2006/07, North West Provincial Legislature, Mafikeng
18 May 2006
Madam Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Members of the Legislature
Members of the Executive Council
Leaders of political parties
Honourable Members from the National Parliament
Honourable Executive Mayors, mayors, speakers and councillors
House of Traditional leaders le Magosi a otlhe a a fano
NGOs, CBOs, FBOs, Business Community and Organised Labour present
Director General of the Provincial Administration
Heads of Departments and Senior Managers
Members of the press
The people of North West
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I stand before this House with pride and hope in order to give a review of
the performance of my Office over the past year; to highlight our plans for the
2006/07 financial year; and to table before this august House, for approval,
the estimates of revenue and expenditure for the Office of the Premier for the
year ending 31 March 2007.
Madam Speaker, on 8 May 2006 South Africa celebrated the 10th Anniversary of
the adoption of the countryâs Constitution, the Supreme Law of our land. Chief
among the activities across our country, President Thabo Mbeki addressed a
special Joint Sitting of the Houses of Parliament in celebration of this
milestone in our countryâs history.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa whose 10 year existence we
celebrate enjoins all of us citizens to âRecognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those
who have worked to build and develop our country; and Believe that South Africa
belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.â
In particular, one of the central injunctions of the Constitution is the
obligation to build a humane society based on the principles of equality,
dignity and respect for human life and where all citizens enjoy the full
freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Concomitant with these injunctions
are the equally critical obligations of consolidating the gains of our
democracy and freedom attained thus far, into a durable partnership for
reconstruction and development, and for the continued building of a non-racial,
non-sexist and democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Both our words and actions as the Provincial Government, including the
budget we table before this Honourable House, must lend true meaning to the
vision and trajectory carved out for us by the Constitution.
Madam Speaker, we stood at this podium on 10 February 2006 during the State
of the Province Address and gave an overview of the province as well as the
policy pronouncements and projections that would form part of our Government
Programme of Action for 2006/07.
On that day we declared for the entire province to know that indeed we had
entered an Age of Hope, where our people believed that despite the continuing
challenges of poverty, joblessness and underdevelopment, our province has
achieved much in improving their quality of life and Government continued to
register progress in critical areas.
Even as we stand before you today, we are not starting from scratch but are
a Government in motion, already at work. Re setse re simolotse go lema, re
setse re bona kotulo. In this season of hope, we have begun to harvest.
We note with pride that today more people have access to clean water,
sanitation and electricity in their homes. More people continue to gain access
to housing, land, education and health care. We noted that services in places
like hospitals, clinics, courts and police stations are improving daily, giving
true meaning to this Age of Hope.
Madam Speaker, the Budget Vote that I table today is not merely made up of
figures and money to be appropriated. It is a budget informed by the
imperatives of our province today, of the national programme of Accelerated
Shared Economic Growth for South Africa (AsgiSA) and is designed to meet the
demands of the Millennium Development Goals for Africa.
Indeed, when the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Kofi Annan
addressed a Joint Sitting of Parliament in Cape Town on 14 March 2006, he
reminded all of us of these imperatives. He said âAfrica continues to face a
major challenge. We all know the mountains of human misery behind those polite
words: the grinding poverty and back-breaking toil; the hunger and thirst that
force proud parents to give their children polluted water to drink; the
millions who die of tuberculosis (TB), malaria, AIDS and other preventable
diseases; the violence and humiliation inflicted on women by men, and on
citizens by gangsters, warlords and corrupt officials; the misappropriation of
natural resources; the ravages of ethnic and social conflict.â
But the UN Secretary-General did not want us to despair, for he said âthe
truth is that development in Africa requires a new approach and the good news
is that South Africa is already pointing the way.â
We will therefore continue along the way referred to by Kofi Annan, Madam
Speaker. I am here in this House today to reiterate our collective
determination not to rest until all people in the province are able to enjoy a
life better than what Kofi Annan described. Until then, our language should be
delivery, delivery and more delivery; not merely wishes dreams and
promises.
