Rights Day, Sharpeville
21 March 2007
MECs
Mayors
Councillors
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen
We are gathered here once more to remember those who sacrificed their lives
to bring about our freedom and democracy. We salute those who were killed
during the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, survivors of the 1960 Sharpeville
massacre and their families. We also pay tribute to many who were killed or
survived subsequent massacres throughout the country.
Let us together ensure that their sacrifices were not in vain. This we do by
ensuring that human rights mean more than having them enshrined in the
constitution. It must mean access to shelter, water, sanitation, electricity,
jobs, quality health and education.
It must mean living without fear from crime especially violent crimes and
crimes against women, children and the elderly. It must mean a sustained fight
against HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases, poverty and
underdevelopment.
We are all agreed that the Gauteng we live in is very different from the
Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging (PWV) of 1960, that this year is different
from last year, that today is not the same as yesterday and that tomorrow will
therefore be different from today. This is because everyday we are working to
ensure the realisation of basic human rights enshrined in our constitution and
to make Gauteng a better place to live in.
Last month the Gauteng provincial government released a mid-term report
which details the achievements we have made since 2004 to advance the
socio-economic rights of the people of Gauteng. In it we make the bold
assertion that while there are still people who do not have jobs and live in
abject poverty, the lives of great number of people have changed and change is
spreading to many more people as a better Gauteng arises.
According to Statistics South Africa, there has been a steady increase in
the number of jobs in the Gauteng economy, rising from 2,9 million jobs in
March 2002 to 3,3 million jobs in March 2006. This represents an increase of
426 000 jobs.
Other economic and developmental indicators also show that:
* the percentage of people living below the poverty line has declined from
8,4% in 2001 to 7,3% in 2002
* the percentage of households living in informal dwellings has declined from
18,7% to 14,4% between 2002 and 2005
* the percentage of households connected to the electricity supply has been
increasing steadily from 87,6% in 2002 to 89% in 2004.
We continue to make steady progress to meet our people's right to housing.
Since 2004, we have provided over 160 000 new housing opportunities in the
province. As part of our commitment to formalising and eradicating informal
settlements, we have registered and provided basic services to close to 100 000
stands in informal settlements. Around 11 000 housing units were built through
the community builder and people's housing process. In addition, over 43 000
people received title deeds of their properties, and a total of 1 701 hostel
units have also been upgraded.
By the end of June this year, we shall have eliminated the degrading bucket
system in the few areas where it is still in use in our province. In that way
we shall have ensured that the right to human dignity is enjoyed by an even
greater number of our people.
The socio-economic rights will continue to be met through the 20 township
priority programme. The people of Boipatong, Bophelong, Sebokeng and
Sharpeville in this district will benefit from this programme that seeks to
fast-track the rehabilitation of 20 old towns established in the province.
This programme aims to beautify our old townships by providing social
amenities such as tarred roads, the upgrading of schools, clinics, water and
sanitation facilities. There will also be the development of local transport
and business hubs to contribute to local economic development and job
creation.
Residents of these areas must help us to monitor that the contractors,
employed to work on these projects, do their work properly and in a manner that
will ensure that the infrastructure we are building is sustainable. Our
monitoring must help us ensure that we avoid the situation we saw in Evaton
where a contractor failed to start the social development projects they were
supposed to do on time. The contract has since been cancelled and steps will be
taken to ensure that the contractor never gets new government contracts.
As we prepare for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, we are doing everything we can
to ensure that we speed up infrastructure development that will provide a
legacy of better roads, improved public transport and better communication
networks. Our work on improving the George Thabe Stadium, as a possible
practice venue for 2010, is progressing very well. Our aim is that this stadium
be used to host top Premier Soccer League games once the world cup competition
is over. Other stadiums we are improving include Sinaba in Daveyton and HM
Pitje in Mamelodi.
HIV and AIDS, crime and the state of education in township schools continue
to be issues that pose a challenge to our ability to enjoy human rights. While
our healthcare system is improving and more people are accessing antiretroviral
therapy, the health system is coming under pressure because of the high number
of people who continue to be infected with HIV on a daily basis. Too many
people are still engaging in casual sex without using condoms and far too many
people are having multiple sexual partners.
Far too many people seem to live under a false hope that it will not happen
to me. They fail to realise that if it has happened to your friend, if it has
happened to your neighbour and if it has happened to your cousin, it can most
definitely happen to you too. So my plea to you today is let us heed the
message and change our sexual behaviour.
We have survived the most difficult times in our history, why do we allow
ourselves to be killed by something that we know how to avoid.
Crime continues to be a blot that dirties the moral fibre of our society. It
happens partly because there are some among us who are ready and willing to buy
stolen goods, some harbour wanted hijackers and rapists, and known criminals
are given elevated status even though their dark and evil ways are known. Crime
is everyone's problem and we must work together to take charge of our
lives.
We can no longer afford to look the other way, when the image of country is
damaged by criminals. On 30 March 2007 we will be unveiling the provincial
safety plan which calls for community participation.
We call on all communities regardless of race and class to join hands with
us as we engage in battle to rid our communities of crime and its causes.
While we are seeing promising pass rates in our education system, the state
of education in township schools still leaves too much to be desired. It is
here where teenage pregnancy is highest; dysfunctionality is common in these
schools. Children from the townships board taxis every morning to attend
schools in former white suburbs as parents show lack of confidence in schools
closer to their homes.
This situation cannot be allowed to continue forever. This week the MEC for
Education will be hosting an education summit to discuss what needs to be done
to improve this situation. Again we require community support to turn this
situation around and restore glory to township schools. In the past these
schools produced some of the best political, business and academic leaders. Let
us help them reclaim their position as reservoirs of knowledge, progress and as
centres of excellence.
Successful former learners of these schools must be mobilised to come back
as role models to motivate current learners to work hard and succeed.
A sound and growing economy is a fundamental requirement if we are to
succeed in bringing about the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights
for our people. For us in Gauteng the global city region initiative, supported
by our growth and development strategy, the human resources strategy, the
social development strategy, the safety plan and others provides us the
platform to fulfil our obligation to ensure a better life for all.
Clearly we still have a considerable task in ensuring that the fundamental
human rights enshrined in our constitution become a reality enjoyed by all. Our
success requires the contribution of each and every one of us, young and old,
black and white.
The protection, promotion and progressive realisation of fundamental human
rights can only be the outcome of ongoing struggle, everyday, in every
community, in every sphere of human activity. It is only when people themselves
engage in social action to give meaning to the words enshrined in our
Constitution that human rights will become the living thread from which our
social fabric is woven.
The organisation of the people to act as their own liberators to themselves,
transform the provisions of the Constitution into a living reality, is a
function of our ongoing struggle
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
21 March 2007
Source: SAPA
