Honourable Deputy Speaker
Members of the Executive Council
Leaders of Political Parties
Honourable Members
People of our Province
Allow me to use this opportunity to say Happy Birthday Honourable Bonginkosi Dlamini.
Let me take this opportunity to thank you for giving me the opportunity to introduce the Budget Vote 1, which is largely about concluding the term of the fourth administration and laying the basis for a smooth transition to the fifth administration.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, I want to assure this august House that we have been working diligently over the last two months to ensure a seamlessly smooth transition from the fourth to the fifth administration. Smooth transitions are very important in order to enable the provincial government to make radical shift required by the new mandate, whilst at the same time ensuring there is no disruption of service delivery to the people of our great province.
I would like to thank members of the Oversight Committee on the Office of the Premier and the Legislature for their principled cooperation and robust probity. There is no doubt that working together we shall move the Gauteng City-Region forward. There is no doubt that we are accountable to you. And we must be held accountable.
Honourable Members, last week we witnessed the most horrendous acts of brutality carried out by heartless criminals wherein a 4-year old boy, Taegrin Morris, was ruthlessly dragged to death after his mother was hijacked in Reiger Park. Although the family is distraught by the grief, the outpouring of support from ordinary South Africans, the national and provincial governments has helped them to cope with their tragic loss of the last born.
I have called on the security agencies in the province to act swiftly in arresting the perpetrators of this horrendous and heartless crime against women and children. Tomorrow, we shall lay to rest our dear Taegrin Morris to support the family and the community of Reiger Park. Honourable Members, when we also heard the news about another horrendous crime of hijacking wherein a young boy Mongezi Phike was abducted, we visited the family and community of Ekangala.
Our province was in the state of panic because we did know what happened to him. We are now informed that the young boy has been found and returned to his family. In this regard, I would like to thank the police and all those involved for working hard in helping to return Mongezi safely to his family on Monday.
What remains a major problem for us is that these criminals are at large and are terrorising our communities. Some among us hide them and this means as communities we must work with the police to ensure that we uproot criminals out of our communities and ensure that we create crime free communities. I have been in direct contact with President Zuma who has thrown the weight of his office to deal with crime.
In the next five years, the Provincial Government will develop a new Community Policing Model aimed at improving relations between the community and the police, and will involve development of policing priorities and policing needs with the community themselves. Community Police Forums will be refocused towards oversight of stations and becoming a proper link between stations and communities. We shall also strengthen civilian oversight.
I will be meeting the MEC of Community of Safety, Provincial Commissioner of Police, the senior management and law enforcement agencies to strengthen the fight against crime and build a safe and secure province. MEC Nkosi Malobane will give more details.
Honourable Members:
The ANC as the governing party remains committed to the upholding of the rule of law and this includes the promotion and protection of the constitution and institutions and bodies of our democracy. When I spoke on both occasions, firstly when I presented my acceptance speech in this House and secondly during the delivery of the state of the province address, I extended a hand to all political parties represented in this august house to work together in implementing the National Development Plan, which is a collective aspiration of the people of South Africa.
I would like to thank leaders of political parties who have responded positively, over the past two months, while not compromising the fact that they are in opposition. We do not want to make you part of government, you are opposition. This has been evident since the debate on the State of the Province Address.
I must commend all members for being vigilant and in particular on ensuring that we remain focus on what we have presented to this house as commitments, for the next 100 to 200 days, including the next five to fifteen years.
People of Gauteng
I want to join the Deputy Speaker in condemning the incidents that happened on Tuesday, where members of the EFF stormed the Legislature and caused extensive damage to state property. They have looted from the ordinary women and men selling food in the streets of Johannesburg. Yet they claim to represent ordinary working class men and women.
We condemn this in strongest terms. It is unacceptable to come to this tribune of the people and cause violent disruption. The EFF must decide whether it is part of the democratic institutions or not. You cannot be a public representative and undermine the very democratic institutions you are meant to protect and respect. They must decide whether they want to sit in this house or pursue infantile permanent revolution out in the streets.
Everyone must abide by the constitution and the rules of the Legislature. They must raise whatever issues they deem necessary, engage in debates and accept outcomes of democratic process. We look forward to the Legislature taking strong action against this unacceptable conduct. I want to once more appeal to all political parties, to work with us to build Gauteng into an integrated, socially cohesive, economically inclusive and sustainable city region.
