Madam Speaker
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Legislature
Director General and Senior Managers
Ladies and Gentlemen
Madam Speaker I am delighted to present the first budget vote for the second phase of the transition taking place at the time when South Africans are celebrating 20 years of democracy. Indeed we are celebrating the remarkable gains we made in a relatively short space of time. In our celebration we cannot forget the brave and noble steps taken by heroes like our former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. With July being his birthday month, we pay homage to this giant that fearlessly, fiercely and selflessly fought for South Africans to live in a democratic and open society.
It is only befitting that we continue to honour him posthumously by continuing with his legacy of helping people in need and fighting injustice. In the coming days, we will go to various towns and rural areas to launch projects for the upliftment of the needy people. Our programmes will exceed the 67 minutes to enable us to leave indelible and profound memories of tangible change in their lives. In line with President Jacob Zuma’s pronouncement during the State of the Nation Address, we will embark on a massive clean-up campaign in our towns, schools and other areas.
Today’s budget speech marks the beginning of a period for radical economic and social transformation. Whilst impressive achievements recorded in the last 20 years are notable, we acknowledge the associated challenges, and we are determined to become more innovative in addressing them. On numerous occasions we displayed tangible proof of how the ruling party has changed the lives of millions of South Africans, but some choose to overlook these facts. The results of the latest published General Household Survey conducted by Stats SA last year, confirm that indeed, South Africa and the Free State in particular is a better place to live in today.
Madam Speaker, allow me to present highlights of the achievements made in the past years through the direction and coordination of the Department of the Premier. We have in fulfilling the national priority of education, increased access to Early Childhood learning, built more schools, increased no-fee schools, improved matric pass rate, awarded more bursaries to learners, employed temporary teachers into permanent posts. On the second national priority of health, we have improved access to primary health care, expanded the Anti-Retroviral Programme, reduced mother-to-child HIV transmission, reduced infant and maternal mortality rate.
The houses we built for the less disadvantaged in our community have earned us great admiration from objective observers across the country. From 2009 we built houses of not less than 50 square metres. Today more people have access to piped water and access to electricity compared to the years prior to 1994. These accomplishments and many more, bear testimony that we lead Free State Province towards service excellence. In the coming five years, the Department will vigorously utilise its Constitutional mandate to ensure that delivery departments focus on opportunities for improving the lives of the people.
The radical approach we are adopting moving forward, requires the mobilisation of all sectors of the society to accelerate economic growth, create jobs and reduce inequality. The implementation of the 102 days programme is bringing to an end the spell of the rhetoric posture. Now is the time to do things differently. The team we have appointed to lead government is conscious of the action-oriented vision assumed by the current government and they are already moving with incredible speed to ensure service delivery. As Nelson Mandela said, “We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference”. They understand the importance of rallying communities and other sectors of society behind the objective of a better life for all.
Guided by the Free State Growth and Development Strategy premised on the National Development Plan, the participation of society in addressing the socio-economic challenges and utilising peoples’ capabilities to raise the living standards cannot be overemphasised. Government will through targeted social re-engineering, over a period of time dismantle the “entitlement” mentality and unleash peoples’ inherent potential to do things for themselves and their fellow residents. For instance, in some areas of Qwaqwa, we are beginning with the construction of houses where beneficiaries will be involved in the actual building of their houses where serviced land is provided.
Honourable members, Vision 2030 is a living, balanced and long-term strategy that we must all embrace to move South Africa forward. Failure to assume a radical and innovative disposition will keep the triple challenge of underdevelopment being unemployment, poverty and inequality, with us for a longer period. Surely that’s not the vision that Mandela had for this beautiful country and we will not dishonour his legacy. The Department of the Premier will ensure that Vision 2030 finds expression in the planned programmes of all provincial government departments and municipalities.
In the current Medium Term Strategic Framework period, 2014-2019, more government resources will “unapologetically focus” on radical transformation agenda for the attainment of economic freedom. The achievement of the priorities we have identified, will depend largely on efficient mechanisms and available resources for accelerated service delivery.
In this term our focus will still remain on education, health, fighting crime and corruption, creation of more jobs and rural development, land reform and food security. In addition, we will expand access to housing and basic services, build a democratic developmental state and work with all sectors of society for the promotion of social cohesion and nation building.
Madam Speaker, for the 2014/2015 financial year, the Department of the Premier has been allocated an amount of R270 514 000 (two hundred and seventy million, five hundred and fourteen thousand Rand) to carry out its transversal functions in administration, institutional development, policy and governance. The budget I am presenting today for my department and the budget votes by MEC’s, will move us closer to realising the ideal of an equal society wherein there is economic freedom. This budget will bolster the Department’s capacity to strategically plan, coordinate, and monitor the implementation of the priorities identified for MTSF 2014-2019.
