Mphathisihlalo, malungu ahloniphekile esiShayamthetho sikaZwelonke, oNgqongqoshe beMinyango namaSekela abo, nhloko yoMnyango wezokuThutha nethimba lakho, osihlalo bamabhodi ezinkampani nezinhlaka zoMnyango wezokuThutha, abaholi bezinhlangano zezokuthutha eNingizimu Afrika kanye nomphakathi waseNingizimu Afrika, i-ANC iyasesekela iSabiwomali soMnyango wezokuThutha. Lokhu sikwenza ngokukhulu ukuziqhenya ngoshintsho olwenziwe yi-African National Congress kwezokuthutha. [Ihlombe.]
Kuhle ngichaze ukuthi kungani iqembu lingithume ukuthi ngikhulume ngalezi zihloko engizozisho. I-African National Congress ithi mangikhulume ngichazele umphakathi ukuthi uhulumeni wayo wathola isimo esinjani kwezokuthutha kule lizwe ngesikhathi uthatha umbuso ngowe-1994. Ngiphinde ngichaze ukuthi wenzeni uMnyango wezokuThutha ukulungisa leso simo ulandela izinhlelo nemigomo ka-ANC. Ngizophinde ngichaze ukuthi yiziphi izingqinamba nezinselele ezikhona kwezokuthutha okumele zilungiswe.
Sikusho-ke loku ngoba sifuna ukusiza abantu bakithi nesizwe sonke eNingizimu Afrika ukuthi bangadlali oxovizwe abangalufuni ushintsho, babadlise ushevu bathi akukhulunywe ngenamuhla kungabukwa ukuthi kuphunywaphi. Phela bakusho lokho ngoba bayazi ukuthi bashiya inyavunyavu yenyakanyaka. [Ihlombe.] Sathatha izwe thina elalibuswa kungekho ngisho uhlelo lwenqubo yoMnyango wezokuThutha, phecelezi i-master plan.
Ezokuthutha zazingahleliwe ngendlela yokuthuthukisa izwe nokuveza amathuba emisebenzi nasezindaweni zabamnyama. Kwakuthuthuka lezi ndawo ezikopolotekile okwakuhlala kuzo abanezindlebe ezikhanya ilanga. [Uhleko.] Kwakungenamthetho owumkhombandlela kwezokuthutha ohambisana nendlela ehlelekile yokusetshenziswa komhlaba ngenhloso yokuthuthukisa zonke izinhlanga zaseNingizimu Afrika.
Imithetho kazwelonke neyezifundazwe kwezokuthutha yayingahambisani nemithetho yohulumeni basekhaya - kwakuwumagxum'ubheke le. Yenzani-ke i-ANC uma ifica isimo sibheda kanje? I-ANC yathatha umbuso ngonyaka we-1994 kodwa ngowe-1996 yayisikwazile ukukhipha uMthetho oDingidwayo weNqubomgomo yezokuThutha kaZwelonke owumkhombandlela wokuthuthukisa ezokuthutha.
Le nqubomgomo ibeka isixazululo sezinkinga ezikhona kwezokuthutha kanti futhi ibonisa ukuthi ezokuthutha ziwumgogodla wokuthuthukisa umnotho nokwenza amathuba emisebenzi. Ukuchaza ukuthi sisukaphi kuyosiza intsha yethu esakhasa kwezepolitiki ejatshuliswa ukunikezwa izikhundla nemali bese ivala amehlo yenziwe imikhovu okuthakathwa ngayo ekhaya. [Ihlombe.]
Mabi-ke amanga, lihle iqiniso. [Ubuwelewele.] Iqiniso wukuthi uhulumeni we- African National Congress wafica amanyala wodwa kwezokuthutha kuyo yonke imikhakha yezokuthutha: Imigwaqo, izithuthi zomphakathi, izitimela nezindiza; konke nje kwakuxovekile. Uhulumeni we-ANC wathola isimo sezemigwaqo singathuthukile ngokufanayo uma kuqhathaniswa izindawo ezazihlala abampofu nezigwili. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Ms N R BHENGU: Chairperson, hon members of the National Assembly, Ministers of Departments and their Deputies, Minister of the Department of Transport and your staff, chairpersons of the boards of companies and the structures of the Department of Transport, leaders of transport associations in South Africa, the ANC supports the Budget Vote for the Department of Transport. We are doing this with so much pride when taking into account the changes that have been effected by the ANC to the transport system. [Applause.]