Well, Honourable Members, our townships and villages are increasingly
becoming flowers of hope, flourishing everywhere in Manamela in the Moses
Kotane Municipality, Lehurutse in Ramotshere, Khunoana in Tswaing, Lebotlwane
in the Moretele Local Municipality and across our country South Africa. Places
like Rustenburg, Mogopa around Ventersdorp and others are today the shining
beacons of how far we have progressed towards growth, development and
prosperity in our Platinum Province.
Nonetheless, the Budget Vote that we deliver today must still address the
challenges that still abound. It must address the needs of a society
characterised by what President Thabo Mbeki calls a gross and entrenched
imbalance in the distribution of power and wealth. Thus, Madam Speaker, the
Budget Vote we table today would therefore go a meaningful way towards
eradicating that legacy of inequality and deprivation and enabling all our
people to enjoy the riches and share in the growth of our province and our
country.
This budget seeks to position the province more favourably towards
unleashing our potential to advance the accelerated and shared growth
initiatives of our national government, AsgiSA, so that as the North West
province we move with speed to create more jobs, more opportunities for our
people and improve their quality of life in the quest to restore their dignity
and respect.
It is based on the foundations of the past twelve years of freedom, on the
virtues, values and principles of our Constitution and based on the realisation
of the vision 2014 of halving poverty and unemployment.
This budget is an epitome of our success in bringing hope where there was
despair, light where darkness prevailed, optimism in the place of pessimism and
increasingly replacing stagnation with progress.
From their own direct experiences, the people of North West can attest to
the objective reality that, despite the many challenges that still lie ahead,
the African National Congress (ANC) government that we are privileged to lead
has done everything possible to honour our commitments as outlined in our
policy documents, the Manifesto, the Reconstruction and Development Programme
and our guiding torch, the Freedom Charter.
Our historical obligation is to continue to eradicate the legacy of the
apartheid state and replace it with a united, non-racial, non-sexist,
democratic and prosperous province and South Africa that truly belongs to all
who live in it, black and white.
Madam Speaker, we are also presenting this yearâs Budget Vote in the same
year as we observe celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the historic Womenâs
March of 1956 to the Union Buildings, the 30th Anniversary of the 1976 Soweto
Uprising as well as the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of
the Republic of South Africa.
In the course of this year, possibly in the Womenâs Month of August, the
Office together with the Provincial Government will have an apt occasion to
honour all those women, our community development stalwarts and workers, who
continue to demonstrate and live the spirit of 1956 less with words but more
with their nation-building deeds. We have an obligation to honour these women
and we certainly will.
As we observe these important milestones in the history of our liberation
struggle and of our subsequent democracy, we must recommit ourselves to gender
equality and the full emancipation of women, as well as Youth Development,
particularly as we have declared this year, the Year of the women and youth. We
will therefore move to ensure that women and in particular young women continue
to occupy the centre stage in all our development programmes.
Honourable Members will no doubt be aware that the Constitution whose tenth
anniversary we celebrate this year constitutes government as national,
provincial and local spheres that are distinctive, interdependent and
interrelated. The Constitution further enjoins the Office of the Premier to
develop and implement provincial policy as well as co-ordinate the functions of
the provincial administration and its departments.
Within this broad Constitutional mandate then is the Vision of the Office of
the Premier as that of efficient and effective Provincial Administration
achieving integrated governance in South Africa, with the expressed objective
of providing leadership for integrated, co-ordinated and efficient service
delivery that enhances the growth and development of all people and the North
West Province in particular.
Our core functions as a Department include co-ordination, integration and
consolidation of services between all spheres of government; special policy
implementation and protection of vulnerable groups; provincial policy
formulation and review; provincial planning and integration; monitoring and
evaluation of provincial performance; facilitating project management capacity
building and co-ordination; the rendering of provincial information services;
co-ordination and support to the North West Research Coordinating Committee;
provincial communication and protocol; provincial corporate services; legal
service and legislative review; and rendering of administrative and secretarial
support to the Executive Council structures.
Madam Speaker as you would recall that we began the term with tabling our
five year plan and subsequently presented before this House an annual strategic
plan. This budget should be seen as a progression of both the five year plan
and the Annual Strategic Plan we presented.
Accounting
I now wish to account on some of the Officeâs achievements over the past
year and also outline the broad outlook for the forthcoming financial year. As
we outline these, it should be kept in mind that we have had engagement with
the Portfolio Committee where detailed was also done.
