Programme Director
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Members of the Executive Council
Executive Mayors and Mayors
Council Speakers and Chief whips
Municipal Managers
Government Officials
Ladies and gentlemen.
The 53rd African National Congress Conference held on its centenary year in Mangaung last year, took feasible resolutions that are set to change the face of our country for the better. At the core of the resolutions made at the centenary conference was the adoption of the National Development Plan (NDP)-Vision 2030 as a driver to achieve the goals of the Second Phase of Transition.
Conference agreed unanimously and with enthusiasm that in the NDP we have a blue print to create a South Africa that we all aspire to live in, a South Africa that is free of poverty, unemployment and inequalities. It further emphasised the need for government to work together with all sectors of society to ensure the successful implementation of the NDP.
Ladies and gentlemen I mention these resolutions and their relation to the NDP because local government is very central to the implementation and ultimate success of the NDP, which will translate into a better quality of life for all our people.
The NDP is unambiguous about the need to strengthen the ability of local government to fulfil its developmental role. It says: “Municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) need to be used more strategically to focus attention on critical priorities in the NDP that relate to the mandate of local government such as spatial planning, infrastructure and basic services.”
When the NDP is implemented with the support and cooperation of all South Africans I do not have any doubt in my mind that we will attain our objectives of ensuring a decent standard of living characterised by the intensified delivery of quality services to our people that include among others:
- Housing, water, electricity and sanitation
- Safe and reliable public transport
- Quality education and skills development
- Safety and security
- Quality health care
- Social protection
- Employment
- Recreation and leisure
- Clean environment
- Adequate nutrition.
Honourable Minister, the NDP calls on all of us therefore to move with utmost urgency to turnaround the local sphere of government into a fully functional system free of all the ills it is associated with.
Many of the ills that bedevil local government are not our own doing; we inherited them from the apartheid government and include spatial development challenges in our province. Since the first local government elections in 1996, we have made tremendous progress to address these challenges and the results are clearly showing in the improved provision of services in many of our communities in the past 18 years. These services include building of human settlements, health care facilities, and provision of clean water, sanitation and electricity to our communities.
The Statistics released by Stats SA last year confirm the achievements we have recorded and we should not be apologetic about celebrating them, because when we came into government there was little or nothing to work on. As we enter the Second Phase of Transition, we must continue our work of addressing these challenges as they have a potential of impacting negatively on the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) outcomes we want to achieve.
We must also as a matter of extreme urgency collectively do all we can to arrest the new manmade challenges that are creeping in, in our governance system which are undermining government’s efforts of providing quality services to the people.
These challenges are not only in local government but are found in other spheres of government and include among others:
- instability caused by political tensions
- misappropriation of money and related spending challenges
- lack of capacity in critical institutional areas
- lack of professionalism
- corruption.
Unfortunately these challenges cannot be blamed on apartheid but on selfish, greedy and corrupt individuals who see government as a ticket for accumulating instant wealth. Law Enforcement Agencies and the Justice system should take centre stage to bring those involved in this practice to book. Time for talking and urging people to stop doing corruption is over now; we must act decisively and make examples about wrong doers.
We commend the progressive and successful initiative taken by the leadership of the ANC in the province to bring about positive change and stability in many of our municipalities, in support of numerous programmes undertaken by the provincial government to address such challenges. Indeed the ANC lives and the ANC leads.
It is therefore against this background that I want to welcome the Honourable Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cde Richard Baloyi to the Eastern Cape province, the leadership of Provincial administration from both the spheres of government and all the invited delegates to this important session. We believe out of this dialogue we will get critical insights and fruits we all need as we seek to strengthen our governance system.
I wish you successful deliberations.
I thank you.
