The Gauteng Executive Council on 9 December 2015 held its last ordinary meeting for the calendar year in Bryanston, Johannesburg. The meeting was chaired by Premier David Makhura and attended by eight of the ten MECs. The MEC for Social Development was unable to attend due to ill health and the MEC for Economic, Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development is on an official visit to France, as part of the delegation to the COP21.
The Executive Council is pleased with the progress being made in implementing the ten pillar programme for radical transformation, modernisation and reindustrialisation (TMR) of the Gauteng City Region.
This year, as part of strengthening the resolve in realising the TMR, conferences and summits on infrastructure investment, the ICT, and the spatial development planning were held. The adoption of these strategies and plans is about implementing bold plans of radically transforming, modernising and reindustrialising the GCR.
The Executive Council is also pleased that the perspective of building Gauteng into a globally competitive City Region is now being recognised by various international institutions and think tanks. On 30 November a joint project of the Brookings Institute and JPMorgan Chase as part of the Global Cities Initiative, launched a report titled; “South Africa’s Global Gateway: Profiling the Gauteng City Region’s International Competitiveness and Connections”.
This has given government a need to move with speed in legislating institutions aimed at strengthening the GCR. The report also allowed the implementation of the decision to improve greater collaboration among all spheres of government within the Gauteng City Region in the implementation of the programme for radical transformation, modernisation and reindustrialisation.
In 2016 and beyond, the Executive Council agreed to will focus on the following key areas requiring focused and sustained joint collaboration and implementation:
- Shaping a common spatial vision, anchored on five developmental corridors, towards a new system that is underpinned by spatial justice, sustainability, efficiency and integration as well as a differentiated diversified and inclusive economy.
- Investing in catalytic infrastructure to facilitate spatial transformation across the GCR specifically in public transport, energy, water and sanitation, broadband technology and green spaces.
- Building new economic nodes to promote balanced development in line with the comparative advantage of the development corridors.
- Revitalising and mainstreaming of the township economy and development of SMMEs and cooperatives through active industrial incentives and transformative procurement policy that promote the growth of township-based manufacturing and services.
- Accelerating social transformation by improving the quality of education, healthcare, community safety and food security in a manner that promotes economic inclusion, social cohesion and nation-building.
- Intervening through different programmes to address the explosive situation of youth unemployment and marginalisation.
- Building a capable, responsive, accountable, clean and activist state machinery through interventions such as Ntirhisano programme and Service Delivery War Room, Administration Roadmap, Integrity Management Units and Open Tender system.
- Developing a coherent and coordinated approach to international trade, investment and cooperation in line with the comparative advantages and unique strengths of each development corridor.
The political report presented to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on Friday, 04 December 2015, detailed the progress made. The report also highlighted specific policy interventions in a number of areas and how such interventions impact the people of Gauteng.
Both the provincial government and municipalities have acted on the commitment to revitalise township economies by the increasing number of township enterprises that have benefited from various government services. Since the start of the year, more than 500 new township enterprises have been registered with government and received support.
The Gauteng Provincial Government has by the end of November 2015 spent just under one billion rand of its goods and services budget on township enterprises and is well on course to meet the 12% target for the 2015-2016 financial year.
More than 90% of payments to service providers are done within 30 days and everything is being done to ensure that 100% of all valid invoices are paid within 30 days. More than 50 000 young people in various parts of Gauteng have benefited from the Tshepo 500 000 programme. The benefits include skills training, entrepreneur development and work placement.
Young people who choose to start their own businesses receive intensive support and are also registered on the government procurement database so that they can benefit from the preferential procurement policy. The activist administration is taking root through intensified dynamic interaction between government and the people. In the past six months government has visited more than thirty communities across the length and breadth of Gauteng through Ntirhisano community outreach Programme.
The establishment of the Ntirhisano Service Delivery Response System is also based on the commitment to build an activist government that is responsive; a government that engages on a continuous basis and works with the people to resolve problems facing communities.
The Executive Council approved measures to provide urgent relief for those affected by draught including, emerging and subsistence farmers and residents whose shacks were destroyed by fire. This will still be submitted to the provincial legislature as part of the budget adjustment process.
The Gauteng Provincial Government will engage with any assessment of its work based on the true facts and evidence of the implementation of the programme of action. In its interactions with the people, directly or through organised formations, the provincial government has received regular feedback on its performance and welcomes such feedback, including suggestions where people feel improvements can be made.
Government will continue to listen and respond to communities at all times, including ensuring that an activist and responsive government continues to be built. The Executive Council noted the so called score card released on 8 December 2015 by the Democratic Alliance. While government always welcomes feedback from the people on its performance, the Executive Council feels that the DA’s report lacks objectivity and is intended to satisfy the opposition’s narrow political interests.
The Executive Council wishes all the people of Gauteng a happy and peaceful Festive Season. Special wishes also go to those who will be working in the emergency services, law enforcement agencies and all those who work tirelessly to ensure that all the people enjoy a restful and peaceful festive season.
Enquiries:
Thabo Masebe
Cell: 082 410 8087
E-mail: Thabo.masebe@gauteng.gov.za
