Members of the Executive Council
Director-General
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
I welcome you all to this media conference. In evaluating and assessing our state of readiness to hold the local government elections in the province, we have deemed it necessary and proper to reflect on our performance thus far.
It is in this vein and context that we launch a broader programme to communicate service delivery milestones, whilst at the same time, outlining interventions to deal with the challenges that still confront us at this level.
The Provincial Task Team made up of various security agencies of government working together with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) have expressed an advanced state of readiness with respect to the holding of the local government elections on the 18th of May. This readiness includes the safeguarding of electoral staff and voting material, ensuring safety of voters, provision of public order policing and investigative capacity to deal with cases that may arise.
Government has been working very closely with the IEC to address voting station infrastructure like access roads, provision of water and electricity in voting stations especially in rural areas.
Whilst we appreciate the progress in our state of readiness towards local government elections, we acknowledge that much has been done to change the lives of our people, whilst cognisant of the challenges that still lie ahead. In the 2006 Local Government Elections Manifesto, the African National Congress as the ruling party committed itself to the acceleration of service delivery through among other things;
- Eradication of the bucket system in formal settlements.
- Improving access to clean water and decent sanitation.
- Ensuring that houses have access to electricity.
- Universal provision of free basic services.
- Improvement of the way government provides housing, ensuring better quality houses closer to economic opportunities.
- Improvement of services at hospitals and clinics, schools, police stations and other government centres in our communities.
Ladies and gentlemen, you will recall that during the State of the Province Address, we shared progress registered in implementing our priorities as identified in the Provincial Strategic Framework. As we are closing the 2006 – 2011 local government term, we shall reflect on the progress that has been made thus far.
Government recognises the strategic importance of local government as the primary service delivery vehicle. In view of its strategic role, government has since unveiled Outcome 9 of its Outcomes based Approach, which takes on board the Local Government Turn-Around Strategy. These are all geared to ensure a functional, accountable, responsive, effective, efficient developmental local government as it is at the cutting edge of service delivery.
In view of the above, the Executive Council, took a decision in 2009, to undertake a province-wide EXCO Outreach Programme, aimed at consolidating the inter-sphere collaboration so as to improve the quality of services on the ground. The EXCO Outreach presents a solid platform for public appraisal of government performance in general and local government performance in particular.
We have listened to the people’s views on the kind of interventions required and considerable strides have been made. Furthermore we adopted the Intergovernmental Relations Strategy and Implementation Plan in 2009 and flowing from the IGR Summit we have rolled out joint programmes with local government in dealing with challenges of electricity and water in the province.
Members of the media, allow me to share a few areas where, amongst others, local government together with the national and provincial spheres of government have made notable in-roads in improving the quality of the lives of the people.
- In Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, 100% of the Metros households have access to potable water within the national norm of 200m radius with prioritisation given to less privileged and less developed areas. The Metro also delivered a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup as an official host city, which left a lasting legacy, especially in infrastructure development such as the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and road network. Furthermore, this soccer spectacle has attracted the International Rugby Board to consider Eastern Cape Province for the next round of Rugby Sevens Tournament.
- As a disaster prone area and in line with our pro-poor focus on service delivery, Alfred Nzo District Disaster Satellite Centre was constructed and handed over to communities in June 2007
- The Cacadu District Municipality (DM) has been consistently getting clean audits and within its jurisdiction, the Camdeboo Local Municipality remains a shining example in overall municipal performance e.g. optimal utilisation of grant funding, consistently receiving an unqualified audit report, recipient to numerous service delivery accolades.
- At the OR Tambo DM, the success of the King Sabatha Dalindyebo Presidential Intervention showcases what can be achieved when government works together e.g. road infrastructure, Mthatha bypass bridge to ease traffic congestion, electricity upgrades and housing delivery at Ngangelizwe Township.
- The Joe Gqabi District utilised 100% of its allocation for drought relief funding.
