Day celebrations in Sharpeville
21 March 2006
Members of the Executive Council,
Executive mayors,
Members of the mayoral committee and other local,
Government leaders,
Chief Justice Pius Langa,
Leaders of civil society organisations,
Families of the victims of the Sharpeville massacre,
Distinguished guests,
Comrades and friends,
The people of Gauteng,
Allow me first and foremost to lower our banners in memory of Duma Khumalo,
one of the Sharpeville six who passed away on the eve of local government
elections after he collapsed at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)
workshop. He remained committed to the end. Our condolences go to his family
and comrades.
We are here today to once more honour the memory of those who were killed by
the apartheid police here in Sharpeville on 21 March 1960, as well as the
countless others who made the ultimate sacrifice in our struggle for freedom in
our country.
We pay tribute to the men and women, who left their homes on that fateful
morning to participate in a peaceful protest against the hated pass laws. Their
names are enshrined at the Sharpeville monument so that generations to come can
honour and pay tribute to them.
Just as we must not forget those who lost their lives in struggling for our
freedom, we must also not forget the impact of apartheid discrimination and
injustice against which they fought.
An important pillar of apartheid's vision of racist domination and control
was the system of influx control. This system sought to make African people
foreigners in the country of their birth and banish them to the poverty
stricken Bantustans, which were apartheid's reservoirs of cheap labour. Only a
select few with special permission were allowed to come to urban areas to work
in the factories, mines and kitchens of apartheid's rulers. The pass laws aimed
to force all African people to carry a dompas so that their movement could be
controlled by the apartheid state. Pass raids were a daily occurrence with
brutal police assaults on ordinary people in the privacy of their own homes and
in public places. Innocent people, young and old were treated like dogs,
brutalised and thrown into jail on the whim of the apartheid police.
The brave Sharpeville residents who took to the streets in March 1960 were
therefore responding to systematic humiliation and oppression to which black
people in general and African people in particular were subjected under
apartheid.
They were following on a proud history of resistance against oppression. In
response to plans to extend the pass laws to African women, women in particular
had been at the forefront of anti-pass protests including notably, the protest
march of over 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 9 August 1956.
This year we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of that heroic march.
The Sharpeville massacre was one of South Africa's darkest moments
unleashing further waves of oppression including the banning of the liberation
movement. However, our people's determination to be free, to restore their
birthright and their dignity could not be defeated.
As we celebrate Human Rights Day today, we are therefore also celebrating
the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa. This year
we are also celebrating the 10th anniversary of the adoption of our democratic
constitution on 8 May 1996.
Together with the first democratic elections in 1994, the adoption of our
new constitution symbolised our decisive triumph against the indignity and
oppression of apartheid and was an historic breakthrough in our struggle for a
democratic order in our country. Our new Constitution was a concrete expression
of the fact that our people's suffering and sacrifices had not been in vain. To
borrow from the words of freedom fighter Solomon Mahlangu, their blood had
indeed nourished the tree that would bear the fruits of freedom. The human
rights enshrined in our constitution are some of the fruits of freedom of which
Mahlangu spoke.
It represented the unity and national consensus that had begun to heal the
hatred and the divisions of apartheid; it represented the people's contract for
the future and a weapon in our continued struggle to roll back the legacy of
apartheid and build a better life for all.
The adoption of our democratic Constitution was therefore not the end of our
democratic mission. Instead it represented the beginning of a new phase in the
struggle to make a living reality of the political and socioeconomic rights,
which our people had lived and died for.
The âage of hopeâ of which our president has spoken is a testimony to the
fact that our democracy has made enormous strides in giving effect to our
people's constitutional rights and the values of human dignity, equality and
freedom, which it upholds.
We recently emerged from a successful local government election in which our
people exercised one of their fundamental constitutional rights - the right to
vote.
I want to thank all of you who participated in the election proving wrong
many of the analysts who said you would stay away from the polls. By doing so
you have helped to deepen democracy and strengthen local government. Your
challenge now is to work with your elected leaders at ward, municipal and
district level to build better communities where you live.
Our congratulations go to all the newly elected mayors and other office
bearers in Gauteng. As the provincial government we are ready to work closely
with you to build the capacity of local government, to grow your local
economies and to achieve our common goals of halving poverty and unemployment
by 2014 and making Gauteng a globally competitive city region.
I also want to thank the dozens of thousands of Gauteng residents who
participated in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process in Gauteng.