I have to explain to you why the party has requested me to discuss the issues that I am going to mention. The African National Congress has asked me to inform the public about how conditions in the transport system were in this country when they took power in 1994. I will further explain what the Department of Transport has done to improve the transport system following the programmes and policies of the ANC. I will then explain what problems and challenges that need to be solved the department faces. We want to inform and therefore assist our people and the whole nation of South Africa to understand where we come from. They must never listen to the dissidents that are opposed to change and are prepared to discuss only the present situation and forget about the past. They are only saying that because they know that they left huge problems that were supposed to be solved by the next ruling party. [Applause.] When we took over the government the Department of Transport did not even have a master plan.
There was no plan in place to improve the transport system in order to develop the country and create employment opportunities even in the black populated areas. It was only affluent areas where white people lived that were developed. [Laughter.] There was no regulation in place to serve as a transport guideline that was aimed at utilising the land in an organised manner so that all races in South Africa could be developed.
Transport regulations in the national, provincial and local government were not in line with one another. What did the ANC then do to rectify the situation? It took power in 1994 but by 1996 it had already issued the National Land Transport Interim Arrangements Bill of 1996 which served as a guideline to improve our transport system.
This policy proposes ways to solve existing transport problems and it also makes it clear that transport lays the foundation for economic development and the creation of employment opportunities. Giving an account of where we come from will help our youth who are still inexperienced in politics by providing them with the information that they need to have. This, in turn, will help them understand that opposition parties offer them high positions and money in order to turn them against their own people. [Applause.]
It is not good to lie, and telling the truth is the only way. [Interjections.] The truth is that the ANC government had to take over a very disorganised transport system in all aspects: roads, public transport, trains and aeroplanes. Roads were not developed and maintained in poor areas in the same way as they were in affluent areas.]
There were uneven levels of development.
Imigwaqo yetiyela enezibani yayisemadolobheni kuphela. Imigwaqo yonke eNingizimu Afrika ingamakhilomitha ayizi-752 700, imigwaqo yetiyela exhuma izifundazwe ingamakhilomitha ayizi-6 700; kuyiphesenti elilodwa vo lalawa makhilomitha elalifakwe itiyela. Imigwaqo yezifundazwe ingamakhilomitha eyizi-367 000 isiyonke kuthi enetiyela ibe ngamakhilomitha eyizi-57 269, eyobhuqu nodaka ibe ngamakhilomitha ayizi-198 142. Imigwaqo engaziwa ukuthi ingaphansi kwasiphi isifundazwe nayo futhi ewubhuqu ingamakhilomitha ayizi- 221 000 okungamaphesenti angama-29 - kubanjwa kuyekwa uma kufanele ilungiswe.
Imigwaqo engaphansi kohulumeni basekhaya nayo eyayimibi inemigodi futhi iwubhuqu ingamakhilomitha ayizi-168 000; okungamaphesenti angama- 23. Imigwaqo exhuma imiphakathi nezikhungo zomphakathi [access roads] nayo futhi engemihle ingamakhilomitha ayizi-88 531 okumele ifakwe itiyela. Ukwakhiwa kwemigwaqo yetiyela emakhaya naleyo exhuma imiphakathi yinto eqale ngoba sekuphethe i-ANC. [Ihlombe.] Ngaphambilini abantu abamnyama kwakuthiwa bona abaxove udaka. Imigwaqo eminingi yayiwubhuqu, kungahambeki kuyona uma izulu lina. Imigwaqo yetiyela kazwelonke kanye nezifundazwe isigugile okusho ukuthi sekumele igugulwe itiyela iqalwe phansi yakhiwe kabusha. Yileyo nyakanyaka esayifica.
