Questions and Replies

Reply:

Furnish (a) list and (b) full description of all events planned by her department to take place before 29 May 2024 in celebration of the 30 years of democracy in the Republic

The Ministry of Transport has a calendar of events that are scheduled to take place throughout the year 2024, in celebration of the 30 years of democracy in the Republic. The events covers the main modes of transport that are under the Ministry, namely Road, Rail, Public Transport, Aviation, Maritime and Integrated Transport Planning.

The October Transport Month Campaign, a flagship project of the Department will also be used to highlight the achievements and successes in the transport sector since the dawn of democracy.

The scheduled events are championed by the relevant Branches and line function in collaboration with provincial departments and municipalities, key stakeholders and communities and are subject to the necessary preparations being in place.

The Ministry will support other Departments in accordance with various government thematic months in celebration of the 30 years of democracy.

The list of events will cover

• Road safety campaign
• Road infrastructure
• Rail infrastructure
• Integrated Public Transport network
• Truck drivers safely and wellness
• Round table on ship register
• Skills training and development on transport
• Airports infrastructure

 

(i) projected total cost or expenditure of each event and (ii) breakdown thereof in terms of expenditure for (aa) catering, (bb) entertainment, (cc) venue hire, (dd) transport and (ee) accommodation;

The size and magnitude of an event is largely determined by the (a) nature of the event itself such as (a) how many guests are invited or expected to attend (b) the venue for the event, the type of event - and other logistical considerations which have a bearing on the total cost or expenditure.

Such an event will also require logistical preparations and considerations for support personnel in the form of travelling, accommodation and catering.

The financial considerations and implications therefore will vary from one event to the other and will be costed when all the details are confirmed.

 

Reply:

As the Honourable Member may be aware, my Department has already initiated a process to enter into Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Discovery Health Insurance Company that is already in partnership with Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA). Several meetings have already been convened with JRA and Discovery Health to determine the areas of collaboration and role clarification including skills development and job creation. Engagements are still ongoing with the South African Insurance Association to adopt a national integrated approach in partnership with the entire insurance sector with the view to align Government initiative with the broader skill development initiative. The PPP initiative will contribute significantly in addressing the high number of unemployment especially amongst the youth.

In addition to the above, the initiative will enable private companies to make donations towards the maintenance and upkeep of roads through their Corporate Social Responsibility and claim for BEE Scorecards and obtain Tax deduction for such donation in terms of section 18A of SARS.

Reply:

1. (a) The Vala Zonke Public Pothole Reporting APP was launched on 8 August 22, and to date we have had 21 341 downloads of the APP.

(b) (i) The Public has reported 46 693 potholes to date using the public APP

(b) (ii) Of the Public reported potholes a total of 7842 has been reported as closed to Vala Zonke War Room. This number excludes the blacktop patching numbers currently received from authorities. Indications are that this number is higher as not all Authorities are reporting back to the Vala Zonke War Room on actual repaired potholes or in the correct format to reconcile public potholes repaired. The War Room is trying to establish a mechanism to reconcile blacktop patching with potholes repaired.

2. (a) Various best practices national guidelines has been developed regarding road asset management and published under the auspices of the committee of transport Officials (COTO) as Technical Recommendations or Methods to be utlised by all spheres of Government.

b) (i) Various training initiatives using the above national guidelines are undertaken by the various spheres of Government and Service providers as and when new employees or sub-contractors are onboarded.

(b) (ii) SANRAL is in a process of entering in an MOU with the CETA. In terms of this MOU the CETA will provide the requisite accredited training to the supervisors and labour from the roads authorities engaged in the repair of potholes. A second aspect is the training of SMME’s and their teams in accredited training in the repair of potholes and in the management, operation of these small construction entities.

The CETA has developed accredited training courses specifically for the repair of potholes.

3. The role of the Vala Zonke War Room is not to actually perform the pothole repairs, these repairs are still performed by the responsible Road Authority for the section of road in their respective road networks as per provisions of the Constitution. The Vala Zonke War Room provides central oversight, reporting and monitoring on repair of potholes by the responsible road authority, establish reasons into the delay in repairing potholes by responsible road authorities and identify common reasons in delays that needs to be escalated to be unblocked at appropriate Authorithy level. The War Room also provides training on the use of the APP’s to the respective Road authority officials and the use of the central electronic database – Integrated Transportation Information System (ITIS).

Reply:

Make	Model	Year Manufacture	Cost	Purchase Date	Official
(a)	(b)	(c)	(d)	(e)
BMW	5 Series Sedan	2022	R 748 624.04	27/01/2022	Previous Minister

No other vehicles were procured during this period for the previous Minister, the current Deputy Minister or the previous Deputy Minister

Reply:

(1) The PRASA total asset values over the last 5 years are as follows:

• 2023 – R81,138,987,000
• 2022 – R81,761,207,000
• 2021 – R76,985,291,000
• 2020 – R80,904,701,000
• 2019 – R75,883,857,000

(2) Assets written off due to theft and vandalism amounts to R2,049,947,000 and assets impaired due to theft and vandalism amounts to R5,590,966,000.

Reply:

The provision of public transport is guided by transport plans, which are developed and implemented by municipalities as planning authorities and not national. These transport plans are used to design the most efficient public transport mode for an area or within a network in order to provide an efficient service to commuters.

Reply:

As the Honourable member may be aware, road and Transport is a concurrent function performed by all spheres of Government meaning that the province is responsible for Provincial road whereas the municipality looks after the municipal roads in terms of Section 4(a) of the constitution.

1. It is on this basis that Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is responsible for the maintenance of traffic light on the provincial road R25.

2. A large number of Traffic Signals within the Ekurhuleni Metro are not functioning due to theft and vandalism. This means that the Department has to secure a budget to replace the damaged infrastructure and upscale the Regional Technical teams’ capacity to provide road maintenance.

The Department is currently working on securing a budget for restoration of traffic signals along the R 25 and other affected regions within Gauteng Province. Following the 2024/25 budgeting cycle, the Department plans to commence with restoration works in April 2024, with priority being given to R25 road.

3. The Minister of Transport has no plans to pronounce or make a public statement on this matter as outlined on paragraph (i) in terms of the constitution of the Republic.

Reply:

Public transport is defined by the Department of Transport as road-based public transport (buses, minibus taxis, taxis and e-hailing services). The Department of Transport monitors and evaluates public transport. The Province and Municipalities implement public transport systems.

The universal accessibility of these public transport systems is covered in the 2021 White Paper on National Transport Policy; the 2007 Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan; the Implementation Strategy to Guide the Accessibility of Public Transport Systems in South Africa, the National Land Transport Act and the Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG).

In rural areas 2016 Rural Public Transport Strategy, requires universal accessibility to services. There is a programme for learners with disabilities in the 2015 National Scholar Transport Policy.

The bus standard, 10370, which has been a national compulsory standard since 2009 in IPTN cities, includes access for wheelchair users. It is due to be revised next year, and will apply to all other areas of the country after that. In addition, the Department has developed minimum requirements for pedestrian crossings in 2017.

Reply:

 

1. As the Minister of Transport, I am fully aware of the collaboration between Discovery, Avis South Africa and Edu Wize on Discovery Pothole Patrol academy that is accredited by the Insurance Sector Education and Training Authority (INSETA) to offer a 12-month practical skills training programme on NQF Level 3 qualification that kicked off on 1 February 2024.

2. Considering the rapid decline in the condition of South Africa’s roads and the lack of resources and technical capacity to fix potholes, My Department welcome the Pothole Patrol Academy`s initiative to provide on the job practical training in road Construction and Maintenance with the aim to improve the general condition of roads. My Department is engaging with various stakeholders and private sector for involvement and collaboration in addressing the bad condition of roads in the country of which Discovery, Avis South Africa and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) are already in partnership. Furthermore, My Department support any initiative to create jobs for youth while fixing potholes.

Reply:

The Department has collaborated and supported the Eastern Cape province in dealing with this matter. It should be stated that in terms of section 85 of the National Land Transport Act No 5 of 2009, the MEC is the enforcement authority responsible for land transport law enforcement and he intended to issue a notice indicating the intention to invoke section 91 of the Act, which includes closing down the affected taxi ranks. Ordinarily, the role of dealing with violence and ensuring safety within the taxi industry is for SAPS and other law enforcement agencies and the Department is always in support of those endeavours. As a result, the Department availed itself and participated in a high-level meeting called by the Minister of Police on 25 January 2024 to explore a number of possible interventions to address this matter. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Police, Minister of Transport, Premier of the Eastern Cape, MEC for Transport Eastern Cape, amongst others. The meeting resolved that SAPS and DOT should investigate and identify police officers who are taxi operators and submit names to DOT for verification. It was further resolved that law enforcement must ensure that all illegal operators in the area are dealt with in terms of the law.

Reply:

AIRPORTS COMPANY SOUTH AFRICA (ACSA)

ACSA is actively implementing transformative measures aligned with the strategic direction of diversifying revenue streams and bolster control over airport operations.

