| New aircraft and vehicles for SAPS - 24/05/2007 |
With government focusing on visible policing to deter criminals, the Minister of Safety and Security announced a raft of new equipment, including several helicopters, for the SA Police Service (SAPS). ’Millions of rands are to be spent over the next three years on helicopters, modern mobile command vehicles and surveillance aircraft for the SAPS,’ said Charles Nqakula. Nqakula said it would be spending R13.5m on three new mobile command vehicles fitted with modern technology and R20.2m on four new helicopters this financial year. According to an allAfrica.com report, in 2009/10, in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup, the police services will be further strengthened with another two high-tech mobile command vehicles at a cost of R9m. Three surveillance aircraft are also on the cards, at a cost of R90m, while the Department of Safety and Security will be buying 200 mobile closed-circuit television systems.
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Full allAfrica.com report
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| Monorail crashes into unexpected obstacle - 24/05/2007 |
Johannesburg’s R12bn monorail has crashed head-on into an unexpected obstacle - the national government. Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe has denied knowing anything about the project and questioned how the deal was concluded. ’I state the following categorically: I did not know anything about this proposal until it was announced in the media,’ Radebe said. ’The Gauteng province did not consult, nor discuss, nor seek approval for this proposal with my ministry.’ ’It is unclear what procurement process was followed to secure this particular contract to facilitate transparent competitive tendering,’ he added. And he revealed that by law, the country’s rail network was a national competence and all proposals - such as the approved Gautrain - had to be made to him. The Star reports that the monorail proposal was not included in the 2006 National Rail Plan. Nor was it mentioned during a meeting - ironically held in Soweto - where two transport plans (Public Transport Strategy and Transport World Cup 2010 Action Agenda) were submitted.
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Full report in The Star
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| Rustenburg receives R19m grant - 22/05/2007 |
Everything is going according to plan in Rustenburg and with a financial boost, the city is adamant that they will finish the 2010 Soccer World Cup preparations before the required time. The Rustenburg Local Municipality has received a R19m grant from the National Department of Transport. According to an article on the reporter.co.za site, the grant is aimed at conducting amongst others the integrated transport study, development of minibus taxi facilities and infrastructure, public transport operational planning, planning of park and ride facilities, planning and construction of non-motorised transport facilities. Spokesperson for the municipality, Butler Matlapeng, said that this is part of the preparations of Rustenburg as one of the host cities in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He said the receipt of those funds is in line with the announcement made at the second sitting of the local 2010 Technical Committees last week.
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Full article on the reporter.co.za site
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| SA airports will be ready by 2009 - 21/05/2007 |
SA’s airports will be ready for the 2010 World Cup and expansion plans will be completed on time. ’We will even be ready by 2009’, said CE of Airports Company of SA (Acsa), Monhla Hlahla, speaking at the South African Property Owners Association (Sapoa) annual convention. She outlined the country’s airports capability capacity, pointing out that over the next two years, the number of parking bays would rise by more than 50% and terminal areas would increase by just over 200 000m2. OR Tambo International Airport facilitates a minimum of 52 000 people per day and during the world cup, it is expected that an additional 20 000 more will pass through our airports, Hlahla explained.
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Full MoneyWeb report
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| Monorail set to change city’s skyline - 21/05/2007 |
Commuters will blast into a Jetsons-like future in the next three years as Malaysian transport company Newcyc Vision changes the city’s skyline with proposals for a monorail. The company has announced plans to build a sky rail from Protea Glen in Soweto to Bree Street in Johannesburg’s city centre. The Financial Mail reports that the monorail will cost R12bn over the next five years and will be able to carry 2.2m people daily. It is to be part of Gauteng’s so-called integrated transport plan. Keith Khoza, CE of the Gauteng Economic Development Agency (Geda), says he expects work to begin in September, when Newcyc will build a factory to manufacture the coaches for the monorail. The factory is expected to provide jobs for 2 200 people. For the monorail’s construction, Newcyc says, it will employ as many as 5 000. Khoza says Newcyc was attracted by the investment opportunities linked to the 2010 World Cup. Newcyc wants the monorail to be operational by 2010, though the auxiliary commercial and residential investments will be built in the years after the event.
