Shipokosa Mashatile, Gauteng Legislature
16 February 2008
Honourable speaker
Deputy speaker
Colleagues in the Executive Council
Honourable Members of the Gauteng Legislature
Honourable Members of the National Assembly
Mayors, speakers and councillors
The Director General of Gauteng
Chairperson of the Gauteng Youth Commission
The Provincial Commissioner of police
Leaders of political parties
Leaders of trade unions
Leaders of business and civil society
Leaders of religion and faith based organisations
Our traditional leaders, Kgosi Kekana, Inkosi uMahlangu
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Comrades, family and friends
The people of Gauteng
Especially those who are watching and listening to us on radio, at Mary
Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, in Soweto, Tembisa, Alexandra, Soshanguve and all
over the province, I greet you all, Dumelang, A vusheni, Ndi matsheloni,
Sanibonani, Goeie more and good morning.
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng, I am deeply honoured and
privileged to address the last session of the third term of our democratic
legislature.
I am humbled by the confidence placed by the people of our province in this
government led by the African National Congress.
On the 27 April this year, our country will celebrate 15 years of freedom
and democracy. We will do so with pride, knowing that we have defeated
apartheid tyranny and further restored the dignity of the majority of South
Africans.
In his address to the nation on the 24 May 1994, former President Nelson
Mandela said; âthe time will come when our nation will honour the memory of the
sons, the daughters, the mothers, the fathers, the youth and the children who,
by their thoughts and deeds gave us the right to assert with pride that we are
South Africans, that we are Africans, that we are citizens of the world.â
Today, honourable speaker, we can truly say that South Africa belongs to all
who live in it, black and white.
I would like to honour our forbearers who not only had the vision to adopt
the Freedom Charter in 1955, but also had the courage to champion and execute
the struggle selflessly and with single-minded determination.
As we celebrate 15 years of freedom and democracy, our greatest honour goes
to Chief Albert Luthuli, Helen Joseph, Lillian Ngoyi, Oliver Tambo, Walter
Sisulu, Yusuf Dadoo, JB Marks, Joe Slovo and Nelson Mandela, whose unwavering
and inspiring leadership kept the flame of hope alive, even in our darkest
hour.
We also pay tribute to those who have passed on recently; uBaba uCleopas
Madoda Nsibande, a leader of the workers, a revolutionary to the end and
founding member of the African National Congress Youth League.
Honourable speaker, I would also like to pay tribute to a former member of
Parliament, former Treasurer of the United Democratic Front, Comrade Cas
Saloojee, whom I had the honour to serve with in the Southern Transvaal
region.
Our tributes also go to the late Helen Suzman, who throughout her life
embodied the spirit of a united South Africa.
Honourable speaker, when our leaders adopted the Freedom Charter in Kliptown
in 1955, they asserted thatâthese freedoms we will fight for, side by side,
throughout our lives, until we have won our liberty.â
Today, it is with pride that we can say that we are indeed one nation, a
South African nation, united in diversity.
15 years of significant progress
As President Motlanthe indicated in his state of the nation address last
week, we can say without fear of contradiction, that now more than ever before,
our nation is stable and our people are today better off than they were in
1994.
The journey we have travelled as a nation over the past 15 years has been
both successful and challenging.
Our people walk tall with dignity and pride in the knowledge that our common
vision of a democratic, united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South
Africa is becoming a living reality. Our children sing the national anthem at
schools with pride and enthusiasm, knowing very well that âthe doors of
learning and culture are open to all.â
Our economy has created more jobs and more small entrepreneurs than ever
before. On average, half a million new jobs have been created every year since
2004 in our country. Unemployment has dropped from 31 percent in 2003 to 23
percent in 2007.
We have pushed back the frontiers of poverty and hunger through the massive
expansion of the social grant system and by ensuring expanded participation in
the economic mainstream.
Today, 12,5 million South Africans receive social grants compared to only 3
million in 1996. Today a total of 80 percent of South Africans are connected to
the electricity grid. In 1996 only 58 percent were connected.
An extra 1 600 clinics have been built since 1994 and more than 480 000 South
Africans are on anti-retroviral therapy, as part of our comprehensive response
to HIV and Aids.
Housing delivery has been accelerated, reaching an additional 14 million
people across the country.
New schools, police stations, community centres, roads, taxi ranks and
shopping centres have been built, turning previously neglected ghettoes into
vibrant, sustainable communities.
