DoT Budget: Committee Report; Amendment of Protocols to Convention on International Civil Aviation, with Deputy Minister

This premium content has been made freely available

Transport

10 May 2022
Chairperson: Mr M Zwane (ANC)
Share this page:

Meeting Summary

Video

Tabled Committee Reports

In a virtual meeting, the Portfolio Committee on Transport considered and adopted its draft report on the Revised Strategic Plan, 2022/23 Annual Performance Plan and 2022/23 Budget of the Department of Transport.

Members asked for the inclusion of a provincial road condition database in the Department’s reporting on the use of the Provincial Roads Maintenance Grant (PRMG), specific cities where the single ticketing system for public transport would be implemented, and specific references to potholes and the Moloto Corridor in the observations or recommendations sections of the report.

Deliberations on the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill and the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill were postponed pending the state law advisor's final approval of the latest changes.

Adoption of the Committee report on the oversight visit to Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu-Natal was postponed pending the submission of information by the Department of Transport, the North West Provincial Government administrator Msunduzi District Municipality.

Members of the Committee voiced their frustration with the non-submission of information by these officials.

The Committee was briefed by the Department of Transport on protocols relating to amendments to Articles 50(a) and 56 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Department motivated for amendments to the Convention that would increase the number of states on the International Civil Aviation Organisation Council from 36 to 40 and the number of states on the International Civil Aviation Organisation Commission from 19 to 21, in recognition of the increase in the number of ICAO contracting states, and allowing for better geographical representation, particularly for African countries.

The Committee said it would decide on this matter at its next meeting.

Meeting report

Draft report: oversight visit to Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu-Natal

Ms Valerie Carelse, Secretary, Portfolio Committee on Transport, reported that the Committee support staff had written reports and sent them to the Committee the week before. However, they were still waiting for outstanding information from the Department of Transport (DOT), the North West Provincial Government administrator, and the Msunduzi District Municipality before the reports could be finalised. She requested adoption of this report and a report on the petition from the Okhahlamba Municipality be postponed until outstanding information was received.

Mr I Seitlholo (DA) asked what recourse was available to the Committee when officials failed to submit requested information timeously.

The Chairperson noted the concern and asked Ms Carelse to write to the officials to remind them to send the information the Committee had requested.

Mr L McDonald (ANC) supported the Chairperson’s plan of action but emphasised that officials should not get the impression that the Portfolio Committee did not have a right to its requested information. The officials should be warned that they would be summoned to an in-person meeting if they did not provide the information. There should be consequences for disrespecting the Committee.

Committee Report: Revised Strategic Plan, 2022/23 Annual Performance Plan and 2022/23 DOT Budget

Adv Alma Nel, Content Advisor, Portfolio Committee on Transport, presented the report, which covered the following topics:

- The Department’s strategic outcome-oriented goals for 2022/23 in terms of the medium-term strategic framework;
- Annual and quarterly performance plans in each of its seven programmes (administration, integrated transport planning, rail transport, road transport, civil aviation, maritime transport and public transport);
- Spending in the first three quarters of 2021/22;
- Policy priorities; and
- Budget analyses of the Department and its entities.

The Committee observed that:

- The filling of vacancies at board and senior management level in the Department and its entities was still slow;
- Critical pieces of legislation were planned to be submitted to Parliament late in its term, raising the risk that the processing would have to be rushed or postponed;
- There was a need for the Committee to receive quarterly reports on the use of the Provincial Roads Maintenance Grants (PRMG), the Rural Road Asset Management Systems Grant (RRAMS), the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), the Integrated Grant for Municipalities and the Public Transport Network Grant (PTNG);
- The Department had reduced the number of cities receiving the PTNG from 13 to 10, and three cities (Mbombela, Msunduzi and Buffalo City) had been suspended from the grant. There was a need to receive quarterly reports on progress made by these cities towards having their suspension lifted and on progress on implementation by the seven cities that were still receiving the PTNG;
- The continued extension of the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport subsidised service contract with the Public Utility Transport Company (PUTCO) was illegal;
- Some significant passenger rail services had been restored but more needed to be done. In particular, the eThekwini-Msunduzi service still needed to be restored; and
- Delays in the printing and delivery of driving licence cards continued.

