To say the Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy has a mountain to climb in her new department would be the understatement of the decade. The political veteran was appointed head of the Department of Transport following a five-year tenure as the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. No less than 11 ministers have helmed the department in the last 20 years, with six taking up the cudgels in just the last seven years. And none has been able to leave a lasting legacy.
The latest Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy replaces Sindisiwe Chikunga and Fikile Mbalula most recently. Both ministers missed significant deadlines for new South African drivers’ licences during their tenures. Critics are concerned yet another leadership change might delay any significant progress further still, says Business Tech.
MINISTER OF TRANSPORT BARBARA CREECY
To that end, Creecy addressed the media and said her first task was to stabilise the transport system, reports TimesLive. “The priority for the next financial year is to stabilise and improve governance of the department. Critical vacancies will be assessed and appointments will be made,” commented Creecy.
Likewise, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy said immediate attention must go to underspending by departmental entities for road maintenance and construction. She said it was unconscionable that the department was returning unused money to the National Treasury in a country where citizens must navigate the hazards of potholes every day.
WHAT ABOUT SMART LICENCES?
The transport department under Mbalula and Chikunga frequently missed deadlines for smart licence cards. There was also promise of extending their validity from five to eight years. However, despite widespread support, this has never come to fruition and has seemingly been abandoned.
Furthermore, the Automobile Association (AA) said the new minister should give serious attention to improved traffic law enforcement. Meanwhile, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) welcomed the change in leadership at the Department of Transport. It said it was dissatisfied with Chikunga’s performance in the role, citing major inefficiencies across the department.
NO NEWS ON SMART CARDS …
South Africa’s ailing drivers licence card machine has been in operation for 26 years. New smart cards were meant to bring upgraded security features to combat crime and fraud. Cabinet approved these new driving licence cards as long ago as 2022. The basic process of bidding for and securing a service provider was unsuccessful in the intervening two years.
The department readvertised in April 2023 and the bid window closed in May 2024. However, new Minster of Transport Barbara Creecy has still not communicated anything about the outcome of the process. The targeted launch of new driving licence cards for South Africa was June 2024, which has since passed. So, where to next for the Department of Transport?
SHOULD THE MINISTER ENACT NEW LICENCE CARDS?
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