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| R19m for transport system upgrade - 18/05/2007 |
The Rustenburg municipality received R19m from the national department of transport to improve its transport infrastructure ahead of the 2010 World Cup. ’The grant is aimed at conducting among others the Integrated Transport Study to determine how many cars our roads hold during peak hours, so that we can work at avoiding traffic congestion in 2010,’ said municipality spokesperson Butler Matlapeng. The Citizen reports that the municipality would also use the money to build public parking facilities so that motorists can leave their cars and use public transport to travel to stadiums, to avoid parking shortages and traffic congestion. Meanwhile Rustenburg’s Olympia Park Stadium will need R34m to be upgraded as it has been chosen by Fifa to be a practice venue in 2010.
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Full report in The Citizen
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| Mozambique gets 2010 preparations underway - 18/05/2007 |
Mozambique’s ports and railways company, CFM said it would spend $51m in the rehabilitation of a railway line that links the Maputo port to the SA border town of Inkomatipoort. CFM executive director Joaquim Zucule said there was a major flow of goods between the two countries. ’We have started to prepare for the upcoming World Cup event in SA, we know that railway transport is preferred by tourists due to its safety, therefore, it is part of a challenge for the company,’ Zucule added. According to a report on the IoL site, Zucule said $31m would be used in the rehabilitation of 45 locomotives in neighbouring SA and some would be purchased in Portugal as part of the company’s rolling stock-recovery programme before the end of the year.
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Full report on the IoL site
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| Air traffic control geared for 2010 - 16/05/2007 |
The Air Traffic and Navigation Services Company (ATNS) expressed satisfaction with its preparations for the 2010 World Cup and beyond. ’The company has increased its air traffic service staff complement by 10% over the past 12 months and has seen a 75% uptake of its newly implemented retention scheme,’ said ATNS CE Wrenelle Stander. According to a report on the News24 site, during the 2006/07 financial year, ATNS spent R25m on training a total of 1 461 people in varying aspects of air traffic control, as well as other technical disciplines. ’We are confident that we will continue to deliver air traffic services in a safe and efficient manner in the build up to the World Cup and beyond,’ Stander said.
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Full report on the News24 site
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| German gurus to assist with SA network - 15/05/2007 |
Three German transport experts arrived in the Eastern Cape to give ideas on how to improve the provincial transport network. Transport MEC Thobile Mhlahlo welcomed them, saying: ’We can learn a lot from Germany.’ The professors – Walter Lüders, Jurgen Follmann and Klaus Habermehl – worked closely on transport systems around Frankfurt’s 48000-seater stadium, which is similar to the stadium under construction in PE. The Dispatch reports that the trio, who jetted into SA to help with 2010 World Cup preparations, pointed out that they would need more than one day, however, to come up with suggestions for public transport in the Eastern Cape. They plan to be in the province until Saturday and will be sharing ideas with local and provincial officials.
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Full report in The Dispatch
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| 2010 the ticket to successful system - 14/05/2007 |
A move towards an integrated, one-ticket, mass-transit transport system is being considerably boosted by the pending 2010 World Cup, which will see the nine host cities receiving most of the attention, said Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa. The Sowetan reports that the ’co-ordinated national human resources development strategy’ will also contribute to an improved transport system and will involve increased skills development and training with a focus on Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for SA’s (Asgisa) priorities. Government is making a massive investment in infrastructure .
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Full report in The Sowetan
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| N92bn airport for Durban ahead of 2010 - 14/05/2007 |
The SA Government plans to begin the construction of the N92bn airport in the Kwazulu-Natal province, Durban next month ahead of the 2010 World Cup. This was made known by James Seymour, general manager, Tourism Information Services, Tourism Kwazulu-Natal at the opening of the Indaba 2007 festival. Business Day reports that he explained that the airport which would be named King Shaka International Airport will be located at Tiagaat, Durban and it will have the very best of modern facilities like any other international airport in the world. Seymour also explained that the essence of having an international airport in Durban was to boost the tourism potentials of the Kwazulu-Natal province.
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Full Business Day report
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| SAA works towards keeping SA skies safe – 12/05/2007 |
The crash of a Kenya Airways passenger liner seven days ago is a poignant reminder of how perilous air travel can be on the African continent. The Dispatch reports that investigators are still trying to piece together the final moments before the ultra-modern Boeing 737-800 plunged nose first into a swamp, killing all 114 on board. SAA boss Khaya Ngqula this week spoke in East London
about the impact that the 2010 World Cup will have on air traffic. Ngqula said the international tournament could bring over 300 extra daily flights to and around the country as soccer fans follow their favourite teams.
