Programme director;
Minister of Public Service and Administration Mr Richard Baloyi;
MECs here present;
Executive Mayor of Capricorn District Municipality;
Members of the APRM Provincial Governing Council;
Director General Dr Nelly Manzini
Director General in the Presidency;
Traditional leaders, Leaders of religious formations;
Leaders of business and Trade union organizations;
The media;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen;
On April 1906, one of the greatest Presidents of the African National Congress, comrade Pixley ka Isaka Seme had this to say about the continent, in his famous paper, The regeneration of Africa.
"The regeneration of Africa means that a new and unique civilisation is soon to be added to the world. The African is not a proletarian in the world of science and art. He has precious creations of his own, of ivory, of copper and of gold, fine, plated willow-ware and weapons of superior workmanship. The brighter day is rising upon Africa.
"Already I seem to see her chains dissolved her desert plains red with harvest, her Abyssinia and her Zululand the seats of science and religion, reflecting the glory of the rising sun from the spires of their churches and universities. Her Congo and her Gambia whitened with commerce, her crowded cities sending forth the hum of business, and all her sons employed in advancing the victories of peace-greater and more abiding than the spoils of war."
Judging by the tremendous progress we have achieved since the establishment of the African Union (AU) and adoption of New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) as its programme, we can now look forward to a brighter day when, in the words of Pixley ka Isaka Seme, "the desert plains of Africa will indeed be red with harvest."
In pursuance of this dream, we have put in place the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) whose main objectives include political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration through sharing of experiences and reinforcement of successful best practices.
Simply put; we can regard APRM as a way of looking at ourselves, by examining our collective weaknesses, strengths and challenges while taking into account our current circumstances and where we want to go as countries of Africa. In this way, the APRM process affords us the opportunity to improve the way we lead our organisations. It gives us the tools and means to better manage our businesses and corporations, it further provides us with a mirror to reflect upon ourselves as leaders, particularly looking at the way we lead and manage our governments.
Unlike the media, which often criticises without offering solutions, the APRM does this by giving our people a chance to voice their feelings around four main themes which are; democracy and political governance, economic management, corporate governance and socio-economic development.
Programme director,
As a country, we have already gone through a peer review process in July 2007 which particularly noted the good progress we have made in the area of good governance and democratisation of the country. This positive attribute can be ascribed to the strength of our Constitution and the many democratic structures we have put in place since 1994. As part of measures to evaluate the performance of our government, it will be remembered that we also undertook a fifteen year review process late last year, which found that we have reduced the number of people living in poverty although inequality had increased.
This is yet another indicator that we are a learning government which believes in continuous improvement and self criticism. It is in this spirit that we call upon other sectors in society to emulate the positive example set by our government in this respect. APRM provides us with the opportunity to continue on this path. This is because Africa is still on the bottom rung of the global economy. It is worst affected by poverty, diseases, wars and instability. Whether we like it or not, the fact remains that the world body of opinion still weighs heavily against Africa and her people. On a global stage, Africa is seen more as liability than a partner.
No self respecting African government or organisation can therefore ignore this state of affairs any longer. This is why it must become mandatory if not imperative for all governments on the continent to drive socio-economic programmes on a continental scale than it has been in the past. The situation is even more compelling now that we have to deal with the consequences of the raging global recession.
Programme director,
For APRM to be all inclusive, legitimate and transparent we will have to continue to involve every stakeholder in our communities to take part in the process. All of us must collectively ensure that the African Peer review Mechanism succeeds to help us restore Africa's pride and dignity in the world of nations.
As I conclude, I want to commend the continued participation of representatives from trade unions, business people, religious formations, women, youth, civic associations and traditional leaders in this process. Through your participation, one is certain that Limpopo will continue to lead the way throughout the country.
It is again my wish that deliberations should take place fruitfully throughout the day, whilst we are mindful of the major responsibilities entrusted upon us by our people. I’m certain that many of us will leave here enriched by the quality of inputs from our speakers and the delegates.
The time has now come for us to make our country a shining example to be emulated by all in the continent. It is my honour to welcome the Minister to the province from which he belongs and wish everybody well throughout the day.
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government
8 July 2009
