Re-Igniting the Spirit of Resilience and Excellence in Gauteng: State of the Province Address by Premier David Makhura, 2019
Madame Speaker, Honourable Ntombi Mekgwe;
Deputy Speaker, Honourable Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko;
Chief Whip, Honourable Sochayile Khanyile;
Former President Kgalema Motlanthe and Mrs Gugu Motlanthe;
Former Premiers;
Members of the Executive Council;
President of the South African Local Government Association and Executive Mayors of Gauteng municipalities;
Honourable Members of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Veterans of the Liberation struggle;
Leaders of the Faith-Based Community;
Leaders of trade unions and business organisations;
Traditional leaders;
Director General, Heads of Departments, City Managers;
New Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt General Elias Mawela and Heads of Law Enforcement Agencies;
The People of Gauteng:
Today, I once more stand before you, as a humble servant of the people of Gauteng, to deliver the last State of the Province Address of the Fifth Provincial Administration.
On the 08th of May this year, our country will hold its sixth national and provincial democratic elections to usher in the sixth post-apartheid administration and legislatures at national and provincial level.
As we conclude this term, we are duty bound to reflect on the 25-year journey of change that Gauteng has been going through since 1994. 2
Our province has undergone major changes regarding the social structure, economy, infrastructure and the quality of lives of citizens.
Our population has doubled, from 7.8 million people in 1996 to 14.7. This makes Gauteng the most populous province in our country. Essentially, one in every four South Africans live in Gauteng.
Our economy has grown five times, from R290 billion in 1996 to R1.5 trillion in 2017.
Gauteng is not only the economic and industrial hub of South Africa, we are also the seventh largest economy in Africa.
The number of people employed in the Gauteng economy has also doubled – from 2.6 million in 1996 to 5.163 million in 2018.
The size of the public education and public healthcare system has also doubled.
In 1994, there were 1.2 million learners in public education and today there are 2.3 million learners.
Today Gauteng’s public health system serves 20 million healthcare users per annum, compared to 7 million in 1994.
The built environment of our province has changed profoundly as a result of the scale of investments in new social and economic infrastructure – new houses, schools, libraries, hospitals, clinics, social amenities, police stations, roads and other public transport infrastructure.
Access to basic services has increased from an average of 60% in 1994, to an average of 85% in 2018.
The 2018 Quality of Life Survey records that access to formal dwelling is at 81%; piped water at 91%; electricity at 92%; sanitation at 91% and refuse removal is at 83%.
The Quality of Life Survey also records that home-ownership among the poor is very high in Gauteng. The government housing programme has delivered more than 1.2 million houses in Gauteng, providing decent shelter to more than 4 million people.
Consequently, Gauteng residents have experienced continuous significant improvement in the quality of life and their level of satisfaction with basic services and infrastructure is above the national average.
Our province is a zone of opportunity that offers better living standards to millions of people. Hence, the high rate of in-migration.
Madame Speaker, these qualitative changes in the lives of the people represent a towering monument of progress during the twenty-five years of our democracy.
Working together with all sectors of the population of our province, we must do everything in our power to ensure that this progress is consolidated and the opportunities are enjoyed by all.
Honourable Members, we need to understand that we are a province of trailblazers and pioneers. We are the Home of Excellence in many areas of human endeavor.
Our province is endowed with citizens who are very self-driven, well-informed and better educated; they are eternally optimistic, more resilient and always determined to succeed against all odds; they refuse to live a life of despondency and despair. Read more [PDF]
