Affairs and Tourism P Saaiman, Northern Cape Legislature
19 June 2007
Honourable Speaker Seoposengwe
Premier Peters
Members the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Colleagues
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
June is Youth Month, a month during which we celebrate the achievements of
young people and commemorate the heroic sacrifices they have made towards the
freedom we attained in 1994.
It was therefore no error that the Reconstruction and Development Programme
(RDP) document, released in 1994 notes that "youth development must focus on
education and training, job creation and enabling young people to realise their
full potential and participate in society and their future. It must restore the
hope of our youth in the future and in their capacity to channel their
resourcefulness and energy into reconstruction and development".
The Third Provincial Government of the Northern Cape also understands that
"the empowerment and development of the youth is central to the whole process
of the upliftment of our people and renewal of our society. The youth
themselves continue to be a vital player among the forces and engaged in the
struggle for the fundamental transformation of our society,� as then-President
Nelson Mandela pointed out in 1996.
It is therefore appropriate that we present this budget speech to this
legislature during this period because today our province brings hope to our
youth, assure them of a better life and opportunities, equality and freedom and
today, more than ever, we can offer �happiness that comes with liberty".
In "A Burning Log", a poem written by Charles Mungoshi who witnessed the
1976 massacre, one gets a sense of the prevailing hopelessness and despair when
he says:
"I am
a burning log
my history being reduced
to ashes
what I remember
of yesterday
is the ashy taste
of defeat
my hope
of tomorrow
is in the fire."
Speaker, the Department of Economic Development has made some structural and
budgetary adjustments during the last six months to ensure that no log is
"reduced to ashes", that no yesterday leaves an ashy taste in the mouth and
that no "hope for tomorrow" gets into the fire. Instead, it gives hope for the
future, equal opportunities for all, a better life, a brighter future and
instead of ending up in ashes, allow young people to turn into gigantic
trees.
A better place
The Northern Cape, despite what some opportunistic pessimists want to
believe, is indeed a better place. Unemployment rose slightly during the last
year to 28,7%, yet we managed to expand employment to 43%. This is up from last
year's 40,7% and way above the national average. It is also worth noting that
only the Western Cape and Gauteng recorded higher employment absorption rates
than the Northern Cape.
As a result of our collective effort, hard-work and commitment our people
are more hopeful about their prospects and more appreciative of their
government's efforts to create jobs and end poverty.
Statistics South Africa observed that there are only 8,2% discouraged
work-seekers in the Northern Cape. The Western Cape is the only other province
that has less discouraged work-seekers. This trend is confirmed by a Markinor
survey that found that 70% of the people of this province are convinced that
this provincial government is reducing unemployment and creating jobs very or
fairly well. This is almost 20 percentage points higher than the next province
rated on the same scale.
Our provincial economy continues to benefit from the buoyant performance of
the national economy as well as our collective and concerted effort to grow,
transform and diversify the provincial economy.
When analysing the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) statistics, we will
note that while the Northern Cape is the smallest contributor to the economy of
the country, a mere 2,2%, the 3,9% year on year economic growth we recorded is
close to the 4,1% economic growth of Limpopo even though their contribution to
the economy is almost triple when compared to ours. If all goes well, we can
even surpass the economic growth of the Free State that recorded 4,2% while
they add 5,5% to the GDP.
A firm foundation laid
During the last financial year, the Department of Economic Affairs
contributed directly to the successes I have highlighted above. It is common
cause that the department is tasked with the main challenge of expanding
economic participation and transforming and diversifying the provincial
economy. The development of cooperatives was therefore a provincial priority
and inline with the national directive; we have held workshops in all regions
and facilitated the establishment and funding of 17 co-operatives. These
co-operatives have the potential to create more nearly 200 jobs.
The Department of Trade and Industry committed themselves to the refinement
and finalisation of the National Co-operatives Strategy and through the
Co-operative Incentive Scheme, Northern Cape co-operatives could benefit
financially.
We also brought the four major banking groups and development finance
institutions together at a finance sector workshop on 22 and 23 March 2007
where they provided information on their services to small, medium and micro
enterprises (SMMEs), financing Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) deals and their
commitment to corporate social responsibility in the Northern Cape. The
workshop also gave businesses an opportunity to interact with each other and
share their concerns and challenges.
