Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, Ministers, hon MEC, hon members and fellow South Africans, development can be defined as improving the welfare of a society through appropriate social, political and economic conditions. The expected outcomes are quantitative and qualitative improvements in human capital such as income and education, as well as physical capital such as infrastructure such as utilities, transport and telecommunications.
My colleague, hon Boshoff, referred to the importance of transport infrastructure and that indeed is the focus of my contribution here today. My contribution today is also focused on solutions and not the normal finger pointing. For any country, the transport infrastructure networks are some of the most important assets it can have. Modern life is increasingly characterised by the ability to travel, transport assets and goods, and remain connected with other players in the economy.
So, what are the challenges to realise the full potential of our current transport network and to plan properly for the future? First of all it's co- ordination. A major concern is the lack of co-
ordination between authorities that control primary, large-scale transport infrastructure, and those that manage the secondary and tertiary related transport infrastructure. The control of these functions often spans multiple government departments and entities.
In the Durban harbour for example, everything floating on the water falls under the Department of Transport, but the moment you step on land, Transnet is the relevant authority. The level of disorganisation that exists there is testament to lack of co- operation and the effect that has on transport beneficiaries. Indeed, the road and rail network that transports goods and people out of Durban spans SA National Roads Agency, SANRAL, Passenger Rail Agency of SA, the Road Traffic Management Corporation and the Durban Metro Police.
All these functions should reside under the Department of Transport to ensure better functionality. The DA solution to this is a Public Infrastructure Inspectorate, which will independently regulate and control all roads, highways, railways, platforms, bridges, steps, etc. The second issue that we must face with road infrastructure is quality. The fundamental issue we have is that the main concern of construction companies is completion of a project and the delivery
of that project. However, we all know that projects are delivered and within months, we see them falling apart.
Therefore, quality and maintenance but should be imbedded in the tender specifications. All of these functions would be part of the proposed inspectorate work. Thirdly, and most importantly, we have to place people first in our transport infrastructure. We must find solutions that place people first in our transport plans. While the movement of goods and services remains critical to unlocking many businesses, trade and growth corridors, we can no longer afford to regard the mobility of people as an afterthought.
The bigger picture must involve the integration of major transportation infrastructure projects with provincial and municipal development. It must also consider planning for and the development of the critical mass of support infrastructure that feeds into the primary infrastructure. The Bus rapid transit, BRT, systems, that we have in 13 cities across South Africa and Gautrain, have already meaningfully contributed to Gross Domestic Product, GDP, growth, in South Africa since they were constructed and has significantly opened transport opportunities for South Africans on Pretoria, Johannesburg corridor and in many other corridors around the country.
However, the challenge for many people, and I am sure you would agree, is that access to those BRT services and access to the Gautrain via tertiary and secondary transport infrastructure is problematic. One of the major reasons for that is that, a recent analysis has shown that half of the 13 BRT cities have only spent 40% of the funds allocated to them. That means that these cities are spending more on consultants and less on buses, and new routes to neglected communities.
We must fix this, colleagues, and we must fix it urgently. Once we can get this right, it will open opportunities to introduce universal travel and transfer rates, with a universal payment system. Not to mention secondary industry such as wifi hotspots at bus and train stops or transport nodes, internet and cloud-enabled communications, to share information and updates with commuters about routes. We must also plan technological infrastructure to regulate driver behaviour.
I would like to quote the former president, John F Kennedy, who summed up the importance of transport infrastructure perfectly. He said, "We don't have good roads because of our economy, we have a great economy because of our good roads." South Africa has certainly got a lot right in its infrastructure to date, but our true
potential will only be realised when we plan, construct and maintain our infrastructure with the vision to support the economy of future generations.
The DA has many good ideas and many good solutions. Therefore, we would like to contribute to resolutions of these problems, We can do it colleagues. Let's do it together. Siyabangena! [We are showing them!] [Laughter.]