I-ANC yathi uma ifica lesi simo yabona ukuthi angeke uhulumeni yedwa abe nayo imali eyanele yokulungisa imigwaqo emidala nokwakha imigwaqo emisha. Ukubhekana nale simo uMongameli wokuqala waseNingizimu Afrika ekhululekile wethula uMkhakhaso kaMasakhane ngowe-1995 enemigomo emine yokubhekana nale simo. Umkhamkhaso wokuqala, ukukhuthaza imiphakathi ukuthi labo abanamandla bakhokhele izidingo. Ukukhokhelwa kwezidingo zomphakathi yilabo abazisebenzisayo, phecelezi i-user pay system policy. Ukuxhaswa kwabampofu yilabo abayizigwili nabadla kangcono ebizwa nge-cross subsidisation kanye nokunikeza abampofu izidingo bangakhokhiswa lutho.
Yile migomo eyalandelwa ngesikhathi kusungulwa i-Sanral ngowe-1998 inikezwa amandla okuboleka izimali zokwakha imigwaqo ekhokhelwayo eyayizoshushuluza labo abadla izambane likapondo. [Ubuwelewele.] Abantu abampofu abahamba ngezithuthi zomphakathi okungamabhasi namatekisi abayikhokheli imigwaqo ekhokhelwayo ngoba izithuthi zomphakathi nazo aziyikhokheli le migwaqo. [Ubuwelewele.]
Yini i- Integrated Transport Systems eyafika ne-ANC? Wuhlelo lokuxhumanisa ezokuthutha nokuzihlela ngendlela eyenza kube lula ukuheha abatshalizimali, ukuthuthukisa izindawo ezingathuthukile kwenze nomphakathi uhambe kalula. ENingizimu Afrika kuseGauteng kuphela lapho kuhlolwa khona le ndlela yokuthuthukisa ezokuthutha. La kukhuliswe khona isikhumulo sezindiza i-O R Tambo, kwakhiwa imizila ye-Gautrain kwafakwa isitimela esigijima ngejubane elikhulu. [Ihlombe.] Kulungiswe iziteshi zezitimela kwalungiswa nezitimela zaba zinhle. Kwafakwa i-BRT ebizwa ngokuthi yi-Rea Vaya, exhumanisa amatekisi namabhasi yezokuthutha eyenze ukuba kuphele nodlame olwalukhona phakathi kwamabhasi namatekisi neyenza ukuthi abamatekisi bakwazi ukungena emkhakheni wezomnotho [main stream of the economy]. Yilolo hlelo thina esilubiza ngo-Intergrated Transport. [Ihlombe.] Lolo hlelo-ke, balalele kahle labo abathanda ukugxumisa abantu, luhlanganisa nokwakhiwa kwemigwaqo ekhokhelwayo ngoba leyo migwaqo ihamba laba abadla izambane likapondo, abakade baba nemigwaqo emihle ngenkathi thina sixova udaka ezindaweni zasemakhaya. [Ubuwelewele.]
Umuntu oneqiniso ulubuka lonke lolu hlelo lokuthuthukisa angakopoloti imigwaqo le ekhokhelwayo bese ebanga umsindo ngayo. Angeke kwaba yiqiniso ukuthi abantu basemakhaya abangekabi nayo imigwaqo yetiyela kuthiwe abakhokhele imigwaqo abangayisebenzisi esetshenziswa yizigwili zaseGoli ezihamba ngezimoto uma ziya emsebenzini. [Ihlombe.] Abasebenzi baseGoli abahamba ngezithuthi zomphakathi alubathinti lolu daba, abathule bona.
Abantu basemakhaya basaxova udaka nanamhlanje. Abagulayo baqhutshwa ngamabhala uma beya emitholampilo, ngabe asinalo iqiniso uma singathi abahluphekayo makube yibona abaxhasa abadla kahle. Umgomo weMasakhane we- cross subsidisation awusho ukuthi akube ngabampofu abaxhasa abadla kahle. Ngakho-ke siyayicela i-Cosatu ukuthi ilubhekisise kahle lolu daba lokulwisa i- Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, i-GFIP, ingazitholi isisetshenziswa ukulwa izimpi ezingabathinti abasebenzi nabantu abampofu.
I-ANC iyaluseka uhlelo lwe-Integrated Transport System. [Ubuwelewele.] Sizoqala manje sibheke ukuthi lolu hlelo oluqale eGauteng lunaziphi izimpawu okuyodinga sizilungise ngaphambi kokuthi sidlulele kwezinye izindawo eNingizimu Afrika.
