the transport system is failing to address. These customers are rural and urban customers and customers with special needs.

In most developing countries, the provision of rural roads is directly linked to the needs of rural residents to subsist and earn income through agriculture. The purpose of rural roads in this country is primarily, therefore, to enable residents to ship agricultural goods to markets.

In most of the world, a substantial rural community is based on agriculture. Due to the apartheid legacy, land tenure in rural South Africa is substantially different from other countries, with most of the productive land and agriculture concentrated in the hands of the white commercial farmers.

The urban transport system, or series of urban transport networks in cities across the country, is a product of the apartheid legacy. Distorted spatial planning formed the underpinning of the apartheid strategy for most aspects of society, so it is not surprising that urban and rural systems encounter this problem most profoundly.

As a result, the overriding task in urban areas is one of unwinding that legacy, more than almost anywhere else in the transport sector. The strategy is addressing the issue of the legacy, with its a powerful momentum based on the land-related fixed-assets decisions of generations. It is complex and difficult to correct.

The transport strategy was reorganised in 1999 from eight initial programmes to three. These previous programmes, namely the Civil Aviation Authority, shipping and roads and road traffic, were combined into the current regulation and safety programme. The previous land transport, research and development, and auxiliary and associated services were combined under the policy, strategy and safety programme.

What we want to say at this point in time is that we welcome the relatively higher percentage of increase to this department. We would like to say to the hon the Minister that he is on track. We are here to support him and to make sure that all provinces participate in ensuring that this department succeeds. The Minister will only succeed with the honesty that his department has shown. We would like to thank him and his director-general for their leadership. [Applause.]

The MINISTER OF TRANSPORT: Chairperson, hon members and delegates, I want to say that I have benefited a great deal from the discussion and the debate in this House. I want to thank all members who participated in these discussions.

I want to express a special word of thanks to MEC Malebo of the Free State, who came here. He sent me a note that he had to leave, and I was aware of the fact he had to go. His participation has enriched this debate.

I must say that the presence of the special delegates and the inputs which they have made have been of vital importance to give us a balanced view of what transport at different levels of our country has achieved and the challenges which face transport in the years ahead. I would like to say a special word of thanks to the special delegates for bringing the provincial insight into our discussions, because without those insights we would not have had this balanced understanding of what is happening.

As a result, I think, of their own inputs and our working together, we are able to say that there have been a number of achievements, of which all members, as they are coming from provinces, can be justly proud.

Can I say that transport’s function is essentially one in which there must be successful co-operative governance between national, provincial and local levels. What are the achievements? I think some members referred to them, and, if I may, I will just briefly run through them.

The first one is with regard to the taxi processes. I know that our people are waiting anxiously for the recapitalisation programme to be implemented. That process has been going forward steadily under the leadership of the Department of Trade and Industry, and, in due course, over the next few months, the winning bids will be announced. Our hope is that this will be done by the end of this year, but I do not want to make any promises in this regard.

But what is it that has held up this matter? One of the things that have held it up is that this industry has been characterised by division, conflict and violence. There is so much potential in the minibus taxi industry. It is the one area where massive all-round black economic empowerment can take place all over the country, not only making a few people rich, but for hundreds of thousands of people all over the country to participate, not only in the industry directly, but also in the related economic activities. What keeps us back is division, conflict and violence. That is why we have paid a great deal of attention to the process of bringing the industry together by ending the conflict and violence, democratising and moving towards a national conference which will elect a national leadership for the whole of the taxi industry in our country. For example, bodies such as the National Taxi Alliance and the SA Taxi Council had never got together before to talk about the economic problems of the industry. We brought them together, with the elected provincial councils, over the last few months. Now, even though there are differences amongst them, they are participating together in a planning committee for the holding of a national taxi conference.

I mention this because one cannot impose a recapitalisation programme on the industry. It has to be done in co-operation with the industry. At provincial level many processes are taking place, and at national level we are supporting them so as to ensure that, once there is a programme for recapitalisation in place, we are able to negotiate with the elected leadership so as to ensure that that process succeeds.

I can say that the industry itself is very excited about the developments. In fact, it has coined its own slogan for the national conference. I can say it emerged from the Eastern Cape: Walala, wasala. [Interjections.] You snooze, you lose.