The Committee recommended that:

- The Department must provide quarterly updates on the filling of board and senior management vacancies;
- The Department should do its best to submit all planned legislation to Parliament by no later than the first quarter of the fourth year of its strategic plans;
- The Department should provide a full report on all Public Transport Operations Grant (PTOG) contracts and progress on advertising tenders for new contracts;
- The Department should provide quarterly reports on the use of the following grants: PRMG, RRAMS, MIG, EPWP Integrated Grant for Municipalities and PTNG;
- The Department should provide quarterly updates on the uptake of COVID-19 relief funds by the taxi industry and, if there had been no uptake, how these funds had been reprioritised;
- The Department and the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) must provide quarterly updates on progress towards clearing the driving licence card production backlog and on progress towards the implementation of the new card format; and
- The Department and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) must provide quarterly reports on progress towards restoring passenger rail services.

The Committee also requested that the Department provide several specific reports on public transport operations and requested that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) submit its outstanding Annual Report.

Discussion

Mr M Chabangu (EFF) registered his party’s objection to the report.

Mr McDonald called for the inclusion of a provincial road condition database in the Department’s reporting on the use of the PRMG to enable the Committee to understand the extent of road damage better and track progress on road repairs. He observed that the report made no mention of aviation infrastructure investment despite the fact that this had been mentioned in the President’s State of the Nation (SONA) address. He requested that references to the proposed single ticketing system for public transport be amended to mention the specific cities where the system would be implemented, to facilitate better oversight by the Committee.

Mr K Sithole (IFP) noted that potholes were not specifically mentioned in the observations or the recommendations. He also thought there should be an observation or recommendation on the Moloto Corridor.

Mr P Mey (FF+) supported the report.

Mr Mthunzi Madiya, acting Director-General, DOT, noted the members’ additions to the report and committed the Department to provide the quarterly reporting that the Committee was recommending.

Deputy Minister of Transport, Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga, noted the report. She assured the Committee that the Department took its observations and recommendations seriously and it would attend to the matters raised in the report. She reported that the Department had recently appointed Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) at the Rail Safety Regulator and Air Traffic Navigation Services.

The report was adopted with Members’ additions.

Deliberations on the Economic Regulation of Transport Bill

This item was postponed pending final approval by the state law advisor.

National Road Traffic Amendment Bill: final consideration of amendments

This item was postponed pending final approval by the state law advisor.

Briefing on amendments to the Convention on International Civil Aviation

Deputy Minister Chikunga said South Africa was considered an important role player in international civil aviation. It has been a member of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) since 2003. Its impeccable commercial aviation safety record had earned it wide respect. The country played an active and positive role in ICAO business. It was a signatory to the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) protocol and actively encouraged other countries to sign it. The Department was preparing for the triennial ICAO assembly later in 2022, where it would motivate amendments to Articles 50(a) and 56 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention). These amendments would increase the number of states on the ICAO Council from 36 to 40 and the number of states on the ICAO Commission from 19 to 21, recognising the increase in the number of ICAO contracting states and allowing for better geographical representation, particularly for African countries. South Africa was presently a member of Part 2 of the ICAO Council, comprising ‘states which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation'. Ratification of the amendments would support its aspiration to return to Part 1, comprising ‘states of chief importance in air transport.’ Currently, 70 out of the required 128 countries have ratified the amendments.

Ms Elizabeth Mpye, Chief Director: Aviation Unit and Regulation, DOT, confirmed the Deputy Minister’s account of the rationale and benefits associated with the proposed amendments. In motivating for the amendments, the Department had consulted with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the Presidency, economic sectors, the Employment and Infrastructure Development (ESEID) Cluster, the International Cooperation, Trade and Security (ICTS) Cluster and the Cabinet. The Department was requesting that the Portfolio Committee support the approval of the amendments by the National Assembly.

Discussion
The Chairperson welcomed the presentation and said that the Committee would decide at its next meeting.

Mr McDonald observed that South Africa was part of a global aviation village and that the proposed amendments to the Convention would encourage the transformation of the aviation sector. They harmonised with the South African government’s Global Africa and One Africa initiatives. He proposed that the Committee support the Department’s request.

Mr Sithole requested clarity on problems in the balance of the ICAO Council.

Ms Mpye explained that there were just eight African states on the Council, and none of them were Part 1 states.

The Chairperson thanked all officials for their contributions and the meeting was adjourned.

Download as PDF

You can download this page as a PDF using your browser's print functionality. Click on the "Print" button below and select the "PDF" option under destinations/printers.

See detailed instructions for your browser here.

Share this page: