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Newly-appointed South Afican Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy has stressed that an efficient and functioning transport sector is the key to a successful economy and that the new administration aims to comprehensively address the challenges facing it throughout the next five years.
“We all know today that our sector is not operating as either an effective economic facilitator or social service,” she told the Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) on Monday.
Minister Creecy said the condition of South Africa’s roads, logistical and capacity issues affecting the country’s freight network and road safety are just a few of the problems that have plagued the sector in recent times.
“Our roads and rail network are the arteries of our nation, should move people and goods safely, speedily and affordably across the length and breadth of South Africa, and facilitate our connectivity with the African continent and the wider world,” she said.
“When our transport systems suffer, our economy faces depressed economic growth, declining investment and working people cannot get to their jobs affordably or on time and we see a rise in unemployment in a country that desperately needs more jobs.”
Minister Creecy highlighted the importance of Transnet to South Africa’s economy, adding that a significant development in the previous year has been the establishment of the National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC), chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the adoption by cabinet of the Freight Logistics Roadmap.
She said the workstreams of the NLCC have been set up with personnel from key ministries, including the Department of Transport and its entities, and the committee is working to ensure stability across the various supply chain and logistics sectors.
The minister said areas of focus include: Key logistics corridors handling commodities that are essential to the export market and economic growth, such as coal and iron ore;
Addressing backlogs and congestion at strategic border crossings, such as Komatipoort and Beitbridge;
Combatting congestion in key national highway corridors, such as the N1 and N3; and
Interventions to combat cable theft and maintenance backlogs at Transnet.
“The NLCC is a young structure, and it is also being employed as a means to encourage more private sector collaboration and participation with government as we address the many challenges South Africa is facing in the area of logistics.
Minister Creecy said that together with Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Maropene Ramokgopa, the Department of Transport will ensure important reforms at Transnet continue so that the entity reaches pre-pandemic performance levels.
Turning to South Africa’s ports and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), she said anchoring times for ships waiting to berth at the port of Durban have been reduced, and a terminal operator has been appointed to enter into a joint partnership with Transnet to develop and upgrade the port. — Moneyweb.
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