The rights of women, people with disabilities, young people, children and
the elderly have been actively promoted and protected, and we continue to build
South Africa as a caring nation.
We have a people-centred government and a robust and stable democracy which
guarantees political freedoms; freedom of religion, freedom of expression and
freedom of association. The recent high levels of voter registration points to
the depth of our democracy.
Together we take pride in our national sports teams and achievements in
arts, culture, science and technology.
Honourable speaker, today we can say we are proud of our past and confident
of the future.
Global economic crisis
As we celebrate 15 years of democracy and freedom, we are mindful of the
challenges posed by the recent global economic crisis.
While this crisis is not of our own making, it is undoubtedly impacting on
our economy and on our lives, reducing demand for locally produced goods and
services, resulting in possible closures of companies and job losses.
The global economic meltdown is negatively impacting particularly on the
automotive, retail, manufacturing and mining sectors of the economy.
We will work together with the labour movement and employer organisations to
find creative solutions to respond to this challenge.
As the provincial government, we are strengthening interventions aimed at
promoting international trade and investment, training and reskilling of
workers as well as job creation and retention.
We will also use measures such as social grants, increased public investment
in infrastructure, the Expanded Public Works Programme to mitigate the negative
impact of the crisis and continue to boost employment.
We are confident that, working together we will weather this economic storm.
We say this because we have over the past 15 years built a resilient
economy.
Honourable speaker, we have made great strides as a free nation. The first five
years of our democratic governance from 1994 was a period of laying the
foundations for democracy and establishing democratic state institutions and
policies.
The second five year term from 1999 saw the maturation of the institutions
of democratic governance and the implementation of a wide range of policies and
programmes designed to eradicate poverty, stimulate economic growth and
accelerate service delivery.
We have delivered on our 2004 mandate
Based on our track record of delivery, in 2004, the people of Gauteng
renewed our mandate. We entered into a contract with our people to create work
and fight poverty. At the centre of this contract was the goal of halving
poverty and unemployment by 2014.
In realising this mandate, as the provincial government we committed
ourselves to:
* stimulating faster economic growth and job creation
* fighting poverty and building safe, secure and sustainable communities
* fostering healthy, skilled and productive people
* deepening democracy and nation building and realising the constitutional
rights of our people
* building an effective and caring government.
In order to deliver on our mandate, we have implemented a range of
strategies. These include:
* the Gauteng growth and development strategy
* the Gauteng social development strategy
* the strategy to build Gauteng as a globally competitive and socially
inclusive city region.
I am pleased to report that my team and I, whom you have entrusted with the
responsibility to complete the 2004 mandate, are on course.
Today I stand before you to report on the work we have done in implementing
the mandate given to us by you, the people of Gauteng. Honourable speaker and
members, we can say with pride that we have built a stable province, a growing
economy which is increasingly inclusive and a public service which has
effectively responded to the needs of our people.
Building an inclusive economy
Our package of interventions to stimulate shared economic growth has begun
to deliver results.
We have focused on investment in strategic economic infrastructure and
targeted measures to broaden ownership and participation in the economy.
We have joined hands with business, labour and other stakeholders to promote
job creating growth in key economic sectors, including in tourism, the
automotive sector, agriculture, agro-processing, biotechnology, competitive
sports and the creative industries.
Gauteng has continued to serve as the economic engine room of the country
and the sub-continent responsible for over 34,8 percent of our countryâs Gross
Domestic Product (GDP). We have sustained positive growth for more than 10
years, reaching a rate of 6 percent in 2006.
Unemployment in Gauteng dropped from a peak of 30,4 percent in September
2001 to 19,5 percent in September 2007. This was achieved despite the continued
high-levels of in-migration to the province.
However, too many of our people, especially young people, remain jobless.
Together we need to do more to retain and create decent work.
Our interventions to support small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs)
have expanded the participation of our people in the economy. We have since
2006 assisted more than 14 000 SMMEs, providing over R64 million in financial
assistance, with a focus on enterprises owned by women, youth and people living
with disabilities.
We have supported a number of cooperatives in the province. By the end of
this year we will support 100 cooperatives across the province as a mechanism
to involve more people in economic activity.
Through our broad-based black economic empowerment strategy, we have
effectively used our financial muscle to help change ownership patterns in the
economy.
In the 2007/8 financial year, over 53 percent of the provincial governmentâs
procurement spends of R6 billion was allocated to previously disadvantaged
individuals, a significant increase since 2004.