Honourable Deputy Speaker
This month has been declared Mandela Month, with July 18th, as the International Nelson Mandela Day in which the world celebrated the life and work of the Founding Father and Founding President of our a democratic South Africa, Tata Madiba. We did this by dedicating at least 67 minutes of our time to volunteer service to our people and communities.
Throughout the month, we have been involved in a series of activities as government, communities, business, trade unions and people from all walks of life to promote the values and principles of social solidarity, co-operation and a people-centred society. There has been a thousand ways of giving effect to these values and principles that defined Tata Madiba. For example:
Many South Africans, companies are adopting schools or clinics to help improve the quality of service to the communities. The Department of Education has been promoting a culture of reading by working with a range of organisations and individuals to distribute or donate more books in school and township libraries. In many poor communities, during this cold winter, we have seen government and community groups distributing food parcels and clothing. And there are many more of such activities, in which all South Africans irrespective of race, class and gender perform a 67 minute activity for a socially useful work. Nelson Mandela Day events of this nature are important for social cohesion and building non-racialism.
The main theme and focus for this year was declared by President Zuma during the State of the Nation as the need to focus on cleaning our communities and connecting with our communities. I was joined by MEC Mamabolo and the District and Local Mayors to work with the community of Bekkersdal to clean the township.
I would like to thank all the people of Bekkersdal who came out in large numbers to their township. This work must be sustained and we call upon you to ensure that we continue to rebuild Khutsong and turn it into a sustainable human settlement.
Honourable Deputy Speaker
During the State of the Province Address I announced a comprehensive plan of the Gauteng Provincial Government, based on the NDP and the ruling party Manifesto commitments. These priorities are articulated in the ten-pillar programme for radical socio-economic transformation. It is a programme centred on the four transformations, four modernisations and two industrialisations (TMR). We must learn and internalise the TMR and allow me to quote them:
- Radical economic transformation
- Decisive spatial transformation
- Accelerated social transformation
- Transformation of the state and governance
- Modernisation of the public service
- Modernisation of the economy
- Modernisation of human settlements and urban development
- Modernisation of public transport infrastructure
- Re-industrialisation of Gauteng province
- Taking the lead in Africa's new industrial revolution.
Since the State of the Provincial Address we have been engaging broad sectors of the population - the faith-based organisations, community groups and organisations, trade unions and the private sector, state-owned enterprises and different communities - about transformation, modernisation and reindustrialisation. In the next three months we will have further consultations to help develop a shared perspective on programme for radical socio-economic transformation. Over the last few days, departments have been outlining plans for the fifth administration aimed at radically transforming, modernising and re-industrialising Gauteng. We are also finalising the new Medium Term Strategic Framework to be ready in August this year.
Honourable Deputy Speaker
The Office of the Premier is the nerve centre and apex of Provincial Government charged with the overall responsibility to ensure successful implementation of our programme of action. This week, I attended a two day strategic planning session with the senior managers of the Office of the Premier and developed our plans for the future.
This engagement will extend to whole senior management of Provincial Government. In this regard,we will convene a Conference for Senior Management in August this year. We shall read the public servants the riot act. We are building team Gauteng must provide leadership to both government and society.
Honourable Deputy Speaker,
The present structure and budget allocations for the Office of the Premier are based on three programmes, namely Administration, Institutional Development and Policy and Governance. These programmes and budget will be reviewed in the line with the new mandate and priorities. The key priorities for the Office of the Premier shall be as follows:
First: strengthening the Executive Council system and Office of the Premier through re-introduction of cabinet cluster system. Three cabinet clusters have been established, namely Governance and Planning Sector, Economic Sector and Social Sector. Each will be chaired by an Executive Member supported by a technical committee. The Office of the Premier will be an engine providing support to these clusters and we will ensure appropriate capacity is available to support the new system.
The aim of clusters is to ensure co-ordinated and integrated focus in carrying out the programme of action and policies of government. We also want clusters to have an activist orientation, in which members of the clusters shall also go to communities when they deal with issues that affect communities.
Second, strengthening planning, co-ordination and integration capacity. We are now working to review the work of the Gauteng Planning Commission to ensure long-term planning is institutionalised and aligned with the priorities and mandate of this fifth administration.
This will include alignment across both provincial and local government spheres of Vision 2030 of the NDP. One critical mechanism for strengthening this work will be the Premier's Coordinating Forum that will focus on joint-planning and joint implementation with our local government counterparts. We will emphasise province-wide game changing interventions within the context of building an integrated, sustainable and inclusive Gauteng City region.
