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Date : 13/02/2004
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: N Mahlangu: Opening of Mpumalanga Legislature


ADDRESS BY PREMIER NJ MAHLANGU AT THE OPENING OF THE MPUMALANGA LEGISLATURE, RIVERSIDE GOVERNMENT COMPLEX, 13 February 2004

Mr Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Deputy President of the Republic His Excellency JG Zuma
Honourable members of the Mpumalanga
Legislature
Honourable members of Parliament
Honourable MECs
Their Majesties Amakhosi
Representatives of Local Government
Your Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

I stand before you as Premier of the ANC-led government.

Allow me to welcome all of us back after what must have been a gruelling festive season as we were doing our constitutional duty of reporting back to those who elected us to serve.

We also take this opportunity to congratulate the thousands of our youth that successfully completed their matriculation. We salute them, the principals, educators and parents who all combined to ensure that we achieve better results than in the previous years.

Mr Speaker, a decade ago we set out on an uncertain journey we knew was going to be difficult. It would be a journey to heal and build a country and province torn apart by apartheid oppression, racism wilful and malicious mismanagement. There were those amongst us who felt that the wounds inflicted by apartheid were too deep. But many of us knew that we had an obligation to build a new country and province from the ashes of a painful past.

At that time all of us - black and white - joined hands in tearing down the walls that divide us and put shoulder to the wheel in building and healing our province and country. We knew we had an obligation to free millions of our people from the conditions of grinding poverty, racism, sexism and violations of their human dignity.

All of us boldly took up the challenge to build a nation in which all people - irrespective of race, colour, creed, religion or sex - could assert fully their human worth. We did that because we knew then, as we know now, that after apartheid our people deserve nothing less than the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That is why in our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans we worked hard to produce an actual South African reality that would reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all. We chose to liberate all our people from poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and all forms of discrimination.

We realised that because we owed a commitment to the poor, the oppressed, the wretched and the despised, we must either swim together onto the calm shores of hope, prosperity and lasting peace or drown in the turbulent sea of hatred, mistrust and anarchy.

As we stand here today on the eve of a decade of freedom, we are convinced that we have taken that vital step towards ensuring that we work with greater speed in making that better life for all, a reality. That is why all of us here today, inside and outside of these portals, feel emotionally overwhelmed with our achievements and the wonderful things that beckon on the horizon.

Surely, we cannot help but be excited by the integration of communities in all spheres of life and the new spirit of reconciliation, nation building and patriotism that has been growing over the past 10 years. The process of reconstruction and development of our province and its transformation into a united democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society, and the realisation of the objectives of a better life for all our people, can no longer be halted. There is no turning back.

Indeed in the current decade we have scored decisive victories in the struggle to improve the lives of our people. We made new advances as we pursued the goals we had set ourselves when we adopted the Reconstruction and Development Program, a decade ago.

Mr Speaker, we are able to reflect on these strides today because of those in our country and province who took that decisive resolution to abandon privilege and comfort for a few, in favour of a better life for all. Allow me therefore to pay tribute to those leaders, activists, and our people - those who are alive today as well as those departed - for the solid foundation they laid.

In particular my salute goes to our former Presidents, Messrs. Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk and those who served with them in the first Government of National Unity. Our thanks also go to his Excellency President Thabo Mbeki for having ably guided and natured our young democracy through very trying times. Today we are on solid ground. And to my predecessor in Mpumalanga Dr Mathew Phosa, his executive and those pioneering trailblazers who left the comfort of their homes to serve in our first legislature, senate and assembly. They have laid a firm foundation for the realisation of the need for social progress, democracy, development and justice for all.

One day when the true history of this province is finally written, their names and deeds would be emblazoned for generations to proudly recall.

Mr Speaker because our people embraced the spirit of healing and building, Mpumalanga is different today from what it was a decade ago. That is why hundreds of thousands of people flock to our province "to enjoy South Africa (and Mpumalanga) in its civilised incarnation."

They know that when they come to Mpumalanga they will find swirling mists, craggy mountains and endless vistas where the earth plummets beneath one's feet. They just love the veil-like falls of tumbling waters in settings of unmatched beauty. Yes, they are bowled over by the breathtaking displays of light, colour, shade and changing moods. The splendour of our province enchants them. The vibrancy of our cultures always enriches visitors to Mpumalanga.

The majesty of our wild life enthrals them. The thrill of our myriad adventures enlivens every tourist as the intrepid spirit within them is awakened. The warmth of our hospitality enfolds them and the tranquillity of our countryside energises everyone who comes this way. Not only that. Every industrialist, financier and magnate now knows that our province is a haven for investment. Investments that create jobs that will most definitely lift our people from the depths of poverty and want.

