provincial Outside Broadcast of the African Peer Review Mechanism, Mabalstad,
Rustenburg
7 July 2006
Programme Director
MEC for Developmental Local Government and Housing, Honourable Phenye
Vilakazi
Kgosi Mabalane and Our Esteemed Traditional Leaders present
The Mayor of Moses Kotane, Cllr Molelekeng
Representatives of Civil Society
Representatives of Organised Labour
Members of the Business Community
Members of the media
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I am most grateful to be allowed an opportunity to say a few words on this
important occasion of the Outside Broadcast of our provincial process of the
African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).
On Sunday 9 July in Berlin, Germany, two neighbouring nations of France and
Italy will be battling it out for the worldâs most coveted title in the arena
of soccer, the Federation International Football Association (FIFA) World Cup
2006 championship.
As these neighbouring titans dazzle and dance in a foreign land in friendly
competition, billions of people across the globe will be glued not only on the
action but the country itself Germany.
The minute the referee blows the final whistle on that 2006 Soccer World Cup
Final, all focus, including the most sustained media spotlight that our country
has ever had, will shift to South Africa. The spotlight will stay with us until
the referee once again blows the final whistle of the World Cup 2010.
The people of the world will be interested to know if indeed their trust in
the development and betterment of Africa was not misplaced. They will want to
see for themselves the strides we continue to make as Africans in our efforts
to eradicate poverty and place our countries individually and collectively on a
path of sustainable growth and development.
The African Peer Review Mechanism is the New Partnership for Africaâs
Developmentâs (NEPAD) instrument of self-monitoring by Africans themselves.
Through this instrument, we aim to answer in advance the people of the world
that Africa is indeed changing. That African people have taken their destiny on
their hands and will see to it that the continent is revived and developed to
its full potential despite the ravages of apartheid and colonialism.
At the beginning of the year during our State of the Province Address, we
proudly asserted that we have flown where eagles dare. We opened not just
government but the entire North West Province for evaluation by ordinary and
sophisticated citizens of the province as part of the national process of the
APRM.
As people of the world expect us, we did this to foster the adoption of
policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high
economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and
continental economic integration through sharing of experiences and
reinforcement of successful and best practice, including identifying
deficiencies and assessing the needs of capacity building.
Among other things, our provincial process was distinguished by the widest
possible participation of a cross section of our people including women, the
aged, the youth, people with disabilities, academics, labour and the business
community.
The wide participation of our people was facilitated by A re Ageng, our
provincial National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) styled
organisation, whose work was further reinforced by volunteers as well as our
Community Development Workers (CDWs).
I know for a fact that what also distinguished us was that our province was
the only province to have actively and fully involved Bogosi ba rona throughout
the entire process of the APRM.
We are extremely proud of this achievement and we are certain that as a
result we made a positive contribution to the APRMâs Country Self-Assessment
Report that will be officially handed over some time this month.
We would therefore like to thank all the people of the North West Province
who took part in the process and the political parties that took part, for
ensuring that ours has been a resoundingly successful experience.
We believe we are on course not only in our contribution to the national
process but also in the achievements we continue to record in our quest for
Africaâs renewal.
As our APRM Provincial Consultative Report will show, we have been very
robust, we harboured no secrets and we answered as a province honestly to
questions relating to the four thematic areas of Democracy and Good Political
Governance, Economic Governance and Management, Corporate Governance and
Socio-economic Development.
In the words of revolutionary Amilcar Cabral, we told no lies and claimed no
easy victories.
In the same spirit, I therefore hope todayâs activities will be open and
accessible to all sections of our people as we reflect on the process leading
to the Country Self-Assessment Report and the four thematic areas that I have
mentioned.
I have no reason to doubt the success of this Outside Broadcast of the
Provincial African Peer Review Mechanism.
Let me conclude by quoting the words of the United Nation Secretary-General
Kofi Annan when he said the World Cup is the pinnacle of the only truly global
game, played in every country by every race and religion, it is one of the few
phenomena as universal as the United Nations.
âI wish we had more of that sort of competition in the family of nations.
Countries openly vying for the best standing in the table of respect for human
rights, and trying to outdo one another in child survival rates or enrolment in
secondary education. States parading their performance for the entire world to
see. Governments being held accountable for what actions led them to that
result.â
âI wish we had more of the sort of conversation at the world at large where
citizens are consumed by the topic of how their country could do better on
the
Human Development Index, or in reducing the amount of carbon emissions or the
number of new HIV infections.â
Indeed these are the challenges that the continent of Africa and the world
are grappling with. And these are our current efforts as Africans to address
some of the challenges through the APRM. We therefore have no reason to doubt
success.
The nations of the world will begin see for themselves when the referee
blows the final whistle on Sunday 9 July 2006.
I thank you for your attention.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
7 July 2006