Having launched our Provincial Growth and Development Strategy in July last
year, its implementation has continued unabated including assistance with the
facilitation of the District Growth and Development Strategies that have been
integrated with the PGDS but also speak to the Integrated Development
Plans.
The Premierâs Economic Advisory Council which was launched in July last year
I now fully operational.
The broad Project Management Systems Development and Project Cycle
Management have further assisted us in arriving at better co-ordination
planning and pre-project and capacity building for all growth and development
projects. This includes the monitoring and evaluation frameworks as well as and
the production of Annual North West Barometer.
Strides in this regard have resulted, amongst others, in the finalisation of
High-Impact Projects that are multi-disciplinary and interdepartmental in
design. Departments are currently implementing those projects, including the
Taung Integrated Development Project and the Mafikeng Industrial Development
Zone with all their sub-projects, both of which form the Western Frontier
Corridor.
Having concluded a major part of the work on the Platinum Corridor, the
focus will now be placed on finalising the detailed business plan of the N12
Route, better known as the Treasure Route.
The Province has developed its Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) project and
produced its first comprehensive report in December 2005. To better position us
in our struggle to alleviate poverty, we have prepared poverty profile for the
province and plan to have a Social Indaba where poverty alleviation and matters
of the Second Economy will be dealt with.
Also of note, is the project on Sustainable Development Indicators which has
reached the stage of negotiating the set of indicators developed with
stakeholders before a final document is produced.
Important inputs were given into the New Partnership for Africaâs
Development (NEPAD) conference leading to North West becoming an important role
player with definite interest to promote cross-border co-operation in future.
In the same vein of NEPAD, our province successfully underwent the African Peer
Review Mechanism (APRM) process that has since been consolidated into a report
that is our contribution to the national process.
In terms of the National Programme of Action that is now available on the
website, the North West province has continued to submit quarterly cluster
reports on the priority objectives and programme of action as announced in the
State of the Nations Address (SONA) to the Presidency and Department of
Provincial and Local Government (DPLG).
Madam Speaker, communication has for us become a core function of our
democratic governance. In this regard we are most heartened to report that:
In providing leadership to government communication in the province, the
Office has produced the Provincial Communication Strategy which came out of our
Provincial Communication Lekgotla held in April 2005.
As a province we continue to value Batho Pele in our Service Delivery to the
people. Our people will always come first, hence our continuous investment in
the human capacity of public servants. In this regard, we have adopted an
integrated approach to co-ordinate wellness where issues pertaining to the
Employee Assistance Programme, HIV and AIDS and Occupational Health &
Safety are dealt with in an integrated manner
Substance Management Policies, a Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT)
Awareness and Absenteeism Survey were undertaken and will continue.
In our pursuit for an enhanced service delivery, we have developed systems
for monitoring and recognising outstanding performance of managers in
departments. In the quest of addressing the development aspect of our managers
we have recently finalised a competency evaluation programme with the objective
identifying the shortfalls of managers and filling the gap for better
performance.
Skills and human resource development were intensified. These included the
successful hosting of the Provincial Skills Development Summit, public and
private partnerships and placement of interns. As part of ongoing assistance to
our needy learners from our Province, we have awarded bursaries.
We have further streamlined and operationalised the Provincial Human
Resource Management Forum to enhance transverse human resource management
practices and policy implementation in the province. We have facilitated
training for 799 public servants in transversal training programs and
facilitated train the trainer courses for frontline staff in the Province.
The Office has implemented the Inter-Governmental Relations (IGR) Act at the
provincial level and it is now being rolled out at district level as per the
requirement of the IGR Act of 2005.
The North West Premierâs Co-ordinating Council has been dealing with a
variety of issues including integration of National Strategic Development
Planning Framework (NSDPF), Provincial Human Resource Development Strategy
(PGDS), District Growth and Development Strategy (DGDS) and Integrated
Development Plan (IDP), as well as cross-boundary issues, learnerships,
Community Development Workers, Municipal Finance Capacity Building Programmes
and the Extended Public Works Programmes.
