Debate by the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Ms Thandi Modise (Mp) during the annual address by the President to the NCOP
Hon Deputy Chairperson
His Excellency, President Cyril Ramophosa
Acting Premier of Gauteng
Premiers of Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga
Speaker of Gauteng Legislature, Hon Ntombi Mekgwe
Speakers of Provincial Legislatures
MEC’s
Special and Permanent Delegates to the NCOP
Members of the National Assembly
Members of Provincial legislatures
Representatives of Organised Local Government
Distinguished guests,
The people of Gauteng
Let me start by showing my gratitude to the President, for his address to us and for his unrelenting continuous support to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
We are meeting under the theme “the impact of migration – deepening cooperative governance for accelerated service delivery and development.”
Honourable Members, around the globe, more people than ever before are on the move seeking safer places to live, also to find work, and to enjoy their fundamental freedoms.
Our Constitution protects many fundamental rights regardless of immigrant’s status. These include rights to due legal process, life-saving medical care, and basic labour protections.
We all know that human mobility is an age-old phenomenon. We also know without a doubt that planned and orderly migration have benefits. We know that unplanned migration could add to skills and other benefits for the host country.
We also know that unplanned and disorderly migration can be disastrous for migrants. We know here at home, how the host communities also come under stress. We have witnessed that during the last four years.
We know that when migration, if not properly managed, it becomes a source of political tensions and human tragedies. It also causes the flourishing criminal networks who exploit vulnerable people and undermine local laws and regulations. We know the security vulnerabilities associated with migration. We have noticed that globally migration remains poorly managed.
Since the advent of democracy, South Africa relaxed the restrictions of the past, to guarantee freedom of movement to all. Our people can work and live anywhere they want without fear or violence or abuse. They can access the economies and financial services.
During the dark era of apartheid, the governing party the ANC fought for the freedom of movement. One of the four pillars of the struggle was international solidarity. We have always believed in internationalism.
South Africa attracts large numbers of migrants – skilled and unskilled. Migration imposes challenges of different magnitude in the context of post-apartheid dispensation and that of globalisation.
It is reported that whilst refugees and asylum seekers are able to claim a limited bouquet of rights, the vast majority of them here at home, almost 85 percent, are in the country without valid immigration documents, and are therefore illegal immigrants.
Hon President, the NCOP took a decision to visit Gauteng as part of its Taking Parliament to the people programme. Since 5th Parliament started we decided on the sector-based approach as per the guidelines of the National Development Plan (NDP). We started in Eden District in the Western Cape in 2015. We then in 2016 went to Eastern Cape, and last year we were in Free State. We have initiated the report back sessions and those held have been successful.
Research shows that the population of Gauteng is growing and that this growth, is placing real burdens on public services. We have listened to the Member of Executive Committees responsible for health, education and also the Minister of health expounding the dire consequences on service delivery.
They have highlighted how schools both primary and secondary are affected and how clinics and hospitals are really under pressure. Most government hospitals maternity units have been reported to be under great pressure and their birth rates have increased dramatically. The other issue is housing, the pressure cannot be met and also the social security.
Hon Members we were here in Gauteng from the 17 - 21 September 2018 during our Pre-visit. We have been here since Monday for the Main Event of TPTTP. This is in keeping with a pledge we made at the beginning of the fifth term of Parliament, that says “following up on our commitments to the people.”
During the pre-visit, we visited over 60 service delivery sites that include schools, immigration offices, hospitals, police stations, correctional services and early childhood development amongst others. We carried on with the objective to elicit input and comment from our communities this week.
This week, we had six groups visiting the schools, clinics, hospitals, economic hubs, amongst others to address the concerns of the people. We were at sites in West Rand, Tshwane, City of Johannesburg, Sedibeng and Ekurhuleni to find out what service delivery issues the residents were grappling with and to hear their views about possible solutions.
In this Hall, we listened to the issues facing communities on the ground focusing on peace and security, education, home affairs, health, and economic development. The communities also raised broader issues affecting them.
What tops the discussion in our both the public meetings during the pre-visit and public hearings this week, and also in the sites was the pressure of the influx of international migrants who come to settle in their vicinities in most cases without validated documents.
We heard the Premier on Monday, highlighting how the population has doubled in Gauteng since 1994. So both internal and external migration puts a huge strain on their infrastructure and also to the limited resources they have.
We learned also how its impacts on the ability of the province to provide services such as health, education, business opportunities and it also places a strain on the police regarding the enforcement of law and order and general policing.
In general, the issue of porous borders, poor policing, environmental designs especially in the townships, spatial planning, drugs, and crime were raised.
Mr. President, during this week a number of issues relating to service delivery implementation or lack thereof were raised by members of the public, they're concerned about their livelihood. They raised the use of drugs as a major issue in their communities. They are worried about how drugs are accessible in their schools and how they destroy the young generation. They claim that Pre 94 the issue was not as rife as it is today. Some put a blame on the government for being lenient when dealing with drugs, crimes etc.
The issue of policing was raised during the pre-visit and the main event. They claim that our police know the perpetrators and are doing nothing to arrest them and bring confidence back to the communities. They also allege that the police are involved in the illicit activities and are colluding with the criminals.
Mr. President, the high rate of crime is out of control; speaker after speaker who stood and spoke raised a grave concern. They raised that they are not safe in their homes, in the streets, and they say enough is enough. Women and children are the hardest hit as they are the most vulnerable. They are appealing to us to address this issue as a matter of urgency.
