The election of Mr Fikile Mbalula as the Secretary General of the ANC will require a replacement as Transport Minister in the Cabinet of President Cyril Ramaphosa, and the Automobile Association (AA) urges the President to make a strong appointment to this position.
“A new appointment in the important Transport portfolio is inevitable as Mr Mbalula takes on his new role within the ruling party. We urge Mr Ramaphosa and his advisors to appoint a strong leader in this position capable of prioritising the needs of citizens who desperately require safe, affordable, efficient, and reliable transport solutions and infrastructure,” notes the AA.
The AA says while there are many areas that require attention within this portfolio, the following key issues must be dealt with urgently by Mr Mbalula’s replacement:
- Urgent prioritising of road safety in South Africa. This will require:
- Immediate implementation of the Traffic Law Enforcement Review Committee recommendations of 2019 which, amongst others, call for the doubling of the current number of traffic law enforcers on the country’s roads.
- Along with their counterpart at the Department of Trade and Industry more focus on the immediate implementation of safer vehicle standards (including the mandating of displaying safety ratings of vehicles at point of sale).
- Along with their counterpart at the Department of Justice, prioritising road offences. Currently road users flout the rules of the road because of a lack of consequences (for instance, only eight percent of drivers arrested for drunk driving are prosecuted).
- Ensuring comprehensive, practical, and standardised road safety education is implemented at all schools and throughout all grades.
- Better co-ordination with provincial Departments of Transport and Public Works to ensure road infrastructure is maintained, repaired where necessary, and created where the need exists. The country’s crumbling road infrastructure, especially at regional and provincial level, is cause for great concern and will only get worse without immediate intervention.
- A stronger focus on resolving public transport issues to make public transport more reliable, affordable, and safe. This includes resolving issues within the Public Rail Agency (PRASA) with a view to ensuring this service is safer and more reliable for more South Africans and a re-evaluation of the Patronage Guarantee paid to the private company Bombela, which operates the Gautrain. This service receives billions of Rands in compensation from the government annually for low ridership levels, money which, in the AA’s view, should be invested in other public transport initiatives that serve more people.
- Proper finalisation of the e-tolls saga in Gauteng.
“There are many other issues which require attention, and the new Minister of Transport will have a full plate to deal with from day one in the position. For this reason, it is vital that the President and his advisors appoint someone who is not only up to the task of managing such a vast department, but also someone who has the political will to affect meaningful change,” the AA concludes.