The North West Province continued to build relations with countries in the
continent and in the world. In this regard we have completed the review of
Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed for purposes of improving
implementation. We have also interacted with countries such as United States
(US), Angola, Botswana, Japan, Sweden, Finland, Belgium and China through their
High Commissions. We intend finalising MoUs with the Henan Province of China
and a Province in Japan as well as Growth Support MoU with India.
In the past year we successfully hosted the Botswanaâs 39th Independence
Anniversary in Mafikeng.
We have finalised the Provincial Traditional Leadership and Governance
Framework Act, in line with the National Legislation. This gave rise to
transformation of 65 traditional authorities into traditional councils, with
the determination that one third of these be led by women. We are now in the
process of establishing local House of Traditional Leaders, which will be
rolled out this year.
Our programme of capacitating our Traditional Leaders has gained further
momentum. This includes finalisation of construction and refurbishment of
offices, capacitation with respect to information technology (IT) as well as
continuous training and some resources.
The Legal Unit has been hard at work and amongst others where Government was
litigated. It further developed Litigation Policy, provided informative legal
advisory services, completed law review process as well as finalisation of a
Laymanâs Guide to Public Service Laws.
As the Office we continue to make interventions and assist in resolving
community disputes. In the past year, amongst other places we have intervened
in places such as Bapong, Zeerust farming areas, Bodibe, Rabokala, Mazista,
Ledig and Itsoseng.
The year 2005 was for us phenomenal in many other ways. This included the
successful holding of the Provincial Public Service Week and the popularisation
of our Batho Pele ethos in November. We also view as a measure of extreme
success the hosting of the Premierâs Service Excellence Awards as well as the
resounding fourth Senior Management Services (SMS) Conference in November last
year.
In the interests of enhancing the work of the Office and improving the
capacity of Government to deliver on its mandate, we have successfully
undergone a structural realignment of the Office of the Premier. The Budget
Vote we table today will therefore assist in executing several strategic
thrusts that we have identified for this financial year.
Firstly, following the resolution of Cabinet and the current drive for
aggressive utilisation of Information Communication Technologies (ICT), we now
have a Government Information Technology Officer (GITO) located in the Office
and reporting directly to the Director-General.
We are determined to take advantage of technologies and the advances therein
to become a Government that is a leader in e-governance, thus enhancing good
governance within government and in the province as a whole. We are most
delighted that there is now Convergence Legislation that promotes convergence
of technologies, computing, communications and broadcasting. This convergence
will foster a wider range of services, lower prices for ICT services and to
promote new technologies for development applications in the service of our
people. This will also encourage the much-needed investment in the
province.
Secondly, we have also established a Forensic Unit and Anti-Corruption
Directorate that will enhance our commitment to deal ruthlessly with any and
all corruption in our midst. Our anti-corruption crusade will be further
boosted by the recent introduction of the Directorate of Moral Regeneration in
the Office.
Thirdly, we are also delighted to report that we have upgraded our Special
Programmes from Sub-Directoratesâ levels to fully fledged Directorates so that
we now have a Directorate for Youth, Directorate for Disability and the Rights
of the Elderly and Directorate for Women and the Rights of Children. This
elevation comes at a time when we are celebrating major anniversaries of the
role played by these important sectors of society.
It is also not just an upgrade but a commitment by the Office of the Premier
in recognising the important role that is supposed to be played by these
targeted groups. We are therefore acceding to the call that says all the
previously disadvantaged sectors of society should seize the opportunities of
freedom and democracy. We will also be providing more support to these newly
upgraded directorates of these special programmes.
We have added another directorate, being that of Community Development and
Liaison, which will assist the Premier to intervene effectively and directly in
the communities in a manner that other departments would not be able to.
However, this co-ordination and intervention will be done in conjunction with
the line function departments.
Our own assessment has shown that Special Programmes were unfavourably
constrained in the execution of their mandate by the previous structural
arrangements. Having upgraded and realigned them thus, we hope and expect that
they will now perform optimally and the fruits of their work will have a
positive and felt impact across our province.
Fourthly, as part of the ongoing process of reviewing our capacity to
discharge our communication mandate more effectively, we have decided to
refocus the functions of the Chief Directorate: Communication. As part of this
exercise, we have come to the conclusion that the Chief Directorate must focus
on its two principal mandates; namely, to communicate how government is
implementing its mandate and Programme of Action and to provide leadership to
government communication in the province.