These interventions are strategically crafted to improve safety, security, and overall operational efficiency, reducing reliance on outsourcing while reinforcing the user-pay principle. Over the Corporate Plan window stretching to a 3-year period, these initiatives are poised to reshape the Company's operating landscape, fostering equitable partnerships, and driving inclusive growth.

One key intervention involves the rationalisation and reconfiguration of the fuel supply business and operating model. This aims to mitigate risks associated with disruptions and enhance control, ensuring universal access to fuel for all airport users. The strategy also includes aligning charges with the economic value derived from fuel infrastructure, fostering fairness, and mutual benefit.

On ground handling, the Company has initiated phase one of its planned interventions, providing incumbents with five years licence to operate across its airport platforms and grant self-handling permits to local airline operators. The subsequent phase will entail a transition to insourcing, with continuous monitoring of market conditions and performance alignment with the Company’s efficiency metrics.

While asset monetisation was prioritised during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic for fundraising, it has been deprioritised in the upcoming Corporate Plan window. The Company now shifts focus to strategies that enhance operational control, revenue, and overall sustainability.

Efforts in coordinating for implementation of aerotropolis and airport cities development is aimed to position ACSA's airports as nuclei for attracting investment. Strengthened collaboration with Metropolitan and local governments and key partners, leveraging special economic zones at airport locations, and integrating these zones into long-term planning and this is anticipated to facilitate the implementation of aerotropolis and airport cities.

In response to audit findings, significant actions have been undertaken to address key areas of concern. This includes investment property valuation, where ACSA reviewed the methodology and assumptions to be consistent with the industry norms and IFRS. Subsequently, a valuation process was initiated with focus on accurate assessment through valid leases.

Additionally, ACSA is working to conclude matters relating to deferred tax liability by end of the current financial year, and detailed analysis of the tax asset register is underway for closeout of the matter. Also, the adjustments made to financial statements reflecting reduction in cash and cash equivalents were completed before finalization of FY2022/23 Annual Financial Statements.

ACSA also closed on the finding relating to determination of VAT apportionment with voluntary disclosure and payment to SARS in February 2024 and is awaiting further feedback from SARS.

To enhance controls and reconciliation deficiencies in the parking system, the company has addressed the challenges with assistance from insurers and implementation of an automated solution which was completed by end of September 2023.

ACSA’s irregular expenditure register has 283 items with a cumulative amount of R 251 784 561. The company’s Loss Control Function has removed R 10 975 691 based on incorrectly classification of irregular expenditure and has submitted matters worth R 57 647 379 to the National Treasury for condonation. ACSA has prioritised items already under determination and those exceeding R 1 million, which constitute 77% of the total amount. The entity is expediting the enhancement of key functions to accelerate the resolution of identified irregularities.

ACSA has also addressed matters relating to IT Access Control and Third Party Management and it is going through internal approval process. This includes capacitation of the company’s Information Technology division to implement cyber security controls, implement secure settings on systems and enforce compliance with policies.

In the current financial year, the company has prioritized and the process of resourcing and strengthening the Supply Chain Management (SCM) function to effectively support the operationalization of Innovate, Grow, and Sustain strategy over the next five years. This is expected to be completed by the end of first quarter of financial year 2024/25.

This plays a pivotal role in significantly reducing irregularities and project delays while simultaneously fostering the development of small businesses, enhancing local capacity, and promoting industrialization. The optimization of the ACSA’s supply chain processes is expected to contribute significantly to the overall capex execution pace and broader socio-economic objectives for both ACSA and South Africa.

ACSA has developed the Anti-Corruption Management Plan (ACMP) with an aim of complying with the PFMA and Treasury Regulations obligation of ensuring that the Accounting Authority implements controls that ensure that fraud and corruption risk assessment is conducted regularly to identify emerging fraud and corruption risks. A risk management strategy which includes an Anti-Corruption Management Plan is used to direct Compliance and Ethics effort and priority, and to determine the skills required of managers and staff to improve controls and to manage these risks. The risk management strategy is clearly communicated to all officials to ensure that it is incorporated throughout the business of ACSA.

The company continues to encourage managers to identify and address internal control weaknesses, and regular training is conducted as a mitigation strategy.

ACSA has developed procedures and processes to deal with liability and recovery of losses or damages suffered as a result of a fraudulent or corrupt acts committed by an employee or non-employee and they continue to be implemented. Where necessary, criminal prosecution has been instituted against those found to have breached the policies in line with the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, 2004 (Act No. 12 of 2004).

3.2 SOUTH AFRICAN MARITIME SAFETY AUTHORITY (SAMSA)

SAMSA has put together a Corporate Performance Improvement / Mitigation Plan to address the issue of non-performance. The following key elements have been put in place to ensure the turnaround of corporate performance.

SAMSA has developed a Corporate Performance Improvement / Mitigation Plan which the SAMSA Executive management will monitor and report on, on a monthly basis.

The SAMSA Risk Committee has been tasked on behalf of the Board to check the progress of the Corporate Performance Improvement / Mitigation Plan. To ensure that risk is managed, the recruitment process to appoint a Senior Manager: Risk is at an advanced stage.

An audit finding tracking register is kept and updated with the status of the implementation of the AGSA’s recommendations. In terms of the SCM related findings, an SCM compliance specialist has been appointed, and internal controls are being strengthened. A Senior Manager: SCM was also recently appointed, which will improve the efficiency of the SCM department.

With regards to going concern, the entity had implemented robust cost containment measures during the past 3 years, which has resulted in cost savings against budget, and has reduced the risk of the entity not being able to continue as a going concern. The Board is in the process of addressing the financial challenges facing SAMSA.

SAMSA has also reviewed its Corporate Strategy and Annual Performance Plan (Key Performance Indicators) for the next financial period to ensure that all the important key priorities are captured and aligned with the capacity in resources, within SAMSA controls and the new 2025-29 Medium Term Strategy Framework.

SAMSA is in the process of filling all critical and senior management vacant positions. The CFO is starting on the 1st of April 2024 and the CEO recruitment process is at an advanced stage, all critical (technical and senior management) positions have been advertised or in the process of being advertised to ensure that SAMSA is better resourced to deal with corporate performance.

3.3 ROAD TRAFIC INFRINGEMENT AGENCY (RTIA)

The Agency has conducted an audit review with AGSA in November 2023;

An audit action plan was developed and is being implemented with the view to address the root causes of underperformance;

An interim audit is being conducted by AGSA on qualified items (AARTO Assets and Liabilities);

The automation of the environment, including synchronizing Finance, HR and SCM processes to avoid fruitless and wasteful expenditure, as well as irregular expenditure;

The organisational structure has been reviewed in order to capacitate the Agency with appropriate skills;

Policies and standard operating procedures have been reviewed in order to strengthen control measures across the organisation; and

To address the going concern, the Agency has established new payment channels, reviewed the funding model, implemented the alternative revenue sources, and has intensified efforts for revenue collection.

3.4 ROAD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COOPERATION (RTMC)

The Road Traffic Management Corporation continuously strives to improve its performance, for the year under review we strive to attain 100% of our set objectives which will be an improvement from the 95% APP attainment for the past two (2) financial years.

The Corporation remains a going concern and the AGSA has not raised any concerns regarding this matter. Management reports the entity’s financial position to the Board through its Sub-Committees.

The Corporation monitors the implementation of not only AGSA findings but those of Internal Audit as well. Management tables quarterly reports to apprise those charged with governance i.e Audit and Risk Committee and the Board on progress made in addressing internal control deficiencies.

3.5 ROAD ACCIDENT FUND (RAF)

The Road Accident Fund has indeed improved on its operational performance and financial resilience since the implementation of the 2020-25 strategic plan. During the 2019/20 financial year, the RAF had to contend with the fact that administrative costs had shot up to R17 billion, with just over R10 billion spent on legal costs. The short-term liability had increased to R16.2 billion and was projected to peak at R52 billion for the period ending 31 March 2023 if no change was affected.

As reported in the RAF 2022/23 annual report, the RAF not only improved its performance on predetermined objectives to 91%, but it also saw the reduction in its short-term liability to R9.3 billion. In addition, the RAF managed to achieve its target of 75% reduction in legal costs by 2025. In this regard, just over R20 billion in legal costs have been saved since the implementation of the strategy.

Notwithstanding these improvements, significant risks to the sustainability of RAF remain. The RAF has not received a fuel levy adjustment for three consecutive financial years. And with the further extension of diesel rebates to more industries and increase in electric vehicles, it presents risks to the future revenue outlook.

It is therefore critical that the RAF legislative amendments are finalised and signed into law if these improvements are to be sustained. Key to the legislative amendments is the payment in annuities and refining the benefits offered.

3.6 THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL RAOD AGENCY LIMITED (SANRAL)

SANRAL’s going concern is linked with the e-toll resolution. There were cash injections from National Treasury to assist with settling bonds when they become due. SANRAL will be able to settle the 07 December 2024 bond of about R5,6 billion. AGSA continues to raise the issue of going concern until such time the e-toll is resolved.

