Date: 12/06/2009

Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government

Title: ECape: Kiviet: State of the Province address by the Premier of the Eastern Cape

Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker,
Members of the Provincial Legislature and
Delegates of the National Council of Provinces
(NCOP),
Executive Mayors and Mayors,
Traditional Leaders, religious leaders and
representatives of civil society,
Members of the Judiciary, and Heads of the
security services in the Province,
Ambassadors and members of the diplomatic
corps,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen

Somlomo, ndivumele ndithathe eli thuba
ndibulise kubantu bakuthi abo bamamele

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kwiindawo ngeendawo, nakwabo babukeleyo
kwezi ndawo zilandaleyo: Cape College eFort
Beaufort e-Amathole; Dundee Community Hall
eMount Ayliff e-Alfred Nzo; Louterwaters
Stadsaal in Cacadu; eCala Community Hall e-
Chris Hani; Veeplaas Community Hall in the
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro; Ntabankulu Town
Hall e-OR Tambo; en die Venterstad Stadsaal in
Ukhahlamba. Molweni bahlali beMpuma-Kapa
kwezo ndawo nikuzo. Lumelang ba ahi Kapa
Botshabela, bo mme le bo ntate. Dit is vir my ‘n
eer om julle almal toe te spreek vandag.

Today I stand before you to present the first
State of the Province Address of the fourth term
of our democracy. Looking back over the past
fifteen years, we can all agree that giant strides
have been made towards the attainment of the
vision of a better life for all. Our current
endeavours are a continuation of the stoic

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contributions made by our forebears and titans
of our revolution. We recall the names of Oliver
Tambo, Govan Mbeki, Chris Thembisile Hani,
Wilton Mkwayi, Steve Tshwete, James
"Chamelehashini" Kati, Nontuthuzelo Mabhala,
and many others.

In this Youth Month we also would like to
acknowledge the role of youth veterans such as
Mzwandile "Gundrisse" Mchunu, Lizo Ndzobole,
Sizwe Manzi, Andile "Nyembezi" Yawa, Nolizwe
Mnyaka, Loyiso Mdikane, Holo Hlahatsi, Sheya
Kulati, Mzi Skweyiya, Manelisi Zibi, Xola Nene
and others.

On this occasion, Honourable Speaker, we are
proud to recognise some of our luminaries of
our Province in the world of sport. We want to
acknowledge Elrio van Heerden from Port
Elizabeth and Innocent Mdledle from Matatiele

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who have made it to our national team, Bafana
Bafana. Furthermore, we congratulate five
young men who are participating in Team
Siyakhula. They played in the International
Triathlon Championship in Germany. Their
names are Vukile Makeleni, Alithemba Maliwa,
Michael Matyila, Elroy Lesch and Bulelani
Madlavu. We also congratulate the Southern
Kings who have obtained the Eastern Cape
Rugby Franchise status and will be playing the
British Lions on 16 June 2009 in Port Elizabeth.

Our analysis reflects a mixed bag of successes,
achievements and challenges over the past
fifteen years. We are under no illusion that
much remains to be done to put our Province
and country firmly on a developmental growth
path, ensuring sustainable livelihoods for the
majority of our people. We know that while
much has been achieved since 1994, ours is

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still a society that displays a legacy of deep and
pervasive levels of poverty and inequality.

Therefore as we pause momentarily to reflect
on what has been done, we recall our beloved
former President Nelson Mandela's words that
the long walk to freedom is a journey of many
hills and valleys; that "after climbing a great hill,
one only finds that there are many more hills to
climb".

Honourable Speaker, it is against this
background that I wish to take this opportunity
to express a word of gratitude to all my
predecessors in pioneering the establishment
and consolidation of a development path for our
Province. We acknowledge with pride the
contribution of Premiers Raymond Mhlaba,
Makhenkesi Stofile, Nosimo Balindlela, and
Mbulelo Sogoni. We will build on the positive

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legacy that has been bestowed on us, and in
keeping with an African idiom, "inyathi ibuzwa
kwabaphambili".

We are also deeply humbled by the
overwhelming mandate given to us by the
people of the Eastern Cape to continue the task
of transforming our society towards a better life
for all. As we traversed the length and breadth
of the Province interacting with people during
the election campaign, we heard the cry of our
people for better services. In an unequivocal
manner, our people have asked the African
National Congress to lead a collaborative effort
to provide quality health services, improve
access to quality education, improve the
livelihoods of rural communities, provide more
opportunities for decent work, and eliminate the
scourge of crime.


