South Africa's extensive transport systemplays an important role in the national eco-nomy as well as in the economies of severalother African states. A number of countries insouthern Africa use South Africa's transportinfrastructure to move their imports andexports.

The main functions of the Department of Transport include policy formulation;strategic planning, which facilitates growthand development; and regulation, whichpromotes fair competition, upholds safetystandards, and protects the environment.The national Department of Transport is stra-tegically positioned to provide safe, reliable,effective, efficient and fully integrated trans-port operations and infrastructure, whichbest meet the needs of freight and passen-ger customers and improve levels of serviceand cost. This supports government strat-egies for economic and social developmentwhile being environmentally and economi-cally sustainable.

Policy

The Department of Transport is reviewing thenational transport policy to ensure that itmeets the needs of all South Africans.

The National Land Transport Transition Act,2000 (Act 22 of 2000), provides for a com-pletely new system of 'permissions' to replacepermits for taxi and bus transport, and will laythe foundation for a fully integrated, long-term user-orientated land transport system.

The Act rests on the following: creatingappropriate institutional bodies, planning,regulated competition and the restructuringof modes, sustainable funding, and effectivetransport law enforcement.

The Act also provides for the devolution oftransport planning, services and infrastructuredevelopment to transport authorities. Pilotprojects will be initiated in the Durban andPretoria regions with a view to integrating dif-ferent institutional and funding arrange-ments. The process of devolution will evolveover time as more transport authorities areestablished. The result will be the identifica-tion of an appropriate transport mode foreach transport corridor. This will contributetowards eliminating parallel-subsidised ser-vices and reducing operating subsidies.

A report entitled Moving South AfricaStrategy was released in May 1999. It con-tains a unique strategic framework for theimprovement of passenger and freight trans-port over a 20-year period, based for the firsttime on consumer needs. The project focusesmainly on the improvement of infrastructureand the encouragement of private invest-ment, particularly in the minibus-taxi, bus andrail sectors. Investments in the public trans-port system will be redirected to historicallydisadvantaged people such as the disabledand senior citizens.

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In October 2001, the Minister of Tansport, Mr DullahOmar, launched the new 10M4 coaches. The new designprovides for improved safety features, enhanced facilitiesand more cost-effective maintenance. The first phase ofthe project involves the refurbishment of 176 coaches (88in both Cape Town and Gauteng). The programme will seethe present class 5M2A coaches upgraded to class 10M4coaches, ensuring an additional 30 years of coach life.

The Strategy also aims to concentrate res-idential and industrial developments aroundtransport corridors. This will increase thenumber of people using public transport andbring down costs, allowing government andoperators to focus investment in the cor-ridors.

Contributing to the Rural DevelopmentStrategy, the Department will secure close co-operation between the provincial memberson the executive committee (MECs) for trans-port and public works. It wants to ensure therehabilitation or construction of basic accessroads in areas identified for development, andsupported in terms of the provision of hous-ing, water, electricity, health, education, socialwelfare, communication, and safety and se-curity services. The Department will alsoimplement pilot projects in the extended useof non-motorised forms of transport such asbicycles and donkey-drawn carts.

The Shova Lula (Ride Easy) NationalBicycle Transport Partnership Project will rollout 15 000 bicycle transport packages to atleast one site in each province, and up to 17sites nationally. The sites will be chosen withdue regard to the national nodal points devel-opment programme. Shova Lula also aims tocreate local employment by supplying train-ing to create expertise in bicycle repairs.Shova Lula will support KwaZulu-Natal'sScholar Bicycle Project and the constructionof the Ivory Park cycleway in co-operationwith the Midrand Council in Gauteng

The Project is targeted at the young – particularly students and workers who walklong distances to schools and places of workevery day.

The initial impetus for the Project camefrom the non-profit sector, which demon-strated that it is possible to overcome currentimpediments to low-cost cycling. A SouthAfrican non-governmental organisation(NGO), AFRIBIKE, together with partners inthe United States (US), United Kingdom andthe Netherlands, have been able to procurelow-cost new and used bicycles, and havedeveloped a delivery chain that includes acontainer-based shop, a cycle-repair training

course, light engineering modifications toproduce load-carrying work-cycles, a scholarprogramme, and a women's training pro-gramme.

Over the past year, innovative partnershipsbetween AFRIBIKE and local provincial gov-ernments have piloted practical bicycle trans-port projects, focusing especially on scholarsand women. This work has caught the eye ofthe World Bank, through its Rural Travel andTransport Programme in sub-Saharan Africa,and South African specialists have assisted inscoping missions and bicycle transport pilotsin Senegal, Ghana and Guinea.

The Road to Safety 2001–2005The final version of the new safety strategy,The Road to Safety 2001–2005, was pub-lished in mid-2001. Highlights of the strategyare: • thorough institutional reform of driver li-

censing, driving schools and vehicle testing• the expansion and upgrading of licence and

vehicle-testing inspectorates• the country-wide piloting of a fraud-resist-

ant computerised/touch-screen/audio-visuallearner's licence test system in all officiallanguages

• a stricter, compulsory two-yearly practicaltest – with a new requirement for specificroad awareness and defensive driving skills– for all holders of the Professional Driver'sPermit (PrDP), plus a comprehensive annualmedical examination, which tests for allcapacity-inhibiting conditions

• tough, uniform penalties for serious roadtraffic violations such as drinking and driv-ing, speeding, ignoring barrier lines andjumping traffic lights, including not onlyheavy fines and custodial sentences but fur-ther investigation into automatic licencesuspensions

• compulsory retraining in road awarenessand defensive driving techniques, and com-munity service sentences for certain cat-egories of offence

• registration of all bus and minibus-taxi oper-ators, and the development and implemen-tation of a Code of Practice/Fleet Safety

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Management Plan that can be monitoredon-site at any time for compliance, with theoption of deregistration of non-compliantoperators

• compulsory fitment of key safety techno-logies such as top-speed limiters and tyresafety management systems

• introduction of a national Passenger's Char-ter for public transport users, to be dis-played in all public transport vehicles and tobe implemented via compulsory companycomplaint lines, and a National Traffic CallCentre (NTCC) linked to traffic controlrooms and the South African Police Service(SAPS)

• a national programme for the multidiscip-linary upgrading of hazardous locations onnational, provincial and local roads, linkedto a comprehensive programme of generalroad safety and pedestrian education in thecommunity and through the formal schoolcurriculum, from pre-primary to Grade 12.

The new directions emerging from the Roadto Safety strategy represent a further refine-ment and streamlining of the priorities out-lined in the Strategy 2000 discussion docu-ment, which addressed three major chal-lenges inherited from the recent past.

In the area of heavy freight and public pas-senger transport, the Department willupgrade the quality and status of the PrDP byadding a compulsory practical test to theexisting two-yearly theoretical test and mak-ing the practical test significantly tougherthan the current requirements for a Code 14licence under the K-53 system. It will also bemade compulsory for first-time applicants forthe PrDP to complete an accreditedadvanced/defensive driving course prior toapplication for the permit, and for existingPrDP holders to go through such a test as arefresher exercise every four years.

In addition to this, a more stringent annualmedical test to cover matters such as screen-ing for drugs and the presence of identifiedmedical conditions that can compromise aprofessional driver's ability to drive with ahigh degree of safety will be developed andimplemented.

The other main areas that the strategyaddresses are the following:• restructuring of the Inspectorate for Driver

Licence-testing Centres and Vehicle-testingStations to ensure adequate staffingresources, technical and forensic skills andthe required legal powers to act decisivelyagainst malpractice

• a programme for the rapid upgrading ofnon-compliant Driver Licence-testingCentres and Vehicle-testing Stations hasalready begun, and this will be accom-panied by a war on fraud and corruption.

At the front end of the licensing processmajor developments are in the pipeline: • driving schools will have to meet strict

formal criteria for accreditation, and bothdriving schools and instructors will have tomeet clearly specified standards for theirreregistration every two years, under astringent national inspection regime.

• the Department will be piloting a comput-erised learner's licence-testing system. Thiswill largely automate the administration ofthe learner's test, minimising scope forfraudulent human intervention in theprocess, while at the same time making thetest more user-friendly for disadvantagedapplicants through the use of touch-screenand audio-visual technology.

• the K-53 driving test will be revised toensure that it is as accessible as possible toall applicants and that it is testing the rightroad-user and driver skills in the correctway.

• the Department will remove unfit andunsafe vehicles from the roads through acombination of enforcement, regulationand the compulsory introduction of provenvehicle-safety technologies.

Agencies

The Department of Transport has establishedfour bodies to move certain elements of gov-ernment's operational activities to commer-cial agencies. They are the South AfricanNational Roads Agency (SANRAL), the SouthAfrican Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA),

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the Cross-border Road Transport Agency(CBRTA) and the South African Civil AviationAuthority (CAA).

The agencies perform functions and ser-vices previously provided by the nationalDepartment of Transport in a fully commercialenvironment. They have been assigned clear-ly-defined responsibilities and functions, andeach agency has entered into a formal per-formance agreement and memorandum ofunderstanding with the Government asshareholder.

National Roads Agency (SANRAL)SANRAL, a company registered in terms ofthe Companies Act, 1973 (Act 61 of 1973),aims to provide and manage an adequateand sustainable primary road network inSouth Africa, at optimum cost and efficiency,in order to stimulate economic growth andimprove quality of life. Its purpose is to main-tain and develop the national road networkand to manage assets with an estimatedvalue of more than R135 billion.

SANRAL's responsibilities are to• strategically plan, design, construct, oper-

ate, rehabilitate and maintain SouthAfrica's national roads

• deliver and maintain a world-class primaryroad network

• generate revenue from the developmentand management of its assets

• undertake research and development toenhance the quality of the country's roads

• upon request from the Minister and inagreement with a foreign country, provide,operate and maintain roads in that country.

