T Makwetla: ABSA Premiers Golf Invitational

10 May 2007

Chief Operating Officer of ABSA, Mr Peter Mageza
Members of the Executive Council
Senior Managers of ABSA
Director-General and senior managers from government
ABSA guests and clients
Ladies and gentlemen

To all of you a warm welcome to the province of Mpumalanga. I hope that you
have enjoyed the golfing experience, the hospitality and the scenic beauty of
the province. To all the players who participated today, thank you for gracing
the ABSA Premiers' Invitational with your presence.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to express my sincere appreciation and
gratitude to the Executive Management of ABSA, in particular the Chief
Executive Officer, Mr Loubser, for this great initiative of organising
Provincial Premier Golf Challenges. The concept behind the ABSA Premiers'
Invitational exemplifies the nature of partnerships that government and the
private sector should seek to build and sustain in making contributions to
nation-building, social cohesion and creating a better life for all. It is a
partnership that recognises that corporate South Africa has an important role
in supporting initiatives aimed at advancing socio-economic development.

It is inspiring that one of the defining features of the ABSA Premiers'
Invitational is ABSA's commitment to making contributions to charities in order
to support the promotion of Maths and Science. As government we see ABSA's
contribution as a targeted investment in human capital development that, in the
long run, will benefit the economic growth and development potential of the
South African nation, and Mpumalanga in particular.

One of the major factors that constrain the South African economy's growth
potential is the availability of engineering and technical skills in the
implementation of major infrastructure projects aimed at promoting accelerated
socio-economic development. It has been acknowledged that in order to address
the scarce skills problem in the country, there should be a concerted effort to
promote Maths and Science so that the education system is able to develop and
provide graduates with necessary engineering and technical competencies to
drive growth and development.

As a province, we are cognisant of the need to ensure that corporate social
investment initiatives are targeted in ways that support and add value to the
priorities and programmes of government. We believe that ABSA's support for the
promotion of Maths and Science will go a long way in making a significant
contribution to the government's agenda of improving learner attainment in
Mathematics and Science.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the preferred recipient of the
Premiers' Golf Invitational charity will be the Mpumalanga Educational
Development Trust. This is a trust that was established as a partnership
between the Mpumalanga Department of Education and the corporate sector.

The donation will be earmarked as an incentive programme for secondary
schools that excel and improve their Mathematics and Science results. This
initiative is important to us as it makes a direct contribution to our
provincial efforts targeted at enhancing learner attainment in Mathematics and
Science.

The Matric class of 2006 did us proud in improving pass rates by more than
6%. However, we noted a huge challenge beckoning in the quality of our Math and
Science passes. In 2006 we entered 39 000 candidates for the end of the year
examination and noted a troubling trajectory in our Math and Science
candidature:

First it was the imbalance in the ratio of enrolments in Higher Grade and
Standard Grade candidature
* In Mathematics only 2 357 entered for Higher Grade against 19 753 that took
Standard Grade
* In Physical Science only 4 504 entered for Higher against a whopping 11 322
registered for Standard Grade.

Secondly, we noted an unsettling pattern in the difference between Standard
and Higher Grade pass rates. Higher Grade enrolments, although lowest, produce
the best results compared to Standard Grade. To illustrate the point:
* Our Higher Grade pass for Math in 2006 stood at 79,7% while Standard Grade
pass remained at 47,5%
* Physics gave a better picture at 74,6% and 69,4% in the respective
grades.

However, the main thesis of this trajectory is that almost 60% of Mpumalanga
learners take Mathematics and Physical Science and therefore an improvement in
Math and Science performance could place us within reach of AsgiSA targets. The
Provincial Government has therefore agreed on a six-pillar turn-around plan for
Math and Science focusing on:

* improving curriculum delivery strategies
* teacher development and professional support
* improving learner performance
* increasing the resource base of Math and Science
* strengthening English Second Language proficiency and acquisition
* introducing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a medium of
curriculum delivery.

Our projected expenditure to turn around the current trends stands at R9
million for the current Financial Year and therefore no less that R35 million
over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). We trust that our
partnership with ABSA on development initiatives will continue to bear fruits
and extend to other interesting joint programmes. ABSA's footprint in the
province makes it one of the key players in the economy of the province. We
appreciate the confidence that this corporate citizen has shown in the province
through its investments that contribute to job creation and poverty
reduction.

Programme director, the ABSA Premiers' Invitational is not only about
playing golf, but it is also about human interaction and social networks that
we need in order to build social cohesion as a developing nation. A golf day of
this nature provides a platform for government to interact and network with the
private sector. This promotes learning and sharing of lessons and experiences
on a range of developmental issues facing both the private and public sectors.
We hope that the informal networks will grow and provide further opportunities
for cooperation and partnerships.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to conclude by congratulating the winners
of the golf day and wish them well as they move on to proudly represent
Mpumalanga province in the Grand Finale in October. I know that they will do us
proud.

Thank you very much to ABSA, all our guests and the media for sharing a
beautiful day together.

Enjoy the evening.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
10 May 2007