Gauteng Spatial Development Perspective, Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve,
Johannesburg
14 June 2007
We are meeting here today to lay yet another foundation in our effort to
build Gauteng as a globally competitive city region.
When we launched our strategy on the city region, we recognised that
apartheid had left us a legacy of a unique spatial planning, with townships
established as ghettoes for cheap labour far from places of economic activity.
We said: "The Gauteng city region today faces the challenge of continuing to
reverse the legacy of inequality and uneven development and break apartheid
spatial settlement patterns to ensure more even development and opportunities
for all." The spatial development perspective we are launching today is
therefore our response to that challenge. It maps out current and future
development patterns for the province, including social, economic,
infrastructure, human settlement, environmental, transport and other
characteristics.
This spatial development perspective aims to ensure better urban and land
use planning. It takes into account and aims to provide a framework for the
spatial development plans of cities and other municipalities. It serves as a
platform to guide and align infrastructure investment and development spending
across Gauteng and by various spheres of government and the private sector.
In line with this, public sector fixed investment will now prioritise
existing areas of economic activity, areas of potential economic activity and
areas that play a supportive role in the regional economy.
In addition, we will promote socio-economic inclusion by paying particular
attention to investment in areas of economic activity or potential economic
activity which coincides with really poor areas.
It is widely acknowledged that Gauteng is the country's economic engine, the
powerhouse that propels significant sections of the country's economy. It also
produces over a third of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is the
fourth largest economy in Africa.
Like other city regions worldwide, we face rapid urbanisation alongside
massive in-migration to Gauteng from other parts of the country as well as from
other parts of our continent and the world. While this poses significant
challenges in putting pressure on infrastructure, state resources and services,
it also has exciting possibilities in attracting skills and innovation,
creating new and more viable markets and in making Gauteng a dynamic, diverse,
innovative and productive urban hub.
All global city regions attract people and rapid urbanisation and population
growth in Gauteng will continue for the foreseeable future. The challenge is
for all of us to effectively confront the challenges. This is what the
perspective we are launching today is all about. Its ultimate goal is to
support higher and balanced economic growth, improve livelihoods of the people
of Gauteng, and ensure hassle-free mobility and access to economic
opportunities.
Among the central priorities of our people are the creation of decent work
and the reduction of poverty. We have committed ourselves as a province to
contribute to the national goal of halving poverty and unemployment by 2014.
Our ability to create quality jobs and sustainable livelihoods for our people
depends in large measure on our ability to identify key developmental
challenges facing a particular area, understanding the strengths and
opportunities inherent in that area and to come up with a set of guiding
principles to be followed by all spheres and sectors of government and other
role players to address these challenges.
Our spatial development perspective therefore outlines a common
understanding and response to the developmental challenges of specific
geographic areas in Gauteng. It ensures focused and prioritised
intergovernmental action.
It provides a spatial dimension to the provincial Growth and Development
Strategy and will be a key component in the development of municipal Integrated
Development Plans (IDPs) and the development of sector strategies such as
housing and transport strategies.
In line with Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa
(AsgiSA) and the national spatial development framework, our perspective is
intended to serve as a catalyst to accelerated and shared economic growth and
development. It will enable us to focus on and prioritise areas and sectors
generating growth in order to achieve the eight percent growth target by 2014
and ensure that this growth is shared and contributes to the reduction of
poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment.
The current spatial trends, which reinforce exclusion, have up to now been a
key inhibitor to shared economic growth. We are however hopeful that the
implementation of our provincial spatial development perspective will ensure
the attainment of our goal of building a better Gauteng, underpinned by a
growing economy that creates jobs and promotes balanced growth.
As we implement this perspective we must not loose sight of the need for us
to think Gauteng wide and co-ordinate our planning and implementation. This we
must do in order to respond comprehensively to the development challenges
facing our province.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
14 June 2007
