B Marshoff: State of the Province Address

16 February 2007

Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislature
Honourable Members of the Legislature
Honoured leaders of our political parties Mangaung
The leadership of South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
All Executive Mayors and Mayors
Our honoured traditional leaders
Representatives of the private sector
Representatives of the boards, state owned enterprises and public
entities
All our social partners
Distinguished guests, friends and comrades
The people of the Free State

Mr Speaker,

On this occasion of the fourth session of the democratic legislature and the
celebration of the of our government's midterm in office we can proudly state
that despite challenges and limitations we live in a non-racial, non-sexist,
free and democratic country.

This bold assertion I am making today, Mr Speaker, is neither government
propaganda nor figment of my imagination. The people of the province themselves
confirm this in several independent surveys that were conducted recently.

The Sunday Times of 27 January 2007, states among others that the Free State
is the second most optimistic province and that the middle class has risen by
36%. The study concludes by summing up the views of the people of the State as,
"Everything is improving for the better." Another survey cites Bloemfontein -
the City of Roses - as being inhabited by the most cheerful folk and is the
best place to live in.

Furthermore, Mr Speaker, the feedback we received from the report of the
African Peer Review Mechanism confirms that our people are happy with how we
deal with issues of democracy and political governance, how we manage the
economy and how we handle socio-economic programmes.

This occasion comes a time when our government closes its year long
celebration of the 50th anniversary of Women's march to Pretoria in 1956. Some
veterans from that march are here today and I would like to take this
opportunity to salute these path breakers and visionaries.

Mr Speaker, while this was no doubt an occasion of historic significance, it
is important that we should take this opportunity to acknowledge those who came
before us. It was here, in the streets of Bloemfontein that the women of this
province first flexed their muscle against an oppressive system. I am referring
Mr Speaker, to the under-appreciated march of the women's march in 1913,
protesting against the introduction of the permit system which was aimed not
only at locking black women in the Waaihoek location but also depriving them of
possible participation in economic activity.

The significance of that march goes beyond the symbolic and the heroic
actions of those women who according to Sol Plaatje 'marched into the centre of
white Bloemfontein.' These women built connections across racial divisions,
including the Satyagraha movement of Mahatma Gandhi.

It is a special privilege, Mr Speaker to welcome amongst us, the Consul
General of India to South Africa, Mr Shringla. Sir, your presence today is a
strong affirmation of the continued solidarity between our peoples. It is
solidarity whose first foundations were laid by yours and our ancestors, under
the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and all those who were involved in the
Satyagraha movement and the national liberation struggle. It is a bond that
strongly forged by the common commitment to freedom for humanity. The people of
India came here to the South African shores as Indentured Labour a system not
unlike that of slavery. Many of those who finally settled in South Africa were
subjected to the diabolic system of apartheid, just like their Coloured and
African counterparts. It is true; apartheid had its own grading order but it is
important that we should always remember the indignities we all suffered. But,
above all Mr. Speaker, we must recommit ourselves to the humanistic vision of
our forebears who led us in building unity across the racial divide.

Last night, we had an opportunity to view a documentary and a photo
exhibition on the life and times of Mahatma Gandhi. Again, we were reminded
that both the Bhambatha rebellion and Satyagraha, whose centenary anniversaries
we celebrated last year, demonstrate that a people united in their quest for
freedom, peace and development can never be defeated.

We also welcome all of our guests from our communities across the length and
breadth of province who are living monuments and testimonials of a
dispensation, who are here to confirm that the vision of a better life for all
is indeed realistic and possible.

The People's Contract to create work and fight poverty is getting
stronger

Honourable Speaker,

When the people of the Free State voted us into power in 2004, they
simultaneously gave us an unambiguous mandate to fight poverty and create a
better life for all. This central task is articulated better by President Thabo
Mbeki in his State of the Nation speech of 9 February when he reminded us about
the contract that the African National Congress (ANC) led government made with
the people of South African after the elections in 2004. Mandated by the people
of the province we called on our people in 2004 to join in the people's
contract to a better Free State. We echoed this call in 2005, as we observed
the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, by rallying all our people to join
the popular mobilisation to advance its vision and to build a province that
truly belongs to all.

Last year we asserted in this house that our people have entered the 'Age of
Hope.' They believe that their sacrifices and expectations will not be
betrayed. We said so then and continue to state this without any fear of
contradiction because we know that despite the numerous challenges, including
poverty, unemployment, infrastructural development, crime to mention but a few,
the Free State government has steadily put in place building blocks towards the
realisation of the full meaning of freedom, in socio-economic, political,
cultural and many other contexts.