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Full report in The Dispatch
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| Gautrain construction on track - 10/05/2007 |
Gautrain is in its seventh month of construction and on schedule. Although work has mostly just started on the northern variant much work has been done at the Midrand Depot. It is in the southern variant that most construction development is taking place with Park Station, Rosebank, Sandton, Mushroom Farm Park and Marlboro Portal well underway. According to a construction update, 40% of the excavation and drill blast work are finished and 27 000 m³ of the material is removed at the park Station portal. The relocation of utilities are also still on schedule. The construction and completion of the Gautrain system will take place in various stages. The Sandton to OR Tambo International Airport as well as the link between Sandton and Midrand will be completed and tested in time for the 2010 World Cup. The remaining five stations inclusive of the links between Sandton to Park Station and Midrand to Hatfield will be completed and tested in 54 months.
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Full press release on the link2media site
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| Big plans for Bhisho airport - 10/05/2007 |
Football teams and their fans could find themselves landing at Bhisho airport or at military landing strips when they visit the Eastern Cape during the 2010 World Cup. This is according to SAA CE Khaya Ngqula, who this week revealed that negotiations were under way with provincial government for access to Bhisho airport, one of only a handful of airports in the country where large aircraft, including 747 passenger liners, can land. The Dispatch reports that Ngqula said Bhisho airport held strategic value for the international tournament, which could bring over 300 extra daily flights to and around the country. Ngqula said the huge increase in tourist traffic that the World Cup will bring also led him to start talks with Deputy Defence Minister Mluleki George about using military airstrips for commercial planes. He was confident that the tournament would be a success and ’probably the best World Cup ever’.
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Full Dispatch report
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| Taxi Recapitalisation Programme on course - 09/05/2007 |
The Department of Transport says it is on course to scrap 80% of taxis by 2010 as part of its Taxi Recapitalisation Programme. About 2 500 taxis have been scrapped countrywide since the appointment of the Scrapping Administration Agency five months ago. The SABC reports that taxi owners who want to exit the industry or want to buy new approved taxis voluntarily register their taxis to be scrapped and they receive a R50 000 allowance. Owners of unroadworthy taxis, however, are forced to scrap. Meanwhile, emergency services on the continent are gearing themselves up for the World Cup in 2010. The Fire Emergency Services Africa Conference, Exhibition and Training event currently under way in Pretoria brings together fire and emergency services from around the African continent and the world.
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Full SABC report
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| Durban gears up for 2010 - 09/05/2007 |
The central business district of the Ethekwini municipality is undergoing a major face-lift as the metro gears itself up for the 2010 World Cup. The Sowetan reports that there are visible renovations in almost every busy road in Durban, some of which are inconveniencing motorists. This after some of the streets were temporarily closed down as the renovators are hard at work to ensure the smooth beautification of Durban. The airport has also been refurbished, a new three-storey parking has been added opposite the main entrance. This is despite the fact that a new and bigger airport will be built to deal with the millions of foreigners expected in the country between 2009 and 2010.
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Full report in The Sowetan
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| Safer transport system for Western Cape - 08/05/2007 |
The greatest legacy that the 2010 World Cup would leave the Western Cape will be an increased, improved, safe and reliable public transport system. This is according to MEC for Roads and Public Works in the Western Cape, Marius Fransman. According to a report on the allAfrica.com site, with 1 132 days before kick off, 2010 has already acted as a catalyst for a series of developments. These developments ranged from moves to put in place an integrated public transport system, to an improved roads system, increased work opportunities and the provision of much-needed bulk infrastructure.
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Full report on the allAfrica.com site
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| City takes ownership of taxi routes - 08/05/2007 |
Cape Town’s ailing public-transport system is set for a dramatic overhaul as the state ’takes ownership’ of taxi routes. According to a Mail & Guardian Online report, the number of trains are to increase from 80 to 108, bus subsidies will be raised from R350m to R500m and the minibus taxi industry will be integrated into the public transport system. Cape Town is also poised to form a metropolitan transport authority to iron out the fragmentation of the transport system, caused by national, provincial and local government authorities controlling different segments of the system. These were some of the moves revealed by provincial transport and public works minister Marius Fransman. He was speaking on changes to the city’s transportation network in preparation for hosting the 2010 World Cup semifinal.
