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Date: 29/05/2007 Source: Limpopo Provincial Government Title: Moloto: Limpopo Office of Premier Prov Budget Vote 2007/08
Budget speech of the Office of the Premier (Vote 1), delivered by the Premier of Limpopo, Mr Sello Moloto, at the Legislative Chamber, Lebowakgomo
Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Honourable Members of the Executive Council, Honoured Traditional Leaders, Leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) and other political parties, Honourable Members of the House, Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen
Last Friday, the people of Limpopo joined other Africans in celebrating Africa Day. This day, the 25th of May continues to occupy a special place in the political calendar of the African Continent. Forty four-years ago the world saw, on this day, the leaders of African people convening under one roof to form what was then called the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Underpinning this mission was a common desire to end the system of colonialism and to bring about liberation, equality, justice and progress to the countries of Africa.
United in action, the African people chose to fight for what is theirs and march forward in peace towards freedom and liberation. Today as we meet here, the significance of this historic effort remains forever etched in our memories. We are a continent devoid of colonies and related forms of subjugation. We have indeed taken charge of our own destiny in reconstructing our continent and making it a better place to live in.
Through such programmes as Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) and other means, we are doing well in fostering good governance and socio-economic transformation of Africa. Our peacekeeping missions and related interventions have begun to yield desired outcomes if the developments in such countries as Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Sudan and Ivory Coast are anything to go by. We are, indeed, on the right track in rebuilding a continent from century-old wars, genocides, disease, economic recession, and abject poverty and above all, the so-called "dark continent."
Speaker,
Notwithstanding these milestones, hallmarks and achievements, there continues to be concerted efforts by those opposed to progressive transformation to reverse our gains in some parts of the continent. The lust for power, disrespect for democratically elected leadership, corruption, greed and general lawlessness have torn and continue to tear nations apart. Day-in-day-out we see and read about innocent Africans being displaced within their own countries or becoming refugees.
This phenomenon breeds hunger, disease, famine and ultimately death if not dying from the war itself. Rebel movements have taken over the place of genuine opposition in a normal democratic state. As opposed to constructive criticism that any democracy requires, cheap propaganda and war rhetoric that breed anarchy and these endless civil wars have become the daily life experience of many Africans.
These people tend to believe that they can only be correct, revolutionary and appeal to the so-called public opinion by differing with everything the government of the day does, whether correct or incorrect. They choose to put a blind spot on whatever achievements which would have been scored in order to pursue their personal interests.
Speaker,
The continent is well endowed with mineral resources like oil, natural gas and other precious deposits. Therefore these civil wars have got a direct bearing on the exploitation of these natural resources. Many of our African brothers and sisters are engaged in these wars unaware of the fact that they are involved in fighting sponsored wars and in the process advancing interests of other political powers whose aim is to pursue selfish interests.
Speaker,
Our lesson from these experiences is that every freedom needs to be jealously guarded, consolidated and advanced. We believe that in South Africa we have set out all the machineries to defend and advance our constitutional democracy. We should consider ourselves fortunate that our people are well educated to understand and detect any of the tendencies which are meant to destabilise their hard won freedom and democracy. In this context we would like to congratulate the parents in Moutse who in the light of disruptions stood up to defend the education of their children. These they did because they understood that education is a tool that can secure the future of their children. We would like to encourage them to continue to defend this hard won democracy and freedom.
Our constitutional state has afforded us channels, which everybody who has grievances can follow. Our doors remain open to any stakeholder who might still be having any grievance regarding the abolishment of cross boundary municipalities. We therefore invite the Moutse Demarcation Forum and Moutse community in its entirety to join us in our endeavour to create conditions for a better life for all. Our belief is that we need all stakeholders to join and support us in our efforts to make service delivery happen in all our communities.
Speaker,
It is against this background that the Office of the Premier presents this Budget Vote that in many ways mirrors the fruits of freedom our forebears have sacrificed so much for. The Office has got as its central objective the provision of good governance, integrated planning and sustainable growth. This is realised through ensuring that there is innovative and strategic leadership that is provided to provincial departments and society at large.
Speaker,
In addition to our central co-ordination role, the Office is also required to implement all policies and laws within the functional areas listed in schedule 4 and five of the Constitution. Central to this task is the harmonisation and alignment of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) with the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) of municipalities; the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP); the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (AsgiSA) framework; as well as the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals.
Guided by the objectives enshrined in the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PDGS), the Office is committed to bringing quality service to the people of Limpopo through co-ordination and marshalling of the performance of the provincial departments and state owned enterprises to equal the tasks at hand. The strategic plan and the annual performance plan of the Office of the Premier for 2007/08 have all been drawn up to ensure that the objectives we earlier referred to are realised. We have also developed an operational plan that would guide us on a monthly basis in the implementation of both the strategic and the annual performance plans.
Human Resource Development (HRD)
The provincial Human Resources Development Strategy has been aligned to the PGDS. The long term plan with baselines on current and required skills and annual targets to address skills gaps has been finalised and approved. A dedicated unit in the Office of the Premier has been established to implement the strategy and we will ensure that departments are supported to develop their sectoral plans on the HRD Strategy.
The Project Management Unit (PMU) is interacting with Further Education and Training (FET) colleges to ensure that their ongoing curriculum content, restructuring and development addresses the skills needs of the province. We are also delighted by the recent announcement of Anglo Platinum about the imminent establishment of a R283 million Mine Training Centre in our province. The focus of the centre will be on practical underground training in a working environment, infrastructure development skills, supervision, maintenance, and above all, equip trainees with conventional and mechanised skills to match the spread of mining techniques employed by various mines in the province. The centre will benefit no less than 2 000 trainees per annum. We believe this initiative will go a long way towards helping produce highly skilled artisans our economy needs at the moment.