What they are saying is that everybody must come on board. People should not be left behind, they are going to lose - walala, wasala. [Interjections.] I think it may be a good slogan for us here too, you know, because sometimes I notice people snoozing. [Interjections.]

The second achievement is in the rural development programme. I know I have dealt with it, but the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy has got off the ground. A great deal of planning has gone into it. About 13 or 14 nodal points have been identified in the different provinces. A profile has been prepared of every single nodal area. The departments that must make a contribution to the work that must be done in those nodal areas have been identified. So a considerable amount of work has been done.

Now the actions that we will be witnessing over the next year - I hope that when I come back next year, if I am still here, I will be able to report to hon members on the implementation of those particular measures - involve transport as well. They involve rural roads, for which there is a loud cry from everybody. These are, unfortunately, not one of the functional responsibilities of national Government, but, I think, our political responsibility. We all bear that responsibility and we are working together to ensure that that happens.

But to give hon members an example of what provinces can do, they should look at what KwaZulu-Natal has done. I asked KwaZulu-Natal just to identify the programmes they have got, but the KwaZulu-Natal delegate did not have the time to really deal with them. They have a local road upgrading programme on which they are spending R110 million. There is the Zibambele road maintenance programme, a wonderful poverty relief programme. An amount of R35 million has been set aside for this. A total of 10 000 job opportunities will be created in this programme.

There is an emerging contractor development programme, a wonderful programme involving many, many women as well. An amount of R200 million has been channelled to emerging contractors.

Then they have got the rural road transport forum, a marvellous idea encouraging community participation. A total of 50 rural road transportation forums have already been established across the province of KwaZulu-Natal so as to ensure that people own the processes of building these roads.

There is a labour-intensive road construction project. An amount of R10 million has been allocated for that. Then they have a project which is called the African Renaissance Road Upgrading Programme - seven major routes of strategic importance for kick-starting rural development.

Many of these excellent gravel roads that are emerging in KwaZulu-Natal are being built by local communities, and many of them are led by women. So it is a wonderful example, I think, that KwaZulu-Natal has set for us. But I say that it is one example.

In the Northern Province, for example, they are implementing this bicycle programme. Mobility in rural areas is a problem, and so nonmotorised transport in the Northern Province, Free State and some of the other provinces as well, has been implemented.

Another contribution which we do not often see is the development of intermodalism. For example, our delegates from the Western Cape will tell one that if one goes to Maitland or Mowbray today, one will see an example of intermodal co-operation, or intermodalism: a place for taxis, a place for buses and a train station as well. If one takes Mowbray, for example, they have a committee made up of the different representatives of these modes help to plan the functioning of this particular facility, and it works very well. In other parts of the country, such as the Park Station, one has the same sort of development taking place.

Fourthly, there has been planning for future transport. This, also, is not very tangible. This has taken place through the National Land Transport Transition Act. It takes into account that transport planning must take place at local level, and local authorities need to play a central role in that planning. So this Act makes provision for the setting up of transport authorities. The six metros we have in our country can all set up transport authorities. There is no compulsion, the local authorities can decide. Local authorities can get together to decide on broader planning. But a great challenge which faces us is transport planning, and to empower our local authorities throughout our country to get involved in that transport planning. That, too, is an achievement.

Many of the delegates and representatives have mentioned the successes achieved with regard to road safety. One can take the example of the Molopo road. Because of better law enforcement, and a better focus on identifying hazardous locations, there was no major accident on Molopo road. The N1 to Pietersburg, again in the Northern Province, has a wonderful record this year as a result of a greater focus there. Again, in the Eastern Cape, because of a better focus on hazardous locations there have been no serious accidents in the Kei Cuttings. There are others as well.

The next achievement has been overload control. The hon Raju mentioned that, and I am not going to go into details. There is more, of course, that needs to be done, but I think we have done a great deal in that regard.

At the level of national roads, the SA National Roads Agency has done extremely well with the Maputo Corridor development Corridor and the Lebombo project. Again it involves not only the empowerment of local communities, but also making sure that we have a road that is of world standard. The importance of the environment has not been forgotten. So one will see, in some parts of our country, development taking place.