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Full Mail & Guardian Online report
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| MEC in two minds about airport over-rail link - 08/05/2007 |
Medium-term planning for improving infrastructure between the Cape Town International Airport and the central business district did not include a proposed over-rail link running on the N2 at present, Western Cape Transport MEC Marius Fransman said. But the MEC said government was not saying that this was ’a no-no’. Fransman said the plan was to close the four-kilometre gap between an existing rail line - near the airport - which ran into town. According to a report on the Sunday Times site, discussions were taking place with Metrorail but he also planned to meet national Transport Minister Jeff Radebe on the matter shortly. ’The Western Cape government has decided that critical to us is going to be public transportation,’ he said. The greatest benefit of the 2010 World Cup was to use this infrastructure fast-tracking as an opportunity to achieve this purpose.
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Full report on the Sunday Times site
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| Mozambique launches $1bn tender for roads - 07/05/2007 |
Mozambique has launched a $1bn international tendering competition for the reconstruction of its battered road network, the Public Works and Housing Ministry said. Engineering News reports that the winner of the tender for a three-year rebuilding programme will be announced in June. Mozambique hopes the reconstruction of its highways and roads will boost tourism and agriculture. Investment, particularly from the continent’s economic powerhouse SA is flowing into hotels and resorts designed to rival more established destinations in Kenya and Tanzania. Mozambique, like other countries in the region, expects to benefit from a flood of visitors when SA hosts the 2010 World Cup.
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Full Engineering News report
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| Airport upgrades on track for 2010 - 03/05/2007 |
Government is to embark on an improvement of major airports in readiness for the 2010 World Cup at a cost of over a billion Pula. Director of Civil Aviation, Olefile Moakofi said in an interview that P1 132m will be used to improve airports, including Sir Seretse Khama International, Maun, Kasane and Francistown. He said all parties involved are doing their best to expedite the project. Other improvements are runaway extension by 1000m and provision of full-length parallel taxiway and associated movement areas. Moakofi said the existing terminal building will be blended to form part of the new building and that the new facilities will be able to accommodate unrestricted movement of B747 aircraft while the whole development works is expected to be completed before 2010.
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Full press release
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| Second commercial airport for Western Cape? – 30/04/2007 |
The Western Cape is set to get a second commercial airport which would be used to export cargo and as a re-route facility for passenger planes. The Cape Times reports that the earmarked site is in Bredasdorp in the Overberg and the development will go a long way towards boosting the area’s economy and helping to dent the high local unemployment rate. A feasibility study showed that by the time of the 2010 World Cup, the airport could complement Cape Town International as a diversion airport in the event of bad weather, as well as assist with aircraft parking. The proposed airport’s proximity to Cape Town meant it would be an ideal facility to which to re-route passenger planes if there were space or other problems at the major airports.
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Full Cape Times report
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| R2bn budget for KZN roads infrastructure – 27/04/2007 |
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has budgeted over R2bn for roads infrastructure in the 2007/08 financial year. According to a report on the allAfrica.com site, in his department’s budget vote, MEC Bheki Cele said roads infrastructure took the bulk of the budget because it was the core mandate of the department. The assessment, he said, excluded providing the backlog of pedestrian bridges and access roads which need to be addressed within the R2bn budget allocated to this programme. ’Whilst inundated with this huge demand for road networks, we should also take cognisance that our road network must also respond to the rapid and easy execution of activities for the success of the 2010 World Cup event,’ he noted. The overall intention of the project is to provide integrated multi-modal facilities for long distance public transport services at major places for the 2010 World Cup.
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Full allAfrica.com report
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| Metrorail not serious about protecting commuters - 25/04/2007 |
Metrorail did not take the responsibility of protecting its rail commuters seriously, said a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). Business Day reports that Boyane Tshehla, of the institute’s crime and justice programme, said Metrorail’s lack of concern was evident in it telling the Constitutional Court in 2005 that it was not responsible for the protection of commuters on its trains, and the fact that commuters continued to face crime every day. Safety on public transport is becoming more of an issue as the government pushes for South Africans to cut down on using cars and attempts to improve the public transport system ahead of the 2010 World Cup. In an effort to curb crime on trains, the transport department has enlisted volunteers to make rail travel safer.