The community of Reiger Park also requested for a police station. They say a four-room house was converted into the police station and now serves 150 000 which is not sufficient to the community. The cable unit has six police officers and three are unarmed and it poses a challenge as cable theft is high in the area. Orange Farm and Braamfisher and other informal settlements also request for a better policing, equipment and personnel.
The plight of poor and marginalised communities residing in the provinces townships and informal settlement have requested houses.
The community has called on the government to start monitoring the houses they allocate to the people. In most cases the houses are not of good quality; people rent out the houses and in other cases, the original beneficiaries have been overlooked and lost their intended houses.
We had a terrifying story of a granny who said that 75 people stay in a four-bedroom house. We have noted her details and we are calling all the stakeholders involved to attend to the matter.
We are concerned about bullying tactics in the workplace. A woman firefighter medico was fired for protesting against the poor conditions of the firefighters after what happened in the city of Joburg. Her dismal was because she marched to Union Building wearing her work uniform. This may be wrong but we are calling the city of Ekurhuleni to address the matter. Ours must be a government that is compassionate, correcting and educating.
The deaf and blind community have also registered their concerns. The blind community feels that when it comes to the job opportunities they are left behind. They also indicated that our transport system such as taxi’s and buses are not designed for them.
We heard how the people living with disabilities suffer in our public health facilities. They request that their medical prescriptions be written in Braille so that they can self-administrate. We also heard how people with disabilities have to restart their files every time they visit clinics for check-ups. They request for assistance from the government so that they can have correct medication and have access like all of us. This is a repeat of the complaint of the community of deaf people who told us last year in the Free State that they get ignored or misdiagnosed.
Mr. President, we heard how our elders are being attacked and abused at their home by their kids and grandchildren. There is a group of elders who are about 100 who have started to look after each other and all they require is an old age home. They say they have knocked many doors and help is not coming.
We heard that they also have a project that is fixing wheelchairs and all they need is monetary assistance. There are many projects that required funding in the townships. Gauteng is very fortunate to have people of this caliber. When we were in the Free State we discovered that they require such a service.
Illegal mining is another serious challenge raised. We heard how children in areas like Zamampilo and Riverlea are vulnerable to dust and Arsenic acid. Government must stop illegal mining for the sake of children and our future is their cry. These are some of the cases that were raised in the former mining towns.
The community raised the frustrations of clinics closing at 16:00. They also raised the issue of insufficient staffing such as doctors and professional nurses. The requested schools, new clinics and hospitals in communities such as Orange farm, Braam Fisher, and many more.
We have community members who are appreciating the work that the government has done. They are saying they have the state of the art schools, hospitals, libraries, etc. They appreciate the efforts of government since 1994 but feel more need to be done.
Hon Members, some of the issues raised indicates that there are policy gaps which require serious intervention.
Many young people were here in full force. They argued that education is meaningless unless they can translate it into jobs. They raised many ideas that will help grow the economy. What they require is funding to reach their full capacity.
Hon. President, during this week Cabinet Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MEC’s, the Mayor of Ekurhuleni, the MMC’s and the Portfolio Committees of the legislature and also the National Development Agency have undertaken to follow up on the issues raised and provide responses.
The NCOP will forward you the report as I only highlighted a few issues to give the President the full view of the programme. We are however worried about the response rate from Cabinet Ministers since the start of the fifth Parliament. We are calling on the President to assist so that the communities may feel that their concerns are being listened to.
Mr President,
We agree that Gauteng is the most populated, have the biggest slice of the equitable share and better professional capacity than other provinces. We agree that the flows of people from other provinces eat away this advantage of better quality service delivery.
We agree that the inflows through our borders most adversely hit Gauteng – affecting service delivery, increasing illicit flows of goods and services and putting great pressure on the criminal justice services.
This province hosts numerous cultures and languages. There are advantages which, if properly planned for, can enable Gauteng to be a continental model in internationalism.
In taking part in these discussions we must make sure that we build a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better world.
Hon Members, the NDP says “the state cannot merely act on behalf of the people – it has to act with the people, working together with other institutions to provide opportunities for the advancement of all communities.”
Mr. President, public participation is very crucial in any democracy. Our people have a say and their role is therefore not confined in participating in elections. Democracy is about more than just elections. The NCOP is giving a platform for democratic engagements. This finds expression in its role in facilitating co-operative government and intergovernmental relations. Taking Parliament to the People is but one of the mechanism of achieving this.
That is why effective public participation matters. It matters because it’s a key precondition for transparent and accountable governance. It helps to tackle inequality by ensuring that all persons, including those from the poorest segments of society and rural communities, are able to participate in decisions that impact their lives. Public participation fosters more inclusive and legitimate decision-making through the involvement and input of citizens.
We will as the NCOP co-ordinate follow-up activities on these matters which the public raised this week. However, it is important that the Provincial Legislature and the Municipal Councils do their parts as part of their oversight in respect of their functional areas in responding to the issues that were raised.
As part of our constitutional mandate, after assessing progress, we will come back to give a report in this regard, we will be here again in 2019 for the report back.
In closing, as we mark the centenary of the life of our nation’s founding father Nelson Mandela and our mother Albertina Sisulu, we all agree that they both left an indelible mark on our society having laid the foundation for a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.
Their legacy lives on in our commitment to ensuring a just and fair society for all, including the rights to dignity and freedom of expression.
I thank you!
