The National Minister of Transport: Minister Ben Martins,
The MEC for Transport and Public Work: Mr Robin Carlisle,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning, goeiedag, molweni.
This event today is about Cape Town.
It is about our city’s future: a future where everyone in this city is connected.
This event is about creating the future that finally deals with our past.
That past divided people.
Apartheid spatial planning divided us into separate communities.
And to maintain that division, public transport was frowned upon, as were any potential connectors between diverse communities.
Those decisions of ideology and planning have remained with us.
But building the future does not meaning submitting to the past.
It means understanding the past and working to change its effects in the present.
So while today is about Cape Town, I think that we are making an important national statement here.
Today, we reaffirm that cities can be the drivers of change in South
Africa.
By committing our resources and our policies towards building the physical connections between people, we dismantle the mental barriers between us.

Today, we reaffirm that this city is leading and will continue to lead this change.
Today, Cape Town builds the South Africa of the future.
But I must confess to feeling a personal satisfaction.
That is because, this government has made the establishment of an efficient, world-class public transportation system one of its leading priorities.
Indeed, public transportation is the hallmark of an Inclusive City of
Opportunity.
We undertook to bring the people of this metro together.
Today, we honour that commitment by moving one step closer to an integrated transport network with a Transport Authority.
Transport for Cape Town will manage all public-transport operators in the city; with common standards for infrastructure, ticketing, facilities, operations and enforcement.
This will be the hub of an integrated transport network in the city.
That network will link the various modes of transport in this city into one system.
That means a common authority for taxis, buses and trains.
It means that standardised performance monitoring of those modes and standardised ticketing.
It means improved connections for people along most major routes, without the over-servicing of some routes and the under-servicing of others.
It means greater safety measures and better facilities across the board.
What this all translates to are faster times of travel for commuters, better journeys and greater access to the city than ever before.
Such a system will provide the backbone for the kind of economic development and social inclusion we need to take this city to the next level.

People will have greater access to opportunities and will have the mobility needed for a diverse economy to thrive.
These may be projections for the future.
But this is not an unattainable wish-list.
These are the deliverables which we have set for ourselves, deliverables which the establishment of the Transport Authority represents.
Of course, changing the city is a factor of time and is a long-term project.
But the creation of Transport for Cape Town is a key milestone for our journey.
While the National Land Transport Act of 2009 correctly realised that local governments should bear responsibility for transport, Cape Town is the first metro to begin implementing an integrated public transport system.
Indeed, I would like to thank the National Government for their funding assistance, helping us meet our targets.
I would also like to thank the Provincial Government of the Western Cape for their assistance.
And from the City, in the Transport, Roads and Storm Water Portfolio, I would especially like to thank the Mayoral Committee member, Cllr. Brett
Herron and the Executive Director, Melissa Whitehead.
In conclusion, we have moved one-step closer to resolving the outstanding issues of our history that have separated us.
Transport for Cape Town is the structure that will help us implement our long-term transport strategy over the coming years.
That is a strategy for the future.
As such, it will come to be seen not just as a Cape Town strategy, but one for the whole of South Africa.
Thank you.