Mphathisihlalo, inzima impilo ezindaweni zasemakhaya, kunezindawo lapho izingane zesikole zisawela imifula emikhulu uma ziya ezikoleni. Leso simo sokulungisa ukuthi kwakhiwe amabhuloho siqale ngoba sekuphethe uhulumeni we- ANC ngowe-1994. Nohulumeni abamnyama imbala njengowase-Transkei nowaKwaZulu- Natali baqhubeka basebenzisa umhlaba ngendlela eyayihlelwe wuhulumeni wobandlululo. Baqhubeka bakha izikole ngaphesheya kwemifula nemizi kwagwiliza abantu uma beya esikoleni. Wumuntu owayehluleka wukucabanga owayengabeka isikole ngaphesheya komfula, sibe kude le nomphakathi. Leyo nyakanyaka-ke isilungiswa wukhongolose namhlanje. Kusho ukuthi thina siyashabasheka siyakolobha.
Abantu abahlala e-Soweto babeze bazichaze ngokuthi bona baphuma emigwaqweni yase-Soweto enezintuli. Kwakuneqembu lomculo elalibizwa ngokuthi ama-Dark City Sisters ngoba labo baculi babehlala elokishini elalingenagesi. Namhlanje izitaladi zase-Soweto ziyitiyela, ziyakhanya, abasasho abantu base-Soweto ukuthi bavela emigwaqeni yase-Soweto enezintuli. [Ubuwelewele.] Lonke lolo shintsho lwenziwe yi-African National Congress. Abanamehlo bayakubona lokho. [Ihlombe.]
Ungakhulumi ngemigodi ngoba yithina esize nohlelo lokulungisa imigodi. Sikolobha inyakanyaka yokhokho bakho.
Oxovizwe bayashabasheka babheca abantu ngodaka emehlweni bathi kumnyama kube kukhanya esikhundleni sokuthi bathi kumnyama ezingqondweni zabo uma bengaluboni ushintsho olwenziwa yi-ANC kwezokuthutha. I-ANC yafica ubugoxogoxo bezitimela, ezihamba kancane kungekho mizila exhumana nesikhumulo sezindiza. Namhlanje i-Gautrain ishwibeka ize iyongena esikhumulweni sezindiza i-O R Tambo. [Ihlombe.]Izitimela ezazihamba ... [Ubuwelewele.] ... thula ngizoza kuwena. Izitimela ezazihamba emakhaya kwakuyilezi ezithwala izingodo, umoba namalahle.
Imizila yezitimela yagcina ingasanakekelwa nalezo zitimela zazingasazithuthi nalezo zingodo. Izingodo zathathwa zafakwa emalolini. Amaloli abulala imigwaqo. Yingakho i-National Development Plan ikhomba ukuthi kumele kulungiswe imigwaqo yaseMpumalanga egugiswe amaloli athutha amalahle ezimayini - amaloli abo bona laba abadla izambane likapondo. I-NDP iphinde ithi akulungiswe imizila yezitimela ezithutha izimpahla kuncishiswe ukuthuthwa kwezimpahla ngamaloli ukuze kube lula ukuhwebelana kwamazwe ase- Afrika. Kwakhiwe imizila ezoxhuma amadolobha angaxhumene. Lokhu okubalulwa yi-NDP kuyafana nalokho ukushiwo yi-National Transport Master Plan, okuwuhlelo jikelele lwezokuthutha, olwenziwe wuMnyango wezokuThutha kuzwelonke kuhulumeni we-ANC. Umkhakha wezindiza yiwona owawunobandlululo kakhulu ukudlula yonke eminye imikhakha yezokuthutha kule lizwe. Abantu abamnyama babengawashayeli amabhanoyi. Umshayeli wokuqala webhanoyi owasebenzela i-South African Airways nguKapteni Mpho Mamashele oqashwe ngoba sekuphethe i-ANC. [Ihlombe.]
Izingane ezizalwe isikhululekile iNingizimu Afrika zingacabanga ukuthi ngixoxa inganekwane uma ngithi: Mina lo ngenxa yokuthi ngizalwa endaweni yasemakhaya le kwaMachi la singekho isikhumulo sezindiza. Ngangiphumela emnyango nabangani bami sime, siyeke ukudlala uma kudlula ibhanoyi. Siphakamise izandla sithi "hamba bhanoyi utshele ubaba akuphathise amaswidi eGoli". [ Ihlombe.]
