G Fraser-Moleketi: APRM Country Self Assessment Report launch

12 July 2006

Mr President,
Professor Adedeji,
Cabinet Ministers,
MECs,
Members of the Review Mission,
Other eminent and distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Observe all protocols

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this official handover of our
Country Self-Assessment Report to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)
Country Review Team.

The road to this point has been a long and very dynamic one.

We have covered extensive ground and learnt many lessons as we have put this
report together.

We launched our APRM exercise in September last year, so we have been going
for just under a year.

In that time amongst other things we have:

* assembled a strong and effective National Governing Council
* held two national consultative conferences, the second conference being a
validation conference
* consulted widely and comprehensively using our national parliament and a
cadre of Community Development Workers (CDWs) to do so
* prepared over 2 000 pages in technical reports and discussed these at four
separate seminars
* drafted and redrafted various versions of the reports
* held meetings with stakeholder communities on a regular basis and undertaken
many provincial consultative conferences and events.

The breadth and depth of these activities are a clear indication of our
desire to make the APRM a strong, effective tool for improving the way our
country is governed.

This is a long-term commitment and not just about the process this time
around.

As I look back I wish to emphasise the importance of having a National
Governing Council (NGC) that was broadly representative of all sectors of South
African society.

This gave us a reach into all corners and sectors of our society.

Our NGC was further strengthened by the appointment of diverse and
representative provincial councils, they strongly based in their provinces and
their communities.

Certain specific components of our country’s governance systems were not
represented on the NGC, for example, the judiciary and parliament were not
members.

This was because we consider it important to respect their independence and
to adhere to the principles of the separation of powers. So while they were
encouraged to participate in the CSA exercise, we also did not mix up our
constitutional bases.

Parliament particularly, took its role very seriously and I believe added
tremendous value through their interactive and participatory approach.

The principles of transparency, participation and inclusion guided our
process and characterise our report.

Our adherence to these principles I believe contributes to a deepening of
democracy. As part of this deepening we have been discussing the different ways
of understanding the role of civil society and its relationship to the
state.

I would like to state my view and describe how I understand these relations
and how I believe they show themselves in the APRM and elsewhere.

For me, it is not a question of supporting civil society or government of
always being allies or enemies but rather about forming strategic and
purpose-based alliances around issues on which there needs to be progress.

What civil society can truly afford to be in conflict with government all
the time? And what government truly wants to be in conflict with its civil
society partners?

The point is that we need strategic and careful engagements that truly
benefit our citizens in combating poverty and promoting development.

As progressives we need to radically rethink democracy, political
participation and citizenship. For example, I support the view that democracy
and its institutions need to be democratised.

Progressives need to start promoting notions of "democratic citizenship,"
the "democratisation of democracy" and inclusive political practices and they
need to promote strong organisations in civil society.

I am also of the view that we also need to be far more assertive about our
conception of the developmental state as a corrective to the excesses of the
marketplace and as the legitimate repository of the will and aspirations of the
majority.

A developmental state welcomes partnerships in development and we must move
beyond sterile conceptions of government and civil society caught forever in
competition and conflict.

I wish to highlight some of the points made in our report.

The report notes that achievements of a free South Africa must be measured
against the legacy of apartheid inherited in 1994. This legacy included immense
material deprivation for the vast majority of South Africans. The legacy also
included racialised and feminised poverty, racial segregation, a huge unequal
division of land, wealth and income based on race and legalised,
institutionalised and systemic racial and gender discrimination in all walks of
life.

The report notes the emergence of an enabling political and economic
environment conducive to improving social cohesion and economic growth,
transformation and empowerment. The report has a strong focus on gender issues
throughout.

In the spirit of peer review, I must note that I was disappointed that women
are not better represented in the review team, but perhaps we will have a
chance to discuss this further.

The report draws attention to:

* the important role of the developmental state
* the value of a shared vision of a non-racial non-sexist democratic
country
* the importance of the Constitution in the lives of all South Africans
* the value of having a people’s contract that unites citizens and civil
society with government and elected representatives.

The social, political and economic spheres of South African society have
made remarkable progress in transformation. Much has been accomplished but much
more needs to be done.

Poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment are still the three primary
challenges facing our country. Improving access to rights and using them
properly is a major area of agreement that needs to be taken forward in
practical ways so that justice is really taken to the people.

There is a major concern with the monitoring and evaluation of services and
resources to help improve service delivery, rather than just providing
information on what services are delivered and reporting on how much has been
utilised.

The limited skills, capacity and resources available to the state especially
at provincial and local levels have been acknowledged as inhibiting the
functioning and responsiveness of state institutions and programmes. This is
apparent in the gap that appears to exist between policy and
implementation.

Active participation by the public in political processes and
decision-making structures is fundamental to the advancement of democracy and
effective service delivery. Participation systems need to be strengthened.

Our self-assessment process has highlighted much of which to be proud.

We must take care to celebrate:

* our economic achievements
* our commitment to social democracy as shown in our development policies
* our Constitution and the rule of law
* our political stability
* given our long history of repression and the struggle against apartheid.

What distinguishes us from the rest of Africa is that we started just 12
years ago. This must not be overlooked in assessing our performance. There is a
tendency to expect much of us, sometimes too much.

We would like to ensure that our achievements are recognised, as in doing so
we are acknowledging the many South Africans from all walks of life who have
made a contribution to this end. More so as peer review is about us as a
country.

Today, we in South Africa have much for which to be grateful and we have
done much of which to be proud.

While many challenges await us, we face them knowing that our history shows
we can confront any challenge and walk away having done ourselves and our
country proud.

I thank you!

Issued by: Department of Public Service and Administration
12 July 2006