Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, I thank you for the opportunity to speak and represent my province here. It is so, Deputy Minister, that nothing shapes our cities more profoundly than public transport. Safe, affordable and accessible public transport carries millions to work every day. It takes children safely to school; it enables us to visit our friends; and it takes us to our places of work every day. Transport, in its widest form, carries the fruits of our labours to their market destinations so that we may all prosper.
Public transport offers choice and opportunity. It drives the economy; it shrinks the cities; it softens the scars of apartheid; and it is an inescapable component of our personal freedom and opportunity. The key to a successful public transport system is partnerships. We will master skills of working effectively with a multitude of national departments, municipalities and other provinces to deliver a platform for an effective and efficient public transport system. Partnership, at every level, will be our driving imperative, and it will include the private sector, trade unions, transport operators, NGOs and the people of the province.
The province and the City of Cape Town will bury old differences, eliminate duplication and work together in a host of endeavours that will transform public transport. Within the next year, for example, responsibilities for public transport will, in terms of the National Land Transport Act, increasingly switch from the province to the city and other municipalities capable of managing this function. The province will ensure that it is able to smoothly transfer public transport functions in excellent working order and then lend support to the new transport authorities.
In the quest for public transport for all, the DA will deliver in this province, within five years, the platform of an integrated public transport system whose operating elements are increasingly harmonised, regulated, formalised and complementary rather than competitive. Our objective is to provide excellent public transport, reduce congestion on our roads and in our ports, maintain and improve all our roads, significantly improve road safety, cater for passengers with special needs and ease the movement of freight so that all of these objectives, working together, ensure economic growth and provide meaningful opportunities, choice and a better life for all the people. The characteristics of public transport will be affordability, accessibility, reliability, safety and sustainability.
The minibus-taxi industry is, despite its imperfections, a dazzling example of what can be achieved by previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs without black economic empowerment, BEE, handouts or subsidies in the face of a myriad of difficulties. The DA is totally committed to preserving the wellbeing of the industry and all its stakeholders. We will continue to ensure that no fundamental changes are introduced without negotiation and consensus, and that such changes are always beneficial to the owners and operators. We will guarantee mobility through the taxi and bus lanes, improve the efficiency and efficacy of the regulating authorities and seek, with the industry, for solutions to their most pressing problems. In return, we expect the industry's fullest co-operation in our safety and regulatory campaigns, as well as a significant improvement in service to their customers.
With regard to the bus rapid transit, BRT, system, the province will collaborate seamlessly with the City of Cape Town to ensure that the first three BRT systems are fully operational for 2010. The BRT system will revolutionise public transport in the Peninsula commuter belt, which includes the city, Swartland, Drakenstein and Stellenbosch. The first routes will serve as a working laboratory to point the way forward. Our Minister, Robin Carlisle, stands shoulder to shoulder with both our President and our Premier in his commitment to BRT.
For the 2010 event, the best will be in the west. The City of Cape Town is the host city contracted to Fifa. As such, it has the greatest responsibility for the success of this seminal event, including public transport. The city's Mike Marsden will champion the entire project, including the important legacy aspects. In the spirit of co-operation and real co-ordination, all provincial staff working on 2010 will report directly to Mr Marsden. The province is already working in partnership with the city, and it has already transferred a number of consultants to the city. We are confident that 2010 will exceed expectations.
When it comes to roads infrastructure, the physical condition of the provincial road network, particularly our gravel roads, is a matter of concern. Roads are usually designed for a normal lifespan of 25 years. However, about 75% of our roads are already older than this. This has severe implications on road safety and the sustainability of our roads. The road maintenance backlog is currently in excess of R1 billion. On the other hand, the road maintenance budget reflects a declining trend over the medium-term. Additional maintenance funds supplied to us by Treasury will run out over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. The average allocation over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework is less than half of what the department needs to eradicate the current backlog. The disparity between the budget for road maintenance and the backlog reveals that the backlog will increase exponentially unless current budgetary allocations for road infrastructure are reviewed. This situation is exacerbated by the shortage of engineers and technical skills.
The department's road infrastructure directorate currently has a 40% vacancy rate. Together with the limited funding for road infrastructure, this poses serious challenges to the capacity of the department to maintain our roads according to required standards. The budgetary limitations are reflected in the budget allocations for road infrastructure, public freight and transport. For example, the road infrastructure has been allocated R558 million, which is still far from what is actually needed to eradicate existing backlogs. A large portion of this is dedicated to the 2010 legacy projects on the N1 and the N2, all of which will be completed timeously. The public freight and transport category has been allocated R96 million, amounting to approximately R73 million less than in the previous year. The reduction is largely occasioned by Treasury withholding funds in an area where there was very heavy spending previously on consultants ... I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]