Working in partnership with the private sector, we will continue to focus on
increasing support for SMMEâs, cooperatives and entrepreneurs to further
broaden participation in the economy. Honourable speaker, ifikile IGautrain. We
are proud that this project has boosted investment and economic growth,
creating both direct and indirect jobs and developing skills.
In 2001 we estimated that the project will create 90 000 jobs at completion.
I am pleased to announce that to date we have create 53 000 jobs. Today we
created opportunities for Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) and
SMME companies to the tune of R470 million.
Gautrain will also become a backbone of our integrated public transport
network across the province.
An efficient transport network is critical to effective economic growth and
we have made significant progress and major investments in this regard.
These include the implementation of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Scheme,
the Gauteng Better Roads plan and our programme of tarring township roads.
These interventions, whilst a temporary inconvenience, are creating massive
work opportunities for our people and will improve mobility within our
province.
Together with the City of Johannesburg, we will ensure that the Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) system is successful and that it is linked to our efforts to
build an integrated public transport system, which is efficient, reliable and
safe.
We are aware of the concerns raised by the taxi industry with regard to the
BRT and remain committed to working with them to find a lasting solution.
The most important goal of this government is to build a growing economy
that is inclusive and creates economic opportunities for all our people.
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng, we are proud of our economic
achievements and we look to the future with confidence.
Education for all!
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng, education remains a priority
for this government.
Today, many of our public schools have adequate facilities, computers and
other necessary amenities to make effective learning and teaching possible.
We have invested in teacher training and continue to support School
Governing Bodies (SGB) to ensure quality learning and teaching in schools.
We have implemented a new curriculum to produce learners who are able to
think more analytically and have the necessary skills to drive economic growth
and social development.
We have ensured universal access to education. Already 60 percent of public
schools in Gauteng are no-fee schools. We will continue to ensure that no child
is excluded because parents are unable to pay school fees.
Uma sisebenzisana ayikho ingane engeke ilithole ithuba lemfundo.
As a result of our collective efforts, we continue to see improvements in
the number of learners that pass their Grade 12 examinations.
Gauteng online has expanded access to vital information and communication
technology skills, especially to learners in our public schools.
By end of March this year 1 600 schools will be completely connected online.
We call on our communities to work with us to secure our childrenâs
investments.
As part of ensuring that no child goes to school hungry, we have extended
the school nutrition programme to over half a million children in primary
schools.
Through the Early Childhood Development programme, we have made progress in
providing a firm foundation for our children. Next month we will officially
launch the Gauteng Early Childhood Development Institute, to further advance
the development of our children.
We have also launched the Gauteng City Region Academy Bursary Fund. Through
the fund we have this year given bursaries to 1 500 learners from disadvantaged
communities, to pursue studies at tertiary institutions and further education
and training colleges.
Dineo Mmekwe, is one of the recipients of our bursaries. She is studying
tourism management at the University of Johannesburg.
On being awarded a bursary she said, âI am truly blessed, at least now my
grandmother can start to take care of her needs and maybe even build a house
for us. Thank you GCR Academy, this will open a lot of opportunities for me and
also give me the opportunity to assist my siblings when I start working.â
Ms Mmekwe, is here with us today. We are confident that she will succeed in
her studies and make a contribution to her community and the province.
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng through this programme we
intend to have thousands of Dineos.
To students that have received bursaries from the academy we urge you to use
this opportunity to work hard and remember that after you have completed your
studies you must do the right thing. Plough back into your communities!
As we together advance towards the objective of eliminating illiteracy by
2014, we are encouraged that the number of learners in the Adult Basic
Education and Training sector in our province has increased to more than 85
000. Imfundo Ayigugelwa!
We are proud of the progress we have made in education. To our teachers,
parents and students let us work together to build an even brighter future for
now and indeed for generations to come.
Building a healthy productive nation!
Honourable speaker, before 1994, our people used to travel long distances to
health facilities and did not have access to quality health care.
Today, many of our people have access to quality health care service within
five kilometres of their homes.
We are however unhappy that our mothers and grandmothers still have to wait
in long queues to access this service.
We are hard at work rolling out the installation of the Health Information
System and smart cards for all the people of Gauteng. This will reduce the
waiting times and long queues at our public health facilities.