The department is proud to announce the full integration of all former Local
Business Service centres into the Small Enterprise Development Agency that has
physical presence in all the five districts of the province. The strategic
partnership is endorsed through the signed memorandum of agreement between
Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and Northern Cape and it is critical
to note that this agency plays a very strategic role in relation to the
provision of the non-financial support services to small businesses. During the
last year 6 300 people consulted them for help and 1 167 SMMEs were registered
and 537 jobs were created.
Preferential procurement policies present various opportunities for small
business and if adequately exhausted, have the potential to change their
economic status. For this reason, the Province partnered with the Northern Cape
Mine Managers' Association (NCMMA) and Standard Bank in a collaborative
arrangement in 2005 in which they would share and exchange important mining
procurement information in pursuit of developing and promoting BEE and the
small business sector in the province.
The Kit Group, that specialises in the provision of protective clothing
services; H2o, specialists in water coolers, water purifiers and
air-conditioning; Leropo, a hydraulics and engineering company and Charlie's
Welding Works were linked with the NCMMA in order to make their presentations
with the hope of securing some business with the mines. Three of these
businesses benefited from this partnership and are now suppliers to different
mines.
We have also provided financial and technical support to all district
municipalities with the development of the District Growth and Development
Summits and in doing so, could produce a blueprint for the economic development
of each region. Additionally, we have also established a Local Economic
Development Unit within the department and participated in different Local
Economic Development (LED) forums and we will continue to provide them with
support.
A business plan for the Namakwa One-Stop Mining House has been completed and
once in operation, it is estimated that up to 100 jobs will be created in that
area.
Due to the various consumer awareness programmes; consumer education
workshops, talk-shows, advertisements and distribution of consumer education
material throughout the Province we could opened 715 files on consumer related
matters and complaints and closed 478 of the said cases. The money claimed on
behalf of consumers during the previous financial year a mounts to R2,3
million.
Speaker, I am also delighted to inform you that during the previous year we
launched the Mariculture Park development in Port Nolloth in the Namakwa
District as a testimony of our commitment to the development of new and
innovative economic initiatives. We are still in the construction phase that
created more than 100 jobs and it is expected that once in production, the
initial job creation will exceed 500 jobs.
A partnership was formed with the Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism, through its Social Responsibility Programme, in order to establish
abalone, oysters and kelp enterprises at the Mariculture Park and Fishing and
Mariculture Development Association (FAMDA) has embarked on extensive
aquaculture training programmes, targeting mostly young people, in
Hondeklipbaai and Port Nolloth in preparation for the boom that is expected in
the mariculture sector in the province.
Local and especially BEE companies will be assisted in order for them to
access the potential of this exciting new sector. The Northern Cape Liquor Bill
is currently before this House and we can also confidently announce that you
will have the Northern Cape Gambling Bill before you soon. Both these pieces of
legislation will reconfigure the way we run these two important economic
sectors in our province.
The third casino licence has also been awarded to a local 100% BEE company.
They will operate in the Kuruman area and rolling out 100 limited payout
machines. The construction of the casino will start soon and the project brings
with it an average capital investment of R100million and it will create up to 1
000 direct and indirect jobs while contributing an additional R50 million
towards the GDP of the region.
I can also announce that during the last year we have collected about R16,5
million in taxes from gambling and liquor. It has been established that
Upington's geographical location, the linkages between rail, road and air
transport, the weather and the fact that its airport has the longest runway in
the Southern Hemisphere make it ideally suitable to establish a multi-modal
cargo facility. A feasibility study on the Cargo Hub has been completed and the
Khara Hais municipality, the provincial departments of Economic Affairs and
Transport and Public Works, Northern Cape Chamber of Business and Industry's
(Nocci) Upington and Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa), is working on the
implementation plan for the project.
The Northern Cape government has also requested Gerotek to do a feasibility
study to establish a high-speed vehicle testing facility in the Siyanda-region
and indications are that the project creates enormous interest from potential
investors. We hope to complete the economic assessment phase during this
financial year.
The Department of Economic Affairs is also proud to announce that we have
established the Rapid Concurrent Diamond and Economic Development Plan to fast
track the implementation of our Mining and Mineral Beneficiation Strategy. In
this regard, we have successfully negotiated for the use of the Kim Diamond
Building and 50% of the floor space will be reserved for the use of cutting and
polishing diamonds, a job to be done through a joint venture between a foreign
investor and a local BEE company.