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We have heard the message of our people loud
and clear, and we dare not disappoint them. We
pledge to respond decisively to alleviate the
plight of the poor in our Province and move
closer to our ideal of a better life for all.

Based on our understanding of the development
challenges facing the Province, and on our
vision for a prosperous Eastern Cape, we have
developed a Provincial Strategic Framework
(PSF), which articulates eight Strategic Priorities
for this five year term. This framework is aimed
at translating our electoral mandate into an
implementation programme by government. It
will inform government plans and budget
allocations. These Strategic Priorities, all of
which are aligned to both the ANC Manifesto
and to the Programme announced by President
Jacob Zuma during his State of the Nation
Address, are:

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Speeding up growth and transforming the
economy to create decent work and
sustainable livelihoods
Building social and economic infrastructure
Rural development, land, agrarian reform,
and food security
Strengthening education, and building a
skills and human resources base
Improving the health profile of the Province
Intensifying the fight against crime and
corruption
Building a developmental state, improving
the public services, and strengthening
democratic institutions
Building cohesive, caring and sustainable
communities

I may also indicate, Honourable Speaker, that in
aligning ourselves to the National Programme of
Action, work on the management of natural

9
resources and matters pertaining to
international relations have been integrated into
these Strategic Priorities.

Let me then elaborate on each of the areas
covered in our Programme of Action.

The first priority is to speed up growth and the
transformation of the economy to create
decent work and sustainable livelihoods. In
this area we seek to grow the economy and to
ensure equitable distribution of the benefits of
such economic growth and quality job
opportunities for our people. Working together
with the relevant social partners, we will work on
diversifying the economy of the Province. We
are paying urgent attention to the finalization
and immediate implementation of the Provincial
Industrial Development Strategy.


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This strategy outlines our deliberate efforts at
altering the structure and distribution of
industrial activity to promote economic growth
and development. It is a set of dedicated
government-sponsored plans and interventions
designed to build the productive capability to
place the Province on a more equitable and
labour absorptive growth path. Its success is
premised on the extent to which growth is
sustained, jobs are created, and the economy is
transformed in terms of de-racializing and
broadening ownership of capital and assets.

As I am sure many of you know, Statistics South
Africa has confirmed that the South African
economy is now in recession. Indeed it has
been evident for some time that the world
economy is in deep crisis, with job losses being
a clear and inevitable outcome. Our Province
has not been immune to this trend. We have

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resolved to ensure that we consolidate our
strategy to intervene in stemming these job
losses.

In partnership with labour, civil society and
industry, we are consolidating up-scaling our
interventions. This includes developing
measures to immediately preserve existing jobs;
a clear medium term strategy to create new
ones; increasing public sector employment
through the Expanded Public Works
Programme; and accelerating public investment.

Furthermore, as part of ensuring greater levels
of fixed capital formation and investment within
the Provincial economy, we will undertake an
institutional review of the existing investment
capacities. This will ensure that the Provincial
government is more responsive in facilitating
strategic opportunities within the Province. We

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will intensify marketing the Eastern Cape as an
investment destination.

We will also promote entrepreneurial
development towards existing and potential
opportunities and programmes beyond trading
and government tenders. We will focus on the
aggressive implementation of the Provincial
Cooperatives Strategy, whose thrust would be
on the training of primary cooperatives. Through
the Cooperatives Development Fund we are
targeting primary cooperatives in the areas of
agribusiness (which includes agro-processing
and marketing); forestry and timber processing;
construction; the automotive sector; metals
processing; chemicals production; textiles and
clothing; tourism; and cultural industries.

Honourable Speaker, the Eastern Cape is
endowed with many tourism assets such as our

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golden beaches, culture and heritage sites,
friendly people and great scenic beauty. We will
therefore intensify tourism promotion due to its
great potential for SMMEs and for job creation.
The promotion of conference tourism, eco-
tourism and sports tourism represents
enormous opportunities. Similarly, the Liberation
Route, which we recently launched at Chris
Hani's birth place, at Sabalele, is a uniquely
Eastern Cape attraction, which will be taken
forward. We will continue to work with the
National Heritage Council in advancing this
agenda. With all these as our competitive
advantage, we will continue to market our
Province as the destination of choice.

Honourable Speaker, our second strategic
priority is the massive programme to build
social and economic infrastructure. Through
this priority we seek to respond to the

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infrastructure challenges and backlogs that
characterize our Province, and to create jobs.
Focus will be placed on the provision of
provincial transport and logistics infrastructure.
This will include the expansion of the road
construction programme. The construction of
rural access roads in the Province will be
especially fast-tracked and due consideration
will be given to innovative alternative surfacing
measures.

