SA and France sign transport agreement

AVIATION, MARITIME and road transport will be the main focus of a co-operation agreement which the South African Department of Transport has signed with its French counterpart, says transport minister Dullah Omar. Issues relating to road safety and the forthcoming summit on sustainable development will also be affected said Omar when he signed the agreement with French minister of equipment, transport and housing Jean-Claude Gayssot in Pretoria recently. South Africa is going through a difficult period of reconstruction and development, and the French support will be a huge asset, he said. Air services between the two countries are important and ways have been discussed in which these can be improved. South Africa does not have adequate facilities for the training of pilots, and with more black men and women wanting to enter this field of employment, France has offered to assist. "It is an offer we will certainly take up," said Omar. The private sector in France is also examining where it can be involved in the building of the Shilowa Express rapid train route linking Pretoria, Johannesburg and Johannesburg International Airport, he said.