Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has called upon the country's youth to be ambassadors for road safety by being cautious on the roads and obeying the rules of the road.
Speaking on Monday, ahead of the Youth Day celebration, Minister Ndebele said the youth must remember that they make a significant contribution to the country's socio-economic development and exercising caution in their daily lives should be a priority.
"The cost of road crashes in South Africa amounts to more than R46 billion per annum and the youth should play a pivotal role in our road safety education programmes and be exemplary, particularly with regards to speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and skipping red robots," Mr Ndebele said.
He added that the department seeks to involve and empower the youth to address socio-economic imperatives of transport by responding to labour market challenges as well as develop and implement appropriate delivery mechanisms to alleviate unemployment and poverty.
"The department has to address service delivery backlogs and tackle inadequate scarce and critical skills needed to support the sectoral mandate for 2010 and beyond, the youth must be fully engaged in these initiatives," the minister said.
Mr Ndebele further urged the youth to take up opportunities in the transport sector, both in terms of business and careers.
He said areas that require youth training and investment include rail artisans, civil engineering, traffic officers, piloting, air traffic controlling and aeronautical engineering.
The department and some of its entities are currently engaged in training including 150 rail artisans with the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, 34 civil engineering students, 40 air traffic controllers per year, 420 pilots through the SA Civil Aviation Authority.
The training also include 10 medical doctors, 5764 traffic officers, 20 students in road construction, eight ship surveyors with the South African Maritime Safety Agency and 15 Civil engineers with the South African National Roads Agency Limited.
Today, South Africa commemorates Youth Day, marking the 33rd anniversary of the Soweto Uprising in 1976.
The youth are central to strengthening hard-earned democracy, building a united and better country for all, hence a need to protect and defend the rights of young people and empower them to understand their responsibilities.
"Working Together We Can Do More", this commemoration takes place within the context of government's recent approval of the National Youth Policy (NYP) 2009 to 2014 and the establishment of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
The NYDA, which is formed through the merger of the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission, will be launched today in Ekurhuleni by President Jacob Zuma.
Among the highlights of the day will include the opening of Koma Road in Soweto and the laying of wreaths at the Hector Peterson Memorial by South African leaders.