Honourable Speaker,

In 2004 our government outlined our priority areas. These are:

* to grow the economy
* to enhance constitutional rights and governance
* to extend access to services
* to tackle crime and corruption
* to provide a comprehensive social security programme
* to broaden sustainable livelihoods.

In the province we took this as a guide and developed the Free State Growth
and Development Strategy. This strategy, which we have just reviewed and
aligned with our line functions and departments, remains our broad policy
framework and tool, which incorporates and aligns with the Integrated
Development Plans (IDPs) of municipalities to ensure an integrated and
co-ordinated approach. The Free State Growth and Development Strategy
facilitates the implementation of a people's contract and provides strategic
vision for government as well as all stakeholders.

Growing an economy to benefit all

Mr. Speaker,

The province is on an upward trend that indicates economic growth and
improved quality of life. This has been made possible through robust investment
promotion and business development programmes.

The honourable members of this house will be pleased to note that as we move
forward, we are encouraged by an analysis of the Free State household survey
which the Statistician General recently shared with us based on the urban
Function Index and Spatial Development Perspective. In terms of this survey,
the unemployment rate has decreased from 35% to 28%. Our economy has grown from
O,1% in 2001 to 4% in 2006.

Our economic activity is informed by the commitment to create jobs and
fighting poverty. In order to accelerate economic growth and development we
hosted a number of local economic growth and development workshops throughout
the province to guide the initiative of Regional Industrial Development
Strategies.

We have approved the establishment of two Bio-fuel plants in Bothaville and
Hoopstad. An investment of about R640 million has been committed to Bothaville
plant. A further rollout of this Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for
South Africa (AsgiSA) initiative will be given further impetus by the approval
of strategy guidelines by the national Cabinet.

A consultative workshop on the draft Bio-fuel strategy will be held in
Bloemfontein in March to receive inputs on the draft strategy. I invite all
stakeholders to make their voices heard.

In addition, phase one of the Harrismith logistics hub has been completed
and R800 000 has been committed for the initiation of phase two of project. A
project manager will be appointed in April 2007.

Honourable Speaker,

Allow me to explain briefly what this project will entail. Amongst others,
it will:

* incorporate the development of an intermodal rail network
* improve Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capabilities
* develop an air platform for freight focused airport
* develop cross-deck warehouse operations and truck support facilities
* develop Industrial Development Zone (IDZ)
* provide additional residential and urban area
* facilitate movement of freight from the surrounding areas.

The overall programme value is estimated at R4,6 billion and plans are
advanced in concluding the foreign investment agreement for the rollout of this
project.

To address the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment and marginalisation,
the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) has been our mainstay. A total of
177 EPWP projects were implemented resulting in 3 081 job opportunities of
which 68% was youth, 70% women and 0,8% are people with disability. A total of
400 learnerships in the social infrastructure sectors were created. The EPWP
model of labour based production will inform all our programmes, especially
infrastructure delivery.

In partnership with the Mangaung Local Municipality, the provincial
government will accelerate the development of infrastructure for 2010. These
will focus on expansion work of the Free State stadium, Bloemfontein Airport
and the intermodal transport facility. We will also ensure that the 2010
benefits opportunities extend to all the people of the Free State. I am pleased
to announce that next month we will host the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying
soccer matches between Bafana Bafana and Chad. Bloemfontein will also host the
2007 South Africa Games.

The National Taxi Recapitalisation was officially launched in the province
in October 2006. To date 6 536 permits were converted out of a total of 9 836.
Clearly the successful completion of this programme will restore dignity both
to out communities and the industry itself. Public transport is the lifeline of
our economy and will continue to receive full government support.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members,

The development and expansion of Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs)
constitutes one of our key pillars of our Growth and Development Strategy. It
is for this reason that the Free State Development Corporation (FDC) was
repositioned to focus exclusively on SMME development. We take this opportunity
to thank ABSA for the R50 million it has contributed to the joint fund with the
FDC.

Our focus in 2007 and beyond will be on the creation and expansion of
markets particularly in the rest of the continent for all our small businesses.
Presently, we have already approved three projects. This we do to ensure
qualitative growth of SMMEs into big business.

In order to further strengthen the role of SMMEs in our economy, we have
decided to implement a much more robust support programme. Henceforth, we would
like to move towards ring fencing at least 70% of all government procurement
for SMMEs and especially for women and youth owned business. We will also give
attention to the skewed picture of registered contractors in terms of the
Construction Industry Development Board grading.

We are going to fast track the upward movement of emerging contractors
through the Contractor Development Programme which will among others, link
small contractors with well established ones for mentoring purposes as well as
an incubation process where consciously, government will identify and empower
small contractors who have benefited from this training.

