Hon Chairperson and Minister, when the chairperson of the Civil Aviation Authority board tabled the revised strategic plan for 2013 to 2017, she identified two of the seven strategic objectives, namely, optimising organisational performance and building a resilient organisational capacity that embraces a high performance culture.
In an extremely robust and competitive industry dominated by the same personalities, what stands out is how there is almost unanimous consensus that the Civil Aviation Authority, CAA, is failing in these two objectives. Stakeholders at the apex of the different components of the aviation industry all voice similar concerns that there has been a heavy exodus of experienced personnel for some time now, particularly at the most senior levels, and that there is a dire lack of experience, capacity and technical expertise. There has been very little stability for a long time.
The CAA is kept functional by men and women of all races who have a passion for and love of the industry and do their best to provide quality services. However, in many cases, pedantic bureaucracy, which is used as a revenue generating exercise, has unnecessarily grounded aircraft. I have been advised from one of the most senior role-players in the industry that up to 40% of our aviation fleet is effectively grounded, most of whom for reasons which have nothing to do with safety. As it was put to me, you don't ground an aircraft because a Panado in the first aid box is two weeks past its sell-by date.
Other common complaints include inspectors who are wrongly or underqualified, taking up to nine months or longer to register aircraft when a fraction of that time is enough, inspectors abusing their positions, and so on.
Stakeholders pin their hopes on the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, audit in July, which is incentivising the CAA to clean up their act, while others feel that there has been some improvement under the Acting Director, Poppy Khoza. Other role-players see you, Minister, as more outcomes-based and less inclined to make political appointments than your predecessor. I believe that this gives you a base to turn the situation around at the CAA.
On the other hand Air Traffic Navigation Services, and especially its senior personnel, command respect within the aviation industry and is widely considered to be taking aviation in the right direction. Perhaps the best example is the Air Traffic Navigation Services, ATNS, championing the Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS. The ATNS's role is to survey airfields and their surrounding airspace and to design appropriate procedures for individual airfields. This incentivises pilots to obtain an instrument rating, which improves safety during unexpectedly bad weather - the biggest cause of fatalities - as well as increased utility in the industry as more flying to more airports is now possible.
The only discordant note that has been brought to my attention by a very senior figure in the industry is of serious runaway incursion incidents at Wonderboom, Grand Central and Rand Airports. I understand that the doubling of staff is being considered to address the challenge and believe ATNS is successfully resolving this challenge.
Minister, while the security procedures at our airports are generally acceptable, the price of safety is eternal vigilance. When I asked how a stowaway was able to beat the system and smuggle into a British Airways flight at Cape Town International Airport, I also asked what other breaches of security had occurred.
I did not expect the answer I got, that is, that there had been major screening failures at OR Tambo and Cape Town International Airports. These instances included magazines with live ammunition found in the passenger's possession on arrival as well as a passenger found with a loaded magazine on the sky check steps, and another arriving at his destination with an arsenal including two air pistols, five knives, tasers, teargas and ten bulletproof vests.
In an increasingly uncertain world where terror knows neither boundaries nor humanity, and where extremism drives its adherents into ever-deeper profundities of evil, we dare not relax our guard. I hope you will use part of your reply to reassure this House that steps have been taken to prevent a similar event.
Minister, in a Global Port Pricing Comparative Study presented by the Ports Regulator, the study revealed that the cost relating to containers in Durban was 874% higher than the global average, or 721% higher if one took the container rebate into account.
From a wider perspective, overall costs in South African ports were between 57% and 26% below global averages depending on the commodity. South African cargo owners are in fact carrying most of the burden of port infrastructure costs and subsidising foreign cargo owners and vessels who receive globally competitive rates or discounts as they tranship cargo through our ports.
The DA agrees with the Ports Regulator that since the bulk of our manufactured goods are exported through containers, our container pricing is clearly contradictory to our current industrial policy, which is supposed to incentivise broadening our manufacturing base and increasing manufactured exports. These contradictions certainly require your attention and policy development.
Lastly, recently you were honest enough to sum up the challenges plaguing the Road Accident Fund in a series of disquieting terms, and concluded correctly that the present compensation system is in dire need of reform. Not surprising really, when the total liabilities of the fund, mainly outstanding claims, rocketed to an eye-watering R65 billion, and the deficit ballooned to R54 billion, as identified in the strategic plan dated 16 to 17 April 2013.
In whatever way the fund may be restructured and refinanced, one fact remains inescapable, the key is to reduce the number of accidents, and therefore the number and value of claims. And while, as a nation, we make easy work for the Grim Reaper every year, it's different in the Western Cape. The Safely Home campaign has reduced road fatalities by 28% over the last three years, 31% over the last year and by 35% in February this year.
This campaign integrates enforcement, engineering, education and evaluation across different spheres of government to make roads safer, and has steadily changed behaviour to end the road carnage. None of this is rocket science, Minister, just implacable political will.
Imagine if we are able to reduce road accidents by 30% nationally, and if this translated directly to a 30% reduction in Road Accident Fund, RAF, claims. Immediately the challenges in funding the RAF seem less insurmountable. The question we should ask ourselves is, why not? I thank you. [Applause.]