Address by the Minister of Transport, Mr Jeff Radebe MP at the First International African Conference on Gender, Transport and Development 2006

It gives me great pleasure to address the launch of The First International African Conference on
Gender, Transport and Development with special focus on women. This conference will give an
excellent opportunity to policy-makers, researchers, planners, practitioners, and other
organisations from all corners of the world to share global perspectives on issues of gender,
transport and development.
Last year the Department of Transport released the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS),
which revealed that nearly two-thirds of households in South Africa do not have access to public
transport. Rural poverty is reflected in the fact that a third of households stated that transport is
too expensive in the urban areas. Safety is also perceived to be a problem and it cuts across
genders. The transport challenges that face us today include safe, effective and sustainable
public transport. Our transport infrastructure, public transport modes such as taxis, trains and
buses in relation to gender are matters crucial to policy makers and how they plan them to fit
women, girls and scholars in their everyday lives.