The Department of Transport (DoT) has a budget of R42.3-billion for the 2013/14 financial year, of which R18.85-billion would be transferred to provinces and municipalities for road maintenance, Transport Minister Ben Martins said on Tuesday as he delivered his Budget Vote in Parliament.

He said State body, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), would “provide a critical supporting role in the implementation of the maintenance programme”.

Other beneficiaries of the DoT’s budget, receiving R21.9-billion, would be State-owned companies and agencies, which were the delivery agents of the DoT.

Martins said the spending focus over the next year would be predominantly on maintaining road infrastructure, upgrading the rail infrastructure and services, and constructing and operating public transportation infrastructure.

Expenditure on these three areas would comprise an average of 96.1% of the total DoT budget allocation over the medium term.

Aligned to this policy decision, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, currently upgrading the Metrorail network, would receive R3.67-billion to fund its current operations and R7.5-billion for infrastructure investment.

In the medium term, the focus in the rail sector would continue to be on the upgrade and expansion of the priority commuter rail corridors, added Martins.


Sanral would receive R3.45-billion this financial year to fund current operations and R7-billion for infrastructure investment.

South Africa had a road network of 750 000 km, of which 17 000 km was managed by Sanral. Non-toll road network accounted for 83.1% of the national road network.

During the 2012/13 financial year, Sanral awarded 202 contracts, valued at R11.6-billion, for new works, rehabilitation and improvement, periodic and special maintenance, routine road maintenance, community development, supervision and other activities, with R9.5-billion of this being spent on non-toll roads, said Martins.

Transport infrastructure and services remained crucial for generating economic growth in South Africa, alleviating poverty and increasing domestic and international competitiveness, he added.

He noted that his department was finalising the National Transport Master Plan (Natmap) before it was submitted to Cabinet.

In a nod of approval to the highly contested expansion of the toll road network in South Africa, such as was the goal in Gauteng, Martins noted that alignment between Natmap and government’s National Development Plan included “implementing the user-pay principle in a manner that does not have a crushing effect on the working class and the poor. Within the prevailing economic climate, the fiscus alone is not able to finance the current infrastructure backlog in South Africa”.