Chairperson, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, the ANC takes this opportunity to congratulate both Comrade S'bu Ndebele and Comrade Jeremy Cronin on their deployment to lead the transformation process of transport in South Africa. We have full confidence in their leadership, based on the experience they have both gained as MEC for Transport in KwaZulu-Natal and chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Transport in the National Assembly, respectively. We also want to thank Comrade Jeff Radebe for laying the foundation that we would all build on.
We are debating the Budget Vote of a department that perceives itself as the heartbeat for social and economic transformation. The ANC shares this view. Nothing moves without transport. The development of all sectors in our country depends heavily on transport. We, however, note the slow pace in transformation of transport in South Africa. Fifteen years into democracy, the cost of public transport is still too high, public commuters spend long hours in queues waiting for transport and travel for long hours to and from work. This is not a desirable situation.
The ANC commends the restructuring of the department from three to nine branches. We applaud Cabinet for approving the restructuring. We understand that the restructuring process had to be implemented on a phased approach due to financial constraints put forward by Treasury.
This phased approach has resulted in a high vacancy rate in the department as well as a slow transformation process on the ground. We, therefore urge, Treasury to look into this and review the phased-in approach to allow full funding of the approved structure of the department. This will result in speedy transformation on the ground and reduce overspending due to unfunded mandates.
In February 1995, the first President of a democratic South Africa, Comrade Nelson Mandela, launched the Masakhane Campaign and said that it was an ongoing campaign. During the launch, former President Mandela highlighted the issues of class divisions in our society and services that were provided along these class divides. He said:
There are adequate services for urban communities. These services would require maintenance by the government so as to prevent them from degrading. There are inadequate services for township and peri-urban communities, the standards of which would need upgrading and improvement. There are rural and farm communities with no services at all. Government would need to provide them with that.
We want to bring it to the attention of Parliament that there is no clear co-ordination of government resources to provide a balance between maintenance, upgrading and provision of services, particularly when it comes to road infrastructure. We are happy that the Minister has announced plans that are addressing that issue in his budget speech today.
Lack of road maintenance has resulted in many roads having bad potholes, resulting in road accidents and the Department of Transport being sued for damages. The money that the department spends defending road accident cases in court and paying for damages is supposed to be spent on maintenance and upgrading road infrastructure. The committee will further engage the Department of Transport and the Road Accident Fund on these issues.
The President, Comrade Jacob Zuma, in his state of the nation address, charged the Minister of Transport, Comrade S'bu Ndebele, with the responsibility of finding solutions to challenges of the Bus Rapid Transport, BRT, system and the Minister has moved with speed on this, and we thank the Minister for having done so. There is now progress in the BRT system and we agree with the approach of the Minister of Transport in engaging with the taxi industry to raise issues from government's side and allowing the taxi industry to raise their issues.
We commend both parties for resolving to establish a national joint working committee composed of government on one side and the taxi industry on the other. We, however, want to point out that government is responsible for providing transport-related services to the citizens of South Africa. The needs of commuters are equally important and, therefore, there is a need to include civil society in the national joint working committee to represent the views of commuters. [Applause.]
The discussions of the national joint working committee should address all issues relating to public transport and the role of the taxi industry. Notwithstanding existing challenges in the taxi industry, we still believe that it has made a positive contribution in transporting the poor township and rural communities who were neglected by the apartheid government.
We view the development of the taxi industry in the context of broad-based black economic empowerment. We, therefore, urge the Department of Transport to acknowledge the unused economic power of the taxi industry and mobilise relevant government departments and developmental institutes to work with the taxi industry to develop it into a sustainable co-operative movement like the Mont Dragon Complex in Spain and the Antigonish Movement in Canada.
We believe that, given the necessary support and guidance, the taxi industry can have its own co-operative banks; its own petroleum industry; its own insurance services; its own tyre manufacturing plants and its own car assembling plant. This would transform the taxi industry into a sustainable value chain in transportation. This is the only industry that is broad-based and controlled by black people in South Africa. Let us all help it develop to its full potential. [Applause.]
In the report of the Portfolio Committee on Transport, Budget Vote 33, the portfolio committee observes a number of issues that require a follow up by the committee and the department, including the oversight of entities that answer to the Department of Transport.
One issue that needs to be reviewed at Cabinet level relates to the SA Airways and Transnet's line of accountability. Currently, these entities report to the Department of Public Enterprises when they provide transport- related services which impact on the transformation process of transport in the country. We would request Parliament and the Leader of Government Business in Parliament to look into this matter so as to facilitate an improved situation that does not compromise transport-related services provided by SA Airways and Transnet.
We thank the Director-General in Transport and her team for their dedication and executing the responsibilities of our government on transport. We urge all South Africans to work together and do more in transport. The ANC supports Budget Vote 33. Thank you. [Applause.]