Mr Speaker, we have broken with the past. We have moved on because we had this unshakable faith in a formidable cause we knew was right and just. Because we knew the task was formidable, we undertook to be one. One in our vision, one in our priorities, one in our values and one in our commitment.

When we took over we inherited a totally sick and skewed social order. Nowhere else was this racist order more prominent than in the distribution of social services. For instance only people of a particular grouping or race were given child-support-grants. Social security pensions and disabilities grants were paid in a discriminatory manner disadvantaging certain people, such as blacks.

Black people were not treated as equal citizens with their white counterparts. They were paid far less security grants and pensions, on a bi-monthly basis, while their white counter parts received higher grants and pensions. Many people in this province can attest to how this badly affected the social fabric of our communities.

Today security pensions, disability grants and child support grants are paid on an equal basis to every qualifying citizen in the province irrespective of colour, race or creed. This has clearly improved the lives of our people. Let us not forget that it is the ANC- led government that made this possible thus creating a better life for all. Today we can proudly say that the frontiers of possibility are grander than they were a decade ago. And as always the people of the province, black and white, must take credit for having made that possible.

But to ensure that our gains are not dissipated, we must up the tempo of reconstruction and development as we, together with the people, seal our contract to create work and fight poverty.

Of course, many challenges remain. Our challenge now is to ensure that within the coming decade, we win this fight against poverty. Poverty remains our national problem. We also need to reduce unemployment, crime and corruption. In the past 10 years more houses were built to accommodate the poor of our province. We built more classrooms. We constructed extra healthcare facilities. We expanded the infrastructure to provide services like water, sanitation, electricity and roads.

Mr Speaker, up until 1994 the majority of the people in Mpumalanga were living in rural areas with no source of income. Since 1994 our major challenge was to eradicate poverty and thus improve the lives of all our people. One way to do this was to transform the fragmented and discriminatory social security system. Through careful planning the number of social grant beneficiaries has grown rapidly from 164 894 to 395 722. These include old age benefits, war veteran's payouts, disability, care dependency and child support grants.

Through the partnership with the traditional leaders access to grants and social security pensions have improved in this province. The offices of traditional authorities are being used as service points with trained permanent staff available to assist grant applicants. Currently the Province annually funds more than 430 non-governmental and community based organisations to render social welfare services in partnership with government. These include funding organisations for the disabled in the province.

More than 7 174 wheelchairs have been issued throughout the province in the current decade. This program is rendered in all 17 municipalities and 12 693 individuals have benefited from the services rendered through this program. The Department of Social Services has an agreement with the Mpumalanga Provincial Council for the Blind to implement a community-based mobility orientation and independence-training program to blind and partially sighted people living in the province. To date 224 people have benefited from this program. 150 rehabilitation therapists are currently employed in the province. Basic rehabilitation services are rendered in 16 municipalities.

Before 1994 there was a lack of adequate health facilities, health personnel and basic health services such as primary, preventive and curative health. Great strides have been made in the provision of health services to the people of Mpumalanga, specifically in taking health care facilities to the rural and poor areas of the province. The introduction of community service doctors and other health professionals in our primary health care centres and district hospitals has improved the accessibility and quality of health care.

During the past 10 years we have been reaping the fruits of an agreement entered into with the University of Pretoria and Medunsa whereby the province taps into the expertise of professionals at this Health institution. This is enabling us in developing Witbank and Rob Ferreira hospitals into fully-fledged provincial hospitals. This process is at an advance stage.

In the last 10 years we have built a number of health facilities in the province and renovated those, which were in a state of disrepair. There are 239 fixed Primary Health Care facilities and 80 mobile clinics in the province. Since 1994, 19 new clinics have been built and 7 clinics are in the process of construction. In the Nkangala district we built the Moloto and Mmamethlake Health Care Centres and the Verana, Lefiso, Phake, Seabe, and Nokaneng clinics. We also upgraded and renovated Mmamethlake, Kwamhlanga and the Witbank hospitals. The latter is currently in its second phase of upgrading. The next phase of upgrading Witbank hospital is expected to commence in the coming years.

In the Gert Sibande district we spent more than R140-million to build the Piet Retief hospital, which we hope to complete in the next financial year. We also built health centres at Amsterdam, Perdekop and we are in the process of erecting a clinic at Bhuga. We renovated and upgraded the Ermelo and Embhuleni hospitals and we will soon start work on the Evander hospital.

In the Ehlanzeni district we upgraded the Tonga, Shongwe, Rob Ferreira and Themba hospitals. We hope to further upgrade these facilities in the next financial years.

