AROUND 150 automotive industry representatives, public transport operators, business people and entrepreneurs gathered at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre on Wednesday, August 30 to discuss some vital issues that will ultimately affect the efficient running of future public transport in eThekwini.
Andre Petersen, Head of Supply Chain Management, speaking at the workshop explained that GO!Durban is serving as a major catalyst for economic growth and development in the City. He said while government plays a role of providing the platform for economic growth and development, acting as an enabler for this to take place, the private sector needed to work closely with government for meaningful transformation for those that have been excluded in the past to take place.
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“Together we need to look at ways in which the private sector, can be involved in the future success of GO!Durban,” he said. “The GO!Durban Empowerment Charter with its provisions attached to the numerous awarded contracts that aim to accelerate the inclusion of previously marginalized individuals, has resulted in some significant shifts for local businesses. Since 2014, when construction of the GO!Durban network began, close to R1.2 billion has been made available for subcontractors, almost R372 million has been injected into enterprise development, and R526 million spent on 155 business beneficiaries with some 22 500 job opportunities created.”
Head of the eThekwini Transport Authority, Thami Manyathi, presented an update on the GO!Durban project and gave an over-view on the fleet requirements for the first phase of the upgraded public transport system.
Manyathi said that around 200 rigid buses, 180 articulated buses and 765 midi-buses will be required for the new system over the next 5 years. In addition, 250 commuters buses will be required as part of the replacement programme for the existing City Public Transport contracts. He said the bus delivery timeline is estimated the second half of 2018 and that a first tranche of R1.2 billion is planned for the fleet for the C3 route that runs from Pinetown through New Germany and KwaDabeka to Bridge City, KwaMashu. He said that the City will be advertising these tenders within the next few weeks, and because of the nature and size of the tenders, an extended submission period will be provided to give businesses enough time to submit tenders to meet the transformation and local investment objectives.
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The next tranche of tenders will cater for the C9 route from Bridge City via Phoenix Industrial and Cornubia to Umhlanga, as well as fleet to be used in the Inner City.
Manyathi explained that the magnitude of the GO!Durban project over the long-term and requirements into the future, supports investment confidence. “This will help strengthen the manufacturing sector, and link component suppliers to fleet production processes in order to achieve enterprise development and expand capacity to maintain the fleet.”
Importantly, the gathering was reminded that the tender inclusion of radical economic transformation framework objectives meant that every contract to the value of more than R30 million was required to set aside 30 per cent for black small businesses, especially youth and women-owned and prioritize skill development.
Presentations from the workshop are available on the GO!Durban website www.godurban.co.za. The tenders will be advertised by the City’s procurement processes, and a compulsory briefing will be held in conjunction with this.
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