Namhlanje sekunezikhungo zikanokusho. Uhulumeni we-ANC usenwebe isikhumulo sezindiza i-OR Tambo sengathi uhamba eJerusalema. [Ihlombe.] Isikhumulo sezindiza i-Cape Town International ungaphaka ukudla udlele phansi kumathayili. Kwakhiwe isikhumulo esisha kwaZulu-Natali i-King Shaka kwanwetshwa nezikhumulo ezincane. Namhlanje, thina labo esasithathazela amabhanoyi yithi kanye esesiwagibela. [Ihlombe.] I-Air Traffic Navigation System yaseNingizimu Afrika isisetshenziswa nangamanye amazwe. Thina sesibe ne-CEO yesifazane kwa-Acsa namanje sinentokazi encane la uPoppy Khoza. IPhini likaNgqongqoshe lizolubeka udaba ngaye uPoppy. [Ihlombe.] Yimigomo le ye-ANC ethuthukisa abantu abamnyama, abesifazane kanye nababecindezelwe.
Uma siza emkhakheni wezokuthutha ngamanzi, hhayi bakwethu, kuvuka uhlevane. Kwazise phela umkhumbi wa-Jan Van Riebeeck owagudla ulwandle lwethu ngowe- 1652 wasilethela okunye ukuhlupheka. [Uhleko.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Tarred roads with street lights were only found in urban areas. The total number of roads in the country covers a distance of 752 700 kilometres, tarred roads linking our provinces covered a distance of 6700 kilometres; only 1% of all those roads was tarred. The total number of roads in our provinces covers a distance of 367 000 kilometres and tarred roads cover 57 269 kilometres. Dirt roads have a total distance of 198 142. A distance of 221 000 kilometres of roads, which we are not certain which provinces they are found in, constitute 29%. Their development is unnecessarily delayed.
Roads under local government which were not tarred and full of potholes had a total distance of 168 000, making 23%. A distance of 88 531 kilometres of access roads have to be tarred. The construction of tarred roads and access roads in rural areas only started when the ANC government took over. [Applause.] In the previous government black people had to use only dirt roads in their areas, which made them inaccessible when it rained. Tarred national and provincial roads were in a bad condition and they had to be repaired. Those are the kind of problems we encountered.
Due to those problems the ANC realised that the government would not have all the funds needed to repair old roads and construct new ones. The first President of a democratic South Africa therefore presented the Masakhane campaign in 1995. Its aim was to deal with the transport problems at hand and it contained four policies. The first policy was aimed at encouraging communities that had the means to pay for services to do so. The user pay system policy was also introduced.
Another one was the subsidising of the needy by the well-to-do, which was known as cross subsidisation and the policy of offering free services to the needy. These policies were followed when Sanral was established in 1998. It was given the authority to construct toll roads that were going to be used by the well-to-do citizens. [Interjections.] The poor sections of society who use public transport such as buses and taxis do not have to pay any tolls because the modes of transport that they use are not required to pay. [Interjections.] What is the Integrated Transport System that was introduced by the ANC? It is a programme to integrate and organise the transport system in order to attract investors, develop underdeveloped areas and provide the public with efficient transport. In South Africa it is only in Gauteng where this transport system has been piloted. The O R Tambo airport was upgraded, and the high speed Gautrain infrastructure was built. [Applause.] Train stations and trains themselves were upgraded. The BRT, known as Rea Vaya, was introduced. It connected the bus and taxi transport systems and eliminated violence between bus and taxi operators. As a result, taxi operators entered the mainstream of the economy. That is the programme that we call Integrated Transport. [Applause.] That programme, therefore, (those who like to influence the public against it should listen very carefully), includes the construction of toll roads because they are used by the affluent members of society. They have always enjoyed the privilege of using good roads while we were stuck in mud in rural roads. [Interjections.]
A reasonable citizen will consider the whole programme and not only look at toll roads and make noise about them. It would be unfair to expect rural residents who do not even have tarred roads to pay for the use of roads they do not even use. They are instead used by rich people from Johannesburg who use their cars to get to work. [Applause.] Commuters from Johannesburg who use public transport are not involved so I do not expect them to say anything.
