The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said on Monday that the Draft Transport Charter has been gazetted as Integrated Sector Codes, in terms of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act.

The DTI stated that under the guidance of the Department of Transport (DoT), stakeholders committed to transformation and empowerment targets to boost one of South Africa’s largest infrastructure and gross domestic product contributors.

The gazetting of the Transport Sector Codes meant that eight subsectors, excluding the foreign airline component of the aviation subsector, were now final and binding across the spectrum of the national transport industry.

The aviation (foreign airline) subsector remains a Section 12 Charter and as such, was not legally binding to aviation role-players.

The Integrated Transport Sector Codes would be up for review during five-year intervals, following initial publication thereof. The various subsectors of the national transport sector set significant targets and measures that would, if strictly implemented, provide meaningful economic impetus to the sector and the South African economy as a whole.

Amongst other areas of development, the Transport Sector Codes committed to the training and skills development, to increase the number of black pilots in the aviation industry, as per the aviation subsector code.

It also aimed to achieve a black ownership target of 35% in the Bus Commuter Service subsector code within five years, and to assist in the empowerment of, and pursuing of worker rights in the taxi industry and imparting these individuals with the requisite skills to enter into management positions.

The Code would also ensure that the taxi industry provided commuters with reliable, safe, affordable, efficient and quality public transport services.