The Chief Directorate is therefore charged with the responsibility to ensure
that citizens are informed about how government is implementing its mandate and
Programme of Action.
While the Office of the Premier will retain its overall co-ordinating role,
the logistical arrangements of events will be decentralised across departments.
We are convinced these changes will have important advantages for the quality
of communication and event co-ordination in the Provincial Government, as the
frequency of the events as well as the amount of detailed work that needs to be
done, has in the past made it increasingly difficult for the Chief Directorate
to pay focused attention on its core mandate.
We are convinced that all the structural changes that we have mentioned will
enhance the capacity of Government, in particular the Office of the Premier, to
deliver on its mandate.
Now, for the purposes of this delivery of the Budget Vote Speech itself,
allow me Madam Speaker not to dwell in minute detail on the technical aspects
of our work and our mandatory obligations as the Office of the Premier. Suffice
then to say that some of the main services we deliver include input into and
participation in National and Provincial policy and decision-making, Meeting
facilitation and administrative support, Secretariat services to Governance
structures, Facilitation of strategic Makgotla, Premier support services,
Technical support to governance structures, Co-ordination of cross cutting
provincial governance, social and economic cluster activities.
All the above main services we have constituted in such a way that together
they form another strategic thrust of our Budget for 2006/2007.
The next strategic thrust involves intensifying the Officeâs engagement with
all our stakeholders. This is critical in ensuring that Government pulls
together with all sectors of society in growing our economy, sharing in the
growth and making tangible strides in the fight against unemployment, poverty
and underdevelopment.
In terms of the multilateral and international relations, we believe this
Budget must also assist us in graduating the Pacts and Memoranda of
Understanding that we have already concluded into vehicles of delivery. While
it remains important to seek new friends, we will put our priority into
translating existing protocols into vehicles for delivery and
implementation.
In this regard, bilateral with Japan aimed at tapping into the jewellery
manufacturing industry are already underway and we will be pushing for more
avenues in the East, including in China, all informed by the strategic
imperative of positioning our province at the forefront of the Accelerated and
Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa.
Madam Speaker, in line with the national objectives of accelerated and
shared growth; capacity building will be a critical strategic thrust of this
Budget. In this financial year, we will increasingly invest in the human
resource of the province across the board as part of the Joint Initiative on
Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA). An important aspect of this drive will be
the utilisation of our retired engineers to help us in the task of growth and
development, particularly as it relates to Local Government and
infrastructure.
Like it does to Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the skilling of our
nation gives us sleepless nights.
In as far as our Public Service ethos is concerned; this Budget must assist
us in reviewing performance as well as insisting on continued Service
Excellence and Reward. At the same time, there is a need for us not only to
discourage but also to punish non-performance. In this regard, our monitoring
and review of Local Government performance will be more vigorous and
hands-on.
Madam Speaker, the last strategic thrust of our Budget will be to
consolidate the Office of the Premierâs role of strategic leadership in the
fight against HIV and AIDS. This strategic thrust will also include leadership
of all efforts to achieve unity, reconciliation, peace, stability and
prosperity in the North West Province.
In particular, to build on the already strong relations we have formed with
Afrikaner Rapport-yersbeweging, we will reach out to all minorities as a symbol
and expression of our determination and a guide to living together in harmony,
peace and prosperity. This is our commitment to building a vibrant economically
robust province together. That for us will be the triumph of a province and a
nation, united in diversity.
We have no doubt that our common heritage as the people of North West is
based on principles of inclusively, tolerance for each other, of celebrating
our diversity where our common patriotism must and will shine through and dwarf
whatever differences we thought keep us apart.
Madam Speaker, what follows now is an enumerated version of the outlook for
the present financial year.
As an office we will continue to address the following strategic
issues:
* Forge co-operation with private sector on our rural development
initiatives;
* Systemic challenges faced in adopting a results based management system must
be resolved. This applies to the strengthening of the cluster system, the
project management system and to local government transformation;
* The continued implementation of our Provincial Growth and Development
Strategy (PGDS), AsgiSA and its close co-ordination and monitoring by the
Office of the Premier.