Rural residents are still using muddy roads even now. The sick in those areas are carried in wheelbarrows to their local clinics. We would therefore be unfair to expect the poor to subsidise the rich. The Masakhane policy on cross subsidisation advocates the opposite. We therefore appeal to Cosatu to reassess its fight against the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (the GFIP). It must not allow itself to be used to fight battles that have nothing to do with ordinary workers and poor people.
The ANC supports the Integrated Transport System. [Interjections.] We are now going to assess the programme in Gauteng and deal with its shortcomings before we introduce it to other areas in South Africa.
Chairperson, living conditions are still very difficult in some rural areas: School children have to cross big rivers when going to school. It was only the ANC-led government in 1994 that started the construction of bridges in those areas. Even black governments, like in the Transkei and the KwaZulu homeland, continued using the land as the apartheid government had planned. They continued building schools across rivers, which led to the drowning of a number of children when going to school. Only a person who is very unreasonable would build a school across a river where it was not easily accessible to the community it was supposed to serve. The ANC is supposed to rectify all those mistakes today. We are busy working on that.
Soweto residents used to describe themselves as people coming from the dusty streets of Soweto. The Dark City Sisters was a music band which got its name because its members lived in a township with no electricity. Today, the streets of Soweto are tarred and lit and its residents no longer say they come from the dusty streets of Soweto. [Interjections.] The African National Congress has brought all that change about. Those who have eyes can see that. [Applause.]
Do not even talk about potholes because it is we who came up with the programme to fill them. We are busy correcting the mistakes made by your forefathers.
Our opponents are busy giving the wrong information to the people instead of admitting that it is they themselves who are blind to all the positive changes that the ANC has brought to transport in this country. When the ANC took over, the trains that were used were old and inefficient and there was no railway line connected to the O R Tambo airport. Today the Gautrain goes as far as the airport. [Applause.] Trains that were used ... [Interjections.] ... keep quiet, your turn is coming. Trains in rural areas were only those used to transport logs, sugarcane and coal.
As time went on railway lines were no longer maintained and the goods trains stopped operating. Logs were instead transported by trucks which destroyed our roads. That is why the National Development Plan stipulates that roads in Mpumalanga have to be repaired. Those roads were destroyed by trucks transporting coal from the mines - the trucks belonged to the wealthy section of our society. The NDP further stipulates the repair of railway lines for goods trains. This will be done in order to decrease the use of roads by trucks and facilitate trade with other African countries. Towns which are not connected at the moment will be connected by the construction of new railway lines.
The NDP and the National Transport Master Plan have the same goals which are aimed at developing the transport system in the country; the programme was devised by the national Department of Transport in the ANC-led government. Air transport was more segregated than any other mode of transport in the country. The first black African pilot to work for South African Airways was Captain Mpho Mamashele who got employed only after the ANC had taken power. [Applause.]
Children who were born after the first democratic elections in South Africa think I am telling a fairytale when I tell them this: Since I was born in a rural area at kwaMachi where there is no airport, my friends and I used to stop playing and go outside when an aeroplane passed by. We would hold up our hands and say," Go away, aeroplane, and tell our father in Johannesburg to bring us some sweets when he comes home." [Applause.]
Today we have airports of the highest standards. The ANC-led government has upgraded the O R Tambo airport: When you are there you feel like you are walking in Jerusalem. [Applause.] The Cape Town International Airport has a beautiful, shiny tile floor that you can even serve your food on and eat from. A new airport, King Shaka, was constructed in KwaZulu-Natal and the smaller airports were upgraded. Today, we, who used to wave at aeroplanes, are the ones who actually fly in them. [Applause.] The South African Air Navigation System is now used by even other countries.
We have had a female CEO at Acsa and even now we have a young woman by the name of Poppy Khoza in a high position there. The Deputy Minister is going to tell us more about her. [Applause.] The existing ANC policies are aimed at making the lives of women, black people and those who were previously disadvantaged, better. When it comes to water transport we are reminded of our painful past since Jan Van Riebeeck's ship sailed around our shores in 1652 and brought us all the suffering we have endured. [Laughter.]]