Chairperson, our national Minister of Transport, members of the NCOP, MECs, delegates from Salga and all protocol observed, it is an honour for me to represent the people of our beautiful province of Mpumalanga in this majestic Council and debate transport and moving South Africans safely and on time to their various destinations.
As some of you may be aware, Mpumalanga is not only the place of the rising sun but also the place of the pioneering spirit. While our province boasts scenic beauty and many tourist attractions, it is also the place where it is not unusual for animals from the Kruger National Park to hang out with people. Although it is a remote province and is affected by a high rate of unemployment, it is indeed a developing region, with coal mines that contribute greatly to the gross domestic product. People travel to our province to see, among others, wild animals, ancient rock formations and other tourist attractions such as God's Window, while enjoying peace of mind far away from the noisy and ever-busy cities of our country. Despite the fact that we are surrounded by four other provinces, we are also friends to our neighbours, Mozambique and Swaziland. Besides the movement of people from other provinces, overseas countries and these two neighbouring countries, we are also a province at work, with thousands and thousands of coal-hauling trucks rushing to deliver coal to power stations, thereby making Mpumalanga the powerhouse of the country.
This rush contributes to the transport industry's road accident rate and often results in fatalities, because some drivers neglect to observe the regulations of our roads. The long stretches and, sometimes, winding roads are a concern because they cause drivers to suffer from fatigue and cause accidents, increasing the statistics of the carnage on our roads. Accidents also cause road closures, leading to delays and inconvenience for the public at large.
When we advocate the safe movement of South Africans, and in order for the public to arrive at their various destinations on time, road safety education campaigns such as encouraging motorists to stop their vehicles and rest after two hours of driving and others need to be intensified.
As a province, we have had enough of the carnage on our roads, which has claimed the lives of many breadwinners and potential future leaders of our country. Maybe it is time that we consider transporting most of our goods by rail, which is underutilised in our country.
Over 80 000 people do the daily commute by public transport from the former KwaNdebele region of Nkangala to Pretoria. From time to time, when accidents occur, they claim many lives. In the previous financial year alone our province recorded 10 955 casualties. More than 2 320 people were killed in these accidents. Another 8 271 were severely injured. What is bad about these accidents is that most of the victims are passengers, followed by the drivers and, lastly, pedestrians. Therefore, as a province, we support the Minister of Transport when he suggests a reduction in the speed limit to 100 km per hour.
We are concerned about bribery, especially at testing centres. Some officials accept R100 notes at the expense of innocent families who then lose their breadwinners in accidents. In this regard, as a province, we have introduced a traffic intervention unit, which focuses on popular killer roads.
As I'm speaking I have just received a message from one of my officials that the unit has done something else in the province and that some of the opposition parties are calling for the disbandment of that unit. I can safely say it is not going to happen. This is a special unit which focuses on driver behaviour and other moving traffic violations. During the past weekend alone, this unit arrested 156 drunk drivers in only two operations.
We also support road safety initiatives within the public transport industry that could lead to citizens opting for public transport. This could result in a decrease in accidents and people arriving at their destinations safely and on time. These road safety initiatives should be complemented by law enforcement operations through the use of speed detection cameras, roadblocks and the consistent hunting down of drunk drivers.
By fusing education, road and transport engineering and law enforcement, the country will maintain a safe road environment, thereby eradicating road fatalities and inconvenience.
In closing, as the MEC responsible for safety and security in the province, I want to say that one day I listened attentively to a television programme on which a taxi driver openly said to the nation of the Republic of South Africa that they were not breaking the laws but just bending them. Now that is undermining the state. I want to invite those particular taxi drivers to Mpumalanga to come and practise their bending of the law. They will face the might of the law to the fullest. [Applause.]