In addition, we will implement the following transversal programmes:
* The Office will facilitate the process of facilitating the establishment of
communication structures at local government level as well as branding our
province;
* Continuation of the co-ordination of Izimbizo Programmes
* Achievement of greater integration and co-ordination with other directorates
providing support to governance structures, e.g. NWPCC
* The office will provide transversal and internal human resource support
functions such as human resource policy and information services, Employee
Wellness Programmes (EWP), labour relations and collective bargaining
processes, skills development and training as well as organisation development
issues such as job grading and organisational structures;
* Implement the IGR Act and also deepen the understanding of sound
intergovernmental relations and co-operative governance by providing IGR
training to each district municipality;
* Roll out of the funded provisions of the North West Provincial Traditional
Leadership and Governance Act 2 of 2005;
* Forge closer ties between the North West House of Traditional Leaders and
South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
* Address Post Cross Boundary Municipal challenges we have experienced with the
objective of ensuring full integration into the specific receiving
provinces;
* Address broader issues of capacity building, which include financial
management, programme management and all other nationally identified programmes
of capacity building which are aimed at ensuring that we become a truly
developmental state;
* The office will focus on effective implementation efficient and integrated
service delivery, monitoring and evaluation management from
input-process-output to eventual outcome and impact analysis at all three
spheres of government.
Madam Speaker, for the Office of the Premier to perform its functions
effectively and optimally in the year 2006/07, we would require an amount of
R208,654 million, summarised as follows:
Departmental Summary: 2006/2007 MTEF
* Provincial and Admin Support: R42,338 million
* Corporate Support Services: R39,408 million
* Legal Services: R10,415 million
* Communication: R21,658 million
* Governance and Special Programmes: R71,195 million
* Policy Management: R23,640 million
* Total: R208,654 million
We now break down our Budget Vote according to our six programmes.
Programme one: Provincial Management and Administration Support
This Program supports the Director General in her various functions and
responsibilities, which are: Secretary to the Executive Council; Accounting
Officer for the Office; Coordinator of the Provincial Actions and Legislation;
Ensuring inter and intra-governmental relations.
The programme consists of the following sub-programmes:
* Director General Support
Management of the Office and administrative leadership in the Province
Forensic audit and GITO functions
* Premier Support
Co-ordination and management of administrative and political support to
the
Premier
* Executive Council Support
Provision of administrative and committee secretarial support to the Executive
Council and support to the Director General in her capacity as secretary to the
Executive Council
* Security Services
Co-ordination, facilitation and monitoring of the implementation of Minimum
Information Security Standards (MISS) of the North West Provincial
Government
* Finance and Administration
Management of financial systems and controls according to the Public Finance
Management Act and Treasury Regulations
Programme Summary: 2006/2007 MTEF
* Management Support: R2,163 million
* Publication: R6,003 million
* Regional liaison: R9,588 million
* Media Liaison: R3,905 million
* Total: R21,658 million
Programme two: Corporate Support Services
This program renders provincial support services on human resource related
issues and is mandated to provide integrated human resources services to all
Provincial Government Departments, including the Office of the Premier.
Sub-programmes:
* Management Support
Management of Corporate Services
* Employee Wellness Programme (EWP)
The component is charged with the development of EHWP related policy and
programme frameworks, procedures and processes of excellence to enhance and
assure quality EHWP services to NWPG employees and their= dependants by the
respective Provincial departments.
The component is also charged with the provision and co-ordination of EAP
services in the province. Added to the above it provides advice and support to
management on EAP interventions. The component is also charged with the
co-ordination of HIV and AIDS Workplace Programme as stipulated by chapter V1
of the revised Public Service Regulations.
* Labour Relations
The component is mandated to manage and monitor labour relations in the
province and is responsible for capacity building in line management
responsibility for managing labour relations.
* Human Resource Management
The component is mandated to render the oversight function through
co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the
Provincial Human Resource Policies, as well as to provide PERSAL user support
and training in the North West Provincial Administration.
* Human Resource Development (HRD)
The Directorate is tasked with developing integrated human resource development
policies and strategies, co-ordinating Provincial HRD efforts, monitoring of
Human Resource (HR) outside government, provision of internal training and
developmental services and the management of bursaries and grants.
