7 December 2006
Cabinet held its final meeting of the year in Pretoria yesterday, 6 December
2006.
Cabinet was briefed on plans for a campaign to address challenges of safety
during the holiday period. Increased risky behaviour during this time regularly
causes unnecessary fatalities and injuries from road accidents, violent crime,
substance abuse, suicide and drowning. The aim of this campaign is to promote
more responsible and caring behaviour during this period and throughout the
year.
As part of the campaign, 7 500 traffic officers will be deployed throughout
the country to enforce traffic laws and to ensure that our roads are safe.
Government wishes to convey its gratitude to these officers for their
sacrifices and hopes that they will enjoy public support in reducing the
carnage on our roads. We are pleased to announce that Cabinet Ministers will be
visiting roadblocks to lend their support to the law enforcement officers who
will be sacrificing their holidays and family time to ensure our safety. We all
have the responsibility to reduce the carnage on our roads and we call on South
Africans to obey the laws and to drive safely.
In previous years the festive season has been marred by increased family and
personal violence, taking a particular toll on women and children. The public
can help make this festive season safer for everyone by taking to heart the
message of the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and
Children.
The meeting received a briefing on developments in the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC), where President Mbeki attended the inauguration of the first
democratically elected President in over forty years. The successful election
and acceptance of its outcome by all parties is a development of great
significance for the consolidation of democracy in Africa. It is a powerful
demonstration of the possibility of peaceful resolution of apparently
intractable conflicts. These elections will open the way to reconstruction and
development on a scale that will impact across the continent.
The meeting noted media reports which alleged that there was conflict of
interest when Cabinet discussed the Gautrain project because certain members of
Cabinet had financial interests in one of the consortia that was awarded the
concession. Cabinet would like to make it categorically clear that its
discussions and decision were of general scope and only pertained to the
principle of the funding request from the Gauteng Government. At no stage did
Cabinet discuss either the bid or any of the bidders. The adjudication of the
tenders was dealt with by the Gauteng provincial government and Cabinet could
not have influenced that decision in any way whatsoever.
We are concerned that all attempts by Ministers to clarify their positions
in this regard seem to have fallen on deaf ears. We reject these unjustified
and unfounded insinuations in the strongest possible terms. This government is
committed to clean governance and no amount of rumour will deflect us from this
commitment.
Cabinet further reaffirms the right of all citizens, including members of
Government, to participate in the economy, including through acquisition of
shares in private companies as long this is done in an open and transparent
manner. Our legal framework does not prohibit this, but requires government
employees and members of the executive to declare such interests. The
Ministerial Handbook, Parliamentary Code of Ethics and the Public Service
Commission provide for the declaration of interests. These prescripts demand
transparency and Cabinet is committed to ensuring that they are observed by
all.
The meeting noted the unruly behaviour of sections of the crowd which
attempted to disrupt the President's address at the reburial of Moses Mabhida,
and the similar disruption at the commemoration of Satyagraha which was
attended by the Prime Minister of India. Cabinet condemns such behaviour in the
strongest possible terms. This unbecoming behaviour is unacceptable and is an
embarrassment to all clear-thinking South Africans. Although this government
will protect everyone's right to differ with the President or any member of his
government, decency and common sense requires everyone to do so in a respectful
and decent manner.
The purposeful and premeditated disruption of public gatherings shows
contempt for the democratic rights and values for which so many South Africans
and our international supporters made great sacrifices. Such conduct is all the
more offensive when staged in the presence of democratically elected heads of
state and government. No amount of feeling or strong opinion can ever justify
it. We trust that those who instigated and participated in this abhorrent
behaviour will resist the temptation to behave this way in future. We are
convinced that such conduct does not in any way represent the views of the
people of KwaZulu-Natal and that the majority of South Africans will condemn
and discourage such conduct now and in the future.
The meeting reviewed progress in implementing the recommendations of the
Khampepe Commission regarding the location of the Directorate of Special
Operations (DSO), otherwise known as the Scorpions. The tensions between the
South African Police Service (SAPS) and the DSO were noted and the meeting
decided that legal instruments must be put in place to ensure greater
co-ordination between these two agencies. These legal instruments will also
outline the roles and responsibilities of the Ministers of Safety and Security
and the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development regarding the
political oversight over the DSO. Amendments to the legislation in this regard
will be tabled before Cabinet in the new year in order to institutionalise the
Khampepe Commission recommendations.
