Transport needs
of value-added exporters will be
a priority this year
SOUTH AFRICA will focus on strategically-focused collaboration with the SADC region in the next financial year.
Speaking at the launch in Pretoria last week of a new business plan for the Department of Transport, transport minister Mac Maharaj said his department would be working on a range of fresh ideas to redefine interactions with the region so that the emphasis increasingly shifted from purely technical co-operation to strategically focused collaboration.
To achieve this we have brought together roleplayers in all modes of transport to participate in formulation of a long-range strategy for South Africa's role in the SADC.
South Africa took a leading role in the implementation of the SADC transport protocol which came into force in 1998 after being ratified by the required number of states. The protocol aimed to improve the management and maintenance of the regional transport infrastructure, to improve its efficiency and accessibility, reduce costs and create better conditions for trade. As part of our commitment, we have made our management systems available to the region and will continue to do so in an even more focused way once we have finalised our SADC strategy, he said.
Freight transport would also be a priority during the next financial year, said Maharaj. It was found that with the exception of world-class bulk transport systems in two key corridors, freight transport is in general not meeting the needs of customers in terms of both cost and services - mainly reliability and speed.
A critical gap identified in the system was the one experienced by customers who were central to the growth strategy of the nation - the exporters of value-added and manufactured products. For these customers, the transport system is at its worst, and in some areas, actively working against their export competitiveness.
Cutting across the entire freight transport system is another challenge: the levels of investment and re-investment are not sufficient to sustain even current levels of service and cost in the long run. In particular, the restructuring of South African ports has been identified as a critical path component of the proposed change strategy, said Maharaj.
By Anna Cox
