During the tabling of the budget allocation of the Department of Transport and Community Safety the total budget for 2021/22 was announced as R2,090 billion, which shows a decrease of 5,8% compared to the 2020/21 budget.
The MEC, Mavhungu Lerule Ramakhanya has tabled the budget as follows:
Administration: R536,8 million
Transport operations: R793,1 million
Transport regulation: R698,3 million
Police secretariat of police services: R61,4 million
The economic classification is as follows:
Compensation of employees: R1 billion
Goods and services: R278,6 million
Transfers and subsidies: R708,6 million
Payments for capital assets: R66,6 million
The department contributes almost 47% of the provincial revenue through traffic functions. The department is projecting to collect R684 million in 2021/22, R717 million in 2022/23 and R748,6 million in 2023/24.
2021/22 budget priorities
Bus subsidy
A total of R649 million to assist an estimated 25 million who will benefit through the passenger subsidy system during the 2022/2023 financial year. Companies that are receiving Government subsidy manage to create and sustain an average of 2 012 permanent jobs in the form of drivers, dispatchers, administrative and financial clerical staff.
The department paid out an amount of R21,2 million to 26 bus subsidy contracts for subsidised kilometers that bus operators could not operate during the Covid-19 level 5 lockdown (April 2020).
The department procured bulk sanitiser, disinfectants and high-pressure spray bottles at a cost of R2,5 million for the taxi industry and subsidised bus depots to supplement their efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Taxi industry
The department is servicing, apart from other public transport services, 116 taxi associations with 7 789 registered members operating 10 690 taxi vehicles with operating licences. The department will continue to sustain the multi-disciplinary Provincial Taxi Task Team, which was established to address conflict in the public transport industry. The department has set aside R5 million in the 2021/2022 financial year to assist with the administration and the management of the industry.
Limpopo Provincial Regulatory Entity (LPRE) and operating licence administration
The LPRE continues to monitor and oversee public transport in the province and receives and decides on applications relating to operating licences for intra-provincial transport. LPRE hearings for the 2020/2021 only started in July 2020. They adjudicated on an estimated 2 000 operating licence applications in the 2020/2021 financial year. An amount of R9 million has been allocated to sustain the services of the LPRE.
The department received and processed an estimated 15 000 operating licence applications during the 2020/2021 financial year. The department will sustain operating licensing services at its five district offices. R38 122 million has been budgeted for the 2021/2022 financial year to sustain the regulation of the public transport industry through the Operating Licence Administration System.
Upgrading Limpopo Traffic College
Following the construction of 60 beds dormitories in the 2020/21 financial year, the department will complete the second phase currently underway. A project consisting of 40 beds dormitories will be completed at the estimated cost of R23 million in the current financial year.
Construction of K53 and Examiner of Motor Vehicle pit
The department is intending to construct K53 and examiner of motor vehicle pit in Thohoyandou and Seshego during this financial year.
The projects will go a long way to improve service delivery and revenue collection in the province. As community members in Thohoyandou and Polokwane have to endure long queues to access traffic services in the existing facilities, the department is confident that the two projects will relieve the pressure in the two existing facilities.
Registration and licensing services
The province conducted 1 115 compliance inspections in all testing centres to ensure compliance to the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 and Covid-19 regulations.
The department is in the process of appointment of users to operate in the completed four new Registering Authorities at Tzaneen, Lephalale, Makhado and Polokwane to maximise service delivery in registration and licensing services.
National Traffic Contravention Management System (NTCMS)
NTCMS has been developed and approved. The system is being utilised for capturing of traffic written notices. The system came to effect from the 1 of April 2020 on a pilot basis.
The system will assist the department in management of traffic written notices and will be able to interface with Aarto as it is linked to eNaTIS. From today (Thursday, 1 April 2021), the department will implement this system throughout the province. There is no place to hide, pay your fine or written notice.
Police oversight
The department will continue to perform its oversight functions over the South African Police Service under strict Covid-19 regulations. In the first quarter, a total number of 35 police stations will be monitored in terms of their compliance to the Covid-19 regulations. In the second quarter 25 police stations will be monitored for implementing the national monitoring tool.
The remaining 33 police stations will be monitored against the implementation of their respective improvement plan as well as the detective service as part of the national project.
Covid-19 awareness operations
Law enforcement officers, and road safety officers have been joining hands in promoting and enforcing compliance to Covid-19 regulations in taxi ranks and shopping malls.
This is in addition to the work that traffic and police officers have been doing to ensure compliance to Covid-19 regulations in all the routes within the province. In this financial year, the department will continue monitoring compliance to Covid-19 regulations in bus ranks, taxi ranks and on the road.
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design Programme (CPTED).
This programme is aimed at participants clearing and cleaning contact crime hotspots in the province. A total of 900 participants will be recruited from the community policing and safety structures, that is 180 from each district.
A budget of R2 million is received from the integrated grant and the department has augmented this with R2 million from its equitable share. To contribute to youth development in the sector, the department will recruit 340 participants from the Youth Against Crime and Youth Council participants through the CPF and CSF boards. The youth will be patrolling and as a result increase police visibility.