The Kimberley International Diamond and Jewellery Academy, an Accelerated
and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) project that will
conform to international standards and attract students from across the
continent and internationally, will be established at the Kimberley Teacher's
Centre and opened early next year.
During the last year we have sent 15 female students to China where they
studied the art of jewellery design and manufacturing. The skills they have
acquired during the six months in China will be put to good use once the
Academy and the Factory are in place.
Once all this is in place, the Diamond Hub, that will host all of the above,
will create nearly 2 000 opportunities.
A new era
Madam Speaker, as you could detect from the above, the Department of
Economic Development has laid a firm foundation that will enable us to reach
the 2014 goals, we as a province, set for ourselves in the Provincial Growth
and Development Strategy. We are proud of these achievements and are certain
that we will do more during this financial year when we give life to other
developmental gaols.
To contribute more meaningful to the development of our provincial economy,
to achieve the objectives of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy,
and as a national responsibility and National Treasury Initiative, the Northern
Cape's Department of Economic Affairs has been selected with five other
provinces in a pilot project that will change the way this department operate
and budget. This initiative will bring about standardised norms, structures,
practices and budgets.
For this reason we have already introduced various changes and have, instead
of the usual four programmes, a new restructured department with five
programmes.
The financial allocation to the different programmes is thus as follow:
* administration � R14 015 million
* integrated economic development services � R52 556 million
* trade and industry development � R10 715 million
* business regulation � R6 812 million and lastly
* governance and economic planning � R6 413 million
Administration
Madam Speaker, this new positioning demand of us as an administration to
also change the way we do business. During the 2006/07 financial year we have
drafted policies that will ensure improved financial control and accountability
such as the Supply Chain Management Policy, the Growth and Development Fund
Policy and the Asset Management Policy.
In support of the above, we have also implemented the Provincial Performance
Management and Development System and we are certain that these important
administrative support structures will add to the quality of what we
produce.
Through the recruitment of staff, with the aim to strengthen the department,
and gearing it towards service delivery and further boosting the capacity in
the department, we have appointed two directors in the Economic Development
Programme with the responsibility and mandate to manage processes relating to
enterprise development, local economic development as well as trade and
investment.
Our Policy, Planning and Research Programme was also beefed by the
appointment of the director who will be responsible for strategic management.
We are also able to proudly report to this house that of the four senior
management service appointments made, 50% were female. This is inline with the
policies of our government aimed ensuring equity and fair representation of
women in key and management positions. Through the recent appointments the
proportion of people with disabilities was increased to four percent which
brought the department closer to the five percent target set by our provincial
government.
Madam Speaker, with this in place, it is my honour to announce that we are
on the verge of a new epoch!
Economic development
During the State of the Nation Address to both Houses of Parliament in
February this year, President Mbeki again renewed the call to all spheres of
government to fast-tract assistance to small, medium and micro enterprises when
he said "there is no question that we can do much better to create
self-employment through small and micro-enterprises."
The greatest challenge however remains access of start-up capital for small
enterprises and in support of this reality the province has resuscitated the
partnership with the United Nations Office for Project Services, the Department
of Trade and Industry wherein pilot provinces, including the Northern Cape,
committed to participate in the financial scheme aimed at providing micro loans
to small business. This initiative is meant to develop and support business
initiatives at district level and all partners contribute R4 million
each.
Our government understand the value of a strong SMME sector and its importance
towards the development of our province and have drafted and SMME Strategy to
be launched within the next two months. We have therefore allocated R18,7
million over the next three years to support SMME development as a provincial
specific economic intervention and in our quest to ensure a strong and
flourishing SMME sector, has also formed a partnership with ABSA Bank.
According to this agreement, ABSA has committed R25 million to the Local
Economic Fund that will support the SMME Strategy and we will announce further
detail at the launch the SMME Strategy.
The department has also appropriated a further R30 million for the Economic
Growth and Development Fund for the 2007/08 financial year to manage the
implementation of economic growth and development strategies which will be
focusing on diversifying the economy, creating jobs and encouraging sustainable
entrepreneurial business development in the province.
We also welcome the announcement made by the Deputy Minister of Trade and
Industry, Elizabeth Thabethe, that the institutional capacity of SEDA "will be
strengthened with the focus on a comprehensive set of non-financial support
programmes and the reinforcement of technology transfer and new business
incubation through SEDA Technology".
Our immediate challenge is to ensure that SEDA is accessible at all local
municipalities within the Northern Cape in order to achieve its set target of
establishing Enterprise Information centres.
