Date: 27/11/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Answers to questions in National Council of Provinces


QUESTIONS FOR ORAL REPLIES BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT, JACOB ZUMA IN THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

QUESTION FOR ORAL REPLY

QUESTION NUMBER: 1
DATE: 25 NOVEMBER 2003

Mrs C Nkuna to ask the Deputy President:

Whether government communication has been found to be sufficiently integrated and coordinated to ensure effective communication of the government's policies and programmes to ordinary South Africans; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

We have made significant progress in promoting coordination and integration in government communication during the past five years since the establishment of the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS). In fact, part of the mandate of GCIS is the development of a government-wide system to ensure that government communicates in a coordinated and integrated way.

To this end a number of coordinating structures have been established since the establishment of GCIS. These include:
* The Government Communicators Forum that meets three times a year and includes communicators from all departments and provinces
* The Ministerial Liaison Officers Forum

* The Provincial Heads of Communications Forum that meets four times a year with the GCIS.

The International Marketing Council, which was established two years ago as an independent partnership of government and the private sector, is responsible for coherence and co-ordination in communication outside South Africa. It promotes co-ordination amongst the various departments and agencies engaged in international marketing and communication.

Government as you know has an annual planning cycle for governance. The communication structures and coordinating systems are integrated into this cycle.

Through these mechanisms government communicators are able to provide support to Cabinet members who, in addition to regular departmental communication, participate in clustered communication including media briefings during the opening of Parliament in February, as well as after the mid-year Cabinet Lekgotla when Parliament resumes after the mid-year recess.

Ministers along with Premiers and MECs, Mayors and Councillors also participate in the Imbizo Focus Weeks twice a year, which involve all departments and spheres of governments. The President and Deputy President make Imbizo visits to provinces at least twice a year. Through these visits, in which representatives from all three spheres of government participate, integrated government communications also becomes visible.

While these measures have been effective in promoting integration and co-ordination, there is a need to sustain them in order to make further progress.

QUESTION NUMBER: 2
DATE: 25 NOVEMBER 2003

Mr BJ Tolo to ask the Deputy President:

Whether, in respect of its stated commitment to women, youth, children and the disabled, the government is sufficiently using its role in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) to take the lead in creating opportunities to formulate appropriate responses to the problems faced by these targeted groups on the continent; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

The answer to the question is yes.

Immediately after the first African Union (AU) Summit in Durban in July last year, President Mbeki, as the Interim Chairperson of the AU, was mandated to restructure the Organisation for African Unity into the new structure of the AU.

One of the guiding principles of this transformation was to integrate gender considerations in the overall structure of the AU in line with a decision taken by the Durban Summit that gender should cut across all programmes of the AU.

As part of this process a gender unit was placed in the office of the Chairperson of the AU.

During the transformation, the AU made provision for integrating the NEPAD secretariat into the AU organisational structure. By so doing the principles of the NEPAD programme were integrated into the eight portfolios stipulated in the AU statute. As NEPAD emphasises the importance of the vulnerable groups, provisions were made for integration of these principles into the work of the AU.

With regard to people with disabilities, the AU has asked the South African Government to host the Secretariat for the African Decade for Disabled People. The Secretariat will work with national committees that comprise of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the disabled, and governments to implement the AU Continental Plan of Action for the disabled. It will work closely with the NEPAD Secretariat to ensure that NEPAD programmes integrate the needs of the disabled people. Lastly, the Secretariat will facilitate capacity building for the disabled peoples' NGO in the continent.

This decision that South Africa should host the Secretariat was done in recognition of South Africa's leading edge on issues pertaining to the challenges facing the people with disabilities.

QUESTION NUMBER: 3
DATE: 25 NOVEMBER 2003
Mr BJ Mkhaliphi to ask the Deputy President:

With reference to the challenges faced by local government in terms of mobilising people to actively participate in matters of governance, including integrated development plans, what role in the context of cooperative governance does he envisage should be played by (a) national and provincial government in assisting local government to meet these challenges and (b) ward committees in promoting democratic participation?

REPLY

(a) Since 1994, this government has created many new avenues for citizens to participate in governance. The establishment of ward committees and the integrated development plans or IDP processes are just some of the opportunities that have been provided for at a local government level.

Government recently introduced the national planning framework to enhance integration in the areas of strategic policy prioritisation as well as to improve policy decision-making. The IDP process is part of this framework and we expect its introduction to assist in the interaction between national, provincial and local spheres of government with regards to planning.

At a national level we have established key structures such as the Forum of South African Directors-General (which includes provincial Directors-General) and the Presidential Co-ordinating Council. These structures help ensure that there is better co ordination of policy making and the implementation of government programmes at national, provincial and local levels of service delivery.

Whilst the IDP involves local communities in identifying their needs, it also allows national and provincial departments to assist in policy direction and to monitoring the progress that is being made at local government level.

Despite these major strides there are major challenges of ensuring capacity and the ability to implement the identified initiatives in a more efficient manner. We are however implementing programmes in an effort to improve capacity at a local level.

(b) We have provided for ward committees, consisting of elected residents of that ward to work with the Ward Councillor and ensure that there is improved contact between local government and the people.

To further improve on delivery, government decided to create a level of Community Development Workers to all municipalities. These workers must firstly find out if people know what services are available to them and secondly must help them to access those services. This is aimed to contribute towards improved service delivery to the poor and to further assist communities in organising themselves and participate in democratic decision-making.

QUESTION NUMBER: 4
DATE: 25 NOVEMBER 2003

Ms M P Themba to ask the Deputy President:

(1) With reference to the vulnerability of children in society, what role does the government envisage for ordinary citizens, religious leaders, schools and NGOs to broaden the consciousness of society in general about the challenges facing our children;

(2) whether any steps are to be taken by the various spheres of government to strengthen the coordination, monitoring and performance mechanisms of programmes aimed at protecting children; if not, why not; if so, what steps?

REPLY

(1) We all have a responsibility to do all we can to improve the quality of life of all our children. I therefore wish to emphasise that it is important that all people, in particular religious leaders, teachers and NGOs working on children's rights issues, to do whatever they can to improve the quality of life of our children.

Obviously we expect community leaders, whenever they have the opportunity, to inform people about the challenges facing our children. This is not limited to religious leaders and teachers but also to members of Parliament, members of Provincial Legislatures and Local Government Councillors. We need to strengthen the dictum of "any child is my child" and to develop and strengthen programmes at a community level to address the problems facing our children.

I also urge as many people as possible to become involved in the Moral Regeneration Movement structures being established at provincial and local government levels to rebuild the moral fabric of our society. In doing so we will make this society a better place for our children.

(2) In order to improve the attention that government was giving to protecting children, the Office on the Rights of the Child was established in The Presidency. This office works through children's rights specialists in government to ensure that children's rights are mainstreamed into government programmes. The co-ordination is centralised in the National Programme of Action on Children, which brings together government and organs of civil society and is government's key co-ordination mechanism across all levels of government.

This co-ordination ensures that government meets its commitments. Also important is the action taken to ensure the use of performance indicators that guide the government's promotion of children's rights.

Issued by: The Presidency
27 November 2003