The budget of SANRAL derives from varioussources, including levies on petrol and distil-late fuels, loans granted to or raised by theAgency, income from tolls charged, incomeearned in terms of joint ventures, fines andpenalties.

South African Maritime SafetyAgency (SAMSA)The Authority is a statutory body that reportsto the Minister of Transport through a boardof directors. Its responsibilities include the

promotion of safety of life and property atsea, the prevention of sea pollution by pollut-ants emanating from ships, and the co-ordination of overall technical operations. Italso develops policy in respect of legal issues,foreign relations, marine pollution and certainspecific safety matters.

SAMSA's main functions are to• provide shipping competence and pollution

services in a regional context• manage marine incidents, casualties and

wrecks, and participate in search and rescue• control standby tugs and pollution stores• maintain seafarers according to standards of

training and staffing criteria• provide a shipping administration support

service• manage the registration of ships• develop a national port authority• manage a coastal patrol service• manage vessel traffic including navigation

aids• provide lighthouse services.Funding comes from levies on ships calling atSouth African ports, direct user charges andgovernment service fees, among other sources.

Cross-border Road TransportAgency (CBRTA)The Agency regulates and controls access tothe cross-border road transport market by theroad transport industry. It also aims to facil-itate the establishment of co-operative andconsultative relationships and structuresbetween public and private-sector institutionswith an interest in cross-border transport.

The CBRTA is furthermore involved in thecollection, processing and dissemination ofrelevant information, the provision of trainingand capacity-building, and the promotion ofentrepreneurship, with the focus on small,medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) withan interest in cross-border road transport.

The functions of the Agency include • advising the Minister of Transport on cross-

border transport matters, and assisting inthe process of negotiating and renegotiat-ing cross-border road transport agree-ments if requested to do so

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• regulating the road transport industry'saccess to the cross-border road transportmarket

• facilitating ongoing co-operative and con-sultative relationships and structuresbetween the public and private sectors insupport of cross-border road transportoperations

• undertaking road transport law-enforce-ment.

The main source of income for the CBRTA isfees charged for cross-border permits.

South African Civil AviationAuthority (CAA) The CAA was established on 1 October1998 following the enactment of theSACAA Act, 1998 (Act 40 of 1998). The Actprovides for the establishment of a stand-alone authority charged with promoting,regulating and enforcing civil aviation safetyand security.

The establishment of the CAA is consistentwith international trends in regulating civilaviation, and mirrors steps taken with theestablishment of SAMSA, SANRAL and theCBRTA.

In setting up the CAA, government hasidentified the need to meet its internationalobligations in relation to its internationaltreaty obligations through the InternationalCivil Aviation Authority (ICAO) standards andrecommended practices to ensure interna-tionally accepted levels of aviation safety inSouth Africa.

The Authority is governed by a Board ofDirectors appointed by the Minister ofTransport, and is representative of the avia-tion industry, management and businessexpertise.

The management of the CAA has beenstructured along three core responsibilitylevels: The Strategic Management level whichconstitutes the Executive Management; Pro-ject Management level, which together withthe Executive Management constitutes SeniorManagement; and the Operational level,which is organised according to technicaldepartments.

The key role for the Executive is the strat-egic leadership of the organisation and thecoordination of policy formulation. TheExecutive's function is to develop andmaintain positive links with the industryand to coordinate the CAA's internationalrelations with organisations such as theSouthern African Development Community(SADC), ICAO, African Civil AviationCommission (AFCAC) and other civil avia-tion authorities.

The Project Management level coordinatesthe technical activities of the key areas ofoversight.

Areas of oversight• Airport oversight involves the certification

of airports and heliports, and monitoringcivil and electrical engineering matters inrelation to infrastructure on and aroundairports such as lighting and navigationalaids and their repair and maintenance.Development in the vicinity of airports ismonitored, including the construction of'obstacles' – objects tall enough to pose ahazard to flying operations such as cellularphone masts, cranes and buildings.Another important area of airport over-sight includes monitoring processes andprocedures for rescue and fire-fightingservices, screening of passengers and bag-gage, access control in terms of fencingand lighting, and the handling, packagingand documentation of hazardous sub-stances. Administration of the aeronauticalVery High Frequency spectrum on behalf ofthe Independent Communications Author-ity of South Africa (ICASA) is also part ofthe oversight of airports.

• Aircraft oversight deals with all certificationactivities in relation to aircraft products andparts. This includes the issuing and renew-ing of airworthiness certificates, approvalsand renewals for aircraft maintenance,design and manufacturing, processing andtesting organisations. In addition, aircraftoversight covers the approval of modifica-tions, noise certification, and maintenanceand repair to aircraft.

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• The area of personnel involves oversight inrelation to examining, licensing and train-ing of aviation personnel as well as theirmedical certification.

• Oversight of operations is carried out interms of monitoring information containedin the operations manuals of every oper-ator to ensure compliance with relevantlegislation. Oversight is performed throughregular and ad hoc inspections, includingroute surveillance checks on operators toensure compliance with required stand-ards. Flight simulator checks and certifica-tion, and cabin safety and flight engineersurveillance are performed at least once ayear. In addition, security programmes andprocesses of operators in relation to theirhandling of passengers, baggage and dan-gerous goods are monitored.

• Airspace oversight ensures the effectivemanagement and provision of air trafficservices through the allocation of airspaceby the statutory consultative body, theNational Airspace Committee. This ensuresthat air traffic service-providers maintainrequired standards and equipment. Thisarea of oversight is also responsible for thedevelopment of procedures for air naviga-tion services and operations, designing,testing and certifying instrument flight procedures, and the preparation of aero-nautical charts. There is regular contact withorganisations such as ICAO and AFCAC.

• Accident and incident investigation is a keyactivity of the CAA. Investigations are con-ducted to determine the cause and to re-commend measures to prevent recurrence.In addition, the monitoring of trendsregarding aircraft accidents and incidents,the identification of potential problemareas and possible safety deficiencies, andproposing safety recommendations to theregulatory body are other key functions.

• The Flight Inspection Department's function isto calibrate the radio navigational aids usedby aircraft to ensure accuracy and reliability.The navigational aids are inspected at regularintervals in accordance with internationalrequirements. The Department inspects all

radio navigational aids in South Africa as wellas some in neighbouring states.

• The Aeronautical Information ServicesDepartment provides aeronautical informa-tion to the industry and also meets theinformation needs of the organisation.

Privatisation and restructuring

The restructuring of Transnet has alreadystarted to yield results, with the Departmentof Public Enterprises declaring in March 2000a net profit of R779 million for the first timein many years, despite inheriting a liability ofapproximately R23 billion in 1994.

Portnet will be corporatised into a separateport authority and port operations com-ponent. This separation and the respectiveroles and functions will be clearly defined inthe Ports Policy to be released by theDepartment of Transport. A new and morecompetitive tariff regime will be unveiled toensure that rates are on par with competitors.The concessioning of some of the ports oper-ations to the private sector will begin in thefirst quarter of 2002.

Internal transformation at Spoornet is wellunder way. A team of rail specialists wasbrought in to assist the management team inidentifying the most efficient mode of internaloperations. Government accepts State partic-ipation in the general freight business and themainline passenger services.

Considerable progress has been made inimproving the financial situation at SouthAfrican Airways (SAA). Fleet modernisationremains a critical challenge to the airline. TheSAirGroup has opted to retain its 20% share-holding in SAA. In his budget vote in June2001, the Minister of Public Enterprises saidhis department was planning to prepare SAAfor an Initial Public Offering in 2002.

Transnet Limited

The public company Transnet Limited wasfounded on 1 April 1990. Transnet handles179 Mt of rail freight per year, 2,1 Mt road

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freight, and 192 Mt through the harbours,while 16 000 Ml are pumped through itspetrol pipelines annually.

The company flies 5,7 million domestic,regional and international passengers peryear. In total, Transnet is worth R56 billion infixed assets and has a workforce of some 90 500 employees.

Transnet consists of five transport bus-inesses – Spoornet (rail transport), Portnet(harbours), freightdynamics (strategic roadfreight), Petronet (liquid petroleum transport),and Metrorail (commuter rail services) – and anumber of related and support businesses. InFebruary 1998, Transnet launched independ-ent boards for its seven divisions as part of itstransformation process. Petronet, SAA, Auto-net, Portnet, Metrorail, Fast Forward andSpoornet had to drive the business operationsof each division.

Road transport

National roadsIn terms of the National Roads Act, 1998 (Act7 of 1998), government is responsible foroverall policy, while road-building and main-tenance is the responsibility of the SANRAL.The Agency will initially only manage the con-struction and maintenance of South Africa's8 000-km national road network, but it is expected that this will be extended to 20 000 km of primary roads in future.

The national road system links all the majorcentres in the country to one another as wellas to neighbouring countries. These roadsinclude some 1 440 km of dual-carriage free-way, 292 km of single-carriage freeway and4 401 km of single-carriage main road withunlimited access.

The Department of Transport has em-barked on 20 major road projects (includingtoll-roads), worth more than R5 billion overtwo years – many of which have brought sub-stantial benefits to local communities.

Over the past few years, significant invest-ments have gone into the Maputo Develop-ment Corridor, the N3 road project, the N4Platinum Highway and the Lubombo road.

All the investment for these concession pro-jects – a massive R8,8 billion – has been sourcedfrom the private sector, working on the Build,Operate and Transfer (BOT) principle and theintroduction of tolling. This has also contributedindirectly to national development by freeing-up these resources for allocation elsewhere.

By June 2001, these concession projectshad led to the following: • kilometres of road had been upgraded, reha-

bilitated and maintained by these funds.• 860 direct jobs had been created, with

salaries amounting to R321 million.• approximately 17 000 people had been

trained in skills varying from basic life andbusiness skills to relatively complex construc-tion skills – to a total value of R12,6 million.

• some 530 SMMEs had been developed.Contracts to a total value of R207,7 millionhad been awarded for design and construc-tion work, while R113,4 million had beenawarded for operation and maintenancecontracts.

