KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma says the province is committed to ensuring a safe, effective, efficient and affordable transport system.
“More than R4 billion is being spent on projects that will not only cater for the influx of international visitors, but will also serve to promote local economic growth,” Duma said on Thursday.
The MEC was speaking ahead of the MTN 8 finals to be held at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
During his budget speech earlier this year, Duma said over R3.7 billion would go into constructing new infrastructural projects (roads and bridges), while over R4 billion would be set aside to maintain the road network.
In addition, over R58 million would go into infrastructure planning and design, with over R920 million being allocated to support programmes within transport infrastructure.
With the province being a destination of national and international events, such as this weekend’s soccer finals, the MEC committed to ensuring a safe, effective, efficient and affordable transport system.
“As the department, we have taken a decision to ensure that investments made in transport services and infrastructure benefit the rest of the province and the country as a whole. In particular, the partnership [with] the national Department of Transport provides for major investments across all transport systems – roads, rail, maritime and aviation.
“The construction and upgrading of rural roads and bridges forms a pivotal part of our infrastructure development. The youth based in rural areas and the townships need recreational facilities and designated football areas,” Duma said.
The MEC welcomed that Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) was working with the department to ensure the ease of the movement of soccer fans to Moses Mabhida Stadium for the finals.
“We want our roads to be safe for soccer fans, the media, sponsors and other road users scheduled to visit the province. As announced by PRASA, in order to prevent any traffic congestion, the agency will be operating dedicated train services connecting regional stations to the stadium,” he said.
Train services will be available from Umlazi, Winkelspruit, KwaMashu, Cato Ridge, Pinetown and Crossmore to where soccer fans will connect to Moses Mabhida Stadium.
There will be a shuttle service between Durban Station and Moses Mabhida Station every 15 minutes.
READ | Extended train services for MTN8 soccer fans
“Spectators can park their vehicles at Umlazi Station, KwaMnyandu Mall and Durban Station and get on the train to the game and back.
“In our engagement with Premier Soccer League (PSL) CEO Manto Madlala and chair Dr Irvin Khoza, we discussed partnerships in order to ensure a successful final.
“Accordingly, we have assigned our dedicated and highly efficient teams from the Road Traffic Inspectorate to ensure the free flow of traffic along major routes such as the N2, N3 and other areas,” the MEC said. - SAnews.gov.za
