Time for East Cape to hear the good news

TO date the only major announcements with regard to the planned multi-billion rand investment in infrastructure by Transnet have focused on Durban and Cape Town. Now one must question when the rest of the country, specifically the Eastern Cape, will discover how it will share in the transport parastatal’s largesse.

On Monday, it was confirmed that Transnet would invest R4,5-billion in upgrading the railway line from Sishen to Saldahna, boosting South Africa’s iron exports by some 12 million tons a year.

Earlier, a major expansion of the Durban port was announced involving, among other things, the expansion of the car export terminal. Whether that will affect the volume of traffic through Port Elizabeth and East London has not been disclosed.

Monday’s statement by Transnet and Kumba Resources did contain a glimmer of potentially good news for the Eastern Cape regarding the Coega industrial development zone and Port of Ngqura. This was that talks are continuing between the two entities on a second expansion project that will boost capacity by a further 17 million tons of iron ore a year.

One presumes that is a reference to the upgrading or reconstruction of the railway line from Sishen to Coega, for which a new feasibility study has been undertaken.

As far as Coega is concerned, there is also the potential for increased exports of manganese ore once negotiations between Transnet and Assmang have been finalised.

The positive role that Transnet can play in the future of this province is enormous.

In addition to the Northern Cape-Coega line, both Port Elizabeth and East London are seeking the upgrading of their rail connections with Gauteng.

There are also vast tracts of land in both the Nelson Mandela Metropole and Buffalo City that hold the key to significant economic development.

Decisions have been a long while coming and it is now time for the Eastern Cape to hear the good news.

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Corruption a major challenge

ERADICATING corruption in the public sector is one of South Africa’s major challenges. Simply put, the wholesale siphoning off of public funds by greedy public servants is nothing less than a national disgrace.

Hardly a day goes by that we do not hear of some or other municipal or government official being arrested or suspended from duty because of fraud.

Public sector crime is costing this nation hundreds of millions of rands – funds that could and should be used to make life more bearable for the poor and in providing essential infrastructure.

Too often we hear from the various tiers of government that corrupt officials will be harshly dealt with, yet they so seldom are.

The problem is that the people lower down the food chain follow the example of those above them, even if they cannot always expect the same sympathetic treatment when they break the law.

For example, what signal does the government send out when it treats current and former MPs accused of serious travel voucher fraud with kid gloves, doing their utmost to screen them from public scrutiny?

The only way to rid our public sector of corruption is to adopt a zero tolerance approach. If a public sector official is found guilty of any corrupt or fraudulent act – no matter how big or small the offence – that person should automatically lose his or her job. Corruption would soon become far less attractive for those ruled by greed.