T Didiza: Initiative to eradicate mud schools and other
structures

13 July 2007

Venue: Sibahle Primary School, Ezinkonjaneni, Piet Retief
Date: 13 July 2007

Programme Director,
MEC for Education,
Executive Mayors Present,
Traditional Leaders Present,
Councillors,
Leaders of Public Entities,
School Governing Board members,
Esteemed Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Phambilini kulonyaka uMongameli wezwe uMnumzane Thabo Mbeki, wabizela
emhlanganweni abaQondisi Jikelele bayo yonke iminyango kaHulumeni. Kulowo
mhlangano uMongameli wabuza umbuzo nje ukuthi kuzo zonke izinhlelo zeminyango
eyehlukene ezihlelelwe lonyaka zimali, yiziphi izinhloso ngqangi ezinhlanu laba
baQondisi abanazo nezingaphothulwa zihlinzekwe eminyakeni emibilin nengxenye
ezayo njengengxenye yohlelo lokulwa nobuphofu. Ekuphenduleni komnyango wethu
weMisebenzi Yomphakathi, siqhamuke nohlelo lokuqeda izikole ezakhiwe ngodaka
nezakhiwo ezingagculisi ezweni lonke njengenye yezinhloso ngqangi zethu.

Programme Director, fellow South Africans, the eradication of mud schools
and undesirable structures that we are launching today is going to be a
national effort that is geared towards the construction, reconstruction and
rehabilitation of schools in poor areas. We will use innovative technology that
accommodates rapid delivery, without compromising quality. Loluhlelo
luyingxenye futhi yokunika umfutho uhlelo lokwemisebenzi eyandisiwe
yemiphakathi, phecelezi i-Expanded Public Works Programme futhi luzosebenzisa
yona imigomo ye-EPWP yokwakha amathuba emisebenzi.

Each year South Africa dedicates the month of June to renew a pledge to
advance our country's youth. We celebrate the development of youth with vivid
memories of the struggles and sacrifices of young people on 16 June 1976. The
opportunities brought by democracy require all of society to work in a national
partnership to improve the social conditions of young people who still live in
poverty and distress.

Yingakho nje uMnyango wezeMisebenzi yoMphakathi, usebenzisana ne-Independent
Development Trust (IDT), neyingxenye yoMnyango wami, waphendula umbuzo
kaMongameli ngokuthi uhlinzeke intsha yezwe lethu ngezikole eziyilungele
nezikole eziyinika ukuhlonipheka. Singathanda ukubona intsha yasemakhaya nayo
ihlomula ngokufanayo nentsha yasemadolobheni. Ezinye zezakhiwo abantwana
basezindaweni zasemakhaya abafundela kuzo, ziyashaqisa. Okusempeleni izakhiwo
lezi abantwana balesi sikole, iSibahle abafundela kuso, ziyashaqisa. Zinayo
yonke inhlobo yengozi ongayicabanga. Okusempeleni uMnyango wezempilo
kulesisifunda saseGert Sibande wabhalela umnyango wezemfundo, ukhalaza kakhulu
ngesimo esibi sempilo abantwana abafundela lapha ababhekene naso.
Ngiyathokoza-ke kodwa ukumemezela ukuthi konke lokho sekuzoba yinto edlule
khona maduze nje uma labantwana sebakhelwe isikole esifanelekile
nesingenangozi. Izikole zodaka zibeka engcupheni impilo yezingane, ikakhulukazi
ngesikhathi sezimvula.

The programme of eliminating mud schools will be coupled with other
programmes to make life easier for rural school kids in our country. We plan to
build access roads and bridges that service schools. It is always painful to
learn of young children who drown during rainy season as they try to cross
dangerous rivers in full flood. We want to eliminate the incidents of children
drowning, we want to facilitate access to schools by children and thus
eliminate illiteracy that still plagues most of our rural areas.

There are also major spin-offs that we envisage to come out of this
programme. Rural areas of our country are affected the most by poverty and
unemployment. In order to help the government reach the millennium goals, we
plan to unlock employment and development opportunities in areas that we will
be undertaking this work. We will also pursue environment rehabilitation using
amongst others, government infrastructure development funding. We would like to
see this programme stimulating local economic development through utilisation
of local resources and skills development and transfer.

Compatriots, huge resources have been dedicated to this programme. The
Independent Development Trust has pledged close to eight hundred million rand
for this whole project of eradicating mud schools and access bridges. But even
though this is the case, it is obvious that even more resources will be needed
to carry the project through to a successful conclusion throughout the country.
I would therefore urge all of us to mobilise resources for sustainable
development of these areas by working in partnership with government, donor
agencies, civil society and community based structures.

I would like to pay tribute to the former leaders of this department,
Comrade Jeff Radebe and the late Minister Stella Sigcau. Those Ministers worked
very hard in ensuring that the Department of Public Works carried out its
mandate diligently and fought rural poverty. In fact, the department started
with the Community-Based Public Works (CBPW) Programme right at the beginning
of our democracy in 1994. The government realised the great potential of this
programme to improve the lives of our people not only in rural areas but also
in urban areas. That is why then that the CBPWP was changed into the Expanded
Public Works Programme and launched in 2004. The difference was that it became
a government-wide programme whereby all departments are expected to implement
it. The main goal of this massive effort on the part of the government is the
halving of poverty and unemployment by 2014. That is why I want to salute the
visionary leadership of these comrades. They laid the foundation for the
massive effort of government to help our country and develop the rural
areas.

The Expanded Public Works Programme has also spawned its own offspring in
the form of the National Youth Service (NYS). The National Youth Service is
also a collaborative effort with Umsobomvu Youth Fund, the National Youth
Commission and the Department of Labour. During the debate on the State of the
Nation Address by President Mbeki, I accepted the President's challenge that we
should ratchet up the Expanded Public Works Programme in order to meet the
stubborn problem of youth unemployment. During the budget vote for my
Department in the National Assembly in March, I announced that we were set to
launch and expand further the National Youth Service. When we launched the NYS
in Botshabelo in Bloemfontein in April, we promised that we will create a cadre
of skilled artisans for our country. We said that we want our youth to be proud
and committed citizens of the country, imbued with the passion for their people
and their country. I am happy to say that we are on track.

The youth of our country are truly grabbing the opportunities that are being
made available to them. Two days ago I was at a national entrepreneurship
development workshop that was hosted by Umsobomvu Youth Fund. During the tour
of the exhibition hall I was pleasantly surprised to see that the young
entrepreneurs were busy creating brilliant products out of rubbish items like
plastic.

The eradication of mud schools is a logical progression from the 2005/06
joint initiative of the Department of Public Works and Education, assisted by
the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) to rapidly procure and
deliver classrooms using the Infrastructure Delivery Improvement Programme
(IDIP). This is a public sector infrastructure delivery toolkit, to alleviate
the plight of the children who were literally learning under the trees at the
time.

The successful implementation of this initiative, we believe, will improve
the physical accommodation of our children, promote their human rights, whilst
supporting the Integrated and Sustainable Rural Development Strategy of our
government. Once again, I would say boldly that we are on the right track and
we shall overcome.

I thank you

Issued by: Department of Public Works
13 July 2007