With this Department at the centre of government in the province, it is important to have an ethical, skilled, professional and capable workforce to advance the government agenda. Although this should be the norm across all spheres of government, the strategic role of the Department of Premier requires sharp minds to drive efficiency and effectiveness, in directing the implementation of policy prerogatives that enhance our capacity to deliver quality services.
The amount of R130 620 000 (one hundred and thirty million, six hundred and twenty thousand rand) allocated to Programme 1: Administration for the executive support to the Premier, Provincial Executive Council and the Director-General represents a decrease of 2% for this financial year. A critical function of the promotion of good corporate governance is accounted for under this programme. On a continuous basis, various systems and procedures are reviewed to comply with the framework that allows greater space for transparency and accountability. This is important to ensure that we meet the needs of our stakeholders particularly the communities we serve.
Furthermore, in pursuance of good corporate governance, the Executive Council (Exco) as well as the DG’s Forum for Heads of Departments have standing weekly meetings to monitor progress in relation to the implementation of the Programme of Action. On a regular basis the Departments convene as clusters to ensure cohesiveness in approach within sectors. These meetings include political principals and officials from municipalities in line with the requirements of the Inter-Governmental Relations Framework Act. We will continue with these engagements to ensure that we don’t lag behind in achieving the outlined priorities.
In this term of office, attention will be given to municipalities to reinforce their capacity for accelerated delivery of municipal services as well as removal of hurdles that impede their effectiveness and efficiency. The Provincial Government will also work with the Office of Minister Pravin Gordhan to revitalise local government as stated by President Zuma in the State of the Nation Address.
We will emulate Nelson Mandela- he did not tire in his pursuit to achieve a democratic South Africa. Regardless of how harsh the apartheid system tightened its noose, he persevered. With the limited resources at our disposal, we must use them efficiently to give all the Free State citizens reason to remain hopeful that their turn to tell a good story is not just a pipe dream.
The DG’s office is now responsible for overseeing the Intervention Unit which handles both the Presidential and Premier’s Hotlines. As a result of this structural review, we are happy to report an improvement in our reporting mechanisms, quality of reports and response times. This illustrates that we are still in alignment with Outcome 12: An efficient, effective and development oriented public service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship.
The Internal Audit unit works tirelessly to ensure that the financial systems comply with relevant legislation. Most notably, the Department of the Premier has received Unqualified Audit Report for 2010/11 Financial Year, and furthermore has received Clean Audit Reports for the two previous financial years of 2011/12 and 2012/13. This is a record we intend to maintain, we will not sit on our laurels and become complacent. The turn-around strategy for audit queries is also showing marked improvement. We continue to address challenges with regard to performance information audit reports.
In the State of the Province Address (SoPA) we announced new initiatives in the Skills Development area. One of them is the introduction of a new category of bursaries aimed specifically at post-graduate students. This programme will start this year and we plan to fund 250 post graduate bursary holders by 2019. The public servants will receive training continually to enable them to meet the demands of improved service delivery. The Free State Training and Development Institute and the School of Government will work hand in hand to identify relevant capacity-building courses for government officials.
In the previous financial years, the Training and Development Institute organised 4158 courses for government officials. In August FSTDI working together with Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA), will introduce a full qualification at NQF Levels 4 and 5 in Public Administration. This is a pilot study that will take 25 officials with Grade 12 per district. As we stated during the delivery of SoPA, we want to develop conscientious public servants. We are also putting necessary measures in place to improve the implementation of the Performance Development Management System.
For the empowerment of the youth, we have succeeded in re-skilling unemployed youth to become library assistants in Mafube Local Municipality and trained 90 learners in Information Technology. In partnership with the Universal Services and Access Agency of South Africa (USSAASA), we have established IT hubs in Cornelia and Kestel. We intend to place 800 further education and training (FET) students in the public and private sectors for 18 months of experiential training. All government departments will take graduates for an internship programme of 12 months. On 11 July 2014, we are launching the Free State Human Resource and Development Council.
Madam Speaker, a call to bar public servants from doing business with government was not just rhetoric; in Free State we turned that into action. Through our Fraud Prevention and Detection Plan, we assumed a stern position to eliminate fraud and corruption. Today we can proudly inform you that we have deregistered 692 businesses belonging to government officials from the provincial supplier database. No public servant will ever be allowed to do business with government; we have scrapped that double-dipping practice.
Madam Speaker, Programme 2 (Institutional Development) is the engine of the Department of the Premier. With a budget of R95 698 000 (nighty five million, six hundred and nighty eight thousand rand) allocated to this programme, business units such as Strategic Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal Services and Communications will strengthen their capacity to reposition the Free State Provincial Government.
As we are celebrating 20 years of democracy in South Africa, we are taking stock of what has been achieved and what more needs to be done moving forward. The communication and media team has been publicising government’s achievements from 1994 to date. The Communication Strategy for 20 Years of Freedom will be implemented in phases until the end of this financial year. We are cognisant of the need to strengthen the unit to effectively market and brand the Provincial Government.