In addition to Ga Rankuwa and S J Lawrence, we will open two nursing
colleges, Bona Lesedi and Rahima Moosa. This will allow us to be able to train
over 2 000 nurses a year, helping us to improve the delivery of quality health
care services for our people.
We remain acutely aware of the challenges posed by the HIV and Aids
epidemic. As part of our comprehensive response we are providing
anti-retroviral treatment in all of Gautengâs hospitals.
To ensure that people with HIV and Aids are able to live productive lives,
we continue to provide anti-retroviral treatment.
More than 165 000 people are currently on antiretroviral treatment in our
province, exceeding our target of 140 000 for this financial year.
The achievements we are making in the fight against HIV and Aids are a
result of our partnership with civil society; including faith based
organisations; traditional healers, youth, women and cultural workers.
The prevention of mother to child transmission is now provided universally
in all hospitals, community health centres and clinics that offer antenatal
care.
We have made significant progress in fighting TB. Thus far the TB cure rate
in Gauteng has improved from 58 percent in 2004 to 72.9 percent in 2008. This
is the highest cure rate in the country.
We continue to be concerned about the destructive impact of drug and alcohol
abuse in our communities. To win the fight against this scourge we will
intensify our work with civil society, churches and the police.
Honourable speaker, we are proud of the progress we have made in building a
healthy, productive and skilled nation. We are confident that working together
we can achieve even more.
Nga u shumisana rothe ri nga ita zwovhalaho:
Building sustainable communities!
Before 1994 our people were forced to live in slums, in the periphery of our
cities, with no right to own properties on which they lived for decades. In
many of these settlements there were no basic services, such as clean water,
sanitation and electricity.
Since 1994 we have worked hard to provide decent shelter and basic services
to the majority of our people. Our vision remains that of building sustainable
and vibrant communities on well located land.
We are proud that between 1994 and 2008 we have provided more than 680 000
housing units in Gauteng. Since 2004 we have also issued 69 981 title deeds to
our people.
We have made good progress towards the formalisation and eradication of all
identified informal settlements by 2014. We now service more than 160 000
stands. As a result, more than 710 000 people have access to clean water and
sanitation.
We have made progress in our urban renewal programmes in Alexandra,
Bekkersdal, Kliptown and Evaton. The quality of life of our people in these
townships has improved.
To date, we have spent over R4.3 billion to upgrade infrastructure such as
roads, water and sanitation in 20 of Gautengâs old established townships.
Honourable speaker, beginning this year, our priority township programme
will be extended to Hammanskraal, Mabopane, Winterveld, Garankuwa, Ekangala,
and Khutsong.
This will dramatically improve the socio-economic conditions in these
areas.
Through our programme of Breaking New Ground, we are changing apartheid
spatial planning patterns and building integrated and sustainable communities.
This is already evident in Cosmo City, where black and white, rich and poor
live side by side.
Ga re sebedisana mmogo re tla etsa go le gontsi ntsi. Since 1994, we have
made considerable progress in improving the delivery of basic services such as
water, electricity and sanitation.
To date, 97.9 percent of our people have access to clean piped water.
More and more of our people have access to electricity for lighting and
cooking. We currently provide 50 Kilowatts of electricity for free to all
connected households. Our aim is to provide electricity to all of our
people.
Honourable speaker, today, we can say we have succeeded to eradicate the
dehumanising bucket system in Duduza, Masechaba and other parts of the
province.
Before 1994, many of our people were trapped in poverty, with very little
assistance from the government of the day. We now provide social grants to over
1.4 million people in Gauteng, a massive increase from 305 000 in 1994.
Through the Bana Pele programme we have, since 2004, supplied free school
uniforms to more than 227 000 learners from poor households. To date,52 600
children in 1 492 schools benefit from our school nutrition programme.
Before 1994, many children had to walk long distances to school on a daily
basis. Today, more than 46 000 children are benefiting from our programme to
provide free scholar transport. Over the past 15 years we have been working
hard to ensure that more of our people have access to and can use the land
productively. This includes addressing the critical challenge of food
security.
We have to date, ensured that more than 210 000 people benefit from the
provincial governmentâs programme on food security through agricultural hubs
and food gardens.
Through the Expanded Public Works Programme we have created over 128 000
jobs, of which 1 200 were for people with disabilities. This has helped relieve
income poverty among our people.
In the period ahead, we will extend the period of service and training for
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) beneficiaries.
As part of our commitment to Batho Pele principles, we have built Thusong
Services Centres in various communities to bring government services closer to
where our people live.