The entity has introduced an audit response plan (which management prepares stating how the AGSA findings will be addressed) and audit war room. The audit war room deals with all aspects of audits – The evidence and plans for addressing AGSA and Internal Audit findings is reviewed by the audit war room (Manned by independent audit firm) to ensure that the evidence shows appropriate corrective actions have been implemented.

3.7 PASSENGER RAIL AGENCY OF SOUTH AFRICA (PRASA)

 

PRASA has a comprehensive multiyear audit action plan that details how it will deal with the aspects that have been raised by the Auditor General. The first year of this action plan has seen PRASA move from a disclaimer to a qualified opinion during the 2022/23 financial year. PRASA is making further steps in line with its plan to address issues highlighted by the AG and expects to see further improvements in the 2023/24 audit.

The following entities received a clean audit for 2022/23 financial year:

3.8 RAILWAY SAFETY REGULATOR

3.9 SOUTH AFRICAN CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (SACAA)

3.10 PORTS REGULATOR OF SOUTH AFRICA (PRSA)

3.11 CROSS-BOARDER ROAD TRANSPORT AGENCY (C-BRTA)

Reply:

(a) On 23 March 2022, Cabinet approved this White Paper on National Rail Policy, which takes a holistic view of the trajectory of the development of our rail system. This Policy not only creates policy certainty but also introduces radical structural reforms in the sector. This is intended to open up space for private sector investment and effective economic regulation that enables equitable access to both the primary and secondary network. The National Rail Policy intends to place rail on a sound footing to play a meaningful role as a backbone of a seamlessly integrated transport value chain able to make a meaningful contribution to the economy.

In March 2023 President Cyril Ramaphosa directed Transnet to implement reforms swiftly and completely to turn around the crisis in South Africa’s logistics system. This followed the President’s announcement in the 2023 State of the Nation Address that Government would develop a Freight Logistics Roadmap that would translate policy commitments into reality, including the restructuring of Transnet Freight Rail to create a separate infrastructure manager and the implementation of an open access regime for the freight rail network.

The Department of Transport was one of the lead Departments in spearheading the development of the Freight Logistics Roadmap (Roadmap) which was approved by Cabinet in December 2023. The Roadmap outlines a range of actions required to restore the efficiency and competitiveness of key industry supply chains, as well as ports and rail more generally. It is also a fundamental guiding document for Transnet, which articulates both the challenges to be solved in the freight logistics system and the role and positioning of Transnet within this system as it goes through various stages of reform. The size and complexity of the freight logistics system means that the causes of poor performance are varied and intersecting. The aim of this roadmap is therefore to set out an evidence-based, implementable and achievable path for reform of South Africa’s logistics system in a manner that effectively addresses these challenges, and thus enables economic growth and transformation.

The implementation of the Roadmap will be overseen by the Department of Transport, Department of Public Enterprises, National Treasury and the Presidency through the National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC) to enable a coherent, integrated response to the challenges within the national logistics system.

The Roadmap aims to:

• Set out structural reform within the rail and port sector. This will be done by creating a level playing field in ports and rail. A critical starting point for reform of the rail system, a separate Infrastructure Manager will be established for the rail network.
• To ensure a level competitive playing field in ports and rail, an independent Transport Economic Regulator (TER) will be established. The TER will be empowered by the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill. This legislation is an important enabler for private sector participation and third-party access in the rail sector.
• Right-size the rail network through developing a National Rail Master Plan. identifying the appropriate size of the network.
• Ensure the financial sustainability of the freight logistics system through private sector participation to systematically implemented through developing a Private Sector Participation (PSP) Framework for the rail sector to identify further PSP opportunities. The PSP Framework has been approved by Cabinet in December 2023 and its implementation plan is being developed. The PSP Framework for rail covers broad railway PSP issues, ranging from the South African PSP context, different forms of participation, a clear procurement framework and the role of rail economic regulation, as well as detail on the number of opportunities and the areas of PSP in the rail industry. The pursuit of PSP should, however, not be construed as the privatisation of the South African railways.

(b) In addition to the reforms such as the establishment of the TER, development of the National Rail Masterplan and the development of the PSP Framework, the Department of Transport has also developed an integrated Freight Road to Rail Migration Plan (FRRMP), the purpose of which is to ensure the effective and seamless road/rail modal shift, in an attempt to ensure a good equitable land surface transport split. The FRRMP has been extensively consulted on to ensure both government and private sector by-in and participation in this landmark road to rail split. The Interdepartmental Steering Committee, approved the Draft FRRMP which has since been workshopped with all relevant industry stakeholder, at the well attended FRRMP Colloquium moderated by the GCIS. It must be noted that the FRRMP follows the strategic interventions laid out in the Freight Roadmap, the Freight Road Strategy, the Rail Policy, NDP, Transport Master Plan and Transnet Recovery Plan.

The FRRMP aims to:

• Bring about equitable land surface transport modal split;
• Effective migration of rail friendly cargo back to rail ( road to rail migration)
• Effective infrastructure investment to ensure rail capacity.

Reply:

1. The Property/Residence in question, which is: Erf 839, Corner of Edward Street and Rose Street, Waterkloof is not owned by PRASA. The residence belongs to the National Government of the Republic of South Africa.

2. Not applicable (in accordance with Point 1).

Reply:

a) OR Tambo International Airport.

b) The issue was caused by:

• the radio coverage challenges which caused the unavailability of forward relays at various Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) remote sites. ATNS relies on third-party telecommunications service providers to relay the data from the control centre to the forward relay and vice-versa;
• Vandalism and theft where backup power facilities are often stolen at the sites. These sites, due to their remote nature, have become susceptible to power failures as backup power facilities are prone to theft; and
• Load-shedding.

c) Mid-March 2024.

Reply:

Details for Daveyton's recommissioning plans:

(a) The recovery of the PRASA inbound logistics in the main, the infrastructure network, rolling stock and train stations, and maintenance and train operations depots are at the centre and form an integral part of the PRASA Service Recovery Programme (PSRP) to deliver Customer Value. The Daveyton – Germiston – Johannesburg link is included in the PSRP. PRASA developed a rehabilitation phased-in approach plan to restore rail services in Gauteng. The strategy adopted focused on prioritising lines quicker to rebuild to enable the resumption of rail operations. The rehabilitation programme is divided into phases based on short turnaround times and allocations of capital funds. 

Below are the main projects that PRASA is working on to recommission the line and those include: 

NO.	CRITICAL PROJECTS	STAGE	ESTIMATED DELIVERY DATES
1	Rehabilitation of the OHTE	Procurement: Approach to Market	Jan 2025
2	Rehabilitation of Substations	Procurement Re-advert: Approach to Market	Jan 2025
3	Rehabilitation of drainage	Procurement: Adjudication	Sep 2024
4	Supply and Installation of rails	Delivery	Aug 2024
5	Rebuilding of Boksburg Bridge	Construction	Jul 2024
6	Rehabilitation of train stations	Procurement	Sept 2024

(b) The Daveyton-Germiston line is anticipated to resume the limited train operations during Quarter 3 of the 2024/25 financial year, focusing on critical areas that include the civil and electrical infrastructure and train station upgrades offering basic functionality.

The Boksburg Gas-Tanker explosion disaster of December 2022 that damaged the Boksburg Rail-Over Road Bridge resulted in additional scope of work following the bridge collapse, which affected the OHTE and rail infrastructure.

4. RECOMMENDATION

4.1 It is recommended that the EA approves the reply should she concur with its content.

______________________

MR NGWAKO MAKAEPEA

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL: RAIL TRANSPORT

DATE:

______________________

ADV JAMES MLAWU

DIRECTOR-GENERAL: TRANSPORT

DATE:

DECISION

Reply:

(1) In Daveyton, where trains are currently not operational, commuters use taxis as the main mode of transport for both long and short distances. Daily commuters were paying R7,50 for a single trip on the train and in the taxi; the fare is R23 for a one-way/single trip. The average cost of taxi transport per month is nearly R1300.00 compared to rail transport, which costs an average of R 416.00 monthly.

The table below is a cost comparison for road vs rail transport:

Transport destinations	2020-2021	Train fare	2022-2024	Train fare
	Taxi		Taxi
Daveyton- Dunswart	R20.00	R7.50	R23.00	No service
Daveyton - Germiston	R23.00	R8.50	R25.00	No service
Daveyton - Johannesburg	R27.00	R11.50	R35.00	No service
Daveyton- Pretoria	R50.00	R12.50	R70.00	No service

(2) Rail commuter transport is a cost-effective means of transportation. It is affordable, Government subsidized, and accessible. It has the ability to move a large number of commuters at once, which makes it an efficient mass mover. This accessibility provides commuters with access to economic opportunities at an affordable rate

Reply:

(a) Daveyton station and the other stations on the same line before decommissioning due to theft and vandalism. The station was rated as Super Core because it generated over R1 million in revenue and had high patronage and a high frequency of trains that operated in the corridor to serve the high demand.

As a high-performing corridor, all stations were well-resourced and allocated with customer and protection service staff to effectively manage access to stations and trains by manning all entry points to allow only paying customers entry through the successful implementation of various revenue enhancement programmes like “iThikithi eSandleni” and “Home and Away” initiatives to ensure that all commuters paid for their train fares and verified before entering and exiting the stations. Daveyton station used to have infrastructural building facilities that complied with the universal access and the lifts that provided access to the platforms.