The Legal Services has been resourceful in providing legal counsel to the Executive Council and employees in general. The leaflets and information notes they distribute to the staff have been useful in many ways. The unit has been providing Exco with updates on court cases including labour court matters. The unit also handles requests and enquiries relating to Promotion of Access to Information Act.
Programme 3 (Policy and Governance) has been allocated R44 196 000 (forty four million, one hundred and ninety six thousand rand) for services such as development planning and research; government programme coordination, infrastructure coordination, monitoring and evaluation, special programmes and intergovernmental relations. In the previous financial year there were no significant changes to legislation and other mandates.
The development of the Free State Growth and Development Strategy has been completed. This strategy is aligned to the National Development Plan which outlines the developmental vision for South Africa. The team is currently working on the implementation plan to ensure that all provincial and municipal plans are aligned to Free State Vision 2030. The implementation plan will clearly outline objectives and target dates. The Department of the Premier will provide guidance to ensure alignment and proper coordination of activities.
The Planning Commission as well as the Monitoring and Evaluation units will be capacitated through the review of our Department’s structure and recruitment of appropriately qualified and experienced professionals in this financial year.
In heeding the President’s call to support municipalities, we must urgently address the human resources in both managerial and technical levels in local government. In partnership with, and guided by the President’s Coordinating Council, we have to turn things around.
The Planning Commission will focus on the coordination and implementation of major strategic infrastructure projects throughout the province. These strategic projects will provide new infrastructure, accelerate rehabilitation and upgrading of existing infrastructure, as well as play a crucial role in facilitating regional integration for African Co-operation and Economic Development.
Out of the 18 National Strategic Infrastructure Projects, 12 provincial Strategic Infrastructure Projects have been identified to enhance economic development and address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. These include the Durban-Free State-Gauteng logistic and industrial corridor; Green Energy; Electricity transmission and distribution; Integrated Municipal Infrastructure projects; Integrated Urban Space and Public Transport programme; Agri-logistic and Rural Infrastructure; Revitalisation of Public Hospitals and other Health facilities; National School Building programme; Higher Education Infrastructure; Expanding Access to Information and Communication Technology; water and Sanitation Infrastructure.
The Performance Monitoring and Evaluation unit will continue to play a cardinal role in respect of assessing progress towards the achievement of outcome based priorities in the province. Fourteen outcomes will be implemented during this Medium Term Strategic Framework period (2014/2019). Other major focus areas will include Front Line Service Delivery, Citizens Monitoring and Management Performance Assessment Tool. This unit will evaluate the impact of policy implementation on the ground.
The Unit on Women, Children and People with disability will in this financial year, finalise the disability policy for implementation by government departments, municipalities and our social partners. In November 2012, the Department held a Youth Indaba and this year we intend to take stock of our response to the recommendations of that consultative engagement by hosting a follow up Youth Indaba.
Madam Speaker, during this financial year, we will ensure that no indigent child attends school without uniform in Mangaung and Lejweleputswa. This we will achieve through our partnership with women cooperatives in the province from whom we shall procure. We are planning to also host a Gender Conference this August to address women empowerment and gender equality in the economic space and the public service.
Madam Speaker, the Department of the Premier shall continue to use the Co-operative Governance framework as enshrined in Chapter 3 of the Constitution, to strengthen intergovernmental relations between the province and the national and local government spheres. This shall entail our participation in co-operative governance structures such as the Forum for South African Directors General; the International Co-operation, Trade and Security Cluster; the MINMECS and the President’s Co-ordinating Council (PCC) at the level of both the Technical and the Political PCC to ensure vertical and lateral integration of Government Programmes.
The inter-governmental relations unit shall continue to facilitate the sittings of the Premier’s Coordinating Forums (PCF) and ensure that these forums bring about efficient and effective service delivery to our communities through cooperation amongst all spheres of government.
This year we shall upscale the implementation of international agreements to accelerate radical economic change for our people. We shall step up our existing co-operation with Partners in Asia, Europe and other parts of both the developed and the developing world. We shall maximise our co-operation with specific countries such as Cuba, the People’s Republic of China, India, Turkey and Belgium. We shall establish new co-operation relations with countries such as Russia, South Korea, Malaysia, France and others.
In line with the African Agenda, we must strengthen our co-operation with our neighbouring country, the Kingdom of Lesotho and other African countries for mutual development promote trade, tourism into the province, and bring about much needed investment that will help create jobs for the unemployed, especially women, youth and the disabled. This will in itself contribute to the efforts we are making as the provincial government to deal with poverty, inequality and unemployment.
Madam Speaker may I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the men and women in Government, both the executive and the administration, for their loyalty and dedication to the service of our people. Notwithstanding the immense spatial, social and economic challenges of our time, these gallant forces of change have indeed brought us to the good story of the last 20 years of our Government.
Re ya Leboha, Dankie, Siya Bulela.