On non-concession projects, not only onnational but also on provincial roads whereassistance had been requested by MECs,major employment and training successeshad been registered: • 400 jobs had been created at a salary value

of R86,2 million• SMME contracts had been awarded to the

value of R101,5 million in design and con-struction, and to the value of R19,6 millionin operations and maintenance

• contracts to a value of R135,8 million hadbeen awarded for rehabilitation, improve-ment and new facilities.

The N8, the new national road betweenKimberley and Bloemfontein, was officiallyopened in June 2001. The N8 has social andeconomic implications for the Northern Capeand Free State. The 28-km road was previ-ously a gravel one. It has been resurfaced andmade into a two-lane single carriageway at acost of R37 million.

Provincial roadsThe planning, construction and maintenanceof roads and bridges, other than those falling

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under SANRAL or local governments, is theresponsibility of the provincial governments.The national Department of Transport isalways ready to assist provincial and local gov-ernments to improve and develop the state oftheir roads. Gauteng is in a very advancedstage of forming its own road agency.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Trans-port has implemented the ongoing house-hold-based Zibambele project. It is a ruralpoverty-relief scheme that has allocated someR200 million for access road maintenance tosome of the most destitute households in thedeep rural areas of the province, mainlyheaded by women.

Spatial Development Initiatives(SDIs)The SDI programme uses public resources –particularly project planning, scoping andlogistical coordination skills – to leverage pri-vate-sector involvement. SDIs are recognisedas an effective means of stimulating eco-nomic growth by exploiting the existing eco-nomic potential within an area. TheDepartment's involvement in this project isfocused on hard infrastructure provision,black economic empowerment, skills transfer,and the creation of sustainable jobs.

The SDIs are Lubombo, West Coast, FishRiver, Maputo Development Corridor, WildCoast, Platinum, Phalaborwa and Richards Bay.

At the launch of the first and fourth phasesof the Lumbombo SDI in November 2000,Deputy President Jacob Zuma said thatthrough the Lubombo SDI process, a numberof integrated interventions were promoted toimprove the investment climate in the regionand bring development. The Lubombo SDI isbased on clear and coordinated national andprovincial strategies that aim to develop thearea as a major international tourist destina-tion. As part of this approach, the LubomboSDI identified key factors constraining tourismdevelopment in the Lubombo region.

Together with relevant provincial andnational agencies, the Lubombo SDI is imple-menting a systematic programme that is re-moving the major factors blocking the emer-

gence of the region as a world-class tourismdestination.

One of the determinants of tourism growthis the availability of transport and other keyinfrastructure. This is illustrated by the factthat more than 85% of northern KwaZulu-Natal's existing tourism beds are within 10 km of a tarred road, mainly the N2.

The total value of the Lubombo road isR234 million, which marks the most signif-icant investment in this region by the Govern-ment in the last 20 years.

The first 44 km of the road from Hluhluweto Lower Mkuze, valued at R60 million, iscomplete. The second 41-km section fromLower Mkuze past Mbazwana town toMseleni Hospital is well under construction.

The final 42-km phase that was launchedin November 2000 is valued at R45 million.

Municipal roadsConstruction and maintenance of most roadsand streets falling within the municipalboundaries of cities and towns is the respons-ibility of the municipality concerned.

Toll-roadsToll-roads cover some 1 000 km and are ser-viced by 21 toll-plazas.

The viability of every toll-road is determinedover a 30-year period in order to assess theprivate-sector funding which can be sus-tained and served. The performance of alltoll-roads is within the forecast, and in manycases roads perform better than forecast. It isenvisaged that all major new toll-road pro-jects will be financed through BOT. Thisallows greater private-sector involvement inthe financing, building, operation and main-tenance of toll projects. When the concessionperiod expires, the facility is transferred backto the State at no cost.

Construction of the N4 Maputo CorridorToll-road has begun, and will include 70 kmof new road, 112 km of rehabilitation and240 km of road-widening. The new road, tobe completed in two years, will be one of thefew privately financed cross-border toll-roadsin the world. Ownership of the N4 Maputo

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Corridor Toll-road, for which Trans AfricanConcessions is the concessionaire for 30 years,will revert to the South African andMozambican governments after the conces-sion agreement expires.

The Platinum Toll-road will eventually linkMaputo Harbour in Mozambique withWalvis Bay in Namibia. South Africa's con-tribution will involve the construction of theroad from Pretoria in Gauteng toRustenburg in North-West and Lobatse inBotswana.

Road expenditureThe Minister of Transport, Mr Dullah Omar,announced in October 1999 that it wouldcost about R23 billion to upgrade and buildnew roads in rural areas.

Expenditure on national roads falls into thefollowing categories: • routine, periodic and special maintenance,

and provision of support to increase roadsafety

• improvement of the network, rehabilitationand reconstruction, upgrading and provi-sion of new facilities.

After the floods in part of Mpumalanga andNorthern Province, the Minister of Transportand other private companies made availablefunds to improve the state of provincial roads.There have been a number of other initiativesin various provinces to improve the state ofroads. The Minister committed himself tocontinuing to find extra resources to maintainand develop infrastructure.

Road traffic signsA revised road traffic sign system, whichclosely conforms to international standards,has been phased in since November 1993.

The revised system involves changes to thecolours of some of the regulatory and all ofthe warning signs, changes in design para-meters, the modernisation of text and sym-bols, and the addition of new signs, signalsand markings. Many of the new signs makeuse of symbols rather than text to eliminatelanguage problems and to reduce observa-tion time.

South Africa is preparing a road-signs man-ual for the SADC in terms of the 1998Protocol on Transport, Communications andMeteorology. South Africa has since startedphasing in new SADC-aligned signs on itsroads and other cross-border roads. The pre-vious system was concurrently legal with thenew system until 31 December 2000, onwhich date all the old signs had to be phasedout and replaced with new signs.

The following globally-accepted basic prin-ciples with regard to information on signswere adopted: • no more than eight bits of information will

be displayed on any sign • in order to overcome language problems

and to prevent driver information overload,use will, as far as possible, be made of sym-bols instead of worded messages

• route numbers will be the primary informa-tion displayed on direction signs, supple-mented by primary names

• only primary names (in whatever language,provided they are accepted by domesticplace-name committees) will be used asdestination information on direction signs

• in the few cases where additional wordedmessages may be needed, English (as aninternational language) will be used

In order to simplify the navigation task fortourists, foreigners and drivers in unfamiliarareas, as well as to promote global uniformi-ty, it was agreed that drivers should make useof route maps (readable in any language) androute numbers to guide them towards theirdestinations (all major routes and main streetsin urban areas are numbered and shown onreadily available maps).

The new road traffic sign system was pro-moted in the form of the Be Sign Wise Com-petition, as part of the Arrive Alive road safe-ty campaign during January and February2001, with particular emphasis on signs andmarkings.

Promotional material included wallcharts, posters, pamphlets, and conciseroad sign booklets. Educational courses onroad signs were presented at schools andcommunities.

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Public transport

In terms of the Constitution of South Africa,1996 (Act 108 of 1996), legislative and exec-utive powers in respect of public transport area provincial competency. National govern-ment is, however, responsible for policy for-mulation, monitoring and strategic imple-mentation. The national Department ofTransport continues to effectively administersubsidies of buses and other subsidised formsof public transport.

National Transport Register The establishment of the National TransportRegister is the requirement of the NationalLand Transport Transition Act, 2000. The pur-pose of the Register is to integrate the landtransport systems, i.e. the Subsidy Manage-ment System (SUMS), the Land TransportPermit System (LTPS) and the RegistrationAdministration System (RAS). The primarygoal of LTPS is to facilitate the issue of publicroad carrier permits in order to regulate entryinto the road carrier markets. The objective isto facilitate the processing of permit applica-tions and to enable the Local Road Transpor-tation Boards (Provincial Permit Board) to pro-vide an efficient service to the industry. Inachieving this goal, the System supports theBoards with • registering applications• generating and verifying advertisements• capturing objections and appeals • generating agendas• verifying vehicle information• generating permits and permit transfers.The primary goal of RAS is to facilitate theregistration of minibus-taxi associations at theProvincial Registrar in order to formalise theindustry. They support the Registrar with• registering members and associations• registering vehicle particulars of members• registering corridor particulars of associa-

tions• management reporting. The primary goal of SUMS is to manageclaims received from provincial departmentsfor bus contracts, and to manage payment.

Urban transportMetropolitan transport advisory boards gov-ern urban areas which have been declaredmetropolitan transport areas. Both short- andlong-term programmes for adequate trans-portation development are drawn up by thecore city of each area, and are revised andadjusted annually.

Nine such core areas exist, namely Johan-nesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, Pieter-maritzburg, Port Elizabeth, the East Rand,Bloemfontein and East London.

The planning of transport for metropolitanand major urban areas must be in accord-ance with a growth management plan, andtravel modes should not compete with eachother. In urban areas, passenger road trans-port services are provided by local govern-ments and private bus companies, whichoperate scheduled bus services betweenperipheral areas and city centres, and byminibus-taxis.

The Department will support provincialdepartments of transport and public works inthe construction of intermodal facilities and intheir efforts to achieve integration betweenbus and taxi operations.

The taxi industry has shown phenomenalgrowth during the last few years, leading to adecrease in the market share of the bus andtrain as modes of transport. Currently, gov-ernment subsidies for public transportamount to more than R2,5 billion a year.

Operators may tender for contracts tooperate their services according to specifi-cations. The Government will monitor thequantity, quality and price of the serviceoffered by each bus company. In terms ofthe scheme set out in the White Paper onNational Transport Policy, transport costswill be kept below 10% of disposableincome.

Motor carsOn 28 February 1998, there were some6,55 million registered motor vehicles inSouth Africa, more than 3,8 million of whichwere motor cars. The number of privatemotor vehicles continues to grow.

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Minibus-taxisThere are close to 127 000 minibus-taxis inSouth Africa which provide 65% of the 2,5 billion annual passenger trips in urbanareas and a high percentage of rural andintercity transport.