(b) The train service in Daveyton – Johannesburg last ran on 18 January 2020. The Springs to Johannesburg terminated on 05 February 2020, just before the introduction of the March 2020 lockdown. Below is the table that indicates the number of passenger trips for both the year 2018 and 2019 respectively:-

LINE	ACTUAL PASSENGER TRIPS	TERMINATION DATE
	2018	2019
Daveyton - Johannesburg	14 956	9 989	18 JAN 2020

Daveyton station was run by trained personnel from Customer Services. There were staff members responsible for station maintenance/cleanliness, ticket sales, customer care, etc. For the safety of commuters, PRASA had internal Protection Services members and contracted security officials responsible for the safety of personnel, commuters, the company’s assets and trains. For commuters to plan their trip, the station had noticeboards displaying train schedules.

Trains ran on schedule, and Train Control Officers monitored movement at the Gauteng Nerve Centre (GNC). Trains arrived and departed from designated platforms, numbered for easy identification. Train announcements were made over public address system, indicating train arrivals, departures, delays, and other important train service information. The station had safety measures implemented, where warning signs and safety announcements were made to ensure customers’ safety.

Customers purchased train tickets at the ticket office before boarding the train, including weekly and monthly tickets. The station had functional amenities such as restrooms, platform shelters, and benches for journey experience and comfort.

Reply:

(1) (a) Daveyton Train Station has been non-operational since Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 to date.

(b) The station is still currently non-operational due to the severity of the theft and vandalism that occurred during Covid-19, with the station building’s rails, steel steps, doors, roof sheets, station gates, as well as overhead wires, signalling equipment, and all other equipment for basic functionality completely vandalised. However, the Rebuild and Recovery Programme for the Daveyton line is in progress, with the station scheduled to be open in the second quarter of the 2024/25 financial year.

(2) There are two (2) security guards deployed for each shift at the Daveyton Station for 24 hours and two (2) security guards deployed to guard the Relay Room, which is situated within the vicinity of the Station.

(3) (a) Commuters could travel from Daveyton to Johannesburg Park Station via Germiston Junction and nineteen (19) stations in between. The line offered critical junctions like Dunswart, where commuters could connect from the far east of the Springs and Germiston Junction / Station.

(b) The ticket prices were zonal with a minimum cost of R7-50 to a maximum of R12-50 for a single trip. Monthly tickets were selling at a minimum of R142-00 to a maximum of R252-00. However, it should be noted that Prasa has not yet provided for weekly and monthly ticket sales.

(4) Daveyton is one of the seven (7) ‘Supercore’ stations out of fifty-two (52) stations in the Eastern Corridor. The routes, as mentioned in 3(a) was profitable, generating a revenue of around R24 million per year, with around 1,2 million tickets sold/issued.

Reply:

1. RAF has made no commitment with iHeart. The event was part of a pilot project to promote road safety.

2. RAF has not sponsored or made any donation to iHeart.

Reply:

a) There is no long term contractual relationship between RAF and Heart FM, the project was a once of agreement. It arises out of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) Strategic intervention of promoting road safety. The RAF has developed a strategy to identify and explore environments where road users are present. Music festivals have been identified as one of such environments.

A pilot project was implemented with Heart FM to implement this mandate, as a partner to educate the road users (Heart FM listeners) and festival attendees on the importance of road safety. As road users are engaged on these platforms, although they attend such events to have fun, they must be mindful not to drink and drive. They are strongly encouraged to stay safe on the road.

b) The total budget was R1 091 779.80.

c) On the day of the music festival, the RAF had activations, where RAF were educating the target audience on road safety. Twenty-four complimentary tickets were given to the Marketing team to carry out their work on the day of the event. No one else received tickets. On the day of the event, RAF were able to interact with 2,500 people. The RAF had access to 700, 000 listeners from Heart FM for a period of two weeks daily. The organisation also gained digital exposure through social media platforms as well as Heart FM’s as RAF co-branded during that period.

d) None

Reply:

(1) The Permanent International Association of Road Congresses (PIARC) is a non-profit organisation established in 1909. PIARC’s broad aim is to promote international cooperation and the exchange of knowledge on issues relating to roads, road infrastructure and road transport. With more than 125 member countries, PIARC brings together governments from all over the globe. Its members represent all levels of economic development and every region in the world. In addition to national governments, PIARC includes regional authorities, collective members, and individual members.

The South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL) represents South Africa and has been an active member and participant in PIARC since 1998. The works of PIARC are primarily done through Technical Committees on four-year cycles. The Technical Committees have representation from various countries from a wide cross section and spectrum around the world, including developed and developing nations. South Africa is an example of a member country with an economy in transition.

It is important for both developed and developing nations including those such as South Africa, that have a world class national road network, to have a voice on these PIARC Technical Committees, to represent the SADC region and the African continent, to ensure that the standards/specification and products produced are aligned to varying needs. The works of the Technical Committees generally culminate in best internal practices and experiences, which take the form of Literature Review Reports, Reports on the Collections of Case Studies for specific topics of interests and relevance, briefing notes, Technical Reports and Technical documents, as well as other technical documents on Technical events, all of which are road or road transport related. There are also various International Seminars held in various parts of the world on road and road transport topics depending on the needs of such countries or regions. These are coordinated by PIARC in conjunction with localised road authorities.

During the past four-year work cycle (2020-2023), SANRAL together with PIARC co-hosted Technical Committee meetings for two Technical Committees namely, TC 2.2 Accessibility and Mobility in Rural Areas and TC 3.1 Road Safety, as well as an International Seminar with SARF and the international Road Federation, in Oct 2022, as part of the knowledge exchange initiatives promoted by PIARC and its members. SANRAL showcased our commitment to Transformation, Skills Development, Engineering Excellence and Flagship projects.

2(a) SANRAL participation in PIARC is directly aligned to SANRAL’s strategic priorities as outlined in the SANRAL ACT 7 of 1998, section 26 which states:

(r) to liaise with bodies of professional persons performing work with regard to national roads in the Republic or similar roads elsewhere;

(s) to liaise and exchange information, knowledge and expertise with the official bodies or authorities entrusted with control over roads of a national or international character in other countries, and to participate in the conferences, seminars and workshops of those bodies or authorities and in the activities of any multinational or international association of those bodies or authorities;

2(b) The contribution of the SANRAL representatives/members on the various PIARC structures have been significant over the last four year cycle, as evident in the body of work and reports, and seminar proceedings, which are available and published on the PIARC official website (www.pairc.org).

It is clearly evident that South African PIARC Technical Committees members selected to the attend the final meetings and Congress, in addition to presentations made at the said World Road Congress (WRC) in Prague, have also made significant contributions to this international body of work. Their participation in the WRC is therefore a logical conclusion to share and receive feedback on the body of knowledge produced during the four-year cycle.

To further illustrate this point, South Africa had active representation on a number PIARC Technical Committees during the 2020-2023 cycle. The following reports have South African PIARC Technical Committee Members as part of the Author groups and/or acknowledged for their contributions. These include and are not limited to the following technical reports and products under the 4 primary Strategic Themes, namely:

Strategic Theme 1: Road Administrations

Technical Committee on Performance of Transport Administration produced:

• It´s All About People – Defining and Promoting Diversity and New Talent Management - Technical Report. ISBN: 978-2-84060-773-1
• Customer Experience and Public Value Creation – Technical Report. ISBN: 978-2-84060-748-9
• Diversity and Talent Management in Transport Administrations – The Road to Success. - Literature Review Report. ISBN: 978-2-84060-670-3

Technical Committee on Finance and Procurement produced:

• Best Practices in Funding and Financing of Road Infrastructure - Collection of Case Studies ISBN: 978-2-84060-688-8

Technical Committee on Disaster Management produced:

• Climate Change, Resilience and Disaster Management for Roads - Seminar ISBN: 978-2-84060-777-9
• A Study on Financial Management of Disasters in the International Arena - Briefing Note ISBN: 978-2-84060-694-9

Strategic Theme 2: Mobility

Technical Committee on Mobility in Urban Areas produced:

• Case Studies on Travel Behaviour Data Collection in Metropolitan Regions - Briefing Note ISBN: 978-2-84060-798-4

Technical Committee Accessibility and Mobility in Rural Areas produced:

• Rural Roads: Pillars of Rural Development - Case Studies ISBN: 978-2-84060-812-7

 

Technical Committee on Road Freight produced:

• Control and Enforcement Measures to Reduce Truck Overloading and Associated Infrastructure Damage on Road Networks - Collection of Case Studies ISBN: 978-2-84060-689-5

Technical Committee on Road Network Operation/ITS produced:

• Utilizing Data to Optimize Road Network Operations - Collection of Case Studies ISBN: 978-2-84060-684-0

Strategic Theme 3: Safety and Sustainability

Technical Committee on Road Safety produced:

• Specific Road Safety Issues for LMICs: Illustrative Examples - Collection of Case Studies ISBN: 978-2-84060-775-5

Strategic Theme 4: Resilient Infrastructure

Technical Committee on Road Pavements (Structural Design) produced:

• Innovative Pavement Maintenance and Repair Strategies - Collection of Case Studies ISBN: 978-2-84060-721-2
• Use of Recycled Materials in Pavements - Case studies ISBN: 978-2-84060-678-9

Technical Committee on Bridges produced:

• Road Bridges - New Rehabilitation Materials and Technologies - Technical Report ISBN: 978-2-84060-709-0

Technical Committee on Tunnels produced:

• Good Practices in Maintenance and Traffic Operation of Heavily Trafficked Urban Road Tunnels - Technical Report ISBN: 978-2-84060-734-2
• Improving Road Tunnel Resilience, Considering Safety and Availability - Literature Review ISBN: 978-2-84060-631-4

Technical Committee Road Design Standards produced:

• State of the Art in Road Design Standards - Literature Review ISBN: 978-2-84060-708-3

The congress, organised by PIARC and the Czech Road Society, brought together more than 6,000 participants from 120 countries, including 1,700 Czech and Slovak students, 4,000 delegates and 40 ministers and deputy ministers from around the world, who shared their views, policies and practices over five days. The Congress hosted 65 sessions, 16 workshops and 15 technical visits.

