The Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters has set up a high-powered panel of experts and activists to advise the Road Traffic Management Corporation on initiatives to reduce the number of people dying on South African roads. The panel to be known as the Road Safety Council consists of academics, engineers, businesses people, professionals, unionists and community activists. The panel will advise on the implementation of the 2011 – 2020 United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety and well as the Department of Transport’s 365 days road safety programme.

The government’s plans to reduce the number people dying from accidents and support to the injured as well as their families are expected to be discussed in detail at a breakfast briefing to be addressed by the Minister at Montecasino in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 01 July 2015.
The Minister said road traffic fatalities were amongst the main causes of death in South Africa today. “This results in serious social and economic costs for the country. These consequences include the loss of family members who are bread winners and leave behind traumatized families. The economic ramifications include the increase in the social development and health budgets spent,” she said.

The panel was appointed after a process of public participation where members of the public were invited to nominate members to serve on the council.
The minister emphasised that the appointment of members was based on competence to ensure that membership reflects the best possible set of skills to deliver on key functions.
“Members of the Council are not representatives of an organisation or stakeholder group. It is not a federation of community structures,” she said.

The Council is not going to deliver road safety initiatives directly meet quarterly to provide inputs into the strategic direction, oversight and critical assessment of proposed road safety initiatives and campaigns.

It will:
a) Identify policy needs, engineering, public education, and enforcement and community engagements measures to deliver –

·     Safer roads;

·     Safer travel speeds;

·     Safer vehicles;

·     Safer drivers; and

·     Overall safe road users

(b) Recommend to the CEO of the RTMC, the Shareholders Committee and relevant bodies the process that should be taken to implement those measures;

(c) Evaluate the effectiveness of those measures;

(d) Report to the CEO of the RTMC on its operations and achievements;

(e) The CEO of the RTMC may also request the RTMC’s Road Safety Advisory Council to undertake specific tasks on an ad-hoc basis.

Here are members of the council.

1. Mr. Herbert Vusumuzi Ngcamphalala

Mr Ngcamphalala is from Pongola in Kwazulu Natal. He has staged Community Outreach programmes such as road safety campaigns working together with the Department of Transport and communities.
2. Mr. Ismail Amod

Mr Amod has been involved in efforts to improve the quality of driver licencing in South Africa since 2000. He participated in an investigation led by Deloitte to investigate licensing fraud. He has conceptualised,
developed, implemented and maintained computerised driving test system (Lpro) and an innovative road safety initiative (fatal move).

3. Mr. Eric Mafuyeka

Mr Mafuyeka is involved in Community Outreach programmes. He was a member of a task team from planning to launch of the Decade of Action Road Safety 2011 -2020. Project Co-ordinator of the long/short walk held on the 04 May 2013.

4. Ms Paulina Ntebo Ramusi

Ms Ramusi won the road safety speech competition as a student. She is actively involved in community based initiatives. She served on the board of Siyazi Transportation Services which was tasked with the recapitalization of taxis in Limpopo.

5. Mr Jan Coetzee

Mr Coetzee is a Chairman of ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd. He has technical experience in the field of Road Safety and has served on Tshwane Road Safety Engineering Strategy, EThekwini Road Safety Plan, N18 Taung Road Safety Audit, Mozambique Road Safety Plan, among others.

6. Ms Nomaswazi Faith Lingwati

Ms Lingwati is involved in directing Community Outreach Unit of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department; she conducts road safety lessons to nursery learners, primary schools, high schools and other members of the Community. 9

7. Ms Innocentia Itumeleng Motau

Ms Motau is a Managing Director: Shosholoza Operations and she actively participate in MSC logistics with truck drivers.
8. Ms. Pumza Patiswa Tuswa

Ms Tuswa has been in the field of transport for more than ten years. She owns Edu- Fleet, a company that is fully accredited by (TETA) specialising in transport related training.

9. Mr. Ronnie Zondi Maswanganyi

Mr Maswanganyi has previously participated as a safety marshal on both the Arrive Alive Road Safety Campaign and Speed Kills campaigns. He worked with the Department of Transport on law enforcement particularly on road safety matters.

10. Ms. Maria Mankwana Raoleka

Ms Raoleka served as the Secretary of Gauteng Women in Public Transport (GWIPT). In August 2009 she was elected as a Secretary of South African Network for Women in Transport (SANWIT). She was further appointed by the Minister of Transport to become Road Safety Counsellor. In 2012 she was appointed by the Member of the Mayoral Committee of Transport in Johannesburg Ms. Rehana Mosajee to become Road Safety Champion Counsellor.

11. Mr Themba Baloyi

Mr Baloyi is a founding member and Director for Discovery Insurance and the former General Secretary of the Black Insurance Professionals of Southern Africa. 10

12. Mr Eckart Kruger

Mr Kruger in an engineer and a consultant for the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa on vehicle safety issues and on technical matters.

13. Mr Vernon Billet

Mr Billet is from South African National Taxi Association (SANTACO). As a senior official in SANTACO he has played a key role on road safety campaign in the taxi industry.

14. Mr John Mabida

Mr Mabida is a unionist and has served as Deputy President of the Police Prisons and Civil Rights Union. He has also been the chairperson of the Joint Mandating Committee of COSATU and the political head for collective bargaining.

15. Prof Marion Sinclair

Prof Sinclair is an academic from the University of Stellenbosch where is responsible for coordinating road safety research. Previously she was the programme manager for Safer Roads Partnership for Hampshire and Isle of Wright in the United Kingdom.

16. Prof Roger Behrens

Prof Behrens is an academic from the University of Cape Town. He is the Director of the Centre for Transport and the Director of the African Centre of Excellence for Studies in Public and Non-Motorised Transport.

17. Mr Skhumbuzo Mpanza

Mr Mpanza is the General Secretary of the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO). He has served as board at the KwaZulu Sharks Board.

 

Issued by The Department of Transport