In the Sekhukhune district we have upgraded the Groblesdal and Philadephia hospitals. We also brought health facilities closer to the people of Moutse west in the deep rural areas of Greater Marble Hall municipality by building a clinic there. The clinic will be operational quite soon. We have also started to erect a clinic in the Moutse East area.

Mr Speaker, I think you will agree with me that although we have not completed the task, we have made a great difference.

Ladies and gentlemen, combating HIV and AIDS is still one of our top priorities. That is why we budgeted more than R36, 3-million to further strengthen the provincial HIV and AIDS Programs. We have strengthened the Home Based-Care network in the province. Our plans to establish at least one major hospital, and one Hospice per district is on course. We have presently identified 12 sites to be used to pilot the anti-retroviral programme. As our other health institutions become ready and we have the necessary finances, we will expand the program of rolling-out anti-retrovirals to all corners of the province. We must emphasise that we have been treating all opportunistic deceases associated with HIV and AIDS. And we will continue doing so. While we continue with the roll out of the anti-retroviral program, we are appealing to members of society in this province to assist government in combating and preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS by not engaging in unsafe sex. Safe sex only.

There are 27 completed hospitals in Mpumalanga and two under construction, 21 hospitals and 19 clinics are providing Nevirapine. In the 2004/2005 financial year we plan to increase these sites at which Nevirapine is provided to 55 sites and R35-million has been set aside to deal with HIV/Aids programs during this period.

We do this in the spirit of our contract with the people in creating work and fighting poverty. We believe that the prevention of HIV and AIDS is the strongest weapon against the pandemic. We are calling upon all young people to abstain from sexual activity and those who are married or have partners to be faithful to their partners or otherwise condomise. We believe we can make Mpumalanga an AIDS-free province so that in the near future non- of us can be affected or infected with this pandemic.

Mr Speaker, under the previous system the majority of schools were overcrowded, under-resourced and had no proper buildings. This skimping and skewed distribution of resources was also felt on the farms. In this decade we have increased the number of classes by more than 4 800 classrooms. This means that we were able to accommodate more learners. As parents, we must continue to ensure that there is a culture of learning and teaching in our schools.

In this decade we transported more than 24 000 learners on 240 routes at a cost of R58 million. In the next financial year we plan to transport 33 803 learners at a cost of R62-m.There are more children receiving quality education at well-equipped schools than there were 10 years ago. We have enhanced the provision of learner support materials, infrastructure, scholar transport, scholar feeding and the general quality of teaching and learning. In our quest to improve effective teaching and learning and the implementation of Outcome-Based Education, the Department of Education has spent more than R581-million to purchase Learner Support Material in the last decade.

Ten years ago the provision of library and information services in Mpumalanga, particularly in the black areas, was appalling to say the least. The service was under-resourced and was largely provided for the advantaged minorities. We are proud that we have built two modern libraries in the deep rural areas of our province, namely at Daggakraal in the Seme municipality and at Maphotla in the Dr. JS Moroka municipality.

As a democratic government we also inherited an economy that relied heavily on the natural environment with very little beneficiation of the natural resources that the Province is endowed with. We have gone a long way in improving the economy of the province and in the process created much-needed jobs.

For instance we established petro-chemical projects as well as wood and forestry, mining, agro-processing and other projects valued at more than R2-billion providing employment to more than 2 000 people. In order to promote economic development in the province and address unemployment and poverty, we have established a task team to look into these matters. The task team consists of members of our parastatals dealing with economic growth in the province, the department of Public Works Road and Transport and the Department of Economic Affairs. Indeed, economic development is once again a top priority.

Two foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in "disease free buffalo breeding projects" were successfully contained during the current decade. We have an on going campaigns to contain, control, and eradicate 20 rabies, one anthrax, and 15 sheep scab outbreaks.

Before 1994 our farm workers and farm tenants in the province were treated worse than slaves. They were paid unbelievably low wages. They were mostly denied access to water, electricity, roads, education etc. They had their houses demolished at will and assaults on farm workers and tenants were regarded as normal. What is worse is that the criminal cases reported to the police were not investigated with the necessary vigour. We learned about these matters at our Ibises or Cabinet Outreach Programme.

I am pleased to state that the democratic government has taken steps to address these matters: His Excellency President Thabo Mbeki visited the communities to hear first hand about their hardships. Thereafter National Security Ministers were sent to deal the matter and the Mpumalanga Provincial Government ordered a reinvestigation of cases allegedly closed prematurely to afford these farmers and tenants access to proper justice.