The meeting approved the strategy for the Comprehensive Government
Assistance and Support for Attracting Substantial Early Investments to South
African Business Process Outsourcing and Off Shoring (BPO and O). The incentive
scheme was formulated in partnership with the private sector and will be funded
from the fiscus. This plan is part of the Accelerated and Shared Growth
Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and will create up to 100 000 jobs over
the next five years. It includes marketing, easy entry into SA for the
expansion of existing BPO operations, skills development, simplifying
administrative procedures and other investment incentives.
Cabinet approved the draft Biofuels Industrial Strategy for the Republic.
The country has the potential to produce biofuels which could contribute up to
75% of our renewable energy by 2013 without negatively impacting on food
security or requiring excessive support. This will be achieved by using excess
crop production and expanding production on under-utilised arable land,
particularly that of emerging farmers. The biofuels industry has the potential
to create 55 000 agricultural jobs and will contribute to reducing greenhouse
gases and promote a cleaner environment. The required capital investment will
be approximately R6 billion which will come from both public and private
sectors. A task team has been set up to do further work on the strategy and to
consult with the relevant stakeholders. The matter will be brought back to
Cabinet in May 2007 for finalisation.
The meeting noted the outcome of the National Youth Policy Review Convention
which was held in June this year. As part of its commitment to youth
development, Government approved a recommendation that all departments and
public institutions should intensify their efforts to integrate youth
development into their programmes. A proposal to set up a Youth Development
Forum, chaired by the Deputy President, was also approved.
Cabinet was briefed on a research report on the profiles of beneficiaries of
social grants in the country. This research will help government to identify
delivery gaps, provide concrete data for purposes of policy analysis and enable
us to tailor services to meet the needs of communities.
The meeting noted a proposal for linking social grants to poverty
alleviation initiatives and other economic activities. The beneficiaries of
social grants, most of whom are able-bodied individuals, would be given
incentives linked to exit strategies to reduce reliance on social grants for
their livelihoods. These will include skills development, and participation in
labour intensive programmes such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
The proposed model was referred to the social cluster for further consideration
and development.
Cabinet noted the unauthorised publication of the contents of the draft
African Peer Review Mechanism (ARPM) report in a number of newspapers.
Government is still finalising its response to the draft report prior to its
tabling before the African Union Heads of State. There will be no Government
comment on the draft report until it is tabled and discussed by the Heads of
States.
The following 8 Bills were approved:
* Draft Gambling Amendment Bill
* Housing Amendment Bill (for public comment)
* Rental Housing Amendment bill (for public comment)
* Prevention of Illegal Eviction from and Unlawful Occupation of Land Amendment
Bill (for public comment)
* Housing Consumers Protection Measures Amendment Bill
* Waste Management Bill
* Human Sciences Research Council Amendment Bill
* Integrated Coastal Management Bill (for public comment)
With regard to the Integrated Coastal Management Bill, Cabinet expressed its
concerns about the unmitigated sale of costal land which has the effect of
limiting public access to South Africa's coastline. The Minister of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism will announce further details on what steps
government could take to arrest this trend.
The following appointments were approved:
* The employment contract of Mr Lesetja Kganyago, the Director-General of
National Treasury was extended for a further three years
* Board of Directors of the Road Traffic Management Corporation to be chaired
by Dr DJ Sampson
* Board of Directors of the Independent Ports Regulator Chaired by Ms G
Serobe
* The Board of Directors of The Sports and Recreation Distributing Agency of
the national Lotteries Board chaired by Mr GN Sam
* Members of the council of the African Institute of South Africa (AISA)
* Two additional members of the Board of SENTECH (Ltd)
* The employment contract of the Chief Financial Officer of the South African
Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was renewed
* Dr L Makuleni as the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Weather
Services (SAWS) on a five year contract
* Two Deputy Directors-Generals in the South African Social Security Agency
(SASSA)
The 'silly' season is upon us and with it comes the publication of the
so-called 'score-cards' by the opposition parties. Government has a Programme
of Action to improve the life of our people. This programme is based on the
mandate this government received from the electorate. Therefore, we will
disregard all these opposition play-cards because our performance must and will
be judged against our implementation of Programme of Action and not the wish
lists of opposition parties. The Programme of Action is published on the
Government web site (https://www.gov.za) and
progress reports are updated regularly in line with the two-monthly cluster
reports to Cabinet so that the public can assess government's performance based
on factual information. It was last updated in early November and updates on
those activities whose timeframes fall in December will be shortly updated.
Cabinet meeting approved the Codes of Good Practice on Broad-Based Black
Economic Empowerment (BBBEE). Mr Lionel October will now present a statement on
the codes.
Enquiries: Themba Maseko
Cell: 083 645 0810
Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)
7 December 2006
