Abstract:
Transport planning has mostly focused on urban areas, transport infrastructural
developments, and funds. These have all channeled to urban areas. However, recent
research and transport plans, policies, and strategies are now incorporating rural areas
into building better sustainable transport systems. One such predominantly rural area in
the North West Province is Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality (NMMDM) which is
one of the four districts within the province. Its capital city is Mahikeng which is also the
provincial capital city of the North West Province. NMMDM is largely rural and is made up
of eight (8) towns, twenty-one (21) townships, 198 villages, and 103 wards. The paper
used secondary data sources of NMMDM and national transport plans, Acts, policies, and
general literature. It focuses on transport modes that are mostly used within the district
which include non-motorised transport (NMT), minibus taxis, and a subsidized bus system.
It will further discuss the rural road infrastructural challenges as key components to
measure the accessibility and social inclusion of users in the district. The paper then
recommends potential solutions to improve rural transport and social inclusion, including
amongst others, the need for more investments in rural road infrastructure, with walkways
being prioritized as the majority of the NMMDM population use walking as their means of
transport. It also recommends maintenance of existing infrastructure, as well as
monitoring, and evaluation of all road networks in rural areas. The study further
recommends transport stakeholders' participation maximization, to ensure inclusivity.
