Johannesburg - South Africa’s lack of integrated public transport came under the spotlight during the third day of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Conference under way in Johannesburg this week.
The National Union of Metalworkers (Num) general secretary, Irvin Jim, addressed delegates on the country’s public transport challenges, including the pothole crisis and the effects of austerity measures and neo-liberal policies on the country’s transport system.
The ITF, a global union of 670 transport unions in 147 countries, representing over 18 million transport workers across the globe, held its Railways, Road and Urban Transport Conferences in Johannesburg, which will continue until Saturday.
The event saw at least 500 delegates from 90 countries and 185 national trade unions making inputs on a range of issues and debating strategies to deal with the challenges facing the railway, road and urban transport industries, including chronic underinvestment, cuts to services, privatisation, and decarbonisation, and to develop strategies to strengthen workers’ voices in decision-making about the future of these vital industries.
Speaking during his address on the third day of the conference on Wednesday, Jim unpacked South Africa’s challenges and lack of an integrated public transport system catering to the needs of the country’s working class.
“In our country, we do not have an integrated, safe public transport system with roads and rail networks that are able to carry the working class to work to build the economy as producers of wealth and to carry them to meet their daily needs in a mode of transport that protects and preserves their dignity and gives them the necessary respect that they deserve. No safe transport is available to carry working-class children safely to school and carry them back home to their families safely at the end of the day,” he said.
Jim added that the country’s roads were in a bad state, with the growing pothole problem becoming a big challenge in ensuring smooth travel of people and goods.
He also pointed out that the country’s working class and the South African public are victims of the rising fuel, transport and food inflation due to a lack of subsidisation.
“This lack of subsidisation of public transport as a result of austerity measures by the state puts pressure on urban transport workers. Taxi and bus drivers must work 24/7 in an attempt to make miracles to meet the targets set by their employers with dwindling hard-earned gains and their benefits and conditions.
“For example, if two drivers are driving from Johannesburg to Cape Town, the one who is not driving is not regarded as being at work at the time they do not have their foot on the pedal. There is a direct link between this pressure imposed on the drivers and the rate of accident statistics in South Africa. In 2020, taxis as a mode of transport accounted for 20% of major collisions on the road, where many lives have been lost,” he said.
He added that the government’s austerity measures have made it difficult for the country to repair and maintain its infrastructure, including roads.
“As a result of austerity measures, roads are not maintained in South Africa. Across South Africa, you have got 54% of unpaved roads and 30% of paved roads that are in poor to very poor condition. As a result, we have 800 000 road accidents a year and 2 200 a day,” he said.
The conference, which continues until Saturday, will see a press conference later today to outline some of the discussions of the past four days.
The Star