The proclamation of the Co-operatives Act last month by the President
requires us to continue our assistance to these ventures especially in
registering them as legal entities and the challenges in terms of skills
training, access to capital and markets and operational facilities still
persist but are receiving attention through structured partnerships we have
with funding institutions, various government agencies and non-government
organisations (NGOs) and we will ensure that at least by the end of the current
financial year ten cooperatives are established, fully operational and
sustainable.
The Northern Cape Provincial Government took a strategic service delivery
decision to set up a Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. The Agency will be
positioned to work with strategic partners in both the public and private
sector to position the province as an investment destination of choice and to
facilitate trade and investment promotion in the province.
This Agency will function within the context of the NCPGDS to promote trade
and to attract foreign direct investment to the province, grow exports of
products and services from the Northern Cape and market the province as a
competitive business destination, both nationally and internationally.
We have set ambitious, yet reachable targets for this year; a 15% increase
in foreign direct investment, 10% increase in exports from the province, 30%
year on year increase in trade and a 12% year on year increase in exports
generated.
It is my honour to announce that eleven Asian countries have already confirmed
their participation in the Asia Expo that will take place in the Kimberley from
the 23rd to 25th of August and we expect many international businessmen and
women in the province who will be looking for investment opportunities and be
exposed to our opportunities and products.
There is immense interest and opportunities in diamonds, olives, granite,
mariculture and agriculture and this Expo will give us an opportunity to
showcase our possibilities and products to the world and also to use this
international exposure as a platform to network and identify local and export
markets.
While international interest grows rapidly, I would like to call on South
African businesses and investors to also use this opportunity to come and
network, display their products and services and explore business opportunities
both locally and abroad. The department will make an effort to create a
platform for small and micro businesses that offer export quality services and
products.
Trade expos have been established as viable means of promoting investment and
the Northern Cape government has made a conscious decision to use this medium
optimally and have allocated R11million over the MTEF for trade expos.
Parallel to the Expo, we will also host two international conferences; an
investment conference as well as a mining beneficiation conference that will
explore some of the issues, such as the backlogs in infrastructure and the
regulatory framework, raised by Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka and the
Department of Minerals and Energy at the Mining Investment Strategic Workshop
held in Midrand last week.
Economic empowerment
Economic empowerment is not merely a vehicle to transform our society and to
ensure access to the economy by the previously disadvantaged but it is also
paramount in our attempts to merge the Second Economy into the First
Economy.
During this year, the province will develop an implementable Provincial Broad
Based Black Economic Empowerment Strategy with the Broad-Based Black Economic
Empowerment (BBBEE) Draft Framework as a guideline.
But before the Northern Cape BBBEE Strategy is launched, will host a
Provincial Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Indaba that is intended to
assess economic transformation and the state of BBBEE in the province, to make
the business sector's input on the provincial draft BBBEE Strategy official, to
learn lessons on successful and or failed BEE initiatives and to learn some
strategic thrust of facilitating BEE in their own business.
A provincial economic sector task-team has also been established in order to
drive the EPWP programme priorities and targets on new venture creation and
skills development and a draft economic sector plan was developed and inputs
from other partners are being solicited. Furthermore, the focus of the economic
sector will be more on the development of 175 sustainable business ventures
over the next two years as well as the development of business related
management skills offered through different Sector Education and Training
Authorities.
The role women play in our economy will be scrutinised during a Women in
Business Workshop that will take place within this year to look at the
obstacles that are prohibiting them from accessing the available resources and
playing a more meaningful part in the provincial economy.
The province welcomes the establishment of the South African Women's
Entrepreneur's Fund that will be administered by the Industrial Development
Corporation. This fund will avail loans to women-owned enterprises ranging from
R250 000 to R1 million and we are certain that women empowerment will be
boosted by this Fund.
This year the youth of Galeshewe, as a declared Urban Renewal Node, will
benefit from the International Labour Organisation's SAY-Jump Initiative of
which the department is a key stakeholder with SEDA, Umsobomvu Youth Fund,
Francis Baard SMME Trust, Apex Fund and the Frances Baard District
Municipality. This programme will take youth economic empowerment to new
heights and aims to support 500 existing and emerging enterprises specialising
in agro-processing, tourism, arts and crafts, ICT, construction and services,
belonging to the youth and young women and will help then to effectively manage
sustainable business operations. The Flemmish government contributed $370 000
which translates to around R2,6million, towards this project and the department
is tasked with the responsibility to ensure that 60% of the 500 ventures are
owned by women, that they have bankable business plans but special emphasis
will be on co-operatives.