Planning for the provision of economic and
social infrastructure will be up-scaled in order to
improve integration and maximize the impact on
the well-being of people, particularly in rural
areas. To this end, focus has been placed on
the development and revitalization of education,
sport, and health infrastructure, whilst the
provision of affordable housing and the

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development of sustainable human settlements
will also be speeded up.

We are implementing measures to improve
infrastructure delivery. We are also exploring
migration of all infrastructure delivery
responsibilities to the Department of Roads and
Public Works. This will enable other
Departments to concentrate on their core
functions. Building technical capacity across the
board will be key to accelerating infrastructure
delivery.

Central to the provision of social and economic
infrastructure is job creation through the
implementation of phase 2 of the Expanded
Public Works Programme (EPWP). The
Provincial target over the next five years is 480
000 work opportunities, across all Departments
and local government, with 60 000 work

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opportunities planned for the current financial
year. The Expanded Public Works Programme
will be linked to the National Youth Service. The
objectives will be to employ 1 000 young people
as part of the National Youth Service (NYS); to
utilize these unemployed youth in the
maintenance of public assets (clinics, hospitals,
schools); and to equip them with basic skills
while maintaining these assets.

Honourable Speaker, one of the five pillars of
the ANC Manifesto is rural development.
Accordingly, rural development, land,
agrarian reform and food security is our third
strategic priority for the term. As a Province that
has a legacy of endemic rural poverty, the
objective is to improve the quality of life of
people in rural areas.


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Our vision for rural areas will be guided by a
Rural Development Strategy, which will be
taken for consultation with relevant stakeholders
before finalization by end of June 2009.
Fundamentally, the strategy seeks to unleash
the socio-economic development potential of
the Eastern Cape, by addressing decisively the
historical neglect of rural areas; to reverse the
legacy of inequitable access to basic services;
to reverse spatial imbalances which have
continued to dog our economy; to improve the
coordination and integration of service delivery
across government, and to foster sustainable
partnerships.

We will pay particular attention to ensuring long-
term sustainability of food security. In this
regard, we will intensify the implementation of
the Siyazondla Programme, which research
shows, has been a successful intervention.

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Working together with other spheres of
government, we will strive for the protection of
the rights of farm workers and dwellers; engage
the Land Claims Commission for finalisation of
all land claims to remove impediments to
investment, address challenges of land
administration in communal areas, and develop
a clear regulatory framework for effective land
use and management.

The rationalization of rural development entities
into a single Eastern Cape rural development
entity is going to receive urgent attention.
Current anti-poverty initiatives in the Province
will be integrated into both the Industrial
Development and Rural Development
strategies. The Eastern Cape is going to benefit
from a sustained focus on the development of
rural infrastructure and the development of
income-generating capacity for rural areas. For

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this purpose, we will soon launch a Provincial
Rural Development Fund. We have chosen the
Mhlontlo Local Municipality as a pilot site for this
integrated approach to rural development,
wherein all sectors of government will converge.

Honourable Speaker, and Honourable
Members, our fourth area of service delivery
engagement is the strengthening of our
education, skills and the human resource
base. We are also aware that one of the key
impediments and binding constraints to growth
and development in the Province has been the
scarcity of skills, and the lack of a consistent
skills-building programme. We will therefore
continue to implement and lead the various
skills initiatives under the Provincial Strategic
Skills Programme, whilst continuing to build
partnerships for skills development across all
targeted growth sectors. In order to increase the

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skills required in the economy, the re-
capitalization of the FET colleges is being
intensified. Teacher training and the provision of
teaching facilities will be improved. We shall
also strengthen our partnerships and
collaborative efforts with Lower Saxony and
Baden-Württemberg on the area of skills
development through the FET colleges.

Honourable Speaker, there is no doubt that the
School Nutrition Programme has been a key
weapon against poverty in the Province. We
acknowledge that its implementation has been
beset by a number of challenges. We will
therefore focus our attention on a range of
initiatives aimed at improving the overall
management and impact of this programme in
its footprint, quality, geographical reach and the
nutritional value of the meals. With the
introduction of School Nutrition in Quintile One

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secondary schools, 174 105 learners in 183
schools will benefit in the 2009/10 financial year.

