Annual Southern African Transport Conference opens today
'Transport - a catalyst for socio-economic growth development opportunities to improve quality of life', is the theme of the 35th annual Southern African Transport Conference (SATC), which opens at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria today, 4 July 2016, and runs till 7 July.
© Pablo Scapinachis Armstrong – 123RF.com
Event patron, SA Minister of Transport Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, will deliver the opening address. Other plenary speakers include Les Bruzsa Chief Engineer of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), in Australia and Dr Hernan de Solminihac from Chile discussing ‘The importance of the road infrastructure development in the socio-economic growth of Chile.’
At the conference today, SA’s Deputy Director-General in Intergovernmental Relations, Malijeng Ngqaleni will present a talk titled, ‘The public transport integration challenge: what role for the fiscal system?’
The Deputy Director-General will be reflecting on the challenges of integration, including funding, planning and operations across different spheres of government. The intention of the talk is not to recommend a certain or particular system, but rather to discuss the broader principles around the challenges faced by South Africa in this context.
Key elements to be discussed:
- What are the first steps toward integrated transport systems?
- How can a financing system catalyse this?
- What are the key steps moving forward?
- How much will the status quo cost both the South African government and households?
Another critical element is how an integrated transport system deals with the different spheres of government in South Africa. Key integration across jurisdictions including provincial ones is an important topic.
For further information about the 35th annual SATC log on to www.satc.org.za.