The South African Taxi Council (SATACO) isthe umbrella body for all provincial taxiorganisations, and strives to regulate, for-malise and stabilise the industry. The Councilacts as a mediator in disputes between taxiorganisations, and plays a role in eliminatingthe causes of taxi violence.

In May 1999, the Government signed amemorandum of understanding with SATACO, paving the way for the replacementof the industry's ageing fleet and its absorp-tion into South Africa's formal economy. Thememorandum commits SATACO to, amongother things, act against violent elements inthe industry, participate in the regulation ofthe industry by ensuring its members havelegal operations, and implement a pro-gramme of acceptable labour practices. TheGovernment, in turn, is bound by the memo-randum to find an acceptable solution to theindustry's recapitalisation crisis, to legalise il-legal operations within agreed parameters,and to provide taxi operators with extensivetraining.

The national Department of Transportlaunched the Be Legal Campaign at the Jack Mincer Taxi Rank in Johannesburg on 15 March 2001. The Campaign is anational short-term emergency campaigndriven and coordinated in conjunction with provinces and in partnership with localgovernment.

The Campaign provided an opportunity forthe 36 000 illegal minibus-taxi operators toapply for operating licences in terms of theNational Land Transport Transition Act, 2000,and to subject the whole industry to regula-tion and effective law enforcement. Theobjectives of the Campaign were to • legalise qualifying minibus-taxi operators• create a positive climate for the formalisa-

tion and democratisation of the taxiindustry

• create positive conditions for the smoothimplementation of the Taxi RecapitalisationProgramme

• create positive conditions for the economicempowerment of the taxi industry and therationalisation of public transport operations.

The Campaign ran for a period of sevenmonths. Four months were utilised for thereceiving of applications, and three monthsthereafter for processing and finalising theCampaign. By June 2001, the legalisation,democratisation and formalisation processesfor the taxi industry were close to completion.Each of the nine provinces has a democrat-ically elected taxi council in place. All the exis-ting umbrella groupings and elected councilshave been drawn together in a National Con-ference Preparatory Committee tasked withcharting the process towards a single unifiedtaxi body for the whole of South Africa.

The first National Minibus Taxi Conferencewas held in September 2001in Durban. Some1 000 delegates attended. Issues such as theTaxi Recapitalisation Programme, road safetyand government subsidy were discussed.

Taxi Recapitalisation ProgrammeThe Government is in the process of develop-ing a R4-billion strategy to deal with the eco-nomic challenges facing the aged 127 000-strong taxi fleet. Most of these vehicles aremore than nine years old. The aim of the TaxiRecapitalisation Programme is to replace, overa five-year period, the current ageing taxifleet with new, locally-assembled 18- and 35-seater vehicles specifically designed to meetthe high quality and safety standards requiredfor public passenger transport.

Key to the project will be a strong empower-ment element involving the establishment oftaxi co-operatives to liaise with financiers, dis-tribute the new vehicles, and provide thefacilities for a compulsory maintenance pro-gramme. The co-operatives will be estab-lished after extensive consultation with localtaxi organisations.

The aim is to ensure that the new vehiclesare manufactured locally and to tap intoSouth Africa's highly-diversified components-

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manufacturing sector. The vehicles will usediesel, which is cheaper than petrol and whichwill be distributed by co-operatives. Diesel willalso cut back on noxious exhaust emissions.The taxis will contain unique features such asa stalling device to prevent overloading andso-called smart-card payment systems.

The scheme, developed by a task team rep-resenting the departments of Transport, Tradeand Industry, and Minerals and Energy, andthe National Treasury, in partnership with thetaxi industry, will be facilitated via a permitswap system (old for new) and a scrappingallowance which will be available to legalowners of existing vehicles to offset the priceof the new vehicles. The scheme has built-inregulatory levers in the form of compulsoryregistration of new vehicles on a national per-mits database and forced maintenance con-tracts linked to the residual (scrapping) valueof the vehicle at the end of its effective life.

By June 2001, the six short-listed bidderswere at work refining the raw prototypevehicles they displayed earlier in the year. A separate tender was published for the vehicles' electronic management system(EMS). All short-listed bidders will be given anopportunity to submit their best and finaloffer, incorporating the revised EMS technol-ogy specifications.

In addition, all vehicles will be subjected toa South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)homologation process and severe road-testing by Gerotek as part of the evaluationprocess.

Bus transportA network of public and privately owned pas-senger bus services links the major centres ofSouth Africa and also serves commuters inthe deep rural areas. A spate of serious busaccidents in the latter half of 1999 led theCabinet to approve far-reaching measuresintended to improve public transport safety.These included the immediate intensificationof law enforcement, lowering of the max-imum speed limit for buses and minibus-taxisto 100 km/h, and a programme of vehicle fit-ness-testing for buses.

An informal consultation process is underway with freight and public transport employ-ers' associations and trade unions. This will befollowed by formal negotiations to build con-sensus around self-regulatory measures andlegislative or regulatory changes deemed ne-cessary for tighter fleet safety management.

International models being exploredemphasise the need for a formal safety fitnessrating methodology. A vehicle operatorreceives a safety rating when an accredited orauthorised safety specialist conducts an on-site review of the operator's compliance withapplicable safety and hazardous material reg-ulations. In terms of the formal compliancereview, the operator will then be awardedone of the three safety ratings: satisfactory,conditional or unsatisfactory.

To meet safety fitness standards, the carrierwill have to demonstrate that it has adequatesafety management controls in place toreduce the risks associated with • inadequate levels of financial responsibility• inadequate inspection, repair, and main-

tenance of vehicles• PrDP standard violations• the use of unqualified and fatigued drivers• improper use of motor vehicles• unsafe vehicles operating on highways• failure to maintain collision registers and

copies of collision reports• motor vehicle crashes• driving and parking rule violations• violation of hazardous materials regulations. The operator of a vehicle that has received anunsatisfactory safety rating will have a speci-fied period of time from the effective date ofrating notice to improve the safety rating to'conditional' or 'satisfactory'.

If these improvements do not occur, thecarrier will be prohibited from operating com-mercial motor vehicles or transporting pas-sengers for reward.

Cross-border transport

MultilateralThe SADC Protocol on Transport, Commun-ications and Meteorology provides a compre-

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hensive framework for regional integrationacross the entire spectrum of the transport,communications and meteorology sectors.The general objective is to promote the provi-sion of efficient, cost-effective and fully in-tegrated infrastructure and operations inthese fields.

The Protocol also specifically addressesroad transport, and aims at facilitating theunimpeded flow of goods and passengersbetween and across the territories of SADCmember states. It wants to promote theadoption of a harmonised policy, which laysdown general operational conditions for car-riers.

Cross-border transport within the SouthernAfrican Customs Union (SACU) is undertakenin terms of the SACU Memorandum ofUnderstanding. The Memorandum facilitatestransport between member countriesthrough, among other things, the use of thesingle permit system.

The Memorandum provides the frameworkfor co-operation between the signatory coun-tries, which has resulted in the establishmentof various technical working groups for suchthings as traffic standards, road-user chargesand passenger transport.

The activities of the passenger transportworking group led to the establishment ofJoint Route Management Committees(JRMCs) for certain cross-border passengerroutes within SACU. The JRMCs compriserepresentatives from the public and privatesectors of the countries concerned, and areaimed at jointly managing the routes in con-sultation with all stakeholders.

BilateralThe main thrust of bilateral agreements is tofacilitate and encourage cross-border roadtransport in support of regional trade.

This is promoted through, among otherthings, the entrenchment of the principle ofextraterritorial jurisdiction, the entrenchment ofa strategic public-private sector relationship,and the establishment of consultative mechan-isms that are sufficiently flexible to promote thejoint management of implementation.

The Maputo Development Corridorbetween South Africa and Mozambique is agood example.

The two governments also signed agree-ments dealing with road freight and passen-ger transport between the two countries,which will facilitate the movement of goodsand people by road and eliminate bureau-cratic proceedings at border posts.

The project will also include the upgradingand modernisation of the railway linebetween the two countries, and of MaputoHarbour, at a cost of about R150 million.

DomesticThe CBRTA fosters investment in the cross-border road transport industry, and provideshigh-quality cross-border freight and passen-ger road transport services at reasonableprices. The Agency works on a cost-recoverybasis, and any profits from cross-border per-mit fees are ploughed back into the systemthrough a price reduction on permits in thefollowing financial year. It also encouragessmall-business development in the industry.

Goods transportSince the mid-eighties, the southern Africanroad transport industry has grown consider-ably, with the number of road operatorsincreasing from fewer than 400 in 1988 tonearly 4 000. Approximately 80% of allfreight carried in South Africa is conveyed byroad, while nearly 7% of the gross nationalproduct is spent on freight transport.

Road traffic safetySouth Africa's road vehicle collision and fatal-ity rates compare poorly with those of mostother countries. Every year about 10 000people are killed and 150 000 injured inapproximately 500 000 accidents. The cost ofroad traffic accidents is estimated at morethan R11,9 billion a year.

The Constitution authorises provinces toexercise legislative and executive powers per-taining to road traffic safety, while the pro-motion thereof is primarily the responsibilityof the Department of Transport. The Road

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Traffic Safety Board (RTSB) endorses and actsas guardian of the Road Traffic ManagementStrategy (RTMS), assists in the identification,formulation and prioritisation of projects,monitors progress, and gives direction in theimplementation of the RTMS. The RTSB ismade up of members of all three spheres ofgovernment as well as traffic stakeholders inthe private sector. The Ministers of Education,Health, Justice and Constitutional Develop-ment, Provincial and Local Government, Safe-ty and Security, and Transport serve on theBoard.