Through the development and implementation
of an intensive Learner Attainment Improvement
Strategy (LAIS) for the Eastern Cape, we will
redouble our efforts to improve the provincial
learner outcomes throughout the system in
general, and matric results, in particular.
Learner Attainment Improvement Strategy
provides on-site school support for New
Curriculum Statement implementation and
learning area support for teachers, especially
focused on content knowledge gaps;
developmental programmes for curriculum
officials; strengthening the assessment
guidelines for curriculum delivery for Grades R
to 12, as well as developing teaching/learning
support material. Special emphasis is being
placed on Maths, Maths Literacy, Physical

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Science and English. Focus is being placed on
under-performing schools.

Furthermore, we are going to work hard to
ensure that scholars from poor and working
class communities are encouraged and assisted
in their enrolment at tertiary institutions. We will
do this because we are mindful of tertiary
education attainment as a lever for breaking
inter-generational poverty. The role of proper
vocational guidance and career planning as a
long term solution to skills shortage will also
take centre stage in this term. Similarly, we are
already hard at work in reviewing the impact of
the various financial schemes to ensure greater
synergy.

President Jacob Zuma has lifted education as a
societal priority. In this regard we would like
encourage all parents and communities to

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participate in the election of the school
governing bodies that are underway throughout
the month of June. Government, together with
the social partners, will closely monitor the
implementation of the quality teaching and
learning campaign that was launched in April
2009 in our Province.

Honourable Speaker, the task of improving the
health profile of the Province is our fifth
strategic priority. This seeks to promote the
general health and well-being of the people of
the Province, especially the promotion of equity,
accessibility and utilization of health services.
The focus for this term will be on the
functionality of the health system at institutional
level, notably at clinics and hospitals; on
recruitment and retention of health
professionals; and on infrastructure
development and maintenance.

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As part of strengthening the District health
system, we are committed to ensuring the
availability of essential drugs at all times
through the proper management of supplier
contracts. We will also accelerate the
refurbishment and renovation of clinics, 24 hour
community health centres and District hospitals,
and we will promote healthy lifestyles through
sport and recreation

We are reviving and strengthening community
involvement in health issues through structures
such as clinic committees and hospital boards.

The rate of HIV and AIDS and of TB remains
unacceptably high in the Province. We are
therefore intensifying a number of interventions,
including the expansion of prevention, care and
treatment services to people infected with, and

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affected by, HIV and AIDS and TB. One
hundred and five health facilities will be
accredited to provide Comprehensive Care,
Management and Treatment Services in the
current year. We would like to call on all the
citizens of the Province to play their part through
responsible behaviour and in encouraging TB
patients to complete their treatment regime.

We believe that primary health remains the
frontline of improving the health profile of the
Province. We are aware of the challenges
facing the Eastern Cape in this regard, and we
are committed to working with the local sphere
to deliver comprehensive primary healthcare in
this term.

Honourable Speaker, the intensification of the
fight against crime and corruption is our sixth
strategic priority. Among other things, we are

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establishing Community Safety Forums within
all municipal areas, to focus on issues such as
tourism and school safety.

As part of the crime prevention strategy,
community policing structures will be
strengthened through active participation in
street and village committees. A special
emphasis is going to be placed on rural safety,
placing youth at the forefront of the fight against
crime. We are intensifying our efforts at curbing
social crimes aimed at women and children. In
this regard our oversight of the South African
Police Service will be improved.

Initiatives, like the Provincial Anti-Corruption
Strategy and Plan, started in the previous term,
will be strengthened. This will include ensuring
that all Departments have the requisite anti-

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corruption, risk management and fraud
prevention capacity.

Honourable Speaker, our seventh strategic
priority is the building of a developmental
state, the improvement of the public service,
and the strengthening of democratic
institutions. Our approach to social
transformation is premised on the
understanding and acknowledgement that
Government remains central to the fundamental
task of confronting the challenges of poverty
and underdevelopment. The public service is
the engine of Government and its posture is
fundamental for the overall performance of the
State.

In this term we will return back to basics and
pay particular attention to those issues that
define the experience that ordinary people have

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when they access Government services. Among
other things we will ensure that in our dealings
with the public we are timely in our responses;
we dignify the less fortunate and go the
extra mile in rendering services. We will display
zero tolerance to non-performance, and we will
comply with the guidelines of paying our service
providers within 30 days. All public servants
must play their role in our quest to build a caring
society.

Honourable Speaker, it is crucial to recognise
that both the Executive and Legislature are
important partners in improving performance.
In this term we will inculcate a culture of respect
to the organs of State in general, and the
Legislature in particular. We will be responsive
to House resolutions and petitions and field
accurate answers to questions.