The process was led by civil society representatives and government and
involved ordinary people in reviewing democracy governance and the economy in
our province and our country. Gauteng has completed its report and has
forwarded it to the national APRM secretariat so that it can be taken into
account in the development of the country report. We will be making available
summaries of the Gauteng report to the public. The process also highlighted the
need to further strengthen civil society organisations so that they are in a
stronger position to conduct this self assessment process in future.
The progress we have made in building Gauteng as an economic engine of the
country and the continent is central to address the issues of poverty,
underdevelopment and inequality. Expanded economic opportunities are at the
heart of the realisation of our people's dignity and human rights. Some of the
economic achievements include:
* We achieved a growth rate of 5,6 percent at the end of 2004
* Unemployment dropped from 30,4 percent in September 2001 to 22,8 percent in
September 2005
* Almost half of all employees pay in the country is in Gauteng, with over one
third of all household expenditure
* Gauteng attracts over half of the seven million international tourists that
come to South Africa, bringing jobs and economic opportunities for our
people
* Over 40 percent of all creative enterprises are found in Gauteng including
our pride and joy Tsotsi which was a product of Gauteng.
In April last year, we adopted a Gauteng Growth and Development Strategy
(GGDS), which aims to grow the economy to eight percent by 2014. We will spend
close to R8 billion to implement this strategy over the next three years. This
will run alongside the implementation of the Accelerated and Shared Growth
Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA), national government's strategy to
catalyse growth and job creation. Beyond accelerating economic growth these
strategies aim for shared growth so that more previously disadvantaged
individuals especially black people and women benefit from more jobs, business
and other economic opportunities.
Gauteng's economic growth so far is due to our deliberate efforts to invest
in strategic economic infrastructure which has in turn attracted greater
private sector investment, stimulating the growth of enterprises and creating
economic opportunities and jobs.
One example is in the cradle of Humankind World Heritage site where we
invested in new facilities, roads and bulk infrastructure to stimulate the area
as a tourist attraction. The number of tourist attractions including many small
businesses has increased from 68 in 2001 to 275 in 2005 employing about 4 500
permanent and casual workers in the area. About 70 000 people come to visit the
area every week bringing about R7,5 million into circulation in the area.
Similar initiatives to stimulate economic growth and create jobs include the
Innovation Hub in Tshwane, the Kliptown Renewal Project, the Automotive
Industry Development Centre, the Dinokeng Game Reserve, the Johannesburg
International Airport industrial development zone and the Gautrain.
Gautrain alone will bring massive investment into our province stimulating
economic growth while forming the backbone of an integrated transport system
which will include bus, rail and taxis.
In April last year we launched the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP), which
has already assisted over 400 small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) to
make them more profitable and trained 1000 entrepreneurs. Over 80 percent of
those assisted are owned by historically disadvantaged people, including 41
percent owned by women.
The promotion of economic opportunities for youth and women will be a key
focus in the years ahead. GEP will next year ensure that 20 percent of its
funding goes to support youth lead job creation activities and will in the
coming year support the establishment of youth and women led cooperatives in
Gauteng's six regions, including Sedibeng. Other initiatives to support youth
involvement in the economy will include the expansion of learnerships,
internships and bursaries, skills development and short term employment
opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Other important aspects of our growth and development strategy include:
* a provincial agriculture development strategy, which is extending support
to emerging farmers with a focus on value added production and high value niche
markets.
* the promotion of broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) through our
BBBEE strategy, which we plan to launch next month and which will ensure that
70 percent of GPG contracts go to empowered companies by 2009
* the promotion of competitive sporting events, tourism and creative industries
including film productions in Gauteng.
Further opportunities are flowing from the expansion of private sector
investment in sectors such as call centres which are expected to create
thousands of new jobs.
We are also looking forward to a major new development to the South of
Johannesburg towards Midvaal. Called the âeye of Africaâ, this new tourism and
residential venture promises to bring an investment of up to R5 billion into
the area, creating 6000 employment opportunities over the next three years and
many more indirect jobs.
The Bill of Rights, which is part of our democratic Constitution that we are
celebrating today, says that everyone has the right to have access to
healthcare services, sufficient food and water, social security and adequate
housing and that the state must take reasonable measures within its available
resources to achieve the progressive realisation of these rights. Also everyone
has the right to basic education including adult basic education and an
environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing.