Three Acts provide for the national co-ordination of regulation and law enforce-ment, the registration and licensing of motorvehicles, and the training and appointment oftraffic officers. These are the Road TrafficManagement Corporation (RTMC) Act, 1999(Act 20 of 1999), the National Road TrafficAmendment Act, 1999 (Act 21 of 1999), andthe Administrative Adjudication of RoadTraffic Offences Amendment Act, 1999 (Act22 of 1999).

The Administrative Adjudication of RoadTraffic Offences Amendment Act, 1999 pro-vides for a more efficient system of collectingtraffic fines and for the introduction of apoints demerit system, linked to the newcredit card-format (CCF) driver's licence. Interms of the Act, a motorist's driver's licencewill be suspended when he or she has 12penalty points against his or her name. Forevery point over and above 12, the motorist'slicence will be suspended for three months.Points can easily be accumulated, for examplefour points each for exceeding the speed limitby 50%, driving an unregistered vehicle,refusing to undergo a blood or breathalysertest, or driving a vehicle without registrationplates. The use of hand-held cellular phonesin vehicles was banned in August 2000; non-compliance could cost a motorist two points.

When a licence is suspended for a thirdtime, it will be cancelled and the motorist willagain have to undergo a driver's test. In moreserious cases, a court may forbid a motoristever to drive on a public road again. However,the system in no way detracts from the

accused's constitutional right to a fair trial.The points demerit system is to be imple-mented in phases.

In February 2001, the Minister of Transportannounced that the Administrative Adjudica-tion of Road Traffic Offences Act, 1999 will beimplemented immediately. This will beachieved via the incremental roll-out, startingin Gauteng, of the Road Traffic InfringementAgency (RTIA). As soon as all neccesary tech-nical requirements have been employed, theAgency will start functioning.

The establishment of the RTMC is specif-ically intended to redefine and strengthen thestructures and mechanisms for co-operationbetween the national, provincial and localspheres of government in support of theirresponsibilities for road traffic strategic plan-ning, regulation, facilitation and enforce-ment, and to ensure uniformity in lawenforcement and road traffic managementcountry-wide. The main focus of the new sys-tem will be on road traffic law enforcementand the improvement of income streams. Theobjectives will be to curb fraud and corrup-tion, increase private-sector involvement inroad traffic management, and improve thequality of service to the public.

The RTMC will create a single umbrellastructure, which will address functions suchas vehicle and driver testing and licensing,standards monitoring, centralised statisticalresearch, and professional career develop-ment of traffic officers. It will also set up aTraffic Academy.

OverloadingEarly in 1996, a survey was undertaken todetermine the extent of overloading on theroad network. It was found that between20% and 30% of all heavy vehicles wereoverloaded, causing damage in the order ofR500 million per annum to roads.

In response, the Ministerial Committee cre-ated a National Overload Control Fund ofR210 million, contributed to by the nationaland provincial departments of transport. Thiswas to be spent over five years on the dev-elopment and construction of a network of

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traffic control centres (weigh-stations), tomonitor overloading offences.

However, not all provinces sustained theircontributions, projects were scaled down,information gathering was poor, few TrafficControl Centres operated on a 24-hour basis,and many operators found ingenious physicalescape routes and other methods of evasion.

All this has resulted in an estimatedincrease in damage to the road networknow thought to be in the order of betweenR800 and R900 million per annum. It is fur-ther estimated that the percentage of over-loaded trucks on the road network hasincreased to between 30% and 40%.

A new approach is thus being developed,whereby SANRAL is financing a comprehens-ive and effective corridor-focused overloadcontrol management system. This was initial-ly devised in conjunction with KwaZulu-Natal,but is now being extended to otherprovinces.

It is based on a systematic operational strat-egy, which focuses on a combination of op-timal use of critically located, fully-staffed andmaintained weigh-stations, using escape cut-off tactics and increasing the use of tacticallyplaced weigh-in-motion indicative devices.There is additional assistance from the privatesector in the extended provision and opera-tion of such devices.

The next step to be taken will be the com-pletion of a technical study by the SABS intothe admissibility of read-outs from suchdevices as evidence in court, and a con-sequent further redeployment of resources inthe direction of this more flexible and cost-effective approach.

The SABS is working with the departmentsof Transport and Justice and ConstitutionalDevelopment to implement the new system.

Arrive Alive The Arrive Alive campaign is a year-round 24-hour per day campaign.

The success of the December 2000/01 andEaster 2001 traffic safety campaigns was alsocomplemented by visible law enforcement bylaw enforcement officers.

Road safety education and ongoing aware-ness campaigns to sensitise the public alsoplayed a critical role in the decrease of thedeath toll. Government's Arrive Alive roadsafety campaign aims to• reduce the number of road traffic accidents

in general, and fatalities in particular, by5% compared with the same period theprevious year

• improve road user compliance with trafficlaws

• forge an improved working relationshipbetween traffic authorities in the variousspheres of government.

The road death toll for December 2000 was7,5% lower than in the same period in 1999.The road death toll for the 2000/01 holidayseason was 1 124.

A national pedestrian safety month waslaunched in February 2001 by the Minister ofTransport. The initiative was aimed at redu-cing the number of pedestrians killed onSouth African roads.

The Alive Pedestrian Month and its culmi-nating Pedestrian Week, which lasted from25–31 March 2001, dictated that provincesorganised events at hazardous locations toraise public awareness around pedestrianissues.

The initiative was a joint effort between thenational Department of Transport, theCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) and the provinces. It was workshoppedduring January 2001 when representatives ofall nine provinces identified 10 locations intheir respective regions which are particularlyhazardous to pedestrians, and undertook toinitiate remedial engineering measures inthose locations.

The engineering projects will be supportedby appropriate education efforts aimed atadults and children, and by public awarenessand enforcement campaigns to ensure com-pliance to the new or changed facilities. TheCSIR is responsible for the evaluation of these90 projects and for preparing a report on theeffectiveness of the campaign.

Pedestrian problems are not restricted toSouth Africa. As indicated in Global Road

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Safety Partnerships literature, they are pre-valent in all developing and transitional soci-eties because of a variety of factors. In somecountries, pedestrian fatalities amount to upto 70% of road deaths. Although SouthAfrica's rate is much less at between 30 and40%, it is still unacceptably high. Factorswhich have exaggerated the problem inSouth Africa include lack of infrastructuresuch as adequate pavements or road-crossingfacilities, lack of education in road usage, atraffic mix with vehicles and pedestrians shar-ing the road, poor town and transport plan-ning of facilities such as schools and commu-nity halls, and an absence of enforcement.

The Department is in the process of intro-ducing the NTCC with the assistance of theprivate sector. The NTCC will ensure com-muter vigilance, reporting and preventativeaction. The Centre will receive and recordcalls on unsafe, poor, reckless and negligentdriving behaviour and non-compliance withthe rules of the road.

Important strides have been made in in-tegrating road safety awareness educationinto the mainstream school curriculum, as aset of basic life skills that can be continuouslyexpanded and deepened over time.

The implementation of road safety educa-tion has been planned and prepared in detailby task teams from the departments of trans-port and education.

Pre-school level through to Grade 9 will beexposed to systematic, practical road safetyeducation within the framework of the 'life-skills' component of their curriculum.

All the required learning materials forgrades 10, 11 and 12 will be ready by 2002,but these modules will only be introducedwithin the implementation time-frame set bythe Department of Education; 2003 for Grade 10, 2004 for Grade 11 and 2005 forGrade 12.

Road traffic controlThe Department of Transport is responsiblefor coordinating and harmonising traffic con-trol (law enforcement) in South Africa. This isdone in liaison with the provinces, which have

legislative and executive powers in thisregard. The aim is to enhance traffic quality,promote voluntary compliance by road userswith rules and regulations, reduce the in-cidence of traffic offences, prevent accidents,ensure effective adjudication, and implementimproved management.

An important facet of the Department'swork is the development of a standardisedmanagement system for traffic control atmicro level, to assist traffic authorities in man-aging their internal and external environ-ments optimally and to achieve the highestlevels of traffic quality, subject to the limitedavailability of resources. The traffic manage-ment model has been implemented atapproximately 100 provincial and local trafficauthorities. Other functions undertaken bythe Department include the following:• developing a standardised training system

for traffic personnel• developing a proactive traffic control sys-

tem, with special emphasis on communityinvolvement in the improvement of trafficquality

• facilitating the national overloading controlprogramme for the protection of roads onrural, metropolitan and urban routes, andseveral other coordinated programmesregarding critical road traffic offences ormodes, e.g. alcohol, speeding, followingdistance, tyre condition and pedestrians.

The National Traffic Information System(NaTIS) is an online system, allowing trafficauthorities to key in and verify the particularsof a transaction while the applicant is still inthe office.

The conversion to the CCF licences willimprove the operation of the System, which isexpected to save the country millions of Randsby making traffic administration more efficientand reducing traffic accidents, forged licencesand vehicle theft. The NaTIS provides for • vehicle registration and licensing• driver and professional driver registration• registration of authorised officers, and ve-

hicle and driver-testing facilities• recording of traffic offences• recording of collisions.

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Accident insuranceUnder the present system, motor accident vic-tims are able to claim up to R1 million fordamages and loss of income.

In March 2001, the Road Accident Fund(RAF) Amendment Bill was approved for sub-mission to Parliament. The Bill confers addi-tional powers and/or functions to the Fund inline with road safety projects initiated by gov-ernment.

The Fund receives a dedicated RAF levy,which is imposed on petrol and diesel. Thelevy has been differentiated between petroland diesel at 14,5 cents a litre and 10,3 centsa litre in 2000/01, respectively, and this yielded an estimated R2 158,9 million in rev-enue. New tax proposals include an adjust-ment to the petrol levy by 2 cents a litre to16,5 cents a litre from April 2001, and theequalisation of the diesel levy to 16,5 cents alitre by July 2001. These adjustments willresult in an additional R437 million, and anestimated total revenue of R2 510 million in2001/02. The administration of the Fund andbenefits payable are being reviewed, and anRAF Commission has been established toinvestigate ways in which the Fund can berestructured.