The insights gained from the above reports, presentations and discussions are then incorporated, where applicable, into the South African Committee of Transport Officials National Guidelines Series for South Africa, which consist of over 30 publications that are used to guide officials and industry consultants on the applicable best practices to be applied in South Africa.

Reply:

1. Road Safety Audits

The Department is highly concerned about the continuous increase in road traffic crashes due to poor condition of roads and to this end, my department developed the Road Safety Strategy that seeks to address rod crashes and fatalities with safer roads being one of the Road safety pillars. The Department of Transport developed the Road Safety Audit Manual that provides guidance to various Roads Authorities on actions to be adopted in keeping the roads safe for all road users.

2. Routine Road Maintenance (RRM

In addition to the Road Safety Manual, the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited developed the Routine Road Maintenance Program to ensure that the newly built are regularly maintained to ensure longevity.

3. Provincial Road Maintenance Transversal Indicators

In addition to the above and in making sure that Provinces are well supported, the Department of Transport has established a set of four (4) performance indicators that are consistently executed by all Provinces and monitored on quarterly basis. These Transversal Indicators are:

• Number of kilometres of surfaced roads visually assessed as per the applicable Technical Methods for Highways (TMH) manual,
• Number of kilometres of gravel roads visually assessed as per the applicable TMH Manual,
• Number of road safety audits conducted,
• Number of designs for transport infrastructure

4. Road Maintenance Grant

The Department has budgeted R42.6 billion for construction, maintenance and upgrade of the road infrastructure network, For the current reporting period the Department of Transport.

Reply:

a) The referenced reply (to question 3312) stated that the Department is developing a public transport subsidy policy that will locate the subsidisation of minibus taxi users within the wider, multi-modal subsidy framework as part of the public transport funding reforms. This implies a move away from mode specific subsidisation to a subsidised network serviced by a combination of modes to minimise the cost of transport. Therefore, subsidy would be for public transport in general and not necessarily for taxis separately. The different models being considered includes the supply side, demand side and user targeting just to mention a few. Direct public transport subsidy applies exclusively to formalised public transport services and, in many cases, take the form of different types of contracting.

(b) The draft public transport subsidy policy has been published for public comments on the 23rd of February 2024 in Government Gazette 50176. The public consultation process will close on the 31st of March 2024 where after the Department will start the process of submitting the policy for Cabinet approval. Implementation will only commence once the final subsidy policy is approved by Cabinet.

(c) Refer to (b) above.

Reply:

3.1 In respect of Qatar, Iran and Russia for the period that covers 1 January 2021 up to the latest date in 2024, the reply is as follows:

a) Sponsorships

(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa)(ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable

(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable

(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable

b) Donations

(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa) (ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable

(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable

(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable

(c) Financial Transfers

(aa) (i) Not applicable (aa) (ii) Not applicable (aa) (iii) Not applicable

(bb) (i) Not applicable (bb) (ii) Not applicable (bb) (iii) Not applicable

(cc) (i) Not applicable (cc) (ii) Not applicable (cc) (iii) Not applicable

Reply:

Following the rapid decline in the condition of Provincial and Municipal roads, the Cabinet retreat of 1 June 2022 then appointed SANRAL as the lead agent to support Roads Authorities in fixing their roads in an integrated way through Operation Vala Zonke programme. In order to effectively provide this support, the Minister of Transport launched Operation Vala Zonke as part of the build-up to Presidential Imbizo that took place on 12 August 2022.

a) As part of the National intervention, the Department did put forward a national plan for road refurbishment and rehabilitation, that is: (i) Availing of Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS) for all authorities to use; (ii) Handing over of Road Condition and Traffic Data for uploading into ITIS; (iii) support on Network Verification, Data upload and spatial map, (iv) Rollout of the National / Centralised Road Authority App for authorities and the public to report potholes; (v) Signing of MOUs between SANRAL and Provincial Road Authorities for technical support; (vi) Consideration and transfer of Strategic and Primary road network to SANRAL to enable SANRAL to reprioritise its existing non toll budget to address the immediate maintenance needs of some of the critical roads and (vii) Private Sector Involvement and Adopt a Road programme to enable various private companies to make contributions towards the maintenance and upkeep of roads through their Corporate Social Investment and claim for BEE Scorecards and obtain Tax deduction for such donation and (viii) Upgrading of low volume gravel roads using block paving bricks and Nano technologies to maximise jobs through labour intensive methods.

To date, the public has reported over 45 000 of potholes using the App for the repair of which has actively been monitored via central war room. The above process is creating much higher levels of accountability at all spheres of government regarding road network and its maintenance.

b) The breakdown of budgetary allocation provided by the Department for road restorations per annum over the MTEF is summarised in table below:

Table 1: The breakdown of 2023/24 to 2026/27 budgetary allocation

Authority	2023/24 R’000	2024/25 R’000	2025/26 R’000	2026/27 R’000
SANRAL	25 430 715	25 720 319	28 845 591	30 169 036
Provincial Road Maintenance Grant (supplementary fund to assist the 9 Provinces	15 867 086	16 672 290	17 882 779	17 278 699
Total	41 297 801	42 392 609	46 728 558	47 447 735

Though the Department does not have a mandate to address municipal roads, the Department do provide support to municipalities by inviting them to participate on the joint Vala Zonke Operations to fix potholes.

Reply:

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has no record of what could be deemed abandoned buildings in its property portfolio. Where properties are either unoccupied or not optimally utilised, there are various strategies being applied to either refurbish or prepare such properties for possible development proposals from the open market. This process is ongoing. In cases where properties are earmarked for development, PRASA signs development leases with 3rd party developers for redevelopment as part of the commercialisation strategy to address unoccupied properties.

Reply:

This is a represented claim and Road Accident Fund is not allowed to give details of the claim to Parliament as is deemed personal as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”).

The Road Accident Fund will contact the claimant / attorney to address any queries relating to the claim.

Reply:

The Customer Relations Management (CRM) solution is not a claims processing solution, but a customer contact solution that provides communication platform with claimants and other stakeholders, where claimants can interact with the RAF to enquire and follow up all claims related matters. The CRM solution intends to centralise and optimize all queries handling and become a central point for all key communication information.

(a)(i) Since inception of, a total of 201,663 cases were recorded within the Contact Centre. Of these, 193,640 cases were successfully resolved, resulting an overall resolution rate of 96.02%.

(b) None, CRM has been in operation for the past seven months to record, monitor and resolve claim related queries and complaints.

 

Reply:

Yes, my department together with all relevant role-players within the road traffic management has put a step-by-step measure in place to ensure road safety during the 2023 festive season in each province which is informed by the lessons learned over the last 5 years.

The interventions are based on the biggest contributors to fatal crashes by province were Gauteng (21%), Kwa-Zulu Natal (17%), Eastern Cape (15%), Limpopo (11%), Western Cape (10%) and Mpumalanga (10%) which collectively accounted for over 80% of fatal crashes in the 2022/2023 festive period. The top three crash types are crashes with pedestrians, single-vehicle overturns and hit and run. These three contributed 65.8% to fatal crashes in the 2021/2022 festive period and 68.6% to fatal crashes in the 2022/2023 festive period.

A three-phase strategic approach for the 2023/24 plan was adopted as follows:

Pre-Festive Season

This phase will seek to capitalise on the gains of October Transport Month. Messages and operations will focus on pre-travel, roadworthiness of vehicles, encouraging renewal of licence discs, Did You Know mini campaign and website and social media platforms will be utilised with high frequency for publicity to increase awareness and garner public buy-in. this phase will also include media statement/invitation to announce official launch of festive season campaign and Activations.