In the past year, the province undertook some international visits aimed at
increasing the net value of Foreign Direct Investment. Several delegations to
amongst others, Germany, USA, Belgium, Dubai and China were undertaken.

Owing to these missions a number of agreements have been signed which will
amongst others ensure:

* investment in the logistic hub
* capacity building programmes of our Public Administrators
* learning opportunities for our youth in the fields of engineering and
ICT
* investment in the arts as well as to encourage cultural exchange and
empowerment programme
* SMME support and development.

Already, the partnership with the Flemish government has yielded results. A
total investment of R30 million was made to support the establishment of
business support centres in three districts. While local support has not been
as forthcoming as anticipated, we are happy to indicate that these centres will
be fully operational in 2007.

Mr Speaker,

In our efforts to deracialise the economy, especially in certain sectors
such as assets and property development, we will finalise and implement a
provincial Asset Disposal Strategy for non-core state assets. This strategy
will be guided by amongst others, the Property Charter as well as Black
Economic Empowerment (BEE) compliance principles.

The challenge of economic development is also the challenge for the private
sector. We have created an enabling environment for business activity in the
province. Our expectation therefore is for business to:

* make the most of the central location of the province
* invest in the major economic opportunities identified in the Free State
Growth and Development Strategy in the areas of large scale mining
* invest in the creation of scarce skills such as artisans, ICT, town and urban
planning, management in health and education as well as in the context of the
Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA)
* expand the Free State net export output
* partner with the government on the identification of foreign direct
investment.

We take this opportunity to acknowledge programmatic support that we
continue to receive from the financial sector, notably, the First National
Bank, ABSA and Standard Bank who are our partners in skills development, SMME
support and social service investments. We also appreciate the contribution of
the mining sector, the Business Chambers and the South African Breweries, to
name but a few. We call on the rest of the business sector who have not yet
come forward to bring forth practical proposals regarding job creation,
economic development, poverty eradication and skills development.

The establishment of the Free State Investment Promotion Agency will ensure
that we co-ordinate our trade and investment activities in a manner that
reinforces Public/Private Partnerships.

Infrastructural development through ASGISA

Mr Speaker,

Throughout this address, I have touched on the issue of infrastructure
development. We know that, any form of infrastructural development, be it
roads, water supply systems, waste management systems and all others, are
linked to the economy and social and human development. It is important, to
view these aspects of our programme as interlinked and in synergy.

As the provincial government, we are working hard at avoiding an approach
that is based on silos because this is not only counter-productive but also
costly. I therefore want to highlight a few projects that we are undertaking
within the AsgiSA programme.

Our implementation of AsgiSA is aimed at intensifying our work with state
owned enterprises to meet the demands of water, electricity and
telecommunications. Through our infrastructure implementation plan we will give
attention to our roads and rail infrastructure as well as social
infrastructure.

The upgrading of major roads including those going through Parys, Memel,
Reitz-Petrus Steyn, Trompsburg-Jagersfontein as well as the Welkom-Bloemfontein
will all be completed in this year. All roads that are linked to our Tourism
Promotion programme will be upgraded by the end of the current Medium Term
Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period.

The finalisation of the Provincial Tourism Development Strategy places us in
a much better position to get the highest benefits of our rich tourism,
cultural, sporting and heritage endowment. The Mangaung African Cultural
Festival (MACUFE) now hosted in partnership with the Tourism Authority and the
Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS) will be improved into a true
global arts and cultural pilgrimage.

We wish to inform this house that in 2007, we will be scaling up our
economic activities to a higher plane. We will place at the centre of such a
programme, the need to create jobs through a mass targeted approach and the
implementation of a poverty eradication strategy. Our main economic flagship
projects, which will commence this year, are:

* the development of the N8 corridor
* the rehabilitation and revival of the rail network from ThabaNchu to
Bloemfontein
* the establishment of cement manufacturing plants in Henneman and surrounding
areas
* the construction of an International Convention Centre which will be linked
to other 2010 initiatives such as the revamping of the Bloemfontein airport,
MACUFE, and the intermodal transport facility
* infrastructure delivery emphasising the EPWP production model.

Our provincial economy will further be boosted by the establishment of the
De Beers owned Voorspoed diamond mine next to Kroonstad as well as the revival
of both the Koffiefontein and Jagersfontein mines. Mining remains one of the
key economic drivers of the provincial economy. It is for this reason that in
April we will join heads with all the role-players to determine the new mining
direction for the province. These mines will contribute critical capital in the
provincial economy and will ease the burden of unemployment

Our improved capacity to spend, which now stand at 75% makes us confident
that indeed we will be able to complete all of our identified infrastructure
projects valued at R1,6 billion in the new financial year.