Rail transport

The implementation of the National LandTransportation Act, 2000 resulted in a focusby newly elected metropolitan or unicityauthorities on their obligations and rights rel-ative to commuter rail. Most of the biggercities have already started processes to ensurethe establishment of appropriate structuressuch as Metropolitan Transport Authorities toultimately control commuter rail concessionswithin their sphere of authority.

Significant progress has been made withthe establishment of the Railway SafetyRegulator (RSR). The RSR will monitor andsupervise the establishment of a SafetyManagement System for South African rail-way operators. Currently, the main operatorsare Spoornet and Metrorail. Both haveworked very closely with the national

Department of Transport team that has beentasked with finalising the legislation for sub-mission to Parliament during the 2001 ses-sion. By June 2001, draft legislation was com-pleted.

In the meantime, Metrorail and the SouthAfrican Rail Commuter Corporation(SARCC) have started an ambitious pro-gramme to reduce fare evasion in the com-muter rail system. The Automatic FareCollection and Control system will bedesigned to enable Metrorail to recover asmuch of the fares as possible. At the sametime, it will create new opportunities formodal integration and through ticketing initiatives. Both commuters and the Govern-ment will benefit.

SpoornetSpoornet is the largest division of Transnet, acommercialised company with the State asshareholder. Transnet was created in 1990 asa result of government policy to commer-cialise its transport business interests andderegulate the transport industry in SouthAfrica. Spoornet's core business lies in FreightLogistics Solutions (FLS) designed for cus-tomers in numerous industry-based businesssegments, mining, heavy manufacturing andlight manufacturing sectors.

Spoornet is the largest railroad and heavyhaulier in southern Africa with an annualturnover of R9 billion, generated by the trans-portation of 180 Mt of freight. The companyhas 60% market share of the 170 billion tonkilometre cargo available in South Africa. To serve these markets, it utilises 30 600 kmof track, 3 549 locomotives and 123 750wagons.

Spoornet maintains an extensive rail net-work across South Africa and connects withrail networks in the sub-Saharan region. Itsinfrastructure represents 80% of Africa's railinfrastructure.

Freight Logistics Solutions (FLS)In line with current market demands, Spoor-net's new vision is to be the leader in FLS. To achieve this vision, the company has

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devolved from its current rail competencies towarehousing, transport (including long haul,trans-shipment and feeder services), invent-ory management, freight forwarding, clear-ing and other logistics services. Logistics is themanagement of the entire supply chain,where a supply chain can be described as theflow of goods from supplier through manu-facturing and distribution chains to the enduser.

Logistics incorporates all the freight trans-portation modes such as road, rail, airfreight,ocean and barge. It includes warehousing,inventory management, fleet operations,freight forwarding, and customs brokerageservices. The software and information tech-nology used to support the flow of goods tomarket is also part of the logistics mix.

Spoornet consists of five business units,each with its own core business focus.

General Freight Business (GFB)GFB is the largest Spoornet business unit interms of revenue, customer accounts and thenumber of people employed. It handles inexcess of 52% of its freight tonnage perannum.

GFB conveys about 96 Mt of commodityfreight a year, serving customers in specialiseddiverse industrial commodity markets, name-ly mining, and light and heavy manufactur-ing. Structures provide for a sales force dedic-ated to customers in specific business sectorsunder a relationship/one-on-one philosophy.

COALlinkCOALlink focuses on the provision of worldclass transportation of South Africa's exportcoal, from the Mpumalanga coalfields to the

Richards Bay Coal Terminal at the port inRichards Bay.

South Africa is second only to Australia interms of tons of coal exported. South Africa isthe world leader in terms of steam coalexports. Coal exports constitute an integralpart of the South African export industry,with a value approaching 2% of SouthAfrica's gross domestic product. Coal exportsrank as the fourth-largest earner of foreignexchange, and the industry employs thou-sands of people.

COALlink was formed in 1997, throughthe ringfencing of the rail operation over thecoal export line, and augmenting the struc-ture with a business component and othersupport functions. This initiative ensured thatSouth Africa remains at the forefront of theworld steam-coal export market. MercerManagement Consultants benchmarked thecoal line operation in 1994 against similaroperations world-wide. The study rated thebulk export logistics supply chain as 8% moreefficient than world best-practice.

A major milestone in the history of thecoal export industry in this country wasreached in December 2000 when the bil-lionth ton of coal was transported over thecoal line and exported through the terminal.The coal line celebrated 25 years of existencein April 2001.

Orex Orex, a specialist business unit of Spoornet,deals in the haulage of iron ore over the 861-km track from Sishen to Saldanha Bay. Theline is dedicated to the movement of iron orefrom the mines in the far Northern Cape tothe steel industries in the Western Cape, andfor the export of the ore through the Port ofSaldanha Bay. The success of this bulk logis-tics operation depends on close co-operationwith the port and its facilities.

The average iron ore transported per yearincreased from 17,5 Mt for the period1990/92 to 1994/95, to 21,6 Mt for 1999/00.A benchmark study rated this seamless op-eration as 38% more efficient than worldbest-practice.

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In September 2001, Gauteng's Premier, MbazimaShilowa, announced plans for a Gauteng rail networkthat would create more than 40 000 jobs.The networkwill link Johannesburg, Pretoria and the new centralbusiness district of Sandton with the JohannesburgInternational Airport. The new world-class fast trainsare expected to drastically reduce traffic congestion onGauteng roads. Construction is set to begin in thesecond half of 2003.

Information

Orex does not only transport iron ore, buthas also become an international player inproviding a diverse range of heavy-haul logis-tics solutions for growing local and interna-tional markets. The line celebrated its 25thanniversary in May 2001.

Main Line Passenger Services (MLPS)MLPS provides an affordable intercity passen-ger service between major destinations inSouth and southern Africa. Approximatelyfour million passengers utilise their servicesper annum.

MLPS operates daily long-distance pas-senger services between Johannesburg,Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth,Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Cape Town.Services also connect main centres in SouthAfrica with destinations in southern Africa,namely Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, Maputo inMozambique, and Mbabane, Swaziland.

MLPS ensures access for any person orenterprise that wishes to charter a train.Significant time and effort is spent on thedesign of the train service to fit their needsand requirements. The type of coaches thatcan be hired varies from traditional sleepercoaches to lounge cars, dining cars and openplan coaches that can be used for parties orlecture rooms.

For the more selective travellers MLPSoffers a new class of travel, called PremierClasse. It consists of two sleeping coachesand one dining cum lounge car that is for theexclusive use of these guests. The sleepingcoaches and air-conditioned lounge/diningcar can accommodate up to 20 people.

LuxRail LuxRail's primary focus is on the prestigiousoperation of the Blue Train, and caters to agrowing international tourist market. For overhalf a century, South Africa's Blue Train hasenjoyed an international reputation as one ofthe world's paramount travelling experiences.It was voted the world's leading luxury trainby some 250 000 travel agents in 181 coun-tries at the 2001 World Travel Awards. TheBlue Train wine list has consistently, for the

past few years, received the Annual Diner'sClub Award of Approval.

A lounge car at the rear of the Train com-pliments the unique Blue Train experience byallowing guests to use it as an observationcar. The observation car is designed to betransposed from a lounge to a 22-seater con-ference facility with computer, overhead pro-jection, video and slide facilities.

The Blue Train travels from Pretoria to CapeTown, the Victoria Falls and Hoedspruit, andon the famous Garden Route, between PortElizabeth and Cape Town.

LuxRail also manages contracts with otherluxury train operators utilising Spoornet'sinfrastructure, such as Rovos Rail and Spier onthe wine route in the Western Cape.

Social investment activitiesSpoornet contributes to the social fabric ofSouth Africans, and notable social investmentactivities include the following: the Legal iTrain, AIDS awareness, Mr ChooChoo SafetyEducation Campaign, the Spoornet RugbyExcellence Programme, and Saturday schoolsfor Spoornet employees' children to improvetheir performance in mathematics and sci-ence and to offer supplementary coursessuch as study skills, career guidance and com-puter literacy. These classes are designed tosupport the national school curriculum.

South African Rail CommuterCorporation (SARCC)The SARCC is a State corporation, establishedin 1990 to provide commuter rail services forthe people of South Africa. It falls directlyunder the Department of Transport, but hasits own autonomous board of control. Itowns the rail assets and acts as an agency ofthe Department. Its main sources of revenueare the subsidies to cover operational lossesand capital expenditure. The Corporationreceived transfers from the Department of R1 727,4 million in 2000/01.

The Corporation's role as concessionor isto establish and monitor service standards,safety and security levels, and operating effi-ciencies. The White Paper on National

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Transport Policy will lead to far-reachingchanges in the way commuter rail services arestructured in future. According to the WhitePaper, public and private operators will infuture be able to bid competitively for theright to operate a rail line, a service or a net-work concession.

This has meant a change in the mission ofthe SARCC to one that ensures the 'provisionof effective, efficient and sustainable rail com-muter services under concessioning agree-ments'.

The Department has developed a strategicframework for the concessioning of rail ser-vices. Parliament has passed the SARCCLimited Financial Arrangements Act, 2000(Act 64 of 2000), to effect the transfer of theSARCC's debt of about R2,2 billion to gov-ernment. From 2001/02, the Corporation'stotal expenditure will be funded from thebudget of the Department of Transport. Inthe past, capital expenditure was fundedthrough borrowing – hence the accumulationof debt.

MetrorailMetrorail, a business unit of Transnet, istasked with the operation of SARCC assets toprovide an efficient commuter service.Metrorail only services urban areas. It oper-ates in the Witwatersrand area, Pretoria, theWestern Cape, Durban, Port Elizabeth andEast London.

Metrorail operations have made steadyprogress in implementing far-reaching efficiency-improvement projects. This hasenabled Metrorail to save the fiscus justover R90 million in the 1999/00 and2000/01 financial years. At the same time,

it has produced healthy returns to its share-holder.

