Transport Minister Jeff Radebe said on Wednesday he is ”in the dark” about a proposed R12-billion monorail between Soweto and Johannesburg. The first he knew about the project was when he read about it in the media.
The Gauteng provincial government did not ”consult, discuss or seek our approval” for the project, he told Parliament’s transport portfolio committee.
Referring to a media conference last week, called by the province, Radebe said this had indicated the project was approved by Gauteng province through a memorandum of understanding, that a feasibility study had been concluded and the project would start in September this year.
”The project was said to be led by a Malaysian consortium [Newcyc Vision] and was a private-sector investment of about R12-billion.”
Radebe said his department had subsequently been ”inundated” with inquiries about the monorail.
”I want to state quite categorically that I did not know anything about this proposal until it was announced in the media. Furthermore, my director general was also not aware of this project.”
Radebe said the project proposal disregarded the Cabinet-approved National Rail Plan.
”As recently as … May 7 I met [Johannesburg] Mayor Amos Masondo and members of the mayoral council … to discuss in detail public transport. Throughout our meeting, the monorail proposal was not discussed,” he said.
Rail projects were defined by legislation as a national competence.
”Proposals for rail are made through the Municipal Integrated Transport Plan to the national minister of transport.”
Radebe said it was not clear ”what particular process” had been followed to secure the contract for the monorail.
”I’m as in the dark as you are at the moment,” he told the committee. — Sapa