Durban — The Msunduzi Municipality’s integrated rapid public transport network (IRPTN) remains a white elephant despite the municipality’s pledge that the almost R1-billion project was near completion in 2022.
The construction between Imbali township and the Pietermaritzburg city centre physically took off at the beginning of 2016. It was intended to diversify the city transport system by making minibus taxis and bus coaches work hand-in-glove.
Then city manager Madoda Khathide, on February 8, 2022, presented a comprehensive report to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Appropriation indicating that the project was 99% complete.
“Infrastructure implementation is 99% complete with the last work package to be completed by February 15, 2022. Even though the infrastructure component will be completed, the IRPTN will not be operational due to suspension of the Municipality from the PTNG (Public Transport Network Grant),” Khathide’s report said.
According to the report, R994.85 million had been allocated for the project and R980.85m had already been spent since its inception.
City spokesperson Ntobeko Ngcobo said the municipality was suspended from the PTNG because of challenges beyond the municipality’s control.
“Some of those challenges were encountered during the construction, such as the objections and relocation of services and delays by third parties.”
She said the placement of the city under administration in 2019 had not contributed to the delays.
Other documents displayed on the municipality’s website indicated the city’s IRPTN would stretch from Edendale and cross the CBD to Northdale.
But seemingly nothing has been done in Northdale.
“The municipality is now in engagements with the national Department of Transport regarding operationalisation of Phase 1a. The model of operation is yet to be finalised and discussed with the taxi industry,” she said.
There are currently no IRPTN-related new buildings constructed, although these were reflected in Khathide’s report and looked like they would were going to transform the corridor to make it look more classy and improve the city’s image.
Asked what other phases would be added, Ngcobo said: “The focus is on operationalisation of Phase 1a then monitor it and determine the next phase. Most probably it will be adding more routes from Edendale.”
The project was based on Bus Rapid Transit, which was a countrywide network to modernise the transport system in cities such as Johannesburg and Durban.
Khathide resigned in February 2022 leaving the project stalled and not opened to be used. The middle lanes, designed for coaches, were barricaded with stones to prevent motorists using them.
Its planning phase, preliminary design, financial modelling and operational plan started in November 2011 and were completed in November 2013.
“Detailed design that was based on the preliminary design concept commenced in February 2014,” according to Kathide’s report.
“By the time the municipality was suspended (in about 2017) from the grant, we were busy with infrastructure implementation for Phase 1a and procurement process for the operational readiness component of the project.
“Since the Municipality was instructed to only concentrate on commitments that were already ongoing prior to suspension, therefore the procurement process for operational readiness contracts was cancelled.”
The report said the infrastructure implementation was “currently 99% complete with the last work package to be completed by February 15, 2022. The infrastructure component will be completed but the IRPTN will not be operational due to suspension of the Municipality from the PTNG grant”.
The City’s documents said the overall goal of this initiative was to improve the quality of life for residents “through the provision of an integrated public transport network (IRPTN) that is rapid, safe and secure, convenient, clean, affordable, and socially equitable”.
It was “To advance ‘The City of Choice’ through affordable, sustainable and integrated public transport mobility and accessibility for all people throughout the Msunduzi Municipality, in terms of an Integrated Rapid Public Transport system focused around the Edendale-Northdale Corridor”.
Khathide had said: “Msunduzi Taxi industry was united and committed to the project although the suspension affected the trust between these two parties. As a result of suspension of the project, meetings with stakeholders are affected and no longer taking place.”
Santaco’s uMgungundlovu region chairperson, Themba Mweli, said the minibus taxi industry had accepted the Msunduzi project.
“We had reached a memorandum of understanding with the municipality, which was not detailed.”
He said part of the agreement was that the municipality would procure new coaches to be operated by a company owned by the taxi industry. The delay had discouraged the taxi operators from supporting the project.
“It would now be difficult to convince the taxi industry to continue supporting this because in other cities where it has been implemented it is facing challenges,” Mweli said.
Msunduzi Association of Residents, Ratepayers and Civics chairperson Anthony Waldhausen described the project as a “complete failure”.
“It has not been completed as some of the robots (traffic lights) are not working. There are no bus stop shelters while there is lots of money given away,” he said.
He said it was a waste of time engaging the municipality about the delay.
“This municipality is hopeless and they don’t listen to us and they don’t engage with us,” said Waldhausen.
The Go! Durban public transport service has not taken off either, despite the fact that the designated routes seem to have been completed between Pinetown and KwaMashu.
Independent Media reported in October last year that R8bn had already been pumped into the project. It was reported that eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda had called for the routes to be opened for coaches in October. When that did not materialise, the launch was postponed to last month.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the project was “not a bus project”.
“The GO! Durban programme is an integrated public transport network (IPTN) comprising bus, taxi, train, and non-motorised transport modes and services that is being implemented over +-30 years. Some routes and services have already been launched.
“The packaging of services for the C3 route and the 13 city-wide bus contracts under the tactical adjustment approach have been presented to the minibus taxi and bus industries as part of the negotiations process. The project is at +-R3bn since 2010 on public transport infrastructure development in different areas of the city including phase one routes (C3, C1 and C9), Intelligent Transport Systems (passenger information systems, smart signalling and vehicles tracking systems) and integrated fare management systems, to name a few,” said Sisilana.
“The municipality and the taxi industry reached an agreement on the project with the affected industries (minibus taxi and bus) and were engaged on the revised Tactical Adjustment Approach approved by council in July 2022. A subsequent report to council demonstrating the support by both industries was presented to council in May 2023. The City is proceeding to implement the IPTN under the tactical adjustment approach.”
Independent on Saturday