Through customer-focused projects, it ismanaging to attract more customers back torail. A highly successful pilot project, theMetroplus Express between Pretoria andJohannesburg, has received complimentarypress coverage. The number of customers ofthis service has grown from 75 on the firstday to 400 per day. There is now a requestfor this service to be extended to otherareas.

Together with the SARCC, major safetyprojects have been identified, and significantportions of the R355 million capital funds willbe spent on refurbishing or renewing safety-critical signalling installations. The investmentin the refurbishment of rolling stock is con-tinuing, and the increased infrastructuralinvestment as announced by the Ministers ofFinance and Transport should also see im-provements in other parts of the railway infra-structure.

The Department, together with the SARCCand Metrorail, is looking at streamlining insti-tutional arrangements, improving manage-ment, reducing inefficiencies, and dealingdecisively with fare evasion and safety andsecurity both on trains and at commuter sta-tions. Some R300 million has been earmarkedfor renewal and upgrading of rolling stockand signalling systems.

The Department has developed a strat-egic framework for the concessioning of railservices; the current Metrorail service con-tract is already based on concessioning prin-ciples.

The Minister of Transport has announcedthat concessioning will not occur during 2003as originally planned. This is to give the coun-try an opportunity to review the principlesaround concessioning and develop a pro-gramme to address the challenges aroundinfrastructure investment in the railway indus-try. It also has implications for the pilot con-cessioning project that was due to start in2002. In the meantime, Metrorail and theSARCC have continued to conduct their rela-tionship in terms of the Business Agreement

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The Minister of Transport instructed Intersite Manage-ment Services in March 2001 to conduct an audit of allthe 350 train stations across the country. Intersite,which is responsible for developing the stations, willlook at improving their infrastructure and commun-ication systems. The aim of this move is to avoid asituation where Metrorail operates and at the same timeinvestigates themselves in cases where accidents orinconveniences have happened.

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that is firmly based on world-wide conces-sioning principles.

IntersiteFaced with managing a property portfolio ofmore than 373 stations worth some R2 bil-lion, the SARCC formed a property manage-ment company in 1992, called IntersiteProperty Management Services, to performthis task on its behalf. Intersite aims to devel-op railway stations into transport nodes thatlink taxi, bus and rail services in an integratedpublic transport system. Money earned fromthe commercial aspects of Intersite's develop-ments is ploughed back to reduce the subsidyprovided by government.

OperationsMetrorail is responsible for some 19% of allpublic transport in South Africa, whichamounts to transporting approximately twomillion people to and from work daily. Itserves 473 stations with 2 400 train services.Operating assets to the value of R69 millionare managed on behalf of the State. Metrorailhas set aside R2,8 billion to upgrade itscoaches over the next 15 years. These includemobile ticket-selling points, customer careprogrammes for all frontline staff, stationupgrades and a zone fare structure.

Civil aviation

South Africa's aviation policy is being review-ed to move away from protection, introdu-cing greater openness and competition.South Africa is party to the Yamoussoukro

Declaration, which provides for the openingup of the African skies over the next fewyears.

AirportsThe Cabinet approved the Green Paper onNational Policy on Airports and AirspaceManagement in February 1998. The docu-ment lays down principles for the develop-ment of airports, and calls for the sustainabil-ity of public-owned airports to be assessedand for action to be taken where necessary.The Green Paper establishes criteria, rangingfrom economic activity to the implementationof air traffic control, that should be used todetermine which airports could be named aspossible international airports. Civil aviation iscontrolled by the CAA. International airportsare those airports where the necessary facil-ities and services exist to accommodate inter-national flights. Cabinet has approved 10international airports in South Africa. Theseare: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban,Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Pilanesberg,Lanseria, Gateway (Pietersburg), Nelspruitand Upington.

In 2000, 8 810 873 passengers movedthrough these airports.

The Airports Company of South Africa(ACSA) owns and has responsibility for theplanning, construction and operation of thenine previously State-operated airports. Theassets and operations of these airports weretransferred to the Airports Company in 1993.The airports are Johannesburg, Cape Townand Durban international airports, and theairports at Kimberley, Port Elizabeth, Bloem-fontein, George, East London and Upington.These airports serve about 15 million passen-gers every year.

The Air Traffic Navigation Service (ATNS)Company is responsible for the efficient run-ning of South Africa's air traffic control sys-tems and the maintenance of navigationequipment, which includes the deploymentof air traffic controllers and aviation technicalstaff.

A joint operations centre at JohannesburgInternational Airport is the nerve centre of all

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The CAA declared June 2001 Aviation Safety AwarenessMonth. The purpose of the campaign was to creategreater awareness within the aviation industry andamongst the flying public. A comprehensive programmeof events was carried out, including aviation safetyworkshops in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban andPort Elizabeth. A publicity drive to raise awareness of in-flight fire hazards has been launched at all majorairports. This was supported by ACSA, the ATNS, all thedomestic airlines, and wide sections of the tourismindustry, including hotels and travel agents.

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airport communications and operations. Fromhere, all activities related to maintenance andbuilding management are coordinated. Thecentre serves as a control office, crisis controlcentre for emergencies, and informationtechnology centre.

The Airports Company is undertakingmajor capital developments totalling R1,7 bil-lion at the Johannesburg, Cape Town andDurban international airports. Half this sum isallocated for Johannesburg International Air-port, the busiest in Africa. The Airport atJohannesburg is expected to deal with 18 mil-lion passengers a year by 2005.

Construction of a new domestic terminal ata cost of R350 million is expected to be com-pleted by 2003.

Cape Town International Airport is to spendabout R2,8 billion on developments over thenext five years. A new baggage-scanning sys-tem capable of detecting hazardous chemicalcompounds has been installed. It is part of aR27-million baggage security upgrade at thecountry's international airports.

Scheduled airlines

Domestic services Twenty scheduled domestic airlines are cur-rently licensed to provide air services withinSouth Africa. These airlines provide internalflights, which link up with the internal andinternational networks of SAA, British Air-ways (BA)/Comair, Interair, SA Express and SAAirlink.

International services BA/Comair, SA Express, SA Airlink and Interairoperate scheduled air services within Africaand the Indian Ocean islands. In addition toserving Africa, SAA operates services toEurope, Latin America and the Far East.

Scheduled international air services are alsoprovided by Air Afrique, Air Austral, AirBotswana, Air France, Air Gabon, Air Mada-gascar, Air Malawi, Air Mauritius, Air Nam-ibia, Air Portugal, Air Seychelles, Air Tanzania,Air Zimbabwe, Airlink Swaziland, Alliance Ex-press, BA, Cameroon Airlines, Cargolux,

Cathay Pacific, Congo Airlines, Das Air, DeltaAirlines, El Al, Egyptair, Emirates, EthiopianAirlines, Ghana Airways, Iberia, KLM, KenyaAirways, LAM, LTU, Lufthansa, MK Airlines,Malaysia Airlines, Martinair Holland, North-west Airlines, Olympic Airways, Qantas, RoyalAir Maroc, Saudi Arabian Airlines, SingaporeAirlines, Swissair, Taag, Thai International, Tur-kish Airlines, Uganda Airlines, United Airlines,Varig, Virgin Atlantic, Yemenia, Zambian Airservices and Zambian Skyways.

Ports

By far the largest, best-equipped and mostefficient network of ports on the African con-tinent, South Africa's seven commercial portshave a significant role to play. They are notonly conduits for the imports and exports ofSouth Africa and neighbouring countries, butalso serve as hubs for traffic emanating fromand destined for the East and West Africancoasts. Portnet, a division of Transnet Limited,is the largest port authority in greater south-ern Africa, controlling seven of the 16 biggestports in this region.

These are Richards Bay, Durban, EastLondon, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, CapeTown and Saldanha. Portnet's regulatoryfunction will be separated from its opera-tional function in order to radically enhanceefficiency in freight handling and logistics,and reduce costs while at the same time pro-viding for independent regulation. Portnetwill retain its landowner function, but willhave to compete with international tendersfor the concession of port operations.

The new National Ports Authority was cre-ated, which will ensure independence andimpartiality in carrying out the regulatoryfunction. The Authority's Corporate Identitywas launched on 23 August 2001.

First-class facilities and services at reasonable tariffs are comprehensive, andinclude navigational aids along the coast.There are 45 lighthouses, 29 of which areautomatic.

Portnet offers all port services, except forstevedoring and cartage of break bulk cargo at

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Durban. The services provided include pilotage,tugs, berthing, shore labour for shipping anddischarging, tally clerks and checkers. All largetugs are fitted with salvage and fire-fightingequipment. Portnet also operates port grainelevators at Durban and East London.

The ports of Durban, Port Elizabeth andCape Town provide large container terminalsfor deep-sea and coastal container traffic.East London has a small terminal to handleconventional and coaster feeder vessels carry-ing containers.

Durban is Africa's busiest port and thelargest conduit for containerised cargo insouthern Africa. It is responsible for morethan 70% of South Africa's containerisedtraffic, with a daily handling capacity of 3 500containers. The bay covers an area of 893 ha,and the port entrance channel is 12,8 mdeep at low-water ordinary springtide.Quayage available for commercial shipping is15 196 m. Durban can accommodate deepro-ro vessels and has five deep-sea and twocontainer berths, as well as repair facilities.Privately-owned bulk storage and handlingfacilities for various products are provided inthe port.

The Ben Schoeman Dock in Cape Town hasa water area of 112,7 ha with five berths forcontainer handling as well as a pier for coastalro-ro traffic. The Dock has comprehensiveship-repair facilities. The bulk of SouthAfrica's fruit exports is handled here.

Port Elizabeth has an enclosed water areaof about 115 ha, and more than 3 400 m ofquayage alongside for commercial shippingwith depths of up to 12,2 m at chart datum.In addition, anchorage is available for vesselsof any draught in a partly sheltered road-stead.