Honourable Speaker and members of the house, 2006 has truly been a turning
point in the delivery of our mandate. We hosted various activities including
the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) visit, the launch of the Progressive Women's
Movement (PWM) and the national launch of the Taxi Recapitalisation Programme
amongst others.

We will work even harder to accelerate our war against poverty and
unemployment. Key among our focus will be to:

* intensify our hands on 5-year support to the municipalities that are aimed
at improving service delivery and economic development
* sustain and improve upon the current trend of economic growth and reduction
of unemployment until we reach the 6% target growth rate
* improve on the provincial co-ordination of the skills development initiatives
especially JIPSA
* consolidate our resources for the effective implementation of our AsgiSA
initiatives
* roll out a mass targeted programme through infrastructure delivery and
extended public works programme
* finalise and roll out a safety and security plan, an infrastructure plan and
a tourism development plan in the context of 2010
* intensify a marketing and investment promotion programme, locally and
internationally emphasising the strategic advantages of the Free State.

Addressing capability needs of a developmental state: good governance and
effective administration

The strengthening of our intergovernmental structures is not only a
fulfilment of the legislative imperative, but also a conscious effort of
bringing about greater co-ordination, synergy and integration of government
programmes. The Premier's Co-ordinating Forum, as well as its administrative
wing, continues to provide overall strategic policy and strategic direction
over all matters of government including in municipalities.

This system of co-operative governance has ensured that we give support to
municipalities to discharge their obligations of service delivery. The
Premier's Co-ordinating Forum and the District co-ordinating fora have played a
pivotal role in giving hands on support to municipality and monitoring in
particular, the successful implementation of Project Consolidate.

We pursue the implementation of government's Programme of Action through the
cluster systems as a mechanism of enhancing greater co-ordination and
integration of departments, which pursue the same objectives of the Growth and
Development Strategy. The clusters have proved to be extremely effective and
the process of rolling them out to districts has already commenced.

Training has been an important feature of our capacity building programme
for our public servants. Through the Free State Training and Development
Institute various accredited training courses were conducted for government
officials at all levels. This year, all Heads of Departments and all senior
managers will attend an executive management course designed to improve our
overall implementation capacity.

The conclusion of the Provincial Human Resource Development Strategy, will
further add impetus to effective management of our human resources including
the management of talent and knowledge through an effective retention
strategy.

The launch of the Free State Society for the Enhancement of Governance and
Administration presents an important opportunity for all public servants to
engage in policy and strategic dialogue and thereby expose government to the
best of ideas. Opportunities of training and mentorship as well as
international exchange programmes make the Free State Society for Public
Administration and Governance (FRESPAG) an important vehicle at the disposal of
all our public servants for self and collective development.

We take this opportunity to pay tribute to our African American associate,
Professor Phil Rutledge who worked tirelessly to facilitate the launch of
FRESPAG and facilitated the relationship we have with the American Society for
Pubic Administration and the National Academy of Public Administration. Sadly,
Professor Phil Rutledge passed away on 27 January 2007. May his soul rest in
peace.

We acknowledge the significant interventions that were made by the national
government through Project Consolidate. Through this project the capacity for
municipalities to enhance local economic development, to improve the provision
of basic services to communities and to improve the financial management was
increased significantly. This will ensure that a culture of good governance is
entrenched in all municipalities.

In addition, the Provincial Steering Committee of Project Consolidate that
was established in partnership with SALGA, the Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry, State owned enterprises and institutions of higher learning, to
monitor progress and identify areas of critical need ensured that we were able
to achieve:

* sound foundation for municipal administrative leadership through
leadership and management training programmes
* accelerated infrastructure service delivery and better management of treasury
responsibilities through the deployment of technical and financial experts the
(Siyenzamanje initiative) and the provincial government and national billing
initiatives to 10 municipalities
* effective planning for service delivery and exploitation of economic
opportunities prevalent in localities through technical support such as
developing Spatial Development Frameworks and robust engagements in relation to
district economic opportunities.

We still need to do more in forging strategic and programmatic partnership
for growing local economies and to mobilise all social partners to join forces
with us as we consolidate on our hands-on support to municipalities.

The Community Development Workers, our special cadres of service delivery
have been effectively integrated into the local government system to add to our
capacity of effective delivery and community mobilisation. A total of 265
Community Development Workers are currently active in various municipalities
and have been effective to co-ordinate important government programmes such as
the African Peer Review Mechanism.

They have also been instrumental in working with our ward councillors to
establish ward committees. A total of 300 ward committees have been
established, trained and are operating in line with the national guidelines
that were developed by the Department of Local Government. Ward committees have
propelled communication and public participation to greater and better
heights.