Phase	Period
Pre-Festive Activities	1 – 30 October 2023 – October Transport Month 1 – 30 November 2023 – Festive Planning 01 – 15 December 2023 – Festive Implementation

 

During Festive Season campaign

During the festive season messaging will continue anchored by the theme ‘’Masiphelele’’. Encouraging responsible use of alcohol, designated driver arrangements and use of seatbelts. Media is to be acritical stakeholder for dissemination of information, the launch of the festive season will also set the tone for the period.

Phase	Period
Festive Season Activities	15 December 2023 – 15 January 2024

 

Post Festive Season

This period will include the release of road safety statistics and focus road safety messaging on compliance and back to school, back to work programmes.

Phase	Period
Post Festive	16 – 26 January 2024

Road Safety Education

Interventions will vary based on the targeted audience; the messaging will be customised to audience to be impactful. The targeted audience are as follows:

Intervention will take the following formats:

•Mass Media

Drunk driving

The recently conducted research by RTMC revealed that alcohol is suspected in 67% of road traffic crashes and in the previous financial year 11 217 Drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. In pursuit of the realisation of fatality reduction, messaging will show the impact of alcohol on road safety and proposing alternative actions to motorists. Communication, education and awareness will be complemented by law enforcement alcohol operations.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS

Intelligence Deployment

The State of Road Safety report confirms that road crashes normally occur within certain period of time and identified hotspot areas. The deployment of Traffic Law Enforcement resources is informed by the traffic data that is relevant, timeous and accurate. The analysis of road traffic data was used for planning purposes to come out with a uniform approach by all Provinces, Municipalities, SAPS and other relevant stakeholder to address peculiar challenges that require specific intervention. It is against this background that the 2022/23 National Road Safety Festive Season Plan have 24/7 deployment.

Six-point crashes and fatalities reduction strategy

The six-point crashes and fatalities reduction strategy is focused on safer road users and safer vehicles pillars of road safety.

International Border Posts

The following are the Ports of entry as identified by CBRTA which usually attract high volumes of traffic over this period of the year:

• Limpopo – (Beitbridge and Groblersbrug)
• Mpumalanga – (Lebombo and Oshoek)
• Kwa- Zulu Natal – (Golela)
• Northern Cape – (Vioolsdrift).
• North West – (Skilpadhek; Ramatlabama and Kopfontein);
• Free State – (Ficksburg)

REDUCTION TARGET PER AUTHORITY

The target is based on the 2021/2022 festive fatalities as a baseline:

Province	2021 baseline	9% Reduction	2022 Actual	2022	2022 Actual	2023 target	2023 target	-25%
		2022 target	% Achieved	Reduction	Total	Reduction	%	2024 target
KwaZulu Natal	300	-27	-0.7%	-20	281	-56	-19,8%	225
Gauteng	291	-26	+15,5%	45	336	-118	-35,1%	218
Eastern Cape	231	-21	-0.8%	-18	213	-40	-18,6%	173
Limpopo	231	-21	+16,5%	38	269	-96	-35,6%	173
Western Cape	225	-20	+55,6%	125	350	-181	-51,8%	169
Mpumalanga	194	-17	+24,3%	47	241	-96	-39,7%	146
North West	142	-13	+25,3%	36	178	-71	-40,1%	107
Free State	129	-12	+7,2%	9	138	-42	-30,0%	97
Northern Cape	65	-6	+97,0%	63	128	-79	-61,9%	49

EVALUATION AND MID OPERATION REVIEW

There will be an evaluation and Mid- festive season review session which will recommend adjustments if any and they will be communicated immediately to the provinces.

Reply:

1.(a) SANRAL has been a member of the Permanent International Association of Road Congresses (PIARC) since 1995. PIARC is a non-profit association established in 1909, with over 100 years of existence, with the broad aim of promoting international cooperation and sharing of knowledge on issues related to roads and road transport.

PIARC membership is of real value to South Africa as it enhances South Africa’s international relations and provides an opportunity to share its accumulated knowledge, experience and best practices with other member countries.

SANRAL attended and participated at the Congress, and as a member, SANRAL was allowed to exhibit and showcase its experiences and know-how at the PIARC exhibition. The South African exhibition titled the South African Pavilion was officially opened by the Minister, and attended by 125 representatives from member countries across the globe. It offered a unique to foster cooperation and networking between the main actors of the global road system. The exhibition proved to be extremely informative for member countries.

1.(b) In addition to the exhibition, and attending technical working group meetings, officials from SANRAL attended and participated at the Congress by presenting the following papers: amongst others

1. Progressive approach towards stakeholder management in road construction.
2. Are Advancing Public Transport Systems Inclusive to all Persons Living with a Disability in Africa.
3. Public Private Partnership for weighbridge operations in South Africa.
4. Competency training programme to equip diversifying engineering staff with first principal skills.
5. Road Tunnel Challenges and Success Stories for LMIC.
6. The Role of Road Network Operator for Mobility as a Service Development.

1.(c) The PIARC 27th World Congress took place from 02 – 06 October 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic. The Minister and the Departmental/ Ministry Officials spent four days in Prague.

1.(d) The following include the expected outcomes and/or benefits to the road infrastructure and transportation sector of the Republic of South Africa:

1. Transformation and innovation in the road construction industry, and by extension the public infrastructure development space, which is core to SANRAL and the South African Government’s agenda.
2. Road safety and sustainable design solutions are prioritized in SANRAL projects.
3. South Africa’s commitment to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety (2021-2030).
4. Pedestrian safety and non-motorised transport (NMT) solutions which are a priority, for the most vulnerable road users and account for the most fatalities on South African roads annually.

2.(a) R 2.52 million.

2.(b) The breakdown of the expenses incurred by SANRAL are:

SANRAL EXPENSES: 29 employees
Item	Costs
Travel including flights and ground transport	R1,421,002.29
Accommodation	R 77,600.00
Any other specified related costs:
Visa costs for private passport holders	R 23,161.96
27th PIARC World Road Congress Registration fees	R 573,255.22
Subsistence and Travel Allowances	R 416,484.13
TWF Management Fees	R 8,359.27
TOTAL	R2,519,863.87

 

Reply:

(a)(i) The Customer Relations Management (CRM) solution is not a claims processing solution, but a Customer contact solution that provides communication platform with claimants and other stakeholders, where claimants can interact with the RAF to enquire and follow up all claims related matters. The CRM solution intends to centralise and optimize all queries handling and become a central point for all key communication information. The solution.

(ii) N/A

(b) We hope that the CRM solution will assist with expediting resolution of the claims backlog.

It must however be noted that if we continue to pay in lumpsums, the backlog may take up to five years to clear, because of liquidity challenges, however; if the legislative changes proposed in the RAF amendment Bill are approved and enable the RAF to pay in instalments for loss of earnings and loss of support benefits, then the backlog could be cleared in less than two years.

Reply:

1.  How may mini-bus taxis have been (a) impounded for not being roadworthy

a) Land transport enforcement is a function of a province or municipality. As enforcement authorities, provinces and/or municipalities are responsible for the impoundment of vehicles where there are transgressions to section 87 of the National Land Transport Act (NLTA). Therefore, the Department does not have the records of the impounded vehicles in the different Provinces.

b) The number of operating licenses (OLs) that have been (i) rejected and (ii) approved during the 2015 – 2022 period are depicted in the table below:

Province	Rejected	Approved
1. Mpumalanga	3 356	31 277
2. Free State	1 567	17 759
3. North West	2 431	25 352
4. Limpopo	3 452	31 873
5. Eastern Cape	4 023	35 832
6. Gauteng	10 457	50 700
7. Northern Cape	876	20 970
8. Kwazulu Natal	302	34 405
9. Western Cape	-	-
TOTAL	26 464	248 168

NB: The relevant information has not been received from the Western Cape Province and will be provided once received.

c) Refer to (b) above.

Reply:

SANRAL resurfaced the following kilometres of national roads:

a) (i) 2021/22 = 449 km

(ii) 2022/23 = 688 km

b) 2023/24 = 1308 km to date

Reply:

1. No such a directive was issued by the Road Accident Fund. However, it must be noted that a Service Level Agreement (SLA) was in place with the erstwhile

Panel of Attorneys. The SLA was clear that the RAF would not be liable for any fees charged by the experts where no pre-Authorisation is obtained.

2. The specific reports were processed by the erstwhile panel of attorneys as part of claims administration process.

3. The Service Level Agreement is clear and provides guidance on all matters connected with payments, pre-authorisation and handing of reports.

Reply:

The question pertaining certain company was referred to the KwaZulu Natal Department of Transport who have confirmed:

1. The company is operational

The company can only be excluded, if the National Treasury exclude them from the Centralised Supplier Database (CSD) and/or if the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) imposes restrictions on it.

2. The company met and fulfilled all the necessary requirements as per the bid document.

3. The province is in the position to furnish relevant documents.

However, access to information pertaining to the process followed in the awarding of the bid and relevant documents may be requested by filling Form 1 provided in terms of Promotion of Access to Information Act read with Regulations. The request may be addressed to the province, for attention Ms Philile Sithole: Deputy Information Officer at: [email protected].