We will also bring young entrepreneurs together with the Umsobomvu Fund and
other SMME financing and development agencies in order to unlock the potential
of youth.
Information Communication Technology and Business Process Outsourcing and
Off-shoring
The PGDS acknowledges the importance of ICT in eradicating poverty and
unemployment, improving service delivery, investment and economic growth and
its impact on sustainable development. With the support of the Finnish
Government and a partnership between us and the Western Cape, Limpopo and the
Presidential National Commission, of which the Northern Cape and Limpopo are
the approved pilot projects for the Provincial Information Society and
Development Plan, a programme that developed and adopted five priority sectors
as focus areas for ICT applications; e-Government, e-Education, e-Health,
e-SMMEs and Local Content Development, we are currently in the process of
developing a Northern Cape Information Society Strategy and Development Plan
with the emphasis on SMME development. It is expected that this strategy and
plan will create around 150 jobs in various ICT fields.
In his Budget Speech earlier this month, Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa declared,
with regards to Business Processing Outsourcing and Off-shoring, that South
Africa is open for business and we are in the process to ensure the
availability of the talent pool to operate the BPO and O environment and
address the lack of ICT infrastructure. Madam Speaker, the Northern Cape is
also open for business!
Business regulation
While we are attending to the regulatory framework within which the gambling
and liquor industries will operate, we are also tasked with the establishment
of public entities; the Northern Cape Liquor Board and the Northern Cape
Gambling Board that will enable us to regulate these sectors more effectively.
For these purposes R3,2 million is allocated towards the establishment of the
Gambling Board while R2,5 million is allocated towards the Liquor Boards for
this year.
We project that the department will collect revenue of R16,286 million in
this financial year with gambling and liquor taxes being the major
contributors.
In 2000 the Law Review Commission Report revealed that the Northern Cape Unfair
Business Practices Act was in conflict with certain constitutional requirements
and amendments needed to be effected. Significant progress has been made in
this regard with the first draft of the Amendment Bill already completed and
currently with the legal experts for final review. We hope to table this Bill
for your scrutiny and approval during this year and the establishment of the
Consumer Court will also be a key focus during this year.
To do all this, continue the crusade for fair business practice and to
ensure that the necessary conditions exist for to allow for the National Credit
Act to be effective, we have budgeted R2,766 million.
Fishing and mariculture
During this financial year we will complete the required infrastructure for
the Mariculture Park in Port Nolloth and the investors, who have shown
unwavering commitment to this government initiative, will then be able to
establish their various business enterprises.
Thus far we, together with the national government, have committed more than
R12 million to the establishment of the Mariculture Park and the linked
enterprises. Through a partnership with the Department of Science and
Technology we saw the establishment of an abalone experimental farming project
in Hondeklipbaai. This initiative forms part of TransHex's post-mining social
responsibility plan and will be extended during this year with the support of
the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. FAMDA, together with the
University of Stellenbosch, will implement the extension that will lead to the
establishment of a commercial abalone farm in Hondeklipbaai, and create more
than 100 direct jobs when it is in full production.
This year we will also increase our efforts to improve the fishing related
infrastructure in the province such as harbours, jetties, slip facilities and
processing facilities in order to make it possible for all the Northern Cape
fishing quota holders to land their fish in the Province. This will allow for
the beneficiation of the fish to take place locally and thereby much needed
jobs will be created.
Mining and manufacturing
This will be known as the year in which Kimberley got its diamond sparkle
back, where a rich diamond history and heritage were united with the future
prosperity of the province and all its citizens. A giant leap, to establish
Kimberley as the Diamond Hub of South Africa and the Southern African
Development Community, was when the Minister for Minerals and Energy, Mrs
Buyelwa Sonjica, announced during her Budget Speech to the National Assembly
two weeks ago that the State Diamond Trader will be launched in Johannesburg
and move to Kimberley.
An estimated 90% of South Africa's diamond production already passes through
Kimberley and by having the State Diamond Trader, as promulgated by the Diamond
Act, in Kimberley; these diamonds will stay longer and generate opportunities
for the people of this province by means of trade and beneficiation. The
allocation of the State Diamond Trader is strongly supported by the bold step
by De Beers who has moved their South African sights back to Kimberley in March
2007 after an absence of nearly 15 years.