Our overall view is that the successful hosting of the 3rd democratic local
government elections on 1 March 2005, and the seamless transition of a new
breed of leadership which took over the reigns, has consolidated the popular
participatory nature of our government. We are more confident now, that our
leaders in local government make time to listen when our people speak, and that
there is more reason now more than ever, to build municipalities into real
organs of people's government.

There is still a challenge though, of ensuring that all municipalities
budget for and ensure the establishment of Multipurpose Community Centres
(MPCCs), now formally known as Thusong Service Centres. Our vision is that by
2014, all municipalities must be having functional MPCCs to enhance access to
information and services.

Linked to this, is the challenge of making full use of the benefits of
information technology as an enabler to improve our service delivery turnaround
time in municipalities. The provincial government and in fact all sectors must
invest in ICT literacy as part and parcel of our efforts to bridge the digital
divide.

In pursuance of this objective we have established a Provincial ICT forum to
oversee the implementation of a comprehensive ICT strategy for the province. As
part of an intervention plan to deal with the needs of municipalities, a total
number of 134 NQ4 and 100 NQ5 level ICT learnerships were completed. These
learners will be deployed across municipalities to gain experiential training
whilst they also render an essential service.

Mr Speaker and Members of the house,

The institution of traditional leadership continues to strongly represent
our traditional values. We relate with the Free State House of Traditional
Leaders informed by a deep sense of respect for culture, tradition and the
values of Ubuntu. It is with great honour to report that this relationship is
not only symbolic, but has assumed programmatic proportions whereby the
traditional leaders continually play a meaningful role in the day-to-day
functions of governance. The provincial government has been able to attend to
the financial and infrastructural challenges of this institution in a mutually
beneficial manner

Mr Speaker and members of the house,

Our education system is another area upon which much focus and investment
has been made. The transformation process of our school system is well
underway, although with many challenges. The relationship between school
management systems, governance, community participation, provision of resources
and qualitative improvement is a clear indication of the great deal of work
being done in the education field. We have been able to stabilise our matric
results and we are the first to acknowledge that there is ample room for
improvement.

Since 2004 to date, we have invested in excess of R160 million in the
awarding of bursaries to deserving learners. We are also thankful of the role
played by businesses in the awarding of bursaries. We call on the rest of the
business fraternity to do more and to particularly prioritise the financing of
critical skills.

Through our Further Education and Training (FET) programmes we will
contribute towards the production of critical skills particularly artisans and
engineers. We will also facilitate exit opportunities which will ensure that
once our learners graduate from these centres; they are assisted to buy
necessary equipment which enhances their smooth transition in the economic
world.

In the same breath, we need to acknowledge the R96 million investment in
skills development by the Department of Labour. In terms of this initiative, a
total number of 1 865 learners will be trained in tourism, EPWP, construction,
manufacturing and ICT. We call on our institutions for higher education to
respond to the province's specific needs that are identified through JIPSA.

A comprehensive social security system, access to services and sustainable
livelihoods, are fundamental prerequisites of social and human development

Our government has a responsibility to use the fiscal redistributive
mechanism at our disposal, to provide a safety net for the poor.

Therefore a comprehensive social security is a natural ingredient of our
social and human development policy. Accordingly, we have a responsibility to
provide essential interventions such as social grants, free basic services,
free and compulsory education for school going children, free healthcare, basic
accommodation and subsidised public transport.

It is the commitment of our government to ensure that our people are given a
gateway out of poverty through the social security system. As such, social
security cannot be an end in and of itself; we need to do more to ensure that
our people are not trapped in poverty for the rest of their lives.

To this end, some countries of the South, such as Brazil and Tunisia amongst
others provide useful reference points, to ensure that we look at development
and social security models of middle income countries such as ours. Whilst,
many countries, including Northern countries may offer useful examples, it is
those countries who face similar challenges as us, both in terms of the scale
of poverty, size of the economy, cultural diversity and other social indicators
that may prove to be most relevant.

This provincial government will be looking closely at these comparative
models and see which may best assist us in addressing our challenges. In the
end, we may have to fashion our own system, but we aim to do so, with the
benefit of all information that is available to us.

