JOHANNESBURG - The Minister of Transport, Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga together with MECs of Transport, Roads, Infrastructure, Public Works and Community Safety and Liaison and Department entities and stakeholders in the sector will officially launch the 18th instalment of the annual October Transport Month (OTM) campaign on Friday, 29 September 2023 under the theme: “Siyakha - we are building a better transport infrastructure to grow South Africa Together.”
The launch will showcase major milestones and achievements in the development, upgrade and maintenance of transport infrastructure, transformation in the sector and the development and acquisition of critical and much-sought skills in the work of the Department’s entities and the sector.
The Ministry of Transport has a total of twelve (12) State Owned Companies reporting under it, four (4) of which will be celebrating twenty-five (25) and two (2) celebrating thirty (30) years of existence with critical milestones achieved over the period and to date.
OTM Campaign 2023 will therefore be a showcase of the journey and road travelled by the Department and its entities over the years.
Some of the important guests attending the official launch will comprise a host of professionals and beneficiaries of the Department and Entities’ skills development programmes such as qualified and cadet pilots, aeronautical engineers, air traffic controllers, traffic law enforcement officers, qualified and undergoing training, rail technicians, train conductors, master mariners and captains, bus and taxi operators as well as representatives from institutions of higher learning partnering with the Department and its Entities in skills development such as the Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA) and the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to mention a few.
As part of officially launching the OTM campaign, Minister Chikunga will be a guest of and address the National Press Club in Midrand, Johannesburg focusing on, “The role of the Transport System in the Recovery of the Country’s Economy.”
Minister Chikunga will also outline the 2023 OTM Campaign programme for the month and plans for the transport sector throughout the country during the launch.