We are doing all of these things because we are a caring government.
Honourable Speaker, we are making progress in the fight against poverty. We
are confident that together with our people, we can and we will do more.
Hi ku tirhisana hi nga endla le swinyingi.
Building safer communities!
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng, crime remains our number one
enemy.
We must fight crime to sustain and defend the gains we have made over the
past fifteen years. Our people must not live in fear in their homes and their
places of work and leisure.
We have built a strong movement against crime in our communities. Many of
our people are active crime fighters and participate in Community Policing
Forums and street committees.
We have invested R8 million for the deployment of 8 000 patrollers in 83
areas. By the end of next month, we will increase the number to 10 000.
The growing cooperation between the police, the patrollers and residents has
helped build a greater sense of safety and security in our communities.
As part of our commitment to improve visible policing, last week we added 80
high performance vehicles to the SAPS rapid response teams. Honourable speaker,
for many years the people of Diepsloot have been without a police station. They
used to travel 10 kilometres to Erasmia in Tshwane to access policing
services.
As a result of our commitment to fight the scourge of crime, we have
provided them with a mobile police station and a permanent one is currently
under construction.
In March this year, we will launch two mobile police stations I
Braamfischerville and Zandspruit, building safer communities in those
areas.
We are determined to defeat the scourge of violence against women and
children. Thus far we have established 132 victim empowerment centres in the
province, providing critical support to victims of crime. We have reduced road
fatalities and accidents by 35 percent exceeding the target of 30 percent we
set in April 2004. This is an indication that our efforts are achieving
results.
We are rolling out high technology cameras in 40 identified crime hot spots
across the province. This has enabled the police to respond swiftly to
incidents of crime. In the coming months, in partnership with the private
sector, we will deploy more cameras to expand coverage.
Working with national and local government we will intensify efforts to improve
the criminal justice system to ensure that indeed we do become a crime free
Gauteng and a crime free South Africa.
Criminals, you must know that if you commit crime you will be arrested,
prosecuted and punished.
Honourable speaker, we are working hard to defeat the scourge of crime.
Together with the police and our people we are confident that we can win this
fight.
Ha re shumishana go tee, re tla fenya bokebekwa.
Building a developmental state!
Honourable speaker, the work we have done over the past fifteen years is
underpinned by our vision of building a developmental state that has the
capacity to intervene in addressing the challenges of all of our people,
particularly the poor.
We have put in place a range of measures to enhance the performance of the
public service in meeting the needs and expectations of our people.
This includes the establishment of the Gauteng City Region Academy that will
equip public servants to better implement our development agenda. This
institute will pay particular attention to scarce skills required by the state,
society and the economy.
We have transformed the public service to be more representative of the
people of Gauteng. Today 33 percent of our senior managers are female; two
percent are people with disabilities.
We will continue to work to ensure that at least 50 percent of our senior
managers are women and we will increase access to employment opportunities for
people with disabilities.
We have made progress in entrenching good governance, building a more
professional and ethical public service and in stamping out corruption.
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng, local government remains at
the coal face of service delivery. We have paid considerable attention to
making our municipalities work better.
This year is the midterm of the current term of local government.
Municipalities in Gauteng are well on course towards meeting their 2006 mandate
which includes the provision of basic services, infrastructure development and
local economic development.
We will continue to work with municipalities to ensure improved financial
management and accountability and, most importantly, effective service
delivery.
We are confident that, working with local government in Gauteng, we can do more
to improve the quality of life of all our people.
Building a lasting legacy beyond 2010!
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng, we are ready to host a
successful Confederations Cup in June this year and a world class FIFA World
Cup in 2010.
As the host of the opening and closing games of the World Cup, the home of
the International Broadcast Centre, with three host venues, Gauteng will buzz
with activity during the World Cup.
Ellis Park and Loftus Stadiums will be ready to host the Confederations Cup
in June this year.
When we host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Gauteng will boast a world class,
integrated public transport system that is safe, reliable and affordable.
Our hospitality industry is ready to receive visitors. More hotels have been
built by the private sector and more bed and breakfast facilities are now
available.
To the people of the world we say Gauteng is home to everyone. We will offer
you world class facilities, good entertainment, good food, fashion and culture.
We have a proud political and natural heritage. Soweto is home to the only
street in the world to have produced two Nobel Prize winners, Nelson Mandela
and Desmond Tutu.