The Mpumalanga provincial government together with this legislature held an Indaba with stakeholders with a view to putting an end to this dehumanisation of the farming community in this province. On 09 December 2003 the provincial government signed an agreement with the AGRI-Mpumalanga farmers Union whereby district and local municipalities would enter into arrangements with the farm owners in order to ensure that farm tenants and farm workers get access to facilities such as water, housing, roads, health, education etc. We hope a new dawn is on the horizon and that before the end of the next decade the provincial ANC-led government would be able to execute its mandate of providing basic services to all.

Since 1994, more than 486km of tarred roads and bridges were constructed at a cost of more than R372 million. Over 2 190km of gravel roads were laid at a cost of R86-million and 1 342km have been repaired and resealed at a cost of R76-million.We are currently constructing the first phase of Moloto road after completing the second phase, which is about 16km long. You will remember that this Moloto road has been dubbed a killer road of the province. The third phase of this road is also about to start and will be completed in the next financial years.

Another deep rural tarred road being constructed is the Mgobodzi road in the Nkomazi municipality. The other important intervention we are making is the construction of the Kgobokwane-Dennilton tarred road at an estimated cost of R27 million. These tarred roads will change the lives of these rural communities who suffered for decades under apartheid rule. We believe their lives will change for the better. Local contractors will be doing the job and in the process be empowered.

Mr. Speaker, if this is not a change of the lives of the people for the better, I don't know what else we should term a better life. Our Expanded Community Based Public Works Program continues to create more job opportunities through implementation of projects mostly in rural areas. The main aim of this program is to create jobs and alleviate poverty in our communities and extend capacity building and training as part of community empowerment.

In the current financial year, our government implemented 16 community projects amounting to R13,4 million in the Province. During the construction of these projects 485 job opportunities were created and 352 people benefited from training. The seven cluster projects identified for the 2003/2004 financial year are due for completion by the end of March 2004. Some R15 million had already been spent on these projects, which are the Department of Public Works main economic development and job creation projects.

This clearly demonstrates that in the past 10 years we have made marked progress in creating a better life for our people. In the coming years we are going to pay more attention to this program so that more work can be created and skills can be transferred to our people in the province.

We continue to house our people in decent, bigger and better houses they can call their own. A total of 113 771 units were built and transferred since 1994 to the 31st March 2003. More than 6 000 new houses were built since April 2003. More than 700 housing projects have been allocated to emerging contractors. More than 156 287.72 hectares of land which was unlawfully, immorally and unjustly taken from the people of the province by the previous regime, is back in the hands of the rightful owners or their descendants.

We have managed to provide free basic water at 6000L per household per month to 588 007 households during this decade of democracy. Only a few of our municipalities have not yet rolled out this program. We have installed meters in most municipalities including Thaba Chweu, Albert Luthuli, Nkomazi, Thembisile and Dr JS Moroka.

Despite this, we are all aware of the terrible drought that has gripped many parts of our province. Households, farmers and business in general are under heavy rain constraint. In order to deal with the water-scarcity problem gripping our province, a 500ml-diameter pipeline is being constructed from Rand Water Board in Mamelodi to Ikangala Water Board around Ekandustria. We believe that this intervention will alleviate, on a permanent basis, the problem of water in Thembisile municipality, which includes the areas of KwaMhlanga, Moloto. Kammelpoortnek and all sections of Tweefontein.

We are in discussions with the National Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, the Sekhukhune, Ehlanzeni and Kangala district municipalities to deal with the problem of drought in their respective areas. We hope to find a solution soon. We are presently providing free basic electricity to 78 461 households in the province.

Over the past 10 years we have provided water to more than 2 407 000 households. We have also provided electricity to more than 345 553 households. We have further decided to intervene as a provincial government, despite the fact this is not our competence, to bring water to the people at Ntoane and Kgobokoane in the Sekhukhune district. For many years during the apartheid regime these people did not have water. I am proud to say R10 million is being utilized to bring water to the rural people of Ntoane and install metres in their homes. The same is being done for the people of Kgobokoane at a cost of R4-million. Work is proceeding in both cases as I speak.

We have scored notable successes in the fight against crime. The level of intelligence gathering between all security agencies has been invaluable and has contributed to the reduction of some crimes, particularly bank related robberies, especially cash in transit heists. Overall, our SAPS has managed to reduce or stabilise serious crimes. These include crimes such as murder and rape. Serious crimes such as rape, whilst still unacceptably high, have reached the lowest levels since 1994-95.

The proceedings against approximately 32 cases for the theft of medicines from government are continuing. One medical doctor has been found guilty and we expect more convictions. Let me take this opportunity to thank those people who have donated resources like vehicles to assist Community Policing Forums in fighting crime.