Reply:

1. Santaco withheld their services because they felt that the impoundments of their vehicles were unreasonable as the offences were seen as minor and did not justify the impoundments.

2. Section 85 of the NLTA provides that land transport law enforcement falls within the respective jurisdiction of a province or a municipality. Section 57(5) further states that the entity granting an operating license may determine conditions under which the license is granted as long as the conditions are not inconsistent with the NLTA. It is the City of Cape Town’s contention, as the enforcement authority, that the impoundment of minibus taxis in their area of jurisdiction was duly executed in terms of the provision of section 87(1) and 90(1) read with 57(5) of the NLTA. It is widely known that the City’s assertion that the impoundment of minibus taxis was lawful is currently being challenged by the taxi industry and this is a matter being dealt with between the province, city and taxi industry at a task team level. The Department has requested the City to provide a total number of minibus taxis impounded and is still waiting for a response.

(3) Response in 2 above refers.

(4) The Department is currently studying the conditions attached to Operating Licences as per section 57(5) of the NLTA. The Department will make pronouncements in due course.

(5) Implementation of section 87 is not relevant for the assignment of functions to the cities. At the time when the due diligent study was done by the City of Cape Town, the cost to the city was more than the budget utilised by the Province to run the function and the City was not committal to cover the shortfall.

Reply:

a) No, such a functional task team will be appointed within my Department

We already have the Chief Directorate Internal Audit and Fraud Investigations responsible for internal investigations within my Department.

Within my Department, we have the Sub-Directorate Vehicle and Driving Licence Compliance within the Roads Branch under the Chief Directorate: Road Transport Regulation: (Directorate: Compliance), responsible for investigations.

b) No, such a functional task team will be appointed in licensing offices

We have the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit (NTACU) under the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to eliminate fraud and corruption within the road traffic fraternity.

The primary mandate of NTACU is to combat, prevent, unearth, and investigate cases of alleged fraud and corruption, within the road traffic, in licensing offices (learner testing centers DLTC), vehicle testing centers (VTS), vehicle registration centers, and traffic officer corruption, among others.

c) falls away - response to this question is addressed above.

(i) falls away

(ii) NTACU collaborates with other anti-corruption investigative agencies and with the South African Police Service to ensure the effective coordination of its activities.

These partnerships are crucial in the fight against corruption and maladministration within the transport sector.

(iii) There no formal intergovernmental agreements in place with the Anti-Corruption Task Team

Reply:

Netball South Africa (NSA) responded to the question in the following manner:-

1(a). We are aware of 5 pending legal cases involving NSA which have been launched within the past 5 years.

1(b)(c)(d). Theresa Rossouw vs NSA, Mpumalanga Netball Association and Minister of Sport and Recreation(2021 High Court Application for Review on Final Written, Warning issued against Ms. Rossouw - Cost Covered under Legal Retainer) after the record was issues the case was abandoned by Applicant with no legal costs).

Currently pending is with:

1. Ms. Dorrette Badenhorst (2023- Labour Court claim for monies owing and NSA, Counterclaim (legal costs covered by The Labour Counsel).

2. Joseph Taylor Mholongo 2023 (PAIA) request to compel disclosure (High Court) (legal costs covered by The Labour Counsel).

3. NSA vs WMACA and Olivia Jasriel (2022 – High Court Urgent Interdict Application - R40k – Finalised in NSA’s favour.

4. NSA vs WMACA and Olivia Jasriel (2023 - Defamation Action +-R15k for counsel – Matter pending, in court.)

(2). Both cases involving Ms. Molokwane do so in her capacity as president of NSA and NSA is therefore liable to defend same.

(3). NSA has not covered any of Ms. Molokwane’s personal legal costs and has acted to defend NSA’s good name and that of its president, in her official capacity as such. Legal costs of counsel have been covered by NSA; however, Attorney’s fees are covered under a general legal retainer.

(4). A lady by the name of Olivia Jasriel has been publicly defaming NSA (during hertenure with WMACA) and as a result of same, certain sponsors have indicated that they may not renew their sponsorships.

There have not yet been any actual cancellations, however the sponsors have raised their concerns. Regrettably, the same individual has also targeted our sponsors, making baseless claims and accusations against them. This unwarranted harassment has led to concerns among our sponsors, potentially jeopardizing our critical relationships with them. As a result, we have been compelled to continuously engage in explanations and provide evidence to refute the falsehoods propagated by this politician.

We firmly believe that these repeated and groundless attacks on NSA and our associates are not only unjust but also detrimental to the stability of our organisation and the preservation of our vital relationships. It is imperative that we continue to maintain the trust of our sponsors, stakeholders, and the

public at large. The claim for damages suffered by NSA is not only limited to the sponsors referred to in the question.

The Portfolio Committee’s responsibility and commitment is that of the Constitution of this country, and its impartiality in dealing with this matter should reflect that of a non-sexist, non-racial South Africa; recognising the importance of protecting the reputation and integrity of NSA, a civic movement, which is apolitical, and mandated to oversee and develop netball in this country.

 

Reply:

The National Department of Transport has not issued a tender in respect to private sector participation for the Ngqura Container Terminal in Port Elizabeth.

The Office of the CFO decided to conduct a quick search to assist the Parliamentary office in routing the Parliamentary Question to the applicable organization and we believe this bid was issued by Transnet.

The Departmental Supply Chain Management office does not have any information related to tender in question and humbly requests that the enquiry be re-routed to Transnet.

Reply:

(1) The Smart Enrolment Solution was indeed piloted at the DLTCs of Waterfall Park and Ecopark. The pilot was a partial proof of concept trial limited only to driving license renewals and excluded new driving license applications as well as Professional Driving Permit (PrDP) applications.

In its 16-month lifespan, the pilot has been very successful, and in total, 108 741 renewals were successfully carried out through the smart enrolment solution at the two centres. Very minimal glitches were experienced in the process and lessons from those glitches were utilised to reinforce the solutions’ resilience and proficiency, ahead of the full-scale roll-out which is now due to commence before the end of the third quarter of the current financial year.

As of 31 October 2023, the Driving Licence Card Account Entity (DLCA) has already commenced with readiness to deploy an additional three hundred (300) Smart Enrolment Units (SEUs) at fifty-five (55) centres around the country. These fifty-five are the first centres earmarked for the first phase of the full expansion of smart enrolment before the end of December 2023. A further nine hundred (900) new SEUs will be deployed in the last quarter of the financial year to bring the total deployment of new SEUs to thousand two hundred (1200) across four hundred and twenty-seven (427) DLTCs nationally. This will translate to an average of forty-seven (47) DLTCs per province.

To answer the question, the smart enrolment solution has not yet been piloted to other provinces for the reasons mentioned above, but the process is well underway to deploy to fifty-five (55) Centres and to expand even further as explained above.

(2) A tender for the purchase of the new Driving License Card printing machine has not been awarded yet. The process of evaluation is still ongoing and projections are that it will be finalised on or before end-December 2023.

Delays in concluding this evaluation process have been occasioned mainly by the complex nature of this bid itself, coupled with the fact that the evaluation criteria also included a compulsory site inspection process as part of due diligence.

(3) As part of the DLCA and RTMC’s integrated response to reduce red tape in the driving license testing and licensing process, there is a multiplicity of interventions that are already being introduced.

From the DLCA side, the four major areas of focus are with respect to the reduction of:

1. turnaround times in the duration an applicant spends at the DLTC to apply for or renew a driving license
2. turnaround time in the duration it takes for enrollment details from the DLTC to reach DLCA and enable DLCA to commence with the printing process,
3. turnaround times in the duration to successfully print, quality assure, and package the driving license card for dispatch back to the DLTC,
4. turnaround in the duration to have a printed card dispatched from DLCA and delivered to the DLTCs, thereby enabling the applicant to come and collect it.

Within this integrated business process, the introduction of Smart Enrolment Solution has already assisted with a significant reduction of turnaround time from an estimated thirty (30) minutes which an individual applicant currently takes, to a maximum of twenty (20) minutes which an individual applicant will take under Smart Enrolment Solution.

Also, the fact that the Smart Enrolment Solution operates on a real-time basis, means when an individual applicant enrolls his/her application data at a Centre, the information is immediately transmitted to the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) in real-time and there is no longer delayed transmission which at times could result in hours or an entire day before the information is received from the DLTC to the DLCA, via the NaTIS system.

Reduction of turn-around times in terms of the other two business process elements will only be fully realised once the new driving license card printing machine has been procured and commissioned. This will see DLCA now able to produce a single driving license card within five (5) working days as opposed to an average of fourteen (14) working days as is currently the case.

(4) The question is in my view widely worded and not specific to a particular aspect to which I need to respond. Suffice it nevertheless to state that the Department has in the past made a statement about SEUs and their progressive rollout throughout the country depending on budget availability. That being said, my replies to the questions above serve as further statements in the above regard.

Reply:

(a) I did not attend the Rugby World Cup final in France in October 2023.

(b) The Deputy Minister of Transport did not attend the Rugby World Cup final in France in October 2023.

(c) No other official from my Department attended the Rugby World Cup final in France in October 2023.