There has been a focus this year on fishing vessels. I can say to hon members that when we attended a conference in Cape Town, the representatives of the International Labour Organisation indicated that it was the first conference of its kind in the world where they focused on small fisher folk and their safety. We were asked to organise a similar conference for SADC. We consulted the SADC countries and they have agreed that we should organise such a conference. The International Maritime Organisation and the ILO will participate and assist us in that as well. Because we are focusing on HIV/Aids, the ILO is also assisting us to set up the kind of conference that I have mentioned.

I did not mention the airports in my address, but I should indicate that our focus with regard to airports is that airport development must take into account the needs of provinces. In every province we have asked the representatives of the airports to meet with provincial governments so that airport development takes place in tandem with the development in the provinces. One has seen improvements at Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban airports, and we hope that the same is going to take place in the other provinces.

There is a large number of improvements that we can speak of. Of course, there is much more to be done. We have the problem of corruption in our system. I did say that we must speak openly about it because we have got to deal with it. We want to do our best and I want to appeal for co-operation at every level. Secondly, there must be better law enforcement. Our law enforcement is still not good enough. It has been better this year than it was before, but it is still not good enough.

Thirdly, we must address the transport needs of our people. Despite all the achievements, I think if we ask people on the ground, Do you see an improvement in the transport system?'' Many of them are going to say- no. Many of them are going to say;You must still address those needs.’’ So we must continue to focus on that.

As all hon members and special delegates pointed out, the question of infrastructure development and roads needs to be attended to. The issue of border posts has been mentioned. We went to Cabinet recently and obtained approval for improving the roads which lead to all the land border posts in our country. We will see an improvement there. In consultation with the provinces we are asking the roads agency to address that as well.

I am concluding. A number of specific issues were raised, and I want to give hon members the assurance that I will address them. What I did last year and the year before was to note the issues which were raised by hon members, and I tried to respond to them in writing and I am going to do that again this year, so that they have our responses.

I want to tell hon members that I think we have got big challenges lying ahead. It is a very, very exciting endeavour or project in which we are all engaged, but there are big challenges which lie ahead. Amongst them are shifting from road to rail and from private to public transport as much as possible, transforming the taxi industry, making sure that people who were previously excluded are able to enter the bus industry and extending the train services in our country.

I think all of us agree that we have serious budgetary problems. I am very grateful for the fact that hon members have spoken out about the issue of budgetary allocations. I do believe that we are underfunded and that we need more money to achieve more speedily those objectives to which I have referred.

In conclusion, I thank the House. Allow me to thank my director-general, who is here, and all his officials. Personally, I think they have done a good job, and I am very pleased to hear that they interact with the House whenever the need arises. Together with the taxi industry, maybe we will all say: Walala … [You snooze …]

[HON MEMBERS] … wasala! [Kwaqhwatywa.] … you lose! [Applause.]]

Debate concluded.

                       HOUSING AMENDMENT BILL

            (Consideration of Bill and of Report thereon)

Ms P C P MAJODINA: Madam Chair, I do not want to waste any more time, because people have been waiting for our cocktail party. [Interjections.]

This amending Bill is technical in nature. We have inserted on page 15 of Bill 7B in line 3, after law'', the wordsother than creditors in respect of credits-linked subsidies’’. This will also give protection to financial institutions so that they are not scared to lend to low-income borrowers.

This new amendment therefore does not seek to tamper with the rest of the contents of the Bill, which provides for the abolition of the SA Housing Development Board and provincial housing development boards and sets out to establish advisory panels, to make the National Housing Code binding on all spheres of government and to provide for the regulation of the sale of state-funded housing. [Applause.]

Debate concluded.

Bill agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.

The Council adjourned at 17:45.

                             __________

            ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS

                        WEDNESDAY, 9 MAY 2001

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson:

 (1)    The Minister of Foreign Affairs on 24 April 2001 submitted the
     Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Amendment Bill, 2001 as well
     as the memorandum explaining the objects of the proposed
     legislation, to the Speaker and the Chairperson in terms of Joint
     Rule 159. The draft has been referred to the Portfolio Committee
     on Foreign Affairs and the Select Committee on Economic Affairs by
     the Speaker and the Chairperson, respectively, in accordance with
     Joint Rule 159(2).