* Organisational Development (OD)
The component ensures improved co-ordination of job grading by means of job
evaluation policies and practices in provincial departments. Provide support in
structural design and realignments within legal framework and political
mandate. Coordinate Batho Pele and service delivery interventions linked to the
national roll out plan. Ensure effective utilization of office space.
* HIV/AIDS
Co-ordination of HIV/AIDS programmes
Programme Summary: 2006/2007 MTEF:
* Management Support: R2,945 million
* Employee Assistance Programme: R3,190 million
* Labour Relations: R3,557 million
* Human Resource Management: R5,855 million
* Human Resource Development: R20,975 million
* Organisational Development: R2,685 million
* HIV/Aids: R201 000
* Total: R39,408 million
Programme three: Legal Services
This Program provides legal support services at a strategic level to all
departments and operationally within the Office of the Premier and certain
departments and public entities. The services include opinions and contracts,
litigation support, legislation and the handling of misconduct matters.
The demand for legal opinions peaks at various periods in the year depending
on the activities of our various principals. Legislation to deal with new
priorities is drafted at the instance of each department in accordance with the
law making process. Litigation is best avoided but when this is not possible,
the litigation policy applies. Advocacy programs seek to prevent misconduct.
However, where this fails, the program provides investigative and presiding
services to all departments.
Sub-programmes:
* Management Support
* Legislation
* Litigation
* Legal Services
Programme Summary: 2006/2007 MTEF:
* Management Support: R2,004 million
* Legislation: R1,537 million
* Litigation: R1,685 million
* Legal Services: R1,260 million
* Investigation: R3,929 million
* Total: R10,415 million
Programme four: Communications
The following constitute the mandate of the Chief Directorate:
To ensure that citizens are informed about how government is implementing its
mandate and programme of action. It is charged with the responsibility to
communicate governmentâs efforts to create a better life for all. The unit has
to communicate the overall vision of government as well as its achievements and
the challenges that government has to contend with in the process of executing
its mandate.
To provide leadership to government communication in the Province, among
other things, this entails developing policies and strategies for effective
communication as well as co-ordination of government-wide communication
initiatives.
The Chief Directorate is made up of the following sub-programmes:
Media Liaison:
* Strategically managing the media and utilising it to communicate government
messages and programme of action
* Co-ordinate regular cluster media briefings and EXCO media briefings Support
the Premier in all her \ his media activities
* The Directorate shall ensure a healthy relationship between the provincial
government and the media. This includes, frequently hosting the media to extend
relations and making them aware of the government environment, visiting the
media houses to extend relations and learn about their environment, arrange
media interviews for government leaders, and respond to media enquiries.
Arrange regular media briefings to deepen the understanding of the media of
certain policies and pronouncements.
* The Directorate shall do daily media monitoring and analysis in order to
respond intelligently and rapidly to issues that affect the provincial
government. This shall also include the evaluation of each dayâs media
initiatives and interventions.
Regional Liaison:
* Development of communication strategies for government programmes and
campaigns
* Support departments and municipalities in developing their communication
strategies and policies
* Analysis of the communication environment
* Ensuring implementation of integrated government communication strategy and a
common communication methodology across government
* Responsible for message and content management
* Ensuring that government events are effectively utilised to communicate
government messages and programme of action.
* Promoting participatory democracy by ensuring direct and unmediated
interaction between government and citizens (co-ordinating Izimbizo and Roving
EXCOs).
Publications:
* Improving internal communication within government.
* Ensuring a uniform and single corporate identity and branding for the Office
of the Premier \ North West Provincial Government; and to help improve the
corporate image of the provincial government.
* Effectively using government publications to communicate government messages
and programme of action
* Managing the production and distribution of publications and materials
Produce branding materials.
* Ensuring that major provincial events are kept on video and keeping an
archive of video material.