Our role is to create the necessary synergies from these two critical
interventions in the history and the future of the city and the diamond trade
in general as the international exposure, the number of jobs envisaged and the
magnitude of these projects will require improved infrastructure in terms of
transport, telecommunications, education and energy and leave in the process, a
lasting legacy and will require an alignment between the three spheres of
government.
Our activities for this year will therefore focus primarily on the
relocation plans of the State Diamond Trader and ensuring that we attend to the
critical supporting structures.
The leakages from our economy remain another critical challenge and a
memorandum of understanding, signed with the North West University in terms of
which a feasibility study will be conducted to determine the market value and
technical ability of our province to manufacture goods that are sourced from
outside the province in the mining and agriculture sectors, is one way of
addressing this matter. We hope to make an announcement in this regard
soon.
Local Economic Development (LED)
We will continue to provide guidance, support and capacity to district
municipalities with regards to their Growth and Development Strategies and will
this year support two LED initiatives per district. Understanding the
importance of this programme, we budgeted R8,8 million for this sub-programme
in support of the Five-year Local Government Strategic Agenda that identified
Local Economic Development as a Key Performance Area.
Although we strive to allocate the expenditure in the provincial budget as
effectively and efficiently as possible, it must be noted that government alone
cannot effectively stimulate economic growth. To this end it is important to
re-emphasise the spirit and letter of the PGDS that government, civil society,
private sector and labour collective determine plans for growth and development
as well as work together to ensure the realisation of its objectives. As
government we are committed to ensuring that the NCPGDS remains a living
document and that continued stakeholder consultation is the hallmark.
The Social Accounting Matrix, an econometric model that is used in guiding
and evaluating economic policy such as household income distribution, growth
sectors as well as studying and understanding the macro economic impact of high
impact and anchor projects in the province, will be used amongst other things
to identify growth opportunities in the manufacturing sector and concurrent sub
sectors to accelerate economic growth.
Using the Social Accounting Matrix, our province will restructure its
economic base through the identification of other economic sectors that have
strong linkages and multipliers. This will ultimately lead to accelerate
economic growth and spread benefits of growth spatially to all participants in
the economy.
We have established an Economic Steering Committee that has the potential to
mobilise resources spatially as well as expedite growth in all the regions of
the province particularly by ensuring the integration of National Spatial
Development Perspective (NSDP), Provincial Growth and Development Strategy
(PGDS), Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and thus result in improve and
better living conditions for our people.
In conclusion I would like to thank civil society, the private sector, the
Economic Cluster as well as the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic
Affairs, under the chairmanship of Ms Sylvia Lucas, for the assistance,
guidance and oversight during the last year. Your help enabled us to do all
this and much more and we trust that your support and commitment will also be
there in the next financial year.
I would also like to extend my sincerest gratitude to the HoD (Head of
Department) and all the officials who are at the service of the people in our
quest to provide and sustain an enabling environment for business to operate
and prosper. It is because of your sacrifice and hard work that we earned the
Professional Management Review's Golden Arrow Award for the department that has
done the most overall during the past 12 months for prosperity and growth. I
would also like to thank the staff in the Ministry for their patience and
dedication, as I will continue to rely on their support.
Speaker, with all systems in place, the necessary adjustments in the way we
operate, the obstacles removed, with our goals clearly attainable and in sight,
our people satisfied and energised, we can confidently announce that we are on
the verge of a new epoch.
It is an interesting time in which all the plans made in the last financial
year will come to fruition. It is an exciting period that will ensure that we
prosper through the creation of jobs and opportunities, the reduction of
poverty, hunger and crime, the acceleration of service delivery and the better
life we deserve.
We offered you a drum that adequately symbolises this verge, so please join me
in drumming in this new era where children can be sure of a better future,
where the young will never be robbed of a chance to reach their full potential,
where the dignity of the old and weak can be restored, where the women are free
from the restrictions and economic chains, where men can be better fathers and
brothers because of the available opportunities and where we all can proclaim:
"Today is better than yesterday, tomorrow is better than today, tomorrow will
bring more joy than today."
This new epoch presents a season of hope, an era of prosperity and a time of
renewed confidence in our collective abilities, achievements and
possibilities.
Issued by: Department of Economic Affairs and Tourism, Northern Cape
Provincial Government
19 June 2007
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.northern-cape.gov.za)
