In celebration of 30 years of freedom and democracy, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) has donated a fully kitted coach to provide citizens in the furthest corners of the land with an opportunity to engage all tiers of government through various activations.
The coach – a type of bus built for long distance service – was used from the day of the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa on June 19 by different departments to hold community engagements designed to foster dialogue and increase citizen participation in shaping government’s service delivery programmes.
The launch event, held a day before the inauguration, was attended by, among others, the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni; then Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga; SANRAL board chairperson, Themba Mhambi; SANRAL CEO Reginald Demana and members of his senior management team, as well as senior public officials from the presidency, Department of Transport and Government Communication and Information System (GCIS).
Handing over the freedom and democracy bus to Mr Ntshavheni at the SANRAL Central Operations Centre (COC) in Centurion last Tuesday, June 25, Ms Chikunga explained that the term “bus” was short for omnibus, which means “for everyone”.
“It often symbolises taking a journey,” she said. “So, it fits well with the idea that we should all embark on a journey to commemorate the arrival of democracy and freedom. This bus will travel the length and breadth of our country until April next year, spreading the message of what the government has delivered to bring a better life to the people of South Africa over the past 30 years.”
The bus will be managed by GCIS but is available to all government departments for various campaigns.
“As you will see when you board the bus, it is fully kitted out to ensure that public servants continue their work while travelling on the long road,” said Ms Chikunga. “We urge all government departments to take ownership of the bus.”
The bus is going to criss-cross the country’s nine provinces to 30 locations in various parts of the country, while engaging South Africans through various activations and showcasing the government’s programmes and achievements over the past 30 years.
“It will be part of a host of exciting events throughout 2024 to celebrate the state of readiness of public transport, 30 years of national roads infrastructure and 30 years of freedom and democracy in South Africa,” said Mr Ntshavheni.
“The government intends sending the bus to rural areas and public spaces across South Africa to raise all the departments’ profiles while offering interactive and high-tech information about how democracy works.”
