Date: 20/09/2004
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: T Makwetla: Provincial Industrial Summit
MPUMALANGA PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTKEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE MPUMALANGA PREMIER, MR. TSP MAKWETLA, AT THE PROVINCIAL "INDUSTRIAL" SUMMIT, Dunkeld Country Estate, Dullstroom, 20 September 2004
Programme director,
MEC Mabena and other MECs present today
Your Excellencies, mayors and representatives of local government
Leaders and representatives of the business community, workers and broader civil society
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is a special pleasure for me to be here with you today, at the occasion of the Mpumalanga "Industrial" Summit.
This Summit is the outcome of extensive consultations and partnership between government and relevant stakeholders in our province.
It is truly a significant sign of what can be achieved through "forging partnerships" for the development of our province.
Indeed today Dullstroom is a symbol of hope and our unwavering commitment to turning into a reality the people's contract to create work and fight poverty.
Upon the election of the Provincial Executive Council, we announced that we would meet with our social partners in order to consolidate a common vision on the promotion of rising levels of growth, investment, job creation and people-centred development in the province.
Today, I am pleased to report that we have initiated and held various interactions with our social partners across the province. We have met with Sasol in Secunda, Eskom in Witbank, COSATU, organised business, and various community based groups, amongst others.
In all these engagements we have exchanged views and shared our understanding of what needs to be done to grow the provincial economy and to improve the lives of our people.
I am pleased to also report that preparations for the Provincial Growth and Development Summit are on course.
In line with our vision of the Summit and what it is supposed to achieve, various 'sectoral' Indabas, forums, and mini-Summits are being held to ensure that we are thorough in our preparations and to ensure that the Summit will be a success.
You will recall that since June, we have held a provincial Taxi Summit, a public sector service delivery Summit, and a Tourism Indaba. A provincial "Roads" Indaba is also planned for later this year.
Mpumalanga is a province that is generously endowed with natural resources. We have extensive deposits of coal, gold, chrome, magnesite, iron ore, vanadium, limestone, dolomite and silica, amongst others.
We are the 'energy' province in our country, producing more than half of our country's electricity needs through Eskom.
The unique combination of mining and energy capabilities in our province have over time given rise to substantial downstream activity in such sectors such as iron and steel, mineral beneficiation and heavy chemicals.
As the country's dominant forestry production area and source of many agricultural products, we have also contributed to the growth of manufacturing sub-sectors such as agro-processing, wood and wood products, and pulp and paper, among others.
Nevertheless, despite having the natural endowments and existing industrial capabilities that would be the envy of many, our province has not matched its potential.
As presented in the Mpumalanga Development Profile, prepared by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), our provincial economy has grown slower than the national economy between 1990 and 2002.
Even as our growth accelerated, during the period 1996-2002, it has been slower than that of provinces such as Gauteng, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal.
Challenges
The challenges facing our province, in particular and our country in general, are immense.
Many of our people are unemployed or find themselves in productive activities that utilise little of their abilities and offer limited rewards.
Many of our people are also poor and not only lack access to basic services such as housing, health, adequate education and nutrition, but also have high degrees of 'vulnerability' to events that they cannot control and are often marginalised from important local and national institutions.
As we enter the Second Decade of Freedom, we have committed ourselves to addressing these challenges by speeding up the creation of work and by further strengthening the fight against poverty.
We have said that a foundation has been laid by previous administrations in the province from which we can solidify the quantitative and qualitative gains that have been made in improving the well-being of our people.
We have consistently been mindful of the possible dramatic impacts that can be made by a concerted focus on the economic growth path of our region.
I am sure that we would all agree that a growing and sustainable provincial economy is the key to addressing many of the challenges that we face and for extending the scope of development and empowerment in the province.
This Industrial Summit is a reflection of our seriousness about growing the provincial economy
Intention
Our intention to host a Provincial Growth and Development Summit is testimony to our resolve that such a Summit should outline concrete plans and programmes for addressing the growth and development challenges that we face as a province.
Our engagements today and tomorrow should lay a solid foundation for a provincial Growth and Development Summit that will be inclusive, comprehensive and decisive in nature.
It will be inclusive in terms of participation by all relevant stakeholders in our province. It will be comprehensive with regards to the sectors of the economy that will be discussed such as agriculture, tourism, industry, and services. Finally, it will be decisive because it will deliver bold and meaningful outcomes that will open a new chapter for our province and improve the conditions faced by our people in their day to day experiences.
