at the Lower Saxony Landtag
17 October 2007
President Gansauer
Minister President Wulff
Honourable Cabinet Members
Ladies and gentlemen
It is a singular honour for me to address the Landtag of Lower Saxony. I
bring greetings from the warm people of the Eastern Cape Province and of my
country South Africa. My country and yours enjoy a long standing relationship.
Without strong leaders such as the present Chancellor Merkel, who during her
visit to Africa, also paid a visit to our country, this relationship would not
have taken place. In fact it was Chancellor Schroeder in his capacity then as
Minister President of Lower Saxony who signed the partnership agreement with
our province. I am particularly happy about the fact that our long lasting
partnership is not only sustained by the respective governments of our
provinces, but obviously also by all the members of Parliament here in Lower
Saxony. I would like to underline that the impetus of our programme and the
increase in the number of fields of cooperation has significantly grown under
the aegis of my colleague Christian Wulff.
I also would have erred if I did not pass my sincere gratitude to the
following critical stakeholders who give life to the partnership:
* institutions of higher learning, in particular the University of Oldenburg
and Fachhochschule, Braunschweig and Wolfenbutet which are partnering with our
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in the field of education and
engineering
* a special tribute to the local representative seconded to the Office of the
Premier, Yorck Wurms, who continues to facilitate seamless interaction between
Lower Saxony and the Eastern Cape province
* private sector associates, especially Volkswagen, Fijutsi Siemens and ETS
Media Didactic.
Of course I know from other partners who are working with us that all
partnerships occasionally suffer from budget restrictions. Therefore, I am
thankful for the support we get from your NiLS Institute. After all, our
network project with Fujitsu Siemens Computers and the GTZ links up all our
Further Education and Training colleges and is very costly. NiLS has secured
financial support through cooperation with industry and commerce to the tune of
several million rand. The government of the Eastern Cape appreciates this
accomplishment and is presently looking at our financial contribution for this
Public Private Partnership project.
In spite of their high motivation, our teachers still need to engage in
further education and training courses. We have an Institute for Education
Leadership in the Eastern Cape but we are still exploring ways to develop
capacity for our teachers. Therefore, with your permission, we would like to
call upon the support of your NiLS and their network in order to give a seal of
approval to the partnership with with Lower Saxony. For the continued
development of the Eastern Cape it is imperative that we invest in
education.
There is a role for private sector and other partners to support
government's efforts in poverty reduction and to grow skills in order to build
a better South Africa and a better Africa.
Mr President, the history of our partnership over the past 12 years covers
three critical phases, namely:
* The first phase of the twinning arrangement mirrored the already existing
relations between our two countries.
* The second and current phase is about the exchange and hands on daily
implementation of joint programmes. This is elaborated in the brochure
available to this Honourable House.
* The third phase is a challenging one because it is about our shared future
ahead. The challenge for South Africa in general and the Eastern Cape
specifically, is not a question of whether or not we are ready for the 2010
World Cup. There is absolutely no doubt - the country and the province are
ready. The challenge is about how we use the 2010 World Cup platform to fast
track the development agenda to ensure a better life for all in South Africa
and Africa.
Mr President, we are committed to strengthening the partnership as we look
forward to our shared future. Together we can help strengthen democracy and
build a strong economy for our mutual benefit.
In South Africa, the words 'automotive industry' are almost synonymous with
the Eastern Cape. Our two provinces already have huge investments in the
automotive sector to boost the already booming industry. For example:
* Volkswagen South Africa, based in Uitenhage, have constructed a paint shop
at an investment of R750 million
* vehicle production is one of the fastest growing industries, and the second
biggest industry in South Africa's manufacturing sector.
The Eastern Cape Province, like its mother country South Africa, is alive
with possibilities. Numerous entrepreneurship opportunities exist in the
following areas I wish to outline:
* The Umzimvubu Water Basin is our flagship project. Umzimvubu is the second
largest river in our country. Through this project we intend spear-heading
development in the following sectors:
* Agriculture and agro-processing â this is an investment in our existing
agricultural sector in order to grow it from subsistence farming to
export-driven industry of organic foods and related products.
* Hydro-power â using the force of the water from the river, government intends
to generate hydro-electricity to supply both households and the potential
industries.
* Tourism - the river runs through the most beautiful landscape such as the
Mandela Tourism Corridor and Mkambathi Nature Reserve.
Thus it presents numerous tourism opportunities in areas such as
aqua-sports, eco-tourism, adventure tourism and health spas.
* Forestry and timber processing - we have already planted forests which
will be used for timber and furniture to create further employment and
entrepreneurship opportunities.
* Mr President, we see an opportunity where big companies can partner with
growing and emerging enterprises, in what we can call a 'Linking Big and Small'
programme. The challenge in our province is eliminating poverty through
creating a culture of self-employment, independence and entrepreneurship. This
culture is what our President, honourable Thabo Mbeki, calls 'Vukuzenzele' or
'Wake up and Do it yourself.'
* There are opportunities presented by our three Airports in Port Elizabeth,
East London and Mthatha, which offer direct flights to the main centres
throughout the country and the world. This is both useful for tourism, trade
and business such as import and export.
May I again thank you for your continued dedication to the partnership. To
use the words of the Minister President, "Let us stay friends."
I thank you
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
17 October 2007
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecprov.gov.za)
