eThekwini Mayor says transport project still on track

eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba said he was unhappy about the Go! Durban delays but engagements with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy have indicated there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Xaba was speaking to the media following the launch of the Public Transport Information Centre on Monday. Go! Durban infrastructure is monitored at the centre.

Speaking about a seperate project, Xaba mentioned that they are accused of developing plans that never see the light of day.

“We’ve been engaged with the national minister on the Go! Durban project and we finally agreed on when we’ll go live,” Xaba said.

“There were some glitches along the way that our team here in the City and Minister Barbara Creecy's team, were working on. We had to step in, myself and the minister, to try and get our team to move a bit faster.”

Xaba acknowledged the project had been delayed, saying he was dissatisfied with this.

“We’ve spent over nine Billion Rand on the Go! Durban project, but I’m happy that with the latest, the city and the department, finding each other on the way forward, they’ve since released more funding so that you can start to roll out things that need to be rolled out,” Xaba said.

The project is expected to go live next year, but at the end of the month, there will be a launch of the pre-negotiations.

Xaba said he was itching to reach the stage where Go! Durban goes live, and it can start running.

“We are spending money, as we speak, protecting the infrastructure. However, there is still work that is being done,” Xaba said.

He highlighted that some believe democracy is costly because it requires the involvement of everyone.

“There was a time when this project was delayed for years because we needed the taxi industry, the bus sector, to be fully on board. Now I can report that they are fully on board,” Xaba said.

“Of course, there will be one or two things that still need to be ironed out, but I think we are at least all aiming to kickstart the whole thing.”

In August, The Mercury reported that the eThekwini Municipality is attempting to implement the R9 billion Go! Durban transport project. The municipality announced a refined strategy to overcome previous delays. This follows the failure of last year’s Tactical Adjustment Framework, which would have allowed taxi operators on the C3 corridor to continue operating without joining the project or surrendering their licences.

The Go! Durban C3 corridor project, connecting Pinetown and KwaMashu, stalled due to disputes over bus ownership between taxi operators and the City, both seeking controlling interest. Affected Durban West taxi operators denied knowledge of a refined strategy and refused to attend meetings. The City changed from the Tactical Adjustment Framework after the National Department of Transport indicated they were opposed to this.

The eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) stated that documents indicate the revised strategy’s goal is to expedite the provision of an affordable, safe, reliable, and inclusive Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN) via the Go! Durban programme.

It said the strategy directly addresses several issues: the 2021 deadlock in negotiations between the minibus taxi and bus sectors, the necessity for greater alignment with National Department of Transport objectives, and financial insights gleaned from previous development phases. This refined approach seeks to guarantee compliance with the Transport Act and grant funding prerequisites.