The Gauteng executive council held its ordinary meeting on Wednesday, 17 March 2010, at the Emoyeni Conference Centre in Johannesburg. The meeting was chaired by Premier Nomvula Mokonyane and attended by all members of the executive council.
“The executive council noted with satisfaction progress on Gauteng’s preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. All three match venues and supporting infrastructure have been completed and are ready for kick-off.
“The upgrading of our transport infrastructure, especially our freeways and other road networks, is proceeding well. We are confident that in the next few months, traffic on our roads will flow more freely without the congestion and inconvenience that we are currently encountering. We have been given a guarantee by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) that key parts of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project will be completed by end of April 2010.
“The R21 highway will be fully completed by the end of April with three lanes in both directions open. The N1 connection to Soweto will also be completed on time to ease movement to and from Soccer City. Key parts of the Ben Schoeman highway will be ready while others will be completed later. We are confident that people will be able to move more freely and conveniently on Gauteng’s highways during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
“With less than three months remaining before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, government will pay greater attention to issues that are normally regarded as soft issues, but which are very critical for the success of the sporting event. These include, among others, disaster management, emergency services, health services, food supplies, hospitality, entertainment, traffic management and public safety.
“The Gauteng 2010 Gateway campaign, which aims to mobilise the people of the province to play an active role in the world cup and to promote and market Gauteng, is in full swing, with a number of high profile events planned for the coming weeks. The highlight of the events is the 2010 Gateway Summit scheduled for 8 April 2010, which is aimed at demonstrating Gauteng’s readiness and showcase all the province has to offer in areas of business, tourism, hospitality, competitive sport, arts and culture, entertainment and services.
“The executive council received a report on the state of finances of the province and it shows further improvement in the management of finances by departments. However, some of the departments, including Health and Social Development, Roads and Transport, Education and Infrastructure Development, are still experiencing challenges. The Department of Finance will continue to work closely with the affected departments to help them manage their cash flow pressures.
“The executive council noted preparations for the celebrations of the Human Rights Day and the commemoration of the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 2010. The people of Gauteng in their multitudes will gather at the George Thabe stadium in Sharpeville and will be joined by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and other political leaders to mark this historic event.
“As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sharpeville, we have to take stock of what we have done to restore the rights and dignity of our people. More importantly, we will look at the progress we have made in Sharpeville itself as the township reminds us of the supreme sacrifices that our people made to bring about the freedom and human rights which we now enjoy. The commemoration of this historic event will continue throughout the year.
“In the past week, we have met with concerned residents of Sharpeville, who had raised a number of concerns and grievances relating to poor service delivery, allegations of corruption and development in the area. We agreed with the group on a process which will see all issues fully addressed. We have already taken immediate steps to address some of the issues relating to service delivery and creating opportunities for the people of Sharpeville to participate in government led projects. With regard to allegations of corruption made against some of the councillors, we have requested the community to provide evidence, which will enable us to take appropriate action.
“The executive council has noted public protests in a number of areas, including the recent strike by some taxi operators opposed to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Unfortunately some of these protests were violent and resulted in intimidation and disruption of services. I wish to reiterate what we have said previously that while we respect people’s right to engage in protest action, government will not tolerate any violence, disruption of services and unlawful action by any group of protesters. The law enforcement agencies, with our full support, will act to protect the public and take strong action against anyone breaking the law.
“The executive council has also noted that great progress was made on the reconfiguration of the Gauteng provincial government. An agreement providing for structured and formal consultation with labour on the completion of the reconfiguration process was reached with trade unions that sit in the provincial Coordinating Bargaining Chamber; we have agreed that the reconfiguration process will not result in any job losses.
“The process of appointing heads of departments is well underway and we expect to have filled all vacant posts by the end of this financial year. Dr Kamy Chetty has been appointed as head of the Department of Health and Social Development with effect from 1 April 2010."
For more information contact:
Thabo Masebe
Cell: 082 410 8087
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
17 March 2010
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za/)
