Premier Mokonyane on Friday took time to update Gauteng lawmakers on the progress made to implement the new administration’s Programme of Action.
The Gauteng provincial government will over the next three years spend R40 billion on infrastructure developments in an effort to create much needed jobs.
Gauteng Premier, Nomvula Mokonyane, made this announcement at a special sitting of the Gauteng legislature on Friday. The Premier was reporting on the progress made over the past six months on government priorities.
“Our policy of maximising job creation by ensuring that all our infrastructure projects utilise the most labour intensive methodologies possible remains most appropriate. The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) is the best example of creating employment opportunities by employing labour intensive methods in the building and maintenance of public infrastructure,” said Mokonyane.
Mokonyane added that although the provincial government was unlikely to get more funding from National Treasury, her administration needed to find more “creative alternative ways to fund infrastructure projects in Gauteng”.
To this end a process is underway to integrate various funding entities of the province into one single agency. It is envisaged that the proposed Gauteng Funding Agency would provide a single point through which the Gauteng provincial government and municipalities could raise capital from diverse sources.
She told the legislature that the re-configuration of the provincial government would continue with the establishment of a political task team to review the Gauteng Shared Service Centre.
Led by Gauteng MEC for Finance Mandla Nkomfe, the task team is expected to make recommendations to the Executive Council early next year.
Some of the announcements made by the Premier include:
* Introduction of Inclusionary Housing Policy in Gauteng. “There will no longer be exclusive residential areas for the wealthy and rich while the rest of the people live in the periphery”
* An integrated crime prevention plan to fight priority crimes under the leadership of the South African Police Service (SAPS)
* Revival of the Gauteng AIDS Council to provide leadership in the fight against AIDS
* The centralisation of all primary healthcare services in the three metropolitan areas and the finalisation of the process in the three district councils and
* Fourteen more schools will be refurbished by January 2010 to complete the target of 45 schools that were identified for the improvement programme.
Mokonyane said the provincial government will work with municipalities to help them achieve clean audits by improving the functionality of audit committees.
“As part of the decision to pay our service providers on time the executive council has decided that all provincial departments must bring their municipality accounts up to date,” said Mokonyane.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
27 November 2009
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za/)