- At the Amathole DM, an amount of R33 million was spent in acquiring 270 627 hectares of land over five years, developing infrastructure and construction of services for rural areas within the district.1184 individual title deeds were issued to various beneficiaries from Kaysers beach, Ducats, Chintsa East, Morgans Bay and Isidenge.
- On the local economic development front, 17 Siyazondla Projects have been established at Intsika Yethu Local Municipality at a cost of R9 million.
As at the end of 2009, we have provided Free Basic Services in the following areas:
- 786 263 consumers units are receiving free basic water services
- 312 975 consumer units are receiving free basic electricity services
- 590 419 consumer units are receiving basic sanitation services
- 266 717 consumer unitsare receiving free refuse removal services
- 56 000 Eastern Cape citizens are recipients of free housing units from 2008 to 2010.
We have initiated six Breaking New Ground settlements projects across the province in Zanemvula Metro, Duncan Village, Buffalo City Municipality, Thornhill Ndlambe; Elliotdale Mbashe; Siyanda in Mnquma and Ngangelizwe in the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality. In Social Housing we have completed rental stock in Socho, Amalinda, Emerald Sky,Amalinda, Reservoir Mews in Braelyn and Abahlali in Port Elizabeth.
In rural housing we have approved the rural subsidy voucher and a pilot is currently underway in Mhlontlo. Our People’s Housing Process is also underway delivering thousands of homes in rural areas. In enhancing our capacity to deliver, so far we have employed 93 civil and build environment engineers. The spending capacity of human settlements has also increased over the years from 40% in 2008 to 100% in 2010.
We have also transferred a total number of 42000 title deeds under our programme of enhanced discount benefit scheme. The other area that is key to our planning and socio economic development is energy. The Eastern Cape has 19% of the national electricity backlog (Amathole – 29%, OR Tambo – 28, Alfred Nzo – 12%, Chris Hani – 11%). An amount of R766 million has been committed for electrification in 2011/2012 with R546 million coming from Eskom and the rest from municipal budgets. A target of 42000 new connections has been set during this period.
Currently the Province of the Eastern Cape is 62% electrified and new targets of 75 – 85% have been set for 2014. It is worth noting that Eskom has successfully implemented a number of projects within the region to ensure reliability of supply.
Energy efficiency is one of the programmes that has made significant strides in the Province. This programme has been implemented in the province with partnerships that have been created across the different sectors of the region inclusive of municipalities, automotive industry, and organised business.
Different stakeholders have also shown interest and commitment in the management of their energy consumption. This was marked by the launch of the first of its kind in the country, the Energy Efficiency Centre in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in 2010.
For the record:
- 335 385 consumer units have been approved by various municipalities across the province for free basic electricity. On average 210 000 beneficiaries have been collecting their coupons every month since September of 2010.
- In strengthening the ability of municipalities to manage and maintain our energy capacity going forward, 214 students are studying at various tertiary institutions funded through the Eskom Foundation.
As government, we are mindful of the remaining challenges that must be tackled in strengthening the province’s local government system. What we have shared today are just snippets of local government at work towards improving the lives of the people. As part of our continued effort to account to the citizenry, a communication action plan has been developed to communicate what government has achieved as well as challenges that hamper delivery of services at the local government.
The Executive Council acknowledges and thanks the outgoing councillors for the contributions they have made in dealing with the legacy of underdevelopment we inherited in 1994.
The councillors that will be taking forward the baton will be stepping into firm foundations laid by their predecessors. We also encourage the administrative leadership to serve with humility and dignity. We all have a responsibility to ensure that we encourage the people to exercise their democratic right by voting on May 18, whilst also encouraging political tolerance amongst the role-players to ensure free and fair elections.
In as much as we have highlighted the gains we have made in changing the lives of our people, it is equally true that much still needs to be done. With the ushering in of the new councils, we intend to work closely to address service delivery backlogs and institutional challenges facing some municipalities within the context of the Local Government Turn Around Strategy (LGTAS).
Thank you.
For further enquiries contact:
M Ndara
Cell: 083 324 4269