Therefore it is with much anticipation that we await your deliberations during the course of the
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: T Makwetla: Provincial Industrial Summit
MPUMALANGA PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTKEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE MPUMALANGA PREMIER, MR. TSP MAKWETLA, AT THE PROVINCIAL "INDUSTRIAL" SUMMIT, Dunkeld Country Estate, Dullstroom, 20 September 2004
Programme director,
MEC Mabena and other MECs present today
Your Excellencies, mayors and representatives of local government
Leaders and representatives of the business community, workers and broader civil society
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is a special pleasure for me to be here with you today, at the occasion of the Mpumalanga "Industrial" Summit.
This Summit is the outcome of extensive consultations and partnership between government and relevant stakeholders in our province.
It is truly a significant sign of what can be achieved through "forging partnerships" for the development of our province.
Indeed today Dullstroom is a symbol of hope and our unwavering commitment to turning into a reality the people's contract to create work and fight poverty.
Upon the election of the Provincial Executive Council, we announced that we would meet with our social partners in order to consolidate a common vision on the promotion of rising levels of growth, investment, job creation and people-centred development in the province.
Today, I am pleased to report that we have initiated and held various interactions with our social partners across the province. We have met with Sasol in Secunda, Eskom in Witbank, COSATU, organised business, and various community based groups, amongst others.
In all these engagements we have exchanged views and shared our understanding of what needs to be done to grow the provincial economy and to improve the lives of our people.
I am pleased to also report that preparations for the Provincial Growth and Development Summit are on course.
In line with our vision of the Summit and what it is supposed to achieve, various 'sectoral' Indabas, forums, and mini-Summits are being held to ensure that we are thorough in our preparations and to ensure that the Summit will be a success.
You will recall that since June, we have held a provincial Taxi Summit, a public sector service delivery Summit, and a Tourism Indaba. A provincial "Roads" Indaba is also planned for later this year.
Mpumalanga is a province that is generously endowed with natural resources. We have extensive deposits of coal, gold, chrome, magnesite, iron ore, vanadium, limestone, dolomite and silica, amongst others.
We are the 'energy' province in our country, producing more than half of our country's electricity needs through Eskom.
The unique combination of mining and energy capabilities in our province have over time given rise to substantial downstream activity in such sectors such as iron and steel, mineral beneficiation and heavy chemicals.
As the country's dominant forestry production area and source of many agricultural products, we have also contributed to the growth of manufacturing sub-sectors such as agro-processing, wood and wood products, and pulp and paper, among others.
Nevertheless, despite having the natural endowments and existing industrial capabilities that would be the envy of many, our province has not matched its potential.
As presented in the Mpumalanga Development Profile, prepared by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), our provincial economy has grown slower than the national economy between 1990 and 2002.
Even as our growth accelerated, during the period 1996-2002, it has been slower than that of provinces such as Gauteng, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal.
Challenges
The challenges facing our province, in particular and our country in general, are immense.
Many of our people are unemployed or find themselves in productive activities that utilise little of their abilities and offer limited rewards.
Many of our people are also poor and not only lack access to basic services such as housing, health, adequate education and nutrition, but also have high degrees of 'vulnerability' to events that they cannot control and are often marginalised from important local and national institutions.
As we enter the Second Decade of Freedom, we have committed ourselves to addressing these challenges by speeding up the creation of work and by further strengthening the fight against poverty.
We have said that a foundation has been laid by previous administrations in the province from which we can solidify the quantitative and qualitative gains that have been made in improving the well-being of our people.
We have consistently been mindful of the possible dramatic impacts that can be made by a concerted focus on the economic growth path of our region.
I am sure that we would all agree that a growing and sustainable provincial economy is the key to addressing many of the challenges that we face and for extending the scope of development and empowerment in the province.
This Industrial Summit is a reflection of our seriousness about growing the provincial economy
Intention
Our intention to host a Provincial Growth and Development Summit is testimony to our resolve that such a Summit should outline concrete plans and programmes for addressing the growth and development challenges that we face as a province.
Our engagements today and tomorrow should lay a solid foundation for a provincial Growth and Development Summit that will be inclusive, comprehensive and decisive in nature.
It will be inclusive in terms of participation by all relevant stakeholders in our province. It will be comprehensive with regards to the sectors of the economy that will be discussed such as agriculture, tourism, industry, and services. Finally, it will be decisive because it will deliver bold and meaningful outcomes that will open a new chapter for our province and improve the conditions faced by our people in their day to day experiences.
Therefore it is with much anticipation that we await your deliberations during the course of the
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