Planning, coordination and integration will be central in our drive for massive infrastructure development. Social and Economic infrastructure lies at the centre of our programme create jobs and meet social needs of our people, to overcome spatial apartheid, to re-industrialise, to green and modernise our economy.
This will require, among other things, that we institutionalise Gauteng Infrastructure Co-ordination Council (GICC) along the lines of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordination Commission (PICC).
This administration has identified spatial transformation as one of the key pillars for the next five years and beyond. The current arrangements and policy initiatives and including the proposed Gauteng Development and Planning Bill will be fastracked.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, planning is an on-going process and as a process it must be a result of a dynamic participatory process involving our people. MEC Mamabolo is leading the review of ward committee and IDP process.
Part of our work is to ensure the review of the research agenda to support our vision for a sustainable and inclusive city region. This requires that we continue to build internal capacity and creating a network of partner institutions, such as Gauteng City Region Observatory and other institutions
Thirdly, strengthening performance monitoring and evaluation. Our plan to strengthen planning is linked to driving a province-wide outcome-based performance management and planning.
This will enable us to intervene where there is sustained under-performance, and respond where there are red lights in the delivery of services and hold those in government accountable.
These interventions will be supported by a citizen or community based monitoring to improve delivery of frontline services in the province. These interventions must ensure that we support, as Government, efforts for communities to be empowered to interact directly with government, in their streets, in wards, in schools, clinics, police stations, DTLCs etc.
These monitoring interventions will support our initiative to conduct unannounced visits and rapid response to community issues and concerns. I support the need for members of the legislature to participate in the visits to check service delivery sites. But we must develop protocols so that there are no disruptions.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, one of the things we will do in this first 100 days of this administration is to establish Service Delivery War Room to drive a coordinated service delivery interventions and improved performance.
Fourthly, advancing and protecting the rights of youth, women and people with disabilities, the elderly and military veterans. We will want continue the work of the Office of the Premier to ensure there is greater coordination and support for the target groups, including support for our military veterans and the senior citizens of our province.
Fifthly, strengthening our communication with the people: We believe there should be a more better communication with broad sectors of our population, not only about our plans and programmes but also how we can work together to implement our programmes. This is at heart of how we relate as Government to the people. This will include that we effectively broaden our use of new communication tools, particularly in the social media and community media. It includes creation or strengthening existing mass-based communication network throughout the province.
Honourable Members, in the state of the province I announced that I will appoint an advisory panel on the socio-economic impact of the e-tolls. I would like to also formally announce the house the following names who have accepted the appointment:
- Prof Muxe Nkondo (Chairperson)
- Dr Patricia Hanekom (Secretariat)
- Adv John Ngcebetsha
- Dr Vuyo Mahlati
- Dr Luci Abrahams
- Prof Fiona Tregenna
- Dr Anna Mokgokong
- Dr John Sampson
- Ms Lauretta Teffo
- Prof Chris Malikane
- Dr Danisa Baloyi
- Dr Bridgette Ssamula
I continue to urge all the people of Gauteng to make submission to the panel, whilst continuing to pay for the e-toll.
Honourable Deputy Speaker, as MEC Maile indicated on Tuesday that we will set up an Advisory Panel on the Economy, which will be tasked in supporting our efforts to radical economic transformation. The panel will be announced before the 31st of August. Gauteng is a biggest economy in South Africa and fourth largest in Africa. We cannot run it without a strong economic advice.
Honourable Deputy Speaker,
We are hard at work and we are everywhere. Our MEC Maile in engaged in wide consultations with township entrepreneurs on how we can together build Township Economy. I call on you to join us to ensure a radically transformed, modernised, re-industrialised Gauteng. We invite all the doubting Thomases to join us in the enterprise of building Gauteng into a transformed, modernised, sustainable and inclusive City Region.
I would like to conclude by quoting Jawaharlal Nehru, former Indian Prime Minister: "We stand on the perilous edge of present, between the past and the future to be, and we face all manner of perils and the greatest peril is sometimes the lack of faith which comes to us--yet, I do believe that perhaps this period will pass soon enough".
Honourable Members, let us not be caught up in the peril of doubt that Gauteng shall move forward.
I thank you!
Equiries:
Nino Zama
Cell: 083473 6725