As we undertook this mission, we remain guided by the Millennium Development
Goals and our 2014 vision, which prioritise the eradication of poverty and
unemployment. As we improve the safety net of our impoverished communities, we
have prioritised the plight of the most vulnerable in society especially
children. It is for this reason that in this financial year, which is
approaching its end, we have:

* provided R72 million for the hot-meal programme that benefited a total of
413 456 learners, the majority of which are in farm schools
* provided 36 978 children with foster care grants
* reached a 90,95% immunisation coverage for children under one year
* trained 981 Early Childhood Development Practitioners in NQ level 1-4
* ensured that 9 804 learners benefit out of the learners' transport
programme
* Ensured that a total of 1423 learners benefit out of the hostel
project.
* in partnership with the private sector, provided free school uniforms to all
orphaned and vulnerable children; we call on the private sector to continue
supporting this initiative

This year, the provincial government will adopt a comprehensive Poverty
Eradication Strategy that will ensure a targeted approach to families and
communities living in poverty.

In the area of healthcare, government has pursued a comprehensive healthcare
strategy aimed at undermining the spread of communicable diseases notably HIV
and AIDS as well as tuberculosis (TB). A conditional grant of R142 million was
allocated to the comprehensive plan on care, management and treatment of HIV
and AIDS. Of this amount, R85 million was allocated to the rollout of
antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. The number of patients currently on ARVs is 7
553(814 children and 6 739 adults).

Home-based care services are available throughout the province. The National
Youth Service programme on community home based care that will be rolled out in
20 Free State towns will ensure that more people benefit from this service.

This comprehensive health and social development strategy is supported
through the provision of healthcare infrastructure such as clinics, hospitals
and equipment.

We take this opportunity to congratulate and appreciate the voluntary
services rendered by many of our volunteers in the health sector. We wish to
say that you must keep up the good work; your selflessness makes our country a
very unique place embedded with a rich culture of volunteerism. To you we say
Keep up the good work!!

We reiterate our call that healthcare is a joint responsibility between
government and the people.

In meeting the increased challenge of housing and human settlements, we
prioritised the rectification of defect housing, which had already been
allocated to owners. Through this project 143 houses in Xhariep and 345 in
Lejweleputswa were completed. The project will be rolled out to the remaining
three districts which were not as affected as the two.

Nine thousand five hundred housing subsidies were allocated to all the five
districts and a great deal of attention has been given to quality assurance and
the eradication of buffer zones. As a tribute to the Youth and Women during the
national youth and women days respectively, the Provincial Government approved
an allocation of 1 500 houses for youth owned companies and an additional 1 500
houses for women owned companies over a three-year period. Embedded within this
project is a strong emphasis on training and skills transfer

Mr. Speaker,

We are proud to announce before this esteemed house, that as we speak, every
household receives 50kwh of free basic electricity in all municipalities.

All municipalities, are providing free water to all formal households and
registered indigents within their jurisdiction.

The Free State carried the most burden of the buckets system in the whole
country. We have, however, been able to reduce the buckets from 166 000 in 2004
to 94 000 in 2006 and we are confident we will remove the last bucket in the
Free State by the end of 2007.

Phumelela stands out as a true indicator of our resolve to rid our people of
these dehumanising squalid conditions. Not only have we stabilised the
governance of this municipality, but we are on course to make sure that we
eliminate the last bucket in the area!

In our address to this honourable house during its official opening last
year, we pledged to give attention to social infrastructure backlog. As a
result a total of R174 million was spent on education infrastructure projects.
Clinics which were lagging behind their completion schedule will now be
completed in this financial year. Five (5) new revitalisation projects which
include the National hospital and the Psychiatric hospital, will commence
during the 2008/9 year. R615 million has been set aside for this project.

More people now have access to services, which translates into an overall
qualitative improvement in the quality of life. We will do all of these things
and many others because we are informed by the values of a caring society.
Through our words and deeds, we must infuse a sense of Ubuntu and compassion
among our people. We need at all times to emphasise that society, community and
family are critical elements of personal development, security and fulfilment
and that therefore our individual fortunes are intimately connected to the
fortunes of the whole.

In our quest to build a society based on a value system of human solidarity
and social activism, we seek to dissuade against corruption and immoral
behaviour. It is for this reason that we always call on our social partners to
join hands with us as we undertake a moral regeneration campaign.

Honourable Speaker,

We use the occasion of the official opening of this distinguished house to
call on parents, teachers, community and church leaders and all organised
formations of the Free State, to support our initiatives of inculcating a sense
of pride, respect for self and others and patriotism. Sports and recreation,
reading and social activism will define the key features of our campaign this
year.

As government, our success depends on our ability to encourage, harness and
to incorporate into our endeavours, the energy of youth and to create an
environment where their true potential and talents will flourish.

Our focus regarding youth development in 2007 is going to be on the roll out
of the National Youth Service. We envisage enrolling a total number of 5 000
young people in programmes and projects based on the National Youth Service at
the level of government departments and municipalities.