(i)(ii)(iii)(aa)(bb)(cc) Falls away

Reply:

1. Roads are guided by the Constitution, which states the “Roads is an exclusive” responsibility of National, Provincial and Local Government.

Therefore all “Road Authorities in South Africa have an obligation to plan, design, construct and maintain the road network, to protect the public investment in the road infrastructure, to ensure the continued functionality of the transportation system and to promote the safety of traffic on the road network. Authorities also have the obligation to provide a reliable, effective, efficient and integrated transport system that supports the sustainable economic and social development of the country”.

As part of the Transport Sectors contribution towards “Infrastructure Build that stimulates Economic Growth and Job Creation”, the programme of action for the roads infrastructure sector includes the implementation of road maintenance, construction, and upgrading projects. The activities by the Department include:

• implementation of a massive capital works programme by SANRAL; for National roads
• the strategic expansion of national road infrastructure (taking over of provincial roads by mutual agreement).
• extending support to provinces and municipalities for coordination of road refurbishment and maintenance, including the fixing of potholes as part of the Acceleration of Operation Vala Zonke. In this regard, the Roads War Room has been established with teams:
  • assigned for Work-Flow allocations and to track and trace progress and/or facilitate (activate) assistance to Road Authorities;
  • assisting with key project monitoring and oversight and coordinate intervention support of the following sub-projects - Adopt a Road, Rural Bridges, Grave Roads, Job Creation and Skills development.

2. The question was referred to the North West Department of Public Works and the provincial road that belongs to the Department of Public Works and Roads is road Z644 that links Losasaneng and Gataote villages who confirmed that this road was meant to be re-gravelled in September 2023.However, the re-gravelling never took place as yet, because the community declined the project and are demanding for a tarred road or block paving. As things stand, the matter is not yet resolved.

Reply:

The Department is not mandated to deal with financial matters such as lending. However, the Department places its reliance in this regard on existing and enabling legislation such as the National Credit Act (35 of 2005) (NCA).

The NCA is designed to protect the Consumer in the credit market and make credit and banking services more accessible. The NCA aims “to promote and advance the social and economic welfare of South Africans, promote a fair, transparent, competitive, sustainable, responsible, efficient, effective and accessible credit market and industry, and to protect Consumers.”

The Purpose of the NCA is to: promote a fair and non-discriminatory market place for access to Consumer credit; regulate Consumer credit and improve standards of Consumer information; prohibit certain unfair credit and credit marketing practices; promote responsible credit granting and use; prohibit reckless credit granting; provide for debt re-organization in case of over-indebtedness; to regulate credit information; and establish recourse for unfair credit practices.

The Department is empathetic to the plight of taxi operators in respect of the vehicle instalments. However, there is reprieve in acknowledging that the agreement entered into between the operator and the financial institution is governed by the NCA.

The Department has with confidence placed its reliance on the NCA to protect taxi operators and believe that the recourse provided herein has assisted may operators who chose to comply when applying for finance and sought the necessary assistance when circumstances were adversely affected.

Reply:

As the honourable member may be aware, road and transport function are a concurrent function exclusively performed by the three spheres of Government. In terms of Section 4(a) and (b) and Section 5(a) and (b), of the constitution of the Republic,

Based by the complaint directed to both the province and municipality regarding the bad state of the Komani roads, I can confirm that in deed the roads referred to are municipal roads.

In terms of Section 139 and 154 of the constitution, both provincial and national government are required to provide the necessary support to those municipalities failing to perform their constitutional function to provide basic social needs/services.

The Department is fully aware that the Komani Municipality is currently experiencing shortage in both Human Resources (Technical) capacity and Financial Resources to deal with all basic social needs (such as water, electricity and roads etc) of which roads are not taken as a priority as a basic social need.

In support for the Municipality to address the rapid deterioration in their road infrastructure, the Department established the Vala Zonke Pothole Fixing Programme to assist both provinces and municipalities in fixing their roads.

Furthermore, the Department established the Roads War Room to have a common and centralised approach to all road and transport related matters. This serves as a center for excellence and research for new technologies and materials suitable for roads throughout country. Subsequently, the Vala Zonke App has been developed as a pothole reporting system, wherein SANRAL is currently training officials from Provinces and Municipalities on the usage of the App, under the theme “Train the Trainer”.

Being aware of the capacity challenges facing Municipalities, Municipalities are encouraged to enter into Memorandum of Agreement with SANRAL for pothole patching to augment technical capacities. In pursuance with the objective of the programme, through the Vala Zonke War Room, the Department has already communicated the initiative to the Municipality in question for technical personnel and those responsible for road maintenance in the municipality for training. Since most of the reported roads are mostly municipal roads, a concurrency is to be sought with Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) for appropriate intervention.

Reply:

1. The Department has developed the National Learner Transport Policy that set policy directives in respect to the provision of the learner transport operations nationally. The policy directives provide amongst others, the criteria for inclusion of learners into the National Learner Transport Programme, and safety considerations in respect approved operators and vehicles. Furthermore, the department has developed operational guidelines to guide provinces in the implementation of the policy.

2. The function is managed by the Provincial Departments of Transport in four (4) provinces, namely: North West; Mpumalanga; Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal. In five (5) provinces, the function is managed by the Provincial Departments of Education, namely: Gauteng; Limpopo, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Free State.

Reply:

1. (a) (b) No Information.

Transnet National Ports Authority is the landlord and has a mandate to maintain ports infrastructure as per the National Ports Act, No. 12 of 2005. The Minister of Transport is only the custodian of the policy framework.

The Department of Transport duly requests for the question to be re-directed to Minister of Public Enterprises as the Shareholder Minister.

2. No Information.

3. No statement will be issued by the Ministry of Transport.

Reply:

There are no exclusions

Reply:

The question was referred to the Kwa Zulu Natal Department of Transport who has advised that the road in question is road P340 (R74) from Bergville to the Free State border and

1. R10 731 792.87
2. Madudla Contractors has been the contractor that was working on Main Road 340 (R74) for the duration mentioned (Pass from 1 June 2022 till now).
3. Mr S Dlamini is the sole owner / director of the company;
4. The company is registered in Van Riebeek park, Ladysmith
5. the project scope was for the replacement of the failed Armco pipe with new pipes.
6. None withheld
7. To date, expenditure on the project is R10 731 792.87

 

Reply:

a) The Vala Zonke Campaign is a National campaign under the auspices of the Department of Transport in line with directives of the Presidential Economic Retreat Resolutions (31 May – 1 June 2022)

• The Transport MINMEC of 1 August 2022, adopted the intervention plan to fight against potholes and general road refurbishment and improvement that triggered the launch of Operation Vala Zonke, on 08 August 2022 in Emfuleni Local Municipality in Gauteng as part of the build-up to Presidential Imbizo that took place on 12 August 2022. All provinces had simultaneous launches on the same day.
• The SANRAL Transport Integrated Information System (ITIS) was availed to all Road Authorities for the provision of Centralized Repository and Asset Management Services with a Mobile Pothole Reporting APP that enables the public to report potholes wherever they are encountered.

The plan envisaged to have a central platform, using an automated system to (a) allocate a complaint, (b) track progress, (c) identify and resolve delays, (d) intervene (provide support) to address service delivery and (e) provide feedback to the public using the APP.

b) The coverage of the Vala Zonke campaign is that, to date, just over 44 949 potholes were reported on the National Pothole Public App and Routine Road Maintenance App according to the highest Province with the highest concentration whereby twelve (12) teams were set up comprising of officials from the Department and SANRAL to verify (track and trace) all potholes reported to determine their status through the Operation MBO.

• Operation MBO found that Gauteng tops the table with a total of 20 220 followed by Free State with 7 067 whereas Northern Cape reported 464 on the bottom of the table.

• By 07 Nov 2023, there were 138 928 downloads of the National Public Pothole Reporting App 44 949 potholes were reported as per the National System. The biggest challenge is that most potholes complaints cannot be correctly and automatically be allocated using the system. It is on this basis that municipalities were trained by SANRAL on the use of ITIS system and as a result, provinces and municipalities are invited to regularly visit the War Room to received update and progress on the reported potholes and follow-up.

Reply:

1. (a) In the Western Cape, PRASA has a total of 61 Overhead Bridges (excluding the Central Line, which is currently being recovered).

1. 61 bridges were inspected in 2022,
2. 6 bridges where recommended the rehabilitation due to their poor condition.

(b) In the Western Cape, PRASA has a total of 38 underground passenger tunnels.

(i) 38 underground passenger tunnels have been inspected,

(ii) 4 underground tunnels are not functional and deemed unsafe.

(2) The estimated cost of:

(a) rehabilitating 6 bridges is R59 million,

(b) repairing underground tunnels is R75,000 per tunnel and R300,000 for the four (4) underground tunnels that are currently non-functional. In the 2023/24 financial year, to date, PRASA has occurred costs of R500,000 in repairing underground tunnels. Vandalism of underground tunnels generally lasts about three to four months and then needs to be repaired again. Each month, there are two to three underground tunnels that PRASA has to repair due to repeated vandalism.