We will use the Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup to build a
lasting legacy for the people of Gauteng, creating decent work and providing
infrastructure that will benefit our communities and future generations.
We will also use these events to position our province as a competitive
destination for the hosting of other major sporting, entertainment and cultural
events.
The 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, will accord us an
opportunity to promote the development of football in our province.
We will also use these events to support programmes aimed at improving the
management of football and other sporting codes, especially at the development
level.
Honourable speaker, we have made progress in developing sports at school
level. Working with communities we want to develop healthy, skilled and
sporting people.
We will continue to use sports and recreation to promote social cohesion,
healthy lifestyles among our people and to generate economic activity.
Building a better Africa
Honourable speaker, we believe that economic and political cooperation with
other countries can improve the lives of our people.
In our continent many of our people continue to be faced with challenges of
poverty and underdevelopment.
We are however confident that a better Africa, that is able to respond
comprehensively to the challenges of globalization, is in the making.
We congratulate the people of Zimbabwe for agreeing to work together in a
government of national unity and begin to rebuild their country.
In the same vein, we congratulate the leadership of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) for working tirelessly
towards a resolution of the Zimbabwean question.
We hope that the challenges in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda,
Sudan, Somalia and many other places where there is conflict will be
resolved.
The Xenophobic attacks of last year do not represent who we are as a nation.
We thank all of our people who ensured the safety of our brothers and sisters
during this difficult period. Today many of those who were displaced are
integrated back into their communities.
Honourable speaker our goal to strengthen efforts for a better Africa
continues to be guided by the objectives of the New Partnership for Africaâs
Development (NEPAD). It is also informed by our desire to increase trade
between Gauteng and the rest of the continent.
We want a better and peaceful continent.
Vulnerable groups
Honourable speaker, the work we continue to do is about empowering our
people in general, especially the most vulnerable groups; people with
disability, women, youth, children and the elderly.
Over the years, we have made considerable progress in ensuring that the
empowerment of women, youth, children and people with disabilities is at the
centre of our developmental agenda.
One of our key success in this area of work was to mainstream the interests
of people with disability into both the economy and society in general.
In addition to social assistance, we have developed preferential procurement
and employment policies, access to Expanded Public Works Programmes and skills
development programmes for people with disabilities.
Today many of our elderly people receive grants and have care facilities
that enable them to enjoy retirement in dignity. This was not the case in the
past.
Honourable speaker, one of the founding fathers of our democracy, O R Tambo,
once said âa nation that neglects its youth, neglects its future.â
We have invested in the development of our youth, with the full knowledge
that ours is a youthful province.
We adopted the youth development strategy and subsequently established the
Gauteng Youth Commission.
We continue to prioritise young people in various programmes. These include
the promotion of youth owned businesses, skills development, preferential
procurement, internships and learnerships, provision of bursaries, and we
support youth participating in arts, culture, sports and recreation.
We will, with the Youth Commission, support initiatives aimed at
establishing the National Youth Development Agency this year.
In the past women have been discriminated against, especially African women.
This government has ensured that women are mainstreamed into the economy,
society and all government programmes.
Our policies have ensured that, many women are in positions of
responsibility in government. We urge the private sector to emulate us.
We would like to congratulate the women of our country for launching the
progressive womenâs movement. Through this structure we are succeeding in
advancing the gains on women development and empowerment.
Honourable speaker, we are proud of the successes we have made in addressing
the challenges of the most vulnerable groups in our society. We are confident
of the future and working together we can do more.
Priorities ahead
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng, having outlined the work we
have done over the past 15 years, we acknowledge that much more needs to be
done to better the lives of our people.
We remain determined in our goal of building a united, non-racial,
non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society. In realising this important
goal, the ANC government will work together with our people to create decent
work, provide quality education and health care, fight crime, ensure land
reform and food security for all.
Create decent work
To create decent work, we will continue to invest massively in
infrastructure development. We will also increase public sector interventions
in key growth sectors of our economy that have the greatest potential to
achieve this.
In the coming months, we will initiate more projects that require public
private partnerships. These include the G-link project for the installation of
optic fibre across the province, expanding the Gauteng Freeway Improvement
Scheme, completion of the Jabulani and Natalspruit hospitals and initiating new
commuter rail projects.
The establishment of the Industrial Development Zone at the O R Tambo
International Airport will commence this year. Work has already started to
redevelop Ekadunstria in Metsweding. Plans are underway to also to develop the
Babelegi Industrial Zone in Hammanskraal.