 (2)    The Minister of Health on 2 May 2001 submitted the National
     Health Laboratory Service Amendment Bill, 2001 as well as the
     memorandum explaining the objects of the proposed legislation, to
     the Speaker and the Chairperson in terms of Joint Rule 159. The
     draft has been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Health and
     the Select Committee on Social Services by the Speaker and the
     Chairperson, respectively, in accordance with Joint Rule 159(2).

TABLINGS:

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:

Papers:

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson:

 Reports of the Auditor-General on the -


 (a)    Financial Statements of National Cultural History Museum for
     1998-99 [RP 8-2001];


 (b)    Financial Statements of the National Arts Council for South
     Africa for 1999-2000 [RP 35-2001}

1. The Minister of Minerals and Energy:

 Report and Financial Statements of the Council for Nuclear Safety for
 1999-2000, including the Report of the Auditor-General on the Financial
 Statements for 1999-2000.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

National Council of Provinces:

1. Report of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation on the South African Sports Commission Amendment Bill [B 2B - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 75), dated 9 May 2001:

   The Select Committee on Education and Recreation, having considered the subject of the South African Sports Commission Amendment Bill [B 2B - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 75), referred to it, reports that it has agreed to the Bill.

2. Report of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation on the South African Boxing Bill [B 13B - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 75), dated 9 May 2001:

   The Select Committee on Education and Recreation, having considered the subject of the South African Boxing Bill [B 13B - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 75), referred to it, reports the Bill with proposed amendments, as follows:

                           CLAUSE 15
   

   1. On page 9, in line 25, to omit “five” and to substitute “two”.

                        CLAUSE 32
      

   2. On page 13, in line 25, after “Act” to insert “, other than in criminal proceedings”.

                  THURSDAY, 10 MAY 2001
      

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson:

 (1)    The following Bill was introduced by the Minister of Finance in
     the National Assembly on 10 May 2001 and referred to the Joint
     Tagging Mechanism (JTM) for classification in terms of Joint Rule
     160:


     (i)     Financial Institutions (Protection of Funds) Bill [B 23 -
          2001] (National Assembly - sec 75) [Bill and prior notice of
          its introduction published in Government Gazette No 22215 of
          10 May 2001.]


     The Bill has also been referred to the Portfolio Committee on
     Finance of the National Assembly. TABLINGS:

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:

Papers:

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson:

 Reports of the Auditor-General on the -


 (a)    Financial Statements of the National Zoological Gardens of South
     Africa for 1999-2000 [RP 32-2001];


 (b)    Financial Statements of the Reinsurance Fund for Export Credit
     and Foreign Investments for 1998-99 [RP 183-2000].

1. The Minister of Public Works:

 (1)    Memorandum by the Minister of Public Works setting out
     particulars of the Building Programme for 2001-2002 in respect of
     Programme 2: Provision of Land and Accommodation of Vote 30 of the
     State Account [RP 63-2001].
 (2)    Progress Report of the Department of Public Works for 2000-2001.

                         FRIDAY, 11 MAY 2001

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

National Council of Provinces:

1. The Chairperson:

 Message from National Assembly to National Council of Provinces:


 Bill passed by National Assembly on 11 May 2001 and transmitted for
 concurrence:


 (i)    Correctional Services Amendment Bill [B 8B - 2001] (National
     Assembly - sec 75).


     The Bill has been referred to the Select Committee on Security and
     Constitutional Affairs of the National Council of Provinces. TABLINGS:

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:

Papers:

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson:

 Reports of the Auditor-General on the -


 (a)    Financial Statements of the National Agricultural Marketing
     Council for 1998-99 [RP 36-2001];


 (b)    Annual Financial Statements of the Land Bank of South Africa for
     1999 [RP 24-2001].

1. The Minister of Home Affairs:

 Report of the Department of Home Affairs for 2000 [RP 39-2001].

1. The Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry:

 Report and Financial Statements of the Water Research Commission for
 1999-2000, including the Report of the Auditor-General on the Financial
 Statements for 1999.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:

1. Report of the Joint Committee on Taxation Laws Amendment Bill on the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill [B 17 - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 77), dated 11 May 2001:

   The Joint Committee on Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, having considered the subject of the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill [B 17 - 2001] (National Assembly - sec 77), referred to it and classified by the Joint Tagging Mechanism as a Money Bill, reports that it has concluded its deliberations thereon.