In line with the constitution we have seen a progressive realisation of
these basic rights in Gauteng. So far:
* 96 percent of households have access to free basic water
* 77.6 percent of households have free basic electricity
* 83 percent of identified bucket systems had been replaced and we are on track
to remove all the remaining buckets by June 2006
* Over 80 percent have access to basic sanitation and weekly refuse removal
services
* Over 1,1 million people benefit from the social grant system
* Between 1994 and March 2005 ownership of 277367 houses was transferred to
Gauteng residents, 381 585 stands were serviced and 225 254 new houses were
built. This amounts to close to 900 000 housing opportunities, directly
benefiting the lives of over 3.5 million residents, more than one third of
Gauteng's current population.
In addition to further work on urban renewal programmes in Alexandra,
Evaton, Bekkersdal and Kliptown, we will in the next three years spend R3
billion to upgrade 20 of our established townships in Gauteng. This will go a
long way in continuing to break the apartheid legacy of underdevelopment in our
townships and building sustainable and vibrant communities with decent social
amenities and access to economic opportunities.
The townships which will benefit from this Gauteng renewal programme are:
Atteridgeville, Boipatong, Bophelong, Daveyton, Kagiso, Katlehong, Kwa-Thema,
(Duduza, Tsakane) Mamelodi, Mohlakeng, Munsieville, Ratanda, Refilwe,
Rethabiseng, Sebokeng, Sharpeville, Soshanguve, Soweto, Tembisa and
Wattville.
Depending on local needs the aim is to provide decent schools, clinics,
sport and recreational facilities, lighting, storm water drains, multi-purpose
community centres (MPCCs), libraries, taxi and bus ranks and the upgrading of
backyard shacks. In particular we will ensure that all roads in these townships
are tarred by 2009 and that each area has a vibrant commercial and transport
hub.
In realising the constitutional right to access to housing, we are working
hard to fulfil our commitment to formalise informal settlements by 2009 and
eradicate informal settlements by 2014. The registration of 392 informal
settlements in Gauteng has been completed. Close to 70 percent of these will be
upgraded while others will be relocated to better land. We are also continuing
to upgrade and convert 54 hostels to affordable rental accommodation.
Education and healthcare remain top priorities. Access has been
significantly expanded through new schools and clinics and we are focussing on
improving the quality of these services.
Since January this year we eliminated school fees in the poorest schools and
will continue to improve facilities. We have expanded adult basic education and
training (ABET) and increased early childhood development sites across
Gauteng.
Plans to improve health care services include the recruitment of 2 300
additional health professionals and an additional 1 000 community health
workers to reach our target of 3 000 by 2007. By the end of this year we will
have extended clinic hours in 80 percent of sub-districts and will continue to
complete three new hospitals and 10 new clinics.
We will dedicate even more resources to the prevention and treatment of
HIV/AIDS. By the end of this year we will have 54 sites providing
anti-retroviral therapy to 60000 people living with AIDS. However, we must
remember that there is still no cure for Aids. It is therefore up to each one
of us to prevent infection while we continue to provide care and support to all
those affected and infected with HIV and AIDS.
In addition to paying special attention to the empowerment of youth, women
and people with disability we are on track in restoring the constitutional
rights of children including the right to basic nutrition, shelter, basic
healthcare services and social services:
* Close to 920 000 children in Gauteng benefit from child support and foster
care grants
* Over 310 000 of the poorest children in primary schools were exempted from
school fees, close to 380 000 benefited from the school nutrition programme and
over 66 000 received free scholar transport
* Over 38 000 of the poorest children in grade one have received free school
uniforms
* Over 150 000 orphans and vulnerable children infected and affected by
HIV/AIDS benefited from 98 community-based care programmes.
We have spoken a lot about the constitutional obligations, which government
is fulfilling. But as I indicated earlier, our constitution is a contract
between all of us. Making the constitution a living reality and building our
democracy therefore places responsibilities not just on the state but on
ordinary citizens as well.
This applies in every sphere of our lives whether voting in democratic
elections and participating in ward committees; in actively preventing the
abuse of women and children in keeping our streets clean and protecting
community assets such as schools, clinics and community centres, in upholding
and respecting the rule of law in refusing to do crime or participate, in
corrupt practices and taking active steps to work with the police to stamp out
crime, in studying hard to further our education; in participating in school
governing bodies and other local organs of democratic participation; in
volunteering to provide a helping hand to those in need.
It was through widespread activism in our communities that we were able to
defeat apartheid, install a democratic government and a democratic
Constitution. Let us revive that spirit of activism and work together in
partnership as we continue to strive to realise all the rights enshrined in our
Constitution and build a better life for all our people.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
21 March 2006
Source: SAPA
