The KwaZulu-Natal province has officially launched the October Transport Month (OTM), with Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Mxolisi Kaunda outlining a wide range of activities to be undertaken focusing on road safety, infrastructure development and radical socio-economic transformation.
This year’s launch took place in eThekwini and featured a multi-disciplinary road block along Victoria Embankment, a visit to the newly revamped Chesterville Taxi Rank and new taxi associations offices and a handing over an additional fleet with advanced equipment that will be used by RTI and Metro Police to deal with offenders on the province’s roads.
Kaunda was joined by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube, the Mayor of eThekwini, Cllr Zandile Gumede, mayors from other districts, Amakhosi, members of the Transport and Community Safety portfolio committees, SANTACO, Interfaith and other stakeholders within the transport sector.
In his address, MEC Kaunda said: “Today we are launching our official October Transport Month programme which entails a series of activities aimed at showcasing the progress we have made as a provincial government in relation to infrastructure development, addressing public transport challenges faced by communities, law enforcement and road safety.
“Earlier this morning, we staged a multi-disciplinary road block as part of an integrated law enforcement programme where all law enforcement agencies are participating fully to assist us in the fight against carnages. We have managed to achieve a decline of road carnages by 1.2 percent during the period of February to June this year. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that we do more. Our roadblock are not necessarily punitive in nature, we also educate people to be responsible road users.”
Earlier in the morning, the MEC also led his team to conduct an operation in buildings which are occupied illegally by people believed to be perpetrators of crime in the city. “We are cleaning hijacked buildings around Durban which we do jointly with eThekwini Municipality, Disaster Management, the Department of Home Affairs and other stakeholders,” said Kaunda.
Activities also scheduled for OTM include road safety activations at taxi ranks, churches and taverns; roads opening; opening of public transport licence offices; and community engagement as part of public protest management plans.
#OTM2018
October Transport Month kicks off in KZN https://t.co/dy4qJbpa76 #ArriveAlive #TransportMonth @KZNTransport @DoTransport pic.twitter.com/26Pq3nsWWY
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) October 5, 2018
Read more on Arrive Alive
South Africa Today – Accidents