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We also acknowledge the need to develop and
maintain a fully enabled, functional and vibrant
planning, monitoring and evaluation capacity
within our Provincial Government. To this end,
the establishment of the Provincial Planning
Commission, based in the Office of the Premier,
and tasked with improving planning coordination
across the spheres of Government in the
Province, will receive urgent attention.

2009 will be the year of grounding our planning
for the next 5 years. We will also strengthen all
structures meant to facilitate co-operation with
Local Government. In this regard an Inter-
Governmental Relations Summit will be held
before the end of 2009 to firm up co-operation,
especially around planning and service delivery.

The improvement of financial governance will
continue to be a key priority for our Government

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in this term, in both provincial and local spheres.
To this end we are supportive of a campaign
driven nationally to achieve clean audit
outcomes by 2014. Working in consultation with
municipalities, the three co-ordinating
Departments, namely the Office of the Premier;
Provincial Treasury and the Department of
Local Government and Traditional Affairs will
devise coherent plans of support to
municipalities to further improve municipal audit
outcomes.

We will take urgent steps to address the
shortage of office accommodation in Bhisho and
in the Districts. We will also explore
accommodation options for public servants,
especially in small towns and rural areas in the
eastern part of the Province.


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Honourable Speaker, our eighth and final
strategic priority is building cohesive, caring
and sustainable communities. It is incumbent
upon us, as directed by the President, to
develop a common attachment to our country,
our Constitution and national symbols. In
advancing this message, we will initiate a range
of activities, which will contribute to the
development of national identity. The promotion
and strengthening of school and community
sport and arts and culture have an important
role to play in fostering a sense of patriotism
and community solidarity.

Our society faces many challenges. The rape of
children and the high rate of abuse of women
are scourges which call for rebuilding the moral
fabric of society and a return to the values of
ubuntu. Working with faith-based organizations,
traditional leaders and local government we will

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intensify support for the Moral Regeneration
Movement. The effective provision of child care
and protection services, care and support to the
elderly, and people with disabilities, and
programmes aimed at prevention of substance
abuse and rehabilitation will be enhanced to
promote care for the poor and the vulnerable.

We welcome that a Ministry for Women, Youth
and People with Disabilities has been
established. We are already working together
with the Ministry in preparing to host the
National Children's Day in November 2009. We
will also be working together to ensure the
strengthening of the provincial gender
machinery.

Furthermore, as Honourable Members know,
the Eastern Cape will host 2010 FIFA World
Cup matches in Port Elizabeth, and offer

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training facilities in Mthatha and East London.
As a Province we are proud to be the first to
have completed and opened a 2010 stadium.
We are indeed ready to welcome the peoples of
the world and the multitudes of soccer fans to
our shores. We must ensure that this
international spectacle leaves us with a lasting
developmental legacy. Accordingly, everything
is being done to ensure that the current
infrastructure improvements as well as related
benefits, are sustainable beyond 2010. As a
Province we are confident that security
arrangements and protocols for 2010 are well in
hand.

Honourable Speaker, in implementing these
eight Strategic Priorities we commit to work in
partnership with all our social partners. In
particular, we will work very closely with the

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institution of traditional leadership, especially in
relation to our Programme of Rural
Development.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank the
people of the Eastern Cape for successfully
hosting the Indian Premier League cricket
tournament, which was organized at short
notice and during a very busy time in our
national calendar.

As I conclude Honourable Speaker, let me take
this opportunity to wish the young people of our
Province success in celebrating Youth Month.
This year the commemoration of June 16 takes
place against a backdrop of changes in youth
development policy, heralded by the advent of
the National Youth Development Agency. Work
is already underway to pilot legislation aimed at
repealing the Eastern Cape Youth Commission

35
legislation, in line with the spirit and imperatives
of the NYDA Act.

In the coming days, Members of the Executive
Council of will provide more line-function
specific details of this Programme in their
respective Policy Speeches.

Furthermore the Executive Council will embark
on an extended Outreach in the month of July.
This is aimed at engaging communities and our
partners in the local sphere of government on all
aspects of this Provincial Programme of Action,
to ensure seamless implementation.

Our success lies in our collective effort as the
People of the Eastern Cape. We have the
potential to succeed.


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Working together, we shall ensure that the steps
we have outlined in this House today contribute
meaningfully in changing the lives of our people
for the better. We accordingly declare to the
people of our Province that, through honesty
and dedication in working together, we shall
achieve more.

I thank you
Baie dankie
Ke ea leboha
Enkosi