These young people will render essential services such as government
building renovations, housing and road construction, road maintenance,
community home based care, on a voluntary basis whilst at the same time they
gain valuable experience and a sense of volunteerism and national pride.

The departments of Agriculture, Public works, Roads and Transport and Social
Development have already finalised business plans on the National Youth Service
programme. The National Youth Service Unit, which will be operational this
year, will further co-ordinate the enrolment of the rest of the departments and
municipalities.

The Free State Youth Commission continues to operate in an environment
conducive for the execution of its lobby and advocacy mandate. Following the
Provincial Conference on Youth development held last year, all government
departments and municipalities are in the process of implementing
recommendations, which address the institutional capacity of the youth
development machinery in government as well as the integrated youth development
strategy.

Later in April, the Youth Commission will convene a Private Sector
conference on Youth Development. I urge all business organisations of the Free
State to support this initiative, which will align and co-ordinate Private
sector investment in youth development. We further call on all institutions of
the state, the Private sector and state parastatals to support the unemployed
graduate database, which can be visited for skills development and job
opportunities.

Honourable Speaker,

When this government came into power in 1994, it committed itself to
ensuring that gender equality and women's emancipation are not only stated
principles but actually guide all our operations and are fully implemented in a
meaningful manner. In our view, we have to go beyond women's empowerment gauged
on the basis of numbers only; the time has come to measure the extent to which
participation and empowerment have been given real life in our corridors of
power as government, in the projects we implant and the policies we develop.
The greatest achievement was the attainment of 50% representation of women as
councillors. We would like to see that such participation leads to effective
change in the lives of men and women. Most importantly, we continue to ask
ourselves whether we are doing enough to create an effective and enabling
environment for women's growth and leadership to be recognised.

The private sector, despite many strides it has taken in the arena of
effective gender equality and women's participation still lags behind. We
continue to work hard to ensure that such successes are also expressed at all
positions of leadership and responsibility in the public and private
sector.

We want to believe that the launch of the Progressive Women's Movement that
took place last August in our province creates the necessary organisational
capacity to sustain a programme for the emancipation of women. We will work
with the national as well as the provincial structures of the PWM to roll out
educational and empowerment programmes especially for women in rural areas and
we will improve on the programmes which profile the achievement of women such
as the Free State Female Farmer of the Year, the women in business initiatives
and the women in dialogue programmes.

Looking back from 2004, we are justifiably proud of our work to make the
Free State a great place of choice to work and live in. We have made
significant progress in mobilising our communities to take full control of
their own development. We have narrowed the communications gap between
government, particularly local government, and the people. We have improved
public participation and social activism and we can confidently declare that
the sense of social cohesion, solidarity and optimism about the future and
confidence in the ability of government to deliver has been sustained among the
people of our province.

They know that their government is always willing to listen and ready to
admit on its own weaknesses in order to improve. They are witnesses to the
material change in their lives represented thorough increased access to water,
electricity, shelter, basic healthcare, education and other amenities which
makes real, the promise of a better life for all. In more ways than one we have
been given a vote of confidence as we travelled the length and breadth of our
province through our outreach programmes such as the Exco Meets the People
Campaign and the Izimbizos.

A safe and secure environment is a fundamental right

Building a South Africa that is a safe and secure home for all its people
remains a key challenge of our times. We take this opportunity to acknowledge
openly that crime is one of our greatest concerns. We know that from such an
acknowledgement change will not automatically follow. To deal with this endemic
problem, we need a sober, rational, passionate, honest and humane approach that
will help us understand both the causes and the manifestation of crime in our
society.

There is no denying that ours is a society founded on violence which has
continued to use violence as a means of control and coercion. The statistics in
contact crime in intimate spaces, such as the home, the vicitimisation of
vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly confirm this fact. Where
does this culture of violence come from? Denialism, all forms of denialism,
including denying the impact of the past on the present; the wide social
inequality and the sophisticated levels of organised crime in our society can
only work against all our interest as South Africans and human beings.

Based on a systematic analysis of the different forms of crime, we recognise
that only a holistic and comprehensive approach can help us stem the tide of
violence. It has to begin with a spirit of common humanity which must be
instilled upon all our people. Obviously, Mr Speaker, we have to recognise that
there must be short, medium and long term programme so that we can have both
quick wins and long term results. It is this systematic approach which will
prove to be productive in the long run. To this effect we have begun addressing
crime by involving all stakeholders.