Programme Summary: 2006/2007 MTEF:
* Management Support: R2,163 million
* Publications: R6,003 million
* Regional Liaison: R9,588 million
* Medial Liaison: R3,905 million
* Total: R21,658 million
Programme 5: Governance and Special Programmes
Governance & Special Programs is responsible for:
* Urban and Rural Development
Coordination of rural and urban initiatives
* Intergovernmental and International Relations
Facilitation and co-ordination of intergovernmental and international
relations
* Traditional Leadership and Institutions
Provision of administrative and technical support to the institution of
Traditional Leaders
* Youth Support
Coordination of youth development integrated programs
* Special programs
Coordination of gender and disability programs
Programme summary: 2006/2007 MTEF
* Management Support: R3,052 million
* Urban and Rural Development: R1,874 million
* Research: N/A
* Intergovernmental Relations: R3,885 million
* Special programmes: R5,912
* Traditional Leadership: R50,004
* Youth Support: R6,469
* Total: R71,195
Programme six: Policy Management
The development, facilitation, co-ordination and monitoring of systems for
sustainable and integrated policy formulation, planning, programming, project
management, research, population policy and information management in the
Province.
* Policy and Planning
Initiation, development and continuous improvement of policy frameworks
and
Plans
* PGDS Implementation
Implementation of a Results Based Management Process to deliver on the
provincial strategy and plan
* Project Management
Development of improved decision making capability and capacity to improve
project development
* Information Management
Improvement of information gathering and dissemination capability and capacity
for informed knowledge management
* Monitoring and Evaluation
Proactive performance analysis and interpretation to strengthen a client
focused and delivery oriented administration
* Research and Population
Quality research and population analysis trend forecasting for strategic
decision making and knowledge management
Programme summary: 2006/2007 MTEF
* Management support: R3,925 million
* Project Management: R3,912 million
* Provincial Policy and Planning: R4,918 million
* Monitoring and Evaluation: R1,476 million
* Information Management: R3,503 million
* Research and Population: R5,906 million
* Total: R23,640 million
Conclusion
Asked by a journalist about the seemingly depressing and dark imagery of his
poetry in the late 1980s, poet Mongane Wally Serote said he found it impossible
to write about flowers and daffodils in the face of so much repression,
oppression and the struggle for survival in the black communities. At any rate,
Serote continued, flowers did not grow in our townships, as the townships were
burning.
Well, Honourable Members, our townships and villages as we observed earlier
are no longer burning but are flowers of hope that flourish everywhere in
Manamela in the Moses Kotane Municipality, Lehurutse in Ramotshere, Khunoana in
Tswaing, Lebotlwane in the Moretele Local Municipality and across our country
South Africa. Places like Moses Kotane and others are today the shining beacons
of how far we have progressed towards growth, development and prosperity in our
Platinum Province.
The North West Province and the South Africa of today are miles apart from
the landscape that Mongane Serote describes. All our efforts as residents of
the province have ensured that we moved gradually but surely towards the
quality of life that our people deserved. The Budget Vote that we tabled today
forms a critical part of enabling us to continue on that historically chosen
path of faster and shared economic growth, addressing challenges of
underdevelopment and also halving unemployment and poverty by 2014.
We thank this august House for giving us a chance once more to elaborate on
the work that the Office of the Premier does as well as justify the amounts
that we have requested.
We thank Madam Speaker and the Portfolio Committee for the continued support
and interaction even beyond this House.
Our special words of gratitude must also go to my colleagues in the Executive
Council for their continued invaluable support and leadership; the
Director-General in the Office, Dr Manana Bakane-Tuoane; my Political Adviser
Reverend Dr Molefe Tsele, Advisor on Traditional Matters, Kgosi Motsatsi, the
Economic Advisory Council, North West Research Council, House of Traditional
Leaders, all Political Parties, Heads of Departments; Senior Management and all
Staff in the Office of the Premier. Individually and collectively, the work and
dedication of all these people I have mentioned has ensured that the Office of
the Premier is a well-oiled engine eternally committed to improving the lives
of all North West citizens. I thank all these individuals and I would like to
thank all Honourable Members of the House for their continued engagement.
Finally, let me leave this House with these moving immortal words quoted
from President Mbekiâs address to the 59th Session of the United Nations (UN)
General Assembly in September 2004: "We will spare no effort to free our fellow
men, women and children from the abject and dehumanising conditions of extreme
poverty. We are committed to making the right to development a reality for
everyone and to freeing the entire human race from want."
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
18 May 2006
