The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality created many new jobs with the establishment of Libhongolethu, the city’s new bus service.
Executive Mayor Benson Fihla, affectionately known as Oom Ben, said the project thus far created nine hundred employment opportunities and also created temporary jobs for one hundred and eight ambassadors, fourteen field monitors, and eighteen operations centre monitors as well as six administrative positions.
“I am also glad to inform you that it is estimated that this ANC-led municipality will be creating 450 new jobs with the Standford Road construction works alone. Many more construction jobs will be created when work starts at Njoli, Motherwell and other areas,” Oom Ben said at the launch of the Uitenhage Modal Interchange today.
“We are still keeping our promise that no one will lose their jobs as a result of the integration. Various employment opportunities will be created when we implement this system. People will be employed to clean the buses, depots and stations. We will need security guards, drivers and inspectors. Small business opportunities for people to trade and set up food stalls will also be created.
“We made significant progress since the official launch in November last year. IPTS planning officials are in continuous negotiations with the taxi and bus operators to improve the service. Sixty taxis have been taken off the roads since February this year.
“I recently saw a letter in a local newspaper from a disabled man who said that for the first time in his life he can now travel to his work and back independently. He used to ask friends and family to take him to his work and back, but our bus service changed his life for the better.
“Let us continue on this road and positively impact on the lives of our people every single day,” Mayor Fihla added.
The first phase of the Uitenhage Modal Interchange will cost R7,8 million and entails the building of feeder and bus lanes as well as associated infrastructure.
Statement by Executive Mayor Benson Fihla at the launch of the Uitenhage Modal Interchange on 12 June 2013:
Program Director, prior to the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup in June that year, many critics said that we will not be able to build a brand new stadium in time. Then rumours were enthusiastically spread that the building materials used for the stadium are of an inferior quality. They also said that we will not be able to host the world when thousands of tourists descend on our shores at once. Some even said that we will not be in a position to protect tourists from criminal elements. Others were saying that our transport arrangements, managed by the representatives from the taxi industry, will be problematic and that we will only frustrate visitors and residents alike. The previous Executive Mayor of the ANC-led municipality and the institution did not allow all these negative comments to influence the good work that was done at that time. The municipality also bought several state-of-the-art buses before the tournament and the rumours started spreading again. This time our critics said that the bus lanes are too small for the articulated buses.
It is history now, but the 2010 soccer tournament came and went and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and its residents proved all the critics wrong. No known incidents were reported and the event went well. Both local and international tourists left our city with compliments.
Even though it was before my time I know that same spirit of hard work and perseverance still exists in Nelson Mandela Bay. The award-winning Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, that received a national engineering award, is proof of that. Besides the upgrade of several sporting facilities, the implementation of a top class transport system is part of the legacy of the 2010 soccer World Cup. It is now our responsibility to make sure that the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay – especially the poorest of the poor – enjoy the full implementation of a system that will create many job opportunities and change our experience of public transport for the better.
Councillor Baartman, we should not be surprised when we see the negative headlines about the Integrated Public Transport System or IPTS as it is commonly known. We should simply ignore these headlines and
negative comments as we have many successes to celebrate. We managed to save the livelihoods of taxi operators who almost closed their businesses. We have many excellent black female drivers driving these huge buses on our roads. Today taxi operators see themselves differently now thanks to our continued training programs. They are now fully fledged business men and women with a much broader understanding of how to conduct their business dealings. We also have a world-class monitoring system for the buses and routes. Our computerized reporting system can even assist the municipality to receive, monitor and deal with service delivery related issues as well.
The work that will take place here will ultimately allow for the development of an economic hub centred around the modal interchange. Once completed it will link with the existing retail activity around the Market Square, our innovate Science Centre and proposed retail, commercial, banking and entertainment services. It is also important to note that this project will essentially accommodate express bus services linking Uitenhage and Despatch to Port Elizabeth and other areas. Our commuters from Kwanobuhle and Kamesh will have reliable and safe transport to Port Elizabeth via the modal interchange once it is completed.
Programme Director, although we are still not happy with the number of people using the buses, I can gladly inform you that we recorded 29 000 users in March. It is now clear that more and more people are using this system. I am sure when the Cleary Park route is fully operational later this year we will see a dramatic climb in user numbers. We will then systematically implement the Njoli, Motherwell, other Uitenhage routes as well as the Western Suburbs over the next three to five years.
Program Director, we are still firmly focused on our goal to implement a safe, reliable and professional public transport system by integrating the fragmented minibus taxi industry and bus operators for the benefit of all our commuters.
The Uitenhage Modal Interchange will link all modes of transport. I must say that it is not an easy process to implement an integrated and unified transport system but we are doing well at this stage.
The project thus far created nine hundred employment opportunities and also created temporary jobs for one hundred and eight ambassadors, fourteen field monitors, and eighteen operations centre monitors as well as six administrative positions.
I am also glad to inform you that it is estimated that this ANC-led municipality will be creating 450 new jobs with the Standford Road construction works alone. Many more construction jobs will be created when work starts at Njoli, Motherwell and other areas.
We are still keeping our promise that no one will lose their jobs as a result of the integration. Various employment opportunities will be created when we implement this system. People will be employed to clean the buses, depots and stations. We will need security guards, drivers, inspectors. Small business opportunities for people to trade and set up food stalls will also be created.
We made significant progress since the official launch in November last year. IPTS planning officials are in continuous negotiations with the taxi and bus operators to improve the service. Sixty taxis have been taken off the roads since February this year.
I recently saw a letter in a local newspaper from a disabled man who said that for the first time in his life he can now travel to his work and back independently. He used to ask friends and family to take him to his work and back, but our bus service changed his life for the better.
Let us continue on this road and positively impact on the lives of our people every single day.
Together we can do more!
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you.
Nkosinathi Benson Fihla
Executive Mayor
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