During the last year, government embarked on an aggressive community
mobilisation programme in order to give effect to the partnership against
crime. Among others things, we:

* convened a consultative conference on Community Policing Forums (CPFs) to
build our capacity, to profile the work of CPFs in the province and to improve
networking among CPFs, municipalities and the South Africa Police Service
* held a rural safety conference to develop programmes of improving the safety
of our rural communities, to develop partnership between organised agriculture,
communities, the South African Police Service and the municipalities and to
strengthen the Provincial Rural Safety Committee
* finalised and implemented a provincial Tourism Safety Campaign
* focused on priority crimes such as rape, assaults and robberies.

Honourable members of the house, we are happy to report that our integrated
crime prevention strategy has yielded positive results. Over the last year, we
have witnessed a significant decrease of about 8% in all incidents of contact
crime, which includes murder, rape assault and common robbery.

This was made possible by the commitment of our women and men in blue, the
participation of our communities in the Community Policing Forums and an
increase in the number of our police reservists. We take this opportunity to
commend in particular our South African Police Service and to say on behalf of
the people of the Free State, your commitment is inspirational and that indeed
slowly but surely the space for criminals is getting narrower by the day. Keep
up the good work.

In our recent meeting with the Free State Agricultural Union, we discussed
ways of speedily implementing the resolution of the Provincial Rural Safety
Summit. We agreed to establish a task team comprising of the Free State
Agricultural Union, National African Farmers' Union (NAFU), the South African
Police Service and representatives of the community to among other things:

* compile a database of all farmsteads and link them to the nearest police
station
* intensify communication between government and organised agriculture
* effectively integrate farm workers into the rural safety campaigns.

Our relationship with organised agriculture has improved significantly over
the last two and a half years. We value their input not only to matters
affecting them, but also on all programmes pursued to develop our province and
her people.

Normally when we speak about the situation of farmers, we often neglect to
speak about the plight of farm workers. During the course of this year, we are
going to intensify dialogue on this matter and unite the whole of society
behind a comprehensive understanding of agriculture in the Free State.

Our challenge moving forward is to build a broad front for the creation of
safe and secure communities. This programme will need the support of everybody
both in terms of advocacy and partnerships. The recent launch of Business
Against Crime further strengthens the partnership required to undermine all
forms of crime, including white-collar crime.

I would like to extend my gratitude to all the Members of the Executive
Council, the Premier's Economic Advisory Council and to all our social partners
for the role that you have played in ensuring sustainable development in our
province. As we move towards 2009 and beyond, we will be strengthening our
mobilisation work to impress upon all structures of civil society, private
sector and the religious formations to work with us as we consolidate a broad
front to eradicate poverty.

Honourable Speaker and distinguished members of this house, surely even
those who make a profession out of criticising us, will finally agree with us
that a lot has been accomplished to create a better life for all.

As Nelson Mandela said:

"To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way
that enhances the freedom of others."

Conclusion

Throughout this address, I have outlined in detail our interpretation of our
mandate and how we have gone about addressing it. I have outlined detailed
development, as well as political and social programmes that we have
undertaken. As we look back and evaluate our progress, despite the challenges,
including crime, corruption, capacity, poverty and unemployment - we can be
proud that we have begun to roll back the frontiers of poverty and to build a
better life for all.

Acknowledging that is not to gloss over the many challenges that we face. It
is simply to state that today, I stand here in this house tall because I know
that when we cast our eyes over our shoulders, we can see the progress we have
made. This spurs us to push even harder. Taking cue from that great African
martyr, Amilcar Cabral, it is my quest 'to tell no lies and claim no easy
victories.'

We know that it is no easy task before us. To build a society from the ashes
that is the fire of so complex and ugly a history is no small task. But we
believe we can do it together as South Africans because we shall not let the
past imprison us nor shall we let the present overwhelm us. Ours is to continue
with the work of liberating ourselves and our people and in the fullest meaning
of liberation. We invite people to dialogue with us, to work together with
their government in facing the challenges of today so that we can move
forward.

Such progress, even our presence here today would not be possible without
the men and women who have gone before us and paved the way for us. I salute
the spirit of Mrs Adelaide Tambo and those women of her generation. These women
from whose loins we sprung continue to be our inspiration to us and urge us to
rise above our challenges and work towards, their dream, our present and the
future of our children. Our journey, Mr Speaker, is a long one, but at least it
has begun.

As the Guyanese poet, Grace Nichols wrote in her poem Epilogue:

"I crossed an ocean
I have a lost a tongue
From the root
Of the old one
A new one has sprung."

Mr Speaker, Members of the House and our honoured guests, I invite you to
join us in the next phase of our journey. To you my colleagues in the Executive
Council and those who work tirelessly for our people, I repeat the words of
President Mbeki 'let us roll up our sleeves, there is work to be done.'

Thank you.

Beatrice Marshoff
February 2007

Issued by: Free State Provincial Government
16 February 2007