Education
Honourable speaker, going forward we will continue to invest more in the
education of our children.
We will also strengthen and support early childhood development. This we
will do because we believe that the development of a child needs a good
foundation.
Efforts to substantially increase the number of learners who are competent
in Mathematics, Science and Technology subjects will be intensified.
We will extend the reach of our school nutrition programme, to cover all
high schools in the province.
Health
We will continue to improve access to quality health care.
We will intensify the fight against HIV and Aids and increase our capacity
to respond to TB and other diseases.
We will also pay attention to the recruitment, training and retention of
health professionals in order to strengthen the provision of quality health
care to all our people.
Crime
Honourable speaker and the people of Gauteng, building on the work we have
done in fighting crime, we will work with national government to strengthen the
criminal justice system.
We will support efforts to recruit and train detectives. This will
contribute to the speedy detection and resolution of criminal cases.
We will put more resources towards increasing police visibility.
We are doing all of this because together we have a responsibility to build
a crime free province.
Support for farmers, food security
The people of Gauteng, one of the key tasks going forward is to support
farming in our province. We must work the land in order to ensure food security
for our people.
In the coming years, we will invest in efforts aimed at promoting food
gardens, especially in poor communities and support the development of small
farmers.
Protecting the environment
Honourable speaker, the work we are doing requires that we also respond to
climate change and green house gasses.
Climate change presents the world not only with immense challenges but also
with a substantial opportunity to create new industries.
In this regard, we are developing a comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing
green house emissions and the provision of alternative clean energy.
When the Gautrain starts operating, with fewer cars on the road, we estimate
that we will reduce carbon emissions by 100 tons per annum.
Furthermore, in partnership with the private sector, we will work towards
greater energy security, sufficiency and human development.
We urge all of our people to save energy protect the environment and plant
more trees.
Conclusion
In conclusion, honourable speaker, on the 22 April this year, our people
will once more descend on voting stations across the country to vote for
parties of their choice.
As political parties we will in the next two weeks leave these chambers to
go and campaign to be elected into public office.
I would like to take this opportunity to urge all parties to encourage
tolerance during the campaign.
Let the people have the final say! May the best party win!
As we end this term, my sincere gratitude goes to all my colleagues in the
Executive Council for their vision and hard work.
My appreciation also goes to the Director General and all Gauteng Provincial
Government employees who in the last fifteen years have continued to carry the
banner of Batho Pele and served our people with dedication and commitment
To the speaker and honourable members of this house we are grateful for the
robust engagements that characterized sittings of this august house.
There is no doubt that today our democratic system of accountability has
reached a level of maturity, of which are proud.
Let us not forget that we were able to build these solid institutions
because of the tireless support of the people of Gauteng. Let this Legislature
continue to be an important pillar of our democratic system of governance and a
true peopleâs assembly.
I would also like to pay tribute and homage to the honourable member of this
legislature, Comrade Ram Saloojee, who will be retiring as a public
representative at the end of this term.
Comrade Ram Saloojee dedicated all his life to our struggle for liberation.
He belongs to that generation of freedom fighters whose love for freedom and
their country motivated them to give their all in the fight against apartheid
oppression and exploitation.
Honourable members, I understand that Member Goodall will also retire at the
end of this term. I would like to thank him for his constructive engagements
with us in this house. We wish him well.
My gratitude goes to my wife Manzi and the children who remain a pillar of
strength.
Honourable speaker, when we put together the speech we received many
suggestions and advice. We have taken into account all of these noble
ideas.
I would like to thank all those who took the trouble to write to us
including my friends on âFace Book.â
I also wish to thank the people of Gauteng, whom we met during Izimbizo, and
door to door visits and were able to tell us what they want government to focus
on in order to continue to improve the quality of their lives.
Re kho leboha ngamanda! Nga u shumisana rothe ringa ita zwo vhalaho!
The journey ahead will not be easy, but Honourable Speaker, working together we
will overcome all challenges.
We have laid a firm foundation, to make sure that after the elections the
Gauteng Government will continue to change the lives of our people for the
better.
We look forward to the future with confidence. Our ship will weather all
storms. The crew is more than ready and determined to stay the course!
Ndo leboha!
Ke a leboga!
Ngiyabonga!
Inkomu!
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
16 February 2008
Source: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za/)
