Media Statement: Greater Raymond Mhlaba Residents Discover Potential of Employment Creation in Railway Safety Bill

Parliament, Sunday 19 February 2023 - The residents of Greater Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality have asserted that the passing of the Railway Safety Bill will contribute immensely in addressing the perennial challenge of the high unemployment rate as the Bill will reduce to a greater extent, in dealing with the problem of the high cost of travelling, especially for small-scale to medium-scale entrepreneurs.

These views were expressed by Greater Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality residents during the public hearings on the Railway Safety Bill in Adelaide yesterday, in the Amathole District Municipality of the Eastern Cape.

The residents who came from all the communities of the municipality and who trade largely with agricultural products, highlighted that emerging farmers are unable to access markets locally and internationally mainly due to the unaffordability of the delivery expenses. They also attributed the heavy road delivery costs to stifling their emerging businesses and rendering them unprofitable and uncompetitive, a problem which they said kills their agricultural economy in the region.

A view was emphasised that an urgent revitalisation of railway services through the speedy implementation of the Bill should be set in motion in the region and in the province at large. The participants also reiterated their optimism and hope in the revitalisation of railway services. They said that it will restore the historical glory of the services such as Phelophepa which provided the needed healthcare services to the vulnerable and needy people in the historically impoverished communities.

The participants implored the committee to include in the Bill a clause that will call for operators to ensure the creation of employment opportunities in the communities where the railway lines pass, and to ensure the translation of social responsibility by the railway system in the communities along the railway line.

There was a general agreement among the participants that there is a need for strengthening of training initiatives on railway safety especially at school level. They said that must be done in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education.

Like in the previous public hearings on the Bill that took place in other provinces, the participants expressed a concern on the abolishment of railway police service which they argued maintained safety in trains and at train stations. They called for the reestablishment of the railway police to ensure safety in the railway environment. Furthermore, they said increased police visibility was also a deterrent against criminality within the railway environment.

The participants called for the Bill to limit the authority of the Minister to make appointments to the Railway Regulator Board, and they also called for an inclusive parliamentary process as a way to prevent all forms of corruption.

Notwithstanding the fact that the hearings were on the Bill, there were participants who used the opportunity created by the hearings to raise general operational issues such as the maintenance of the railway system, fencing of the railway lines. In response, the committee promised to pass those requests to the relevant government departments and relevant state-owned entities to respond.

The committee will today hold the last leg of the public hearings in the Eastern Cape in East London. It invites individuals and organisations within the area to contribute in the law-making process by attending the hearings.

Details of the visit (Day 2)

Date: Sunday, 19 February 2023

Time: 10:00

Venue: East London City Hall

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORT, MR LISA MANGCU

For media enquiries or interviews with the Co-Chairpersons, please contact the committee's Media Officer:

Name: Malatswa Molepo (Mr)

Parliamentary Communication Services

Tel: 021 403 8438

Cell: 081 512 7920

E-mail: [email protected]

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