Mr. Speaker, we are doing something about those who steal from the poor and who believe that funds meant for the most impoverished in our society are there for the taking. In the 1999/2000 financial year, in partnership with the private sector, we convened an Anti-Corruption conference. It was at this conference that we intensively debated the issue of corruption. At the end of these deliberations, the private sector supported the government's view of a zero tolerance approach to corruption.

This resulted in the formation of the Anti-Corruption Unit and Provincial Anti-Corruption Hotline, which is located in the Office of the Director-General with an emphasis to encourage whistle blowers to report on corruption within the civil service and to assist the Province in its fight against corruption. To date a total of 1 375 incidents of corruption, malpractice and misconduct were reported by whistleblowers. Some of these officials were criminally charged while others were charged for misconduct. Of these 144 people were dismissed after disciplinary hearings were held.

We have made great strides in improving the relationship between Government and Traditional Leaders in the Province. The legislation on Traditional Leadership and Governance has been passed by the National Parliament. The legislation seeks to provide a framework for provinces to promulgate their legislation regarding Traditional Leadership and Governance, particularly in clarifying the role and functions of traditional leaders and their institutions in governance.

In fact Mpumalanga Province had long started implementing the principles of the Act. The program of empowering traditional authorities to serve as local service centres by processing applications for old age pensions, disability grants, child support grants and others, is progressing well. Depending on the density of the population, each traditional office is servicing, a minimum of seven people and a maximum of thirty people per day. Vehicles granted to traditional offices are transporting such applications to their various destinations.

Mr. Speaker, the youth in our province have not been idle. They are involved in a number of community-based projects, which include the rehabilitation of dilapidated houses in Nsikazi, Nkomazi, Elukwatini, Mooiplaas and Nhlazatshe.

Assessments of youth in conflict with the law increased from 418 in 1999 to 486 in 2000 and 3565 in 2001. The youth crime prevention program has been strengthened by appointing 21 assistant probation officers.

We continue to manage and service existing twinning agreements signed with the province of Alberta in Canada, Chongqing Municipality and Sichuan Province in the Peoples Republic of China and Maputo Province in Mozambique. The agreements are progressing well and yielding fruits as per the objectives. We also renewed the Memorandum of Understanding with North Rhine Westphalia Province in Germany. It has been a resounding success and there are benefits for both parties.

Mr. Speaker, last February we acknowledged that the task to ensure that our government responds correctly to the challenge to help provide a better life for all requires that we build a public service committed to serve the people of Mpumalanga. We have done that. We have attracted and retained the right public servants into the public service, we have trained them properly, and we are supervising them effectively.

We also boast of an e-government. In this globalised world, our public servants are aware that recent technological developments have radically transformed the opportunities for good governance. That is why we are constantly making use of Information Technology to inter-act with the people. Our Multi-Purpose Community Centres mean that we can reach millions of people on a daily basis. Through our MPCCs, our Community Outreach Program, our Izimbizo and our open and transparent style of government, we are always in daily and respectful contact with our people. Our people are able to talk to us in an open and frank manner confident that the close bond that exists between them and their government, will always be there.

In our government, information technology is playing an important role in the provision of social services, public safety, and criminal justice. We are in the process of extending the opportunities and advantages of technology to our rural countryside, while at the same time creating a modernised and socially equitable agricultural sector. Computers have made social security claims processing quicker, education more accessible and tracking criminals faster. The lesson of our history -and the lesson of the last 10 years - is that great goals are reached step by step.

Mr. Speaker, this is the solemn pledge I make on behalf of the committed men and women I lead in the Provincial Executive Council. We acknowledge that more needs to be done in order to ensure that we create a better life for all our people. We assure our people that individually, and as a team we are committed and determined to serve them. We will continue to act with honour at all times. We trust that all members of the provincial Legislature, from all political parties represented here, will continue to put the interests of the people above self. We know they will work for a better life for all.

Let me express my sincere appreciation and thanks to the House of Traditional Leaders for the role they are playing in ensuring that the masses of our people in the rural areas will go to exercise their right to vote. Allow me also to thank all the public servants in the province for having loyally stood by their government at all times.

As Premier of the Province, rest assured that I will continue to strive for good governance, food for each table, jobs, and peace and security in every community. Rest assured that I would continue to work for the good of the family of Mpumalanga so that we can assure our children a truly prosperous nation. I will continue to work on improving moral standards in government and society, fight corruption and fraud in order to provide a strong foundation for good governance. I will do that as a loyal ANC cadre, mandated and directed by the policies of the African National Congress.

I THANK YOU

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
13 February 2004

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