From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.
Johannesburg's mayoral committee member for transport Rehana Moosajee says skills development is central to transforming the city’s public transport system into a safe, accessible and reliable service. Idele Esterhuizen has the story.
Idele Esterhuizen:
Rehana Moosajee said during a tour showcasing the different faces of public transport in Johannesburg, that the right skills base would have be built to deliver the city’s public transport projects.
Johannesburg mayoral committee member for transport Rehana Moosajee
Idele Esterhuizen:
Other impending plans for the city’s public transport system included increasing job creation and localisation in future procurement programmes for its Rea Vaya bus rapid transit system and the possible unbundling of its Metrobus system:
Rehana Moosajee
Idele Esterhuizen:
Moosajee further noted that although there were many hubs where integration had been successful between the different modes of public transport, the need existed to move beyond physical integration to implementing unifying measures, such as a single-ticket platform and information centre, and eventually fair harmonisation.
Shannon de Ryhove:
Other news making headlines this week: A high-speed rail preliminary study is completed, with South Africa securing Japan’s commitment; Dr Blade Nzimande establishes committee to boost university transformation; and Maths, and science teachers should be nurtured and more adequately paid.
The development of a high-speed rail link between Johannesburg and Durban could potentially remove between 1.9-million tons and 3.6-million tons a year of freight volumes off South Africa’s roads, a prefeasibility study has found.
Japan International Consultants for Transportation, technology headquarters senior manager Yoshimasa Sakon
To tackle the slow transformation in South Africa’s tertiary sector, Higher Education Minister Dr Blade Nzimande announced that his department has established a Ministerial Oversight Committee on the Transformation of South African Universities.
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande
Teachers of scarce-skills subjects, including mathematics, science and English, must be encouraged and supported by government and industry to improve the supply of these critical scarce skills, says University of Pretoria acting vice principal of teaching and learning Professor Johann Engelbrecht.
University of Pretoria acting vice principal of teaching and learning Professor Johann Engelbrecht
That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.