National Council of Provinces:

1. Report of the Select Committee on Public Services on the Housing Amendment Bill [B 7D - 2001] (National Council of Provinces - sec 76), dated 10 May 2001:

   The Select Committee on Public Services, having considered the Housing Amendment Bill [B 7D - 2001] (National Council of Provinces - sec 76), amended by the National Assembly and referred to the Committee, reports that it has agreed to the Bill.

                      MONDAY, 14 MAY 2001
   

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson:

 The following papers have been tabled and are now referred to the
 relevant committees as mentioned below:


 (1)    The following papers are referred to the Portfolio Committee on
     Justice and Constitutional Development and to the Select Committee
     on Security and Constitutional Affairs:


     (a)     Report of the Judicial Service Commission for 1999-2000
          [RP 20-2001].


     (b)     Proclamation No R.17 published in the Government Gazette
          No 22067 dated 16 February 2001, Commencement of the Protected
          Disclosure Act, 2000 (Act No 26 of 2000) made in terms of
          section 11 of the Protected Disclosure Act, 2000 (Act No 26 of
          2000).


     (c)     Proclamation No R.21 published in the Government Gazette
          No 22159 dated 23 March 2001, Commencement of the Judicial
          Matters Amendment Act, 2000 (Act No 62 of 2000), made in terms
          of section 38 of the Judicial Matters Amendment Act, 2000 (Act
          No 62 of 2000).


     (d)     Proclamation No R.20 published in the Government Gazette
          No 22125 dated 9 March 2001, Commencement of the Promotion of
          Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act No 2 of 2000), made in
          terms of section 93 of the Promotion of Access to Information
          Act, 2000 (Act No 2 of 2000).

National Council of Provinces:

1. The Chairperson:

(1)     The following changes have been made to the membership of
    Select Committees, viz:


 Economic Affairs:


 Appointed: Nogumla, R Z; Theron, J L (Alt).


 Education and Recreation:


 Appointed: Kgoale, J L; Mahlangu, Q D; Nogumla, R Z.
 Discharged: Jacobus, L.


 Finance:


 Appointed: Conroy, E A (Alt); Sogoni, H T.


 Labour and Public Enterprises:


 Appointed: Moosa, M V; Theron, J L.
 Discharged: Mahlangu, Q D.


 Land and Environmental Affairs:


 Appointed: Jacobus, L (Alt); Nogumla, R Z.


 Local Government and Administration:


 Appointed: Conroy, E A; Kgoale, J L (Alt).


 Members' and Provincial Legislative Proposals:


 Appointed: Kgoale, J L; Nogumla, R Z.


 Public Services:


 Appointed: Kgoale, J L.
 Discharged: Sogoni, H T.


 Security and Constitutional Affairs:


 Appointed: Moosa, M V (Alt).

1. The Chairperson:

The following papers have been tabled and are now referred to the
 relevant committees as mentioned below:


 (1)    The following paper is referred to the Select Committee on
     Economic Affairs for consideration and report:


     (a)     Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United
          Nations, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations
          on 13 February 1946, tabled in terms of section 231(2) of the
          Constitution, 1996.


     (b)     Explanatory Memorandum to the Convention.


     (c)     Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the
          Specialised Agencies, approved by the General Assembly of the
          United Nations on 21 November 1947, tabled in terms of section
          231(2) of the Constitution, 1996.
     (d)     Explanatory Memorandum to the Convention.


     (e)     Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the
          International Atomic Energy Agency, tabled in terms of section
          231(2) of the Constitution, 1996.


     (f)     Explanatory Memorandum to the Agreement.


 (2)    The following papers are referred to the Select Committee on
     Public Services:


     (a)     Memorandum by the Minister of Public Works setting out
          particulars of the Building Programme for 2001-2002 in respect
          of Programme 2: Provision of Land and Accommodation of Vote No
          30 of the State Account [RP 63-2001].


     (b)     Progress Report of the Department of Public Works for 2000-
          2001.


 (3)    The following paper is referred to the Select Committee on
     Economic Affairs:


     Report and Financial Statements of the Council for Nuclear Safety
     for 1999-2000, including the Report of the Auditor-General on the
     Financial Statements for 1999-2000.

                        TUESDAY, 15 MAY 2001

TABLINGS:

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces:

Papers:

1. The Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs:

 Report of the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights for 2000-2001
 [RP 59-2001].