Note to Editors: Find attached soundbites in English by DA North West Spokesperson on Community Safety and Transport Management, Freddy Sonakile.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West notes the sudden flip-flop by the MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari in his recent decision to disband the newly formed North West Public Transport Intervention Team (NWPTIT).
This follows our commitment to legally challenge the decision for its establishment which, in reality, was nothing other than an ANC branch.
In a statement last week, we rejected in its entirety the establishment of an entity with a similar mandate as that of the Provincial Regulatory Entity (PRE), which is an existing statutory body that was instituted to address public transport challenges.
During his announcement, MEC Lehari listed various public transport concerns including taxi violence instigated by disputes between bus and taxi operators across the province in an attempt to convince the public that the establishment of the NWPTIT is justified.
He stated that the purpose of the disbandment is to allow the Department to “embark on a proper recruitment process”, betraying his intention to resurrect the NWPTIT once the dust settles.
We are of the view that, instead of creating jobs for unemployed cadres, MEC Lehari should focus on the reasons why the PRE is failing in its mandate and propose a strategy on how to utilise it to its full capacity.
The DA is committed to seeing public transport matters fully resolved. To achieve this, the Department ought to foster inter-governmental relations championed by the taxi industry role players, PRE and the already existing Departmental Transport Regulations Unit.
The DA will write to the Minister of the National Department of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, to explain how it approved the irregular and controversial Intervention Team established by a Department under its curatorship in terms of Section 100(1)(b).
We will also request the Minister to furnish us with the Operational Plan from which the formation of this Intervention Team reportedly emanated in order to evaluate its correlation with the prescripts of Section 9(2) of the National Land Transport Act No. 5 of 2009. The Act requires the MEC to ensure that funds available for land transport matters are applied in an efficient, economic, equitable and transparent manner.
The DA will monitor the situation and will be ready, armed with legal recourse, in the event that the MEC decides to further drown the embattled Department with this fruitless and wasteful exercise.