WINDHOEK – Minister of Works and Transport John Mutorwa has called on the newly appointed Road Transportation Board to be analytical when executing their functions so as to make a meaning contribution to Namibia’s socio-economic development.
Inaugurating the three-member board here on Friday, Mutorwa told the board that he expects them to analyse and make recommendations to him so as to continuously improve the road public passenger legislation and the public passenger transport industry.
“I would like to call upon all key stakeholders or role players in the transport industry to provide them with the necessary support that they might require in the execution of their functions,” Mutorwa said.
The new board is comprised of chairperson Browny Mutrifa, a registered planner with the Namibian Council of Planners, Brighten Simasiku, an expert in logistics and transport management, and Hileni Tjivikua, a road safety practitioner.
The new board will be responsible for granting, renewal, amendments or transfer of public carrier permits, as well as withdrawal of permits in the event of transgression of permit conditions. The board will also be required to conduct research on matters related to the road public passenger transport industry and provide the necessary advice to the minister.
Mutorwa told the new board members that to improve road public passenger transport in Namibia, one needs to start by agreeing on a shared vision on what would Namibia like to achieve in three or five years from now.
That shared vision, Mutorwa said, has been crafted among key stakeholders in the Namibia Transport Policy. “Are we all aware of the shared vision for road public passenger transport in Namibia?” he asked, adding that if board members are not aware of the shared vision, they should read the Namibian Transport Policy.
“It is very important,” he added.
He said the shared vision for road public passenger transport is to “provide connectivity between and within urban and rural areas in an efficient, reliable affordable and safe manner by means of public transport and non-motorised transport”.
Mutorwa said the vison that he just read cannot be realised by a single entity, but required the efforts of several key players such as the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development, Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation.
Also, the Ministry of Justice, the Roads Authority, municipalities and town councils, Transportation Commission, Road Transportation Board, Transport Association and unions and many more, he said.
“Each of all these entities is expected to fulfil their key roles for a vibrant road public passenger transport system,” he said.