East London, the only river port in SouthAfrica, has nearly 2 600 m of commercialquayage with low-water depths alongsidevarying from 8,5 m to 10,7 m. Tankers withan overall length of 204,2 m and a maximumloaded draught of 9,9 m can be accommod-ated at the tanker berth, which is 259 m long.

Saldanha, 110 km north-west of CapeTown, is in water mass the largest harbourfacility on the South African coast. It wasdeveloped primarily for the export of high-grade iron ore from Sishen in the NorthernCape. A railway line of 861 km was builtfrom Sishen to the ore terminal. SaldanhaBay is the largest port on the west coast ofAfrica.

The port area, nearly 5 200 ha, is aboutfour times larger than the combined areas of the ports of Durban, Cape Town, PortElizabeth and East London. It is one of thebest natural ports in the world, and the onlybreakwater which had to be constructed wasa 1 700 m spending beach type. Anchorageis provided in the lee of the breakwater,where the minimum water depth is 14,6 mat chart datum. Other facilities include a general-purpose quay with a depth along-side of 12 m at chart datum, a tug port andmany navigational aids.

Richards Bay Port was developed primarilyto handle bulk cargoes such as bituminouscoal and anthracite. This deepwater port,193 km north of Durban, is the biggest portin South Africa and the world's largest bulk-coal terminal. It handles 53% of the country'stotal tonnage of cargo.

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The 3rd meeting of the Southern Africa Transport andCommunication Commission's (SATCC) Maritime andInland Waterways Committee Meeting was held inDurban in March 2001. The Minister of Transport saidthat some 90% of South African imports and exportsreached or left the country's shores by sea, hence theneed to maintain the highest possible standards ofports efficiency, maritime training of seafarers (inclu-ding shore-based personnel), maritime legislation, safety standards at sea and ashore, environmentalcontrol, and the provision of an effective search-and-rescue service to the vessels that sail along thecountry's coastline.

Over the past year, some 700 ships calling at SouthAfrica's ports were targeted for Port State Controlinspections at the country's seven major ports. Vesselsnot in compliance with international safety standardsand norms were detained and fined when necessary.

The Indian Memorandum of Understanding for PortState Control, which is chaired by South Africa, isplaying a vital role in the eradication of sub-standardships from Indian Ocean waters. The efficiency of thissystem will be greatly improved once a database andinformation office of ship information is established byearly 2003.

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Pipelines

Petronet owns, maintains and operates a net-work of 3 000 km of high-pressure petroleumand gas pipelines. During the 1999/00 finan-cial year, Petronet transported 16 billion litresof fuel from coastal and inland refineries tothe main business centres in Gauteng andsurrounding areas, and some 200 million m3

of gas from Secunda to KwaZulu-Natal.Petronet's customers are the major oil com-panies in South Africa.

Maritime affairsMaritime administration, legislation and shippingSouth Africa's maritime administration andlegislation is the responsibility of the Depart-ment of Transport, and is controlled on itsbehalf by SAMSA in terms of the SAMSA Act,1998 (Act 5 of 1998).

The broad aim of SAMSA is to maintainthe safety of life and property at sea withinSouth Africa's area of maritime jurisdictionand to ensure the prevention of sea pollutionby oil and other substances emanating fromships.

The Department of Environmental Affairsand Tourism is responsible for the combatingof pollution, and has specific means at its dis-posal such as the Kuswag vessels with whichto perform this function.

SAMSA is responsible for the introductionand maintenance of international standardsset by the International Maritime Organisa-tion (IMO) in London, with respect to• ship construction• maritime training and training curricula• watch-keeping• certification of seafarers• manning and operation of local and foreign

ships• maritime search and rescue• marine communication and radio navigation

aids• pollution prevention.SAMSA has an operations unit, a policy unitand a corporate support division to handle all

financial, human resources and informationtechnology issues.

Other functions include the registration ofships, the establishment of a coastal patrolservice, and the management of marine casu-alties and wrecks.

SAMSA is steadily improving its capacity tomonitor safety standards on foreign vessels.Over the past year, 700 ships calling at SouthAfrica's seven major ports were inspected.Vessels not in compliance with internationalsafety standards were detained until the defi-ciencies were corrected.

The South African Marine Corporation(Safmarine), Unicorn Lines and Griffin Ship-ping are South Africa's predominant ship-ping lines. Their fleets of container, oil tanker,general cargo and bulk cargo vessels operatenot only between South African ports, butalso as cross-traders to other parts of theworld.

TrainingThe South African Merchant Navy Academy,'General Botha', established at Granger Bay,is integrated into the Cape Technikon, with asimilar training facility at the Natal Technikon.Deck and engineering students and officerscomplete their academic training at the Capeand Natal technikons, while lower classes ofcertificates are offered at the Training Centrefor Seamen, situated in the Duncan Dockarea in Cape Town.

This training institution also caters for deck,engine-room and catering department rat-ings.

SAMSA is responsible for setting all stand-ards of training certification and watch-keeping on behalf of the Department ofTransport, while the Maritime Education andTraining Board is responsible for the accred-itation of all maritime courses.

There are other maritime training organisa-tions, offering a wide range of courses thathave been developed within the SouthAfrican maritime industry and Portnet, andare situated mainly in the ports of Cape Townand Durban and to a lesser degree in PortElizabeth.

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Search-and-rescue servicesThe Department of Transport is responsiblefor the provision of a search-and-rescue func-tion in South Africa. The South African Searchand Rescue Organisation (SASAR) has beenestablished to provide South Africa with arenowned search-and-rescue capability.SASAR is a voluntary organisation, and func-tions under the auspices of the Departmentof Transport.

SASAR comprises the Executive Commit-tee, chaired by the Head of the South AfricanSearch and Rescue Services, the MaritimeSubcommittee and the Aeronautical Sub-committee.

Its main function is to search for, assist and,if necessary, rescue survivors of aircraft acci-dents or forced landings, vessels in distressand accidents at sea. It is also charged withcoordinating the resources made available tothe Department of Transport by various gov-ernment departments, voluntary organisa-tions, private aircraft and shipping companiesfor search-and-rescue purposes. The Exec-utive Committee of SASAR, in conjunctionwith the relevant officials of the Department,is responsible for formulating policy and procedures.

The Department of Transport, SouthAfrican National Defence Force, Telkom, Port-net, SAMSA, CAA, ATNS Company, SAPS,ICASA, SAA and the Department of Provincialand Local Government are members ofSASAR and contribute their services and/orfacilities. Voluntary organisations such as the4X4 Rescue Club, Mountain Club of SouthAfrica, Hamnet and the National Sea RescueInstitute are also members of SASAR.

The Department of Transport is chargedwith the negotiation and conclusion of bilat-eral search-and-rescue agreements with coun-tries bordering on the vast area of responsibil-ity, which is laid down by both the ICAO andthe IMO and is approximately 28,5 millionkm2.

In 2000, search-and-rescue negotiationswere concluded with five states, and a newSearch and Rescue Agreement was signed

with Namibia. In 2001, it was envisaged thatnegotiations would be carried out withSwaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola,Mauritius, Madagascar, US, Uruguay andBrazil.

South Africa initiated discussions on re-gional co-operation and coordination insearch-and-rescue by tabling a proposedregional search-and-rescue agreement forconsideration by SADC member states.

A Working Group has been establishedunder the auspices of the SATCC's TechnicalUnit to consider a regional agreement onthe coordination of search-and-rescue ser-vices.

South Africa has contributed significantlyto search-and-rescue in the southern oceanswith the establishment of the Cospas-SarsatSystem. It comprises three segments, namely: • radio beacons, carried by ships and aircraft

as recommended by the IMO and ICAO• a space segment• a ground segment. Satellite services are provided free of chargein terms of the International Cospas-SarsatAgreement, but individual countries mustprovide and pay for the ground segment thatcomprises • Local User Terminals (LUTs), that process

relayed distress signals to provide a beaconlocation and then transmit alert messagesto the Mission Control Centre (MCC)

• the MCC which then validates andexchanges alert data and technical in-formation and redistributes it to search-and-rescue authorities.

South Africa has been accepted as a memberof the International Cospas-Sarsat Pro-gramme as Ground Segment Provider witheffect from 1 November 2000.

This will enable its LUT/MCC to be in-tegrated into the global Cospas-SarsatSystem. The following countries will be servedby the LUT/MCC: Angola, Botswana,Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo,Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia,Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia andZimbabwe.

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Acknowledgements

Civil Aviation AuthorityDepartment of TransportEstimates of National Expenditure 2001, published by the National TreasuryPortnetSouth African Rail Commuter CorporationTransnet Ltd

Suggested readingByrom, J. Fields of Air: Triumphs, Tragedies and Mysteries of Civil Aviation in Southern Africa. Rivonia,

Sandton: Ashanti, 1993.Development Bank of Southern Africa. Infrastructure: A Foundation for Development. Development Report

1998. Midrand: Development Bank of Southern Africa, 1998.Du Toit, A. South Africa's Fighting Ships, Past and Present. Rivonia, Sandton: Ashanti, 1992.Empowerment through Service Delivery. Editor: M. Khosa. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council,

2000.Harris, C.J. and Ingpen, B.D. Mailships of the Union-Castle Line. Cape Town: Fernwood, 1994.Infrastructure Mandates for Change: 1994–1999. Pretoria: Human Sciences Research Council, 2000.Ingpen, B.D. South African Merchant Ships: An Illustrated Recent History of Coasters, Colliers,

Containerships, Tugs and Other Vessels. Cape Town: Balkema, 1979.Moore, D. Sunset of Steam: A Tribute in Colour to the Golden Years of Steam Locomotives in South Africa.

Johannesburg: Chris van Rensburg, 1990.Nöthling, C.J. and Becker, D. Pride of the Nation: A Short History of the South African Air Force. Pretoria:

South African Air Force, 1995.Robbins, D. Blue Train. Johannesburg: Penguin, 1993.Schnettler, F. A Century of Cars. Cape Town: Tafelberg, 1997.