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Full Business Day report
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| New train station for Century City? - 25/04/2007 |
Century City developers and Metrorail are in talks over the construction of a train station near the Canal Walk shopping complex - set to play a key role in 2010 transport infrastructure. According to a report on the News24 site, Hishaam Emeran, General Manager of SARCC Metrorail Network Planning and Development, said Windemere station, as the new station will be known, will be located between the Acacia and Kentemade stations. The line will cater for the Cape Town to Bellville route, via Monte Vista. He said the line would act as a transfer station, during the 2010 World Cup.
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Full report on the News24 site
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| Air transport contributing to Africa’s development - 24/04/2007 |
Air transport has contributed greatly to socio-economic development in Africa, says the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the AU. Opening a three-day annual forum on air transport in Africa at the AU headquarters here Monday, Dr Bernard Zoba, added that the AU attached due attention to air transport as the sector is a catalyst to bring about overall socio-economic development in the continent. According to a report on the allAfrica.com site, in response to this growing sector, the Airports Company SA(ACSA) started a five-year investment program in all the major airports in the country in 2006. It has ramped up its capital expenditure commitments to R19.3bn from R5.2bn to meet expected growth in passenger traffic beyond 2010, when the country will host the 2010 World Cup.
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Full allAfrica.com site
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| Mbeki welcomes initiative to recruit SA engineers - 16/04/2007 |
President Thabo Mbeki has welcomed an initiative by Gauteng government to recruit SA engineers working outside the country. According to a BuaNews report, he said the initiative would add the much needed engineering skills in the Gautrain project. ’Together, with Minister Geraldine Fraser Moleketi we can see the engineering challenges we are faced with. I am glad that you are attracting some of SA’s engineers who had gone to find work some where else,’ the president said. Gautrain Project Manager Jack van der Merwe said the Gautrain route connecting Sandton to the OR Tambo International Airport and to Midrand will be ready in time for the 2010 World Cup.
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Full BuaNews report
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| New railways police unit to patrol trains - 13/04/2007 |
A new railways police unit has been established to patrol trains and railway stations in Gauteng after an increase in ’train surfing’ and crime on trains. The Sowetan reports that Enos Ngutshane, Metrorail’s group executive for compliance, operational safety and security , said the company intended to reduce crime on trains by 15% and to improve safety by 30%. ’We want to have more than 5 000 railways police in time for the 2010 World Cup to augment the more than 6 000 Metrorail guards deployed in all regions ,’ said Ngutshane. Metrorail has invested R500 000 in the education of 30 former ’train surfers’ or ’staff riders’ over the next three years.
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Full report in The Sowetan
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| SA aims for top-notch public transport system - 13/04/2007 |
The integration of the public transport system in SA will ’radically transform’ the way millions of people commute, and will put the country’s public transport on a par with that of the developed world, according to the Transport Department. Business Day reports that the department’s ambitious plan involves the integration of rail, buses, minibus taxis, metered taxis and long-distance intercity services ahead of the 2010 World Cup. Dedicated lanes for high-occupancy vehicles and pathways for cyclists and pedestrians will also be established. In Johannesburg, the new transport master plan involves the integration of the timetables of municipal bus service provider Metrobus, commuter rail service provider Metrorail and the high-speed Gautrain Rapid Rail Link. In terms of the public transport strategy launched by Transport Minister Jeff Radebe last month, at least 12 cities and six districts will be fully compliant with the new public transport plan in the next three years.
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Full Business Day report
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| Transport requirements outlined - 12/04/2007 |
Cape Town’s transport requirements for the 2010 World Cup will be outlined to Helderberg-based members of Cape Town Tourism at a meeting in Strand on April 25. The District Mail reports that Cape Town International Airport GM George Uriesi will provide an update on the changes being implemented at the airport while City of Cape Town executive director for Transport and Roads Eddie Chinnappen will talk about the City’s transport plans and status. Cape Town Tourism announced earlier this month the launch of its preparation and information sessions relating to the 2010 World Cup. A number of membership networking events have been planned.
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Full District Mail report
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