Transport Minister Dipuo Peters says she “would love to” present the National Transport Master Plan (Natmap) to Cabinet for approval by the end of March next year.
She says this is, however, dependent on internal process within the Department of Transport (DoT), as well as a planned consultation process.
“I am currently unable to give an indication on the timeline for public engagement, but there will be public engagement.”
Peters says the DoT will need to talk to industries such as the mining and agriculture sectors to determine their transport needs.
The long-delayed Natmap, which will guide South Africa’s transport infrastructure development to 2050, was initiated in 2007, before Peters’ appointment as Transport Minister in 2013.
The DoT in 2010 presented Parliament with an early version of Natmap, which included linking Johannesburg to Durban and Polokwane by rapid train networks, expanding the Port of Cape Town, and forming partnerships with the private sector to help fund projects and lower the burden on taxpayers, all with an estimated budget requirement of R750-billion.
Cabinet indicated that Natmap must represent South Africa’s transport needs, and not those of the DoT, Peters says, explaining the project’s delay.
Cabinet insisted that the DoT look at all modes of transport and the infrastructure that supported these modes in drawing up the master plan. Natmap should also respond to transport-related growth points in the economy, such as tourism.
“Cabinet then took the decision to refer Natmap back to the Presidential Infrastruc- ture Coordinating Committee (PICC),” says Peters.
“At this stage, we are ready to present Natmap to the PICC and to get the process started.”
Peters also acknowledges that the DoT has not yet been able to create significant private-sector participation in the transport sector, as was envisaged for the 2009 to 2014 period.
She says private-sector involvement could act as a catalyst for growth, adding that government does not have sufficient funds to create all of the transport infrastructure and services the South African economy requires.