Honourable Speaker,
On the other hand, our skills development programmes such as internship and learnership have begun to make the necessary impact. The internship programme has seen the number of interns increase by 206 from 1 124 in 2006 to 1 330 this year. There is also a steady progress made in ensuring that interns are placed in vacant positions existing in government departments. In the previous financial year 168 interns were absorbed. In the same period we awarded bursaries to 2 256 candidates in areas of scarce skills.
Special Programmes
Speaker,
We are proud of the enormous strides made by all departments to improve the provincial equity status which has seen more women and people with disability benefiting from transformation. It is highly encouraging to note that all departments have heeded our call on this matter and are now above the 30% required target of women representation. We have recorded a noteworthy improvement in the representation of women in senior management service (SMS) level from 32,7% last year to 37% this year. Despite this significant achievement, we remain concerned about the low representation of women managers in Municipalities which is still far below 30%. We wish to take this opportunity to implore on our municipalities to emulate the good example shown by our provincial departments in this regard.
As we have announced in the State of the Province address earlier this year, the province has also reached the required 2% target of people with disabilities in the SMS band of our public service, making us one of the few provinces in the country to comply with the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) resolution on this matter. We have now set for ourselves to reach the target of 2,4% of disabled employees at SMS level by the end of 2007/2008 financial year. Overall, we commend all departments for leading by example in transforming the character and the outlook of our public service.
Youth Development
Honourable Speaker,
We have successfully launched the provincial chapter of the National Youth Service Initiative and we hope to recruit more young people to participate in the programme. The province has taken a deliberate decision to increase the number of our intake from the initial 1 000 to 3 000 in order to respond to the President's call for 20 000 volunteers to be enlisted across the country.
In the last budget vote, we promised to launch the Premier's Youth Excellence Awards to recognise the contribution and the many talents of young people in the province. We have since given recognition and honour to a total of 21 deserving young people who are the pride of our province. The awards will continue every year and are intended to honour and encourage those young people who demonstrate innovation and courage in the face of adversities.
Thusong Service Centres (TSCs), Community Development Workers (CDWs) and Batho Pele
Our continued endeavours to realise the goal of bringing government and its services closer to the people is on track and continues to bear fruits. At the end of 2006/07 financial year, the province had already established 17 Thusong Service Centres, formerly known as Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCCs).
The recent study conducted by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on the effectiveness of TSCs or MPCC points to the fact that many people are making use of the services offered at these centres although there are also a number of challenges. Besides Home Affairs and social services that are provided in these centres, our people have identified other needs, which would include youth empowerment and economic advisory services. The other services which still seem to be out of reach of our people, which these Thusong Service Centres can provide include banking services, justice, correctional and policing services.
From the recommendations of the study and our general observation, it is quite clear that more efforts are needed to promote integration of services at these centres for better and sustainable service delivery. These centres have proven to be critical for service delivery and we are going to ensure that we meet the set target of one MPCC or TSC per local municipality by 2014.
Honourable Speaker,
In addition to the Thusong Service Centres programme we have just referred to, our CDW programme continues to make a dent in our endeavour to bring government services closer to the people. According to the recent official records in the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), CDWs in Limpopo have been identified as the best performing CDWs in the country in terms of meeting the challenges that they are confronted with.
Since the establishment of the CDW programme in the province over 13 308 cases have been attended to; 7 071 of these cases have been successfully resolved and the remaining ones have since been referred to line function departments. Several road shows have been conducted during the previous year to promote mutual partnership and understanding between CDWs and their Ward Councillors and Ward Committees on the other hand. This we hope will lay to rest, fears and misunderstandings that may still exist between CDWs and their Ward Councillors.
Policy development and co-ordination in government
Speaker,
The impact of the Provincial Planning Unit is beginning to be felt. We are observing a remarkable improvement in the quality of Departmental Strategic and Annual Performance plans. There is also an improvement in terms of integration of the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) of municipalities and developmental plans of both provincial and national government.
In the same vein, all our District municipalities, have been assisted with a budget of R40 million to do forward planning for capital projects to be implemented this year. Of this amount Mopani District benefited R6,121 million for water works and supply in the areas of Maruleng, Modjadjiskloof and Middle Letaba. Sekhukhune District utilised R19,5 million for farm town planning services in Steelpoort and the planning of roads in Burgersfort town. Capricorn District on the other hand benefited for the augmentation and development of Oliphant River Water Resource to the value of R3 million, while Vhembe district received R5,4 million for the Kutama Sinthumule Regional Water Scheme (RWS) bulk supply and pump station phase two. Further planning support will be provided to provincial sector departments and municipalities in the 2007/08 financial year to prepare plans for implementation in 2008/09 financial year.
Communication Services
Speaker,
Access to information has been identified as one of the key principles of Batho Pele. This requires of us to ensure that our people know what the government is doing, including the impact of government programmes and services on their daily lives. Our provincial government is nevertheless still experiencing difficulties in communicating its messages to our people. Systems in some of our departments and municipalities require a complete revamp if we are to adequately respond to this challenge.
We have identified outreach programmes such as "Izimbizo and Executive Council (Exco) meets the people" as a crucial platform. As a measure of strengthening our communication, we have established solid and working partnership with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in the province. We are also engaging other media institutions to join hands with government in this regard.
We should also hasten to mention that we have engaged institutions of higher learning in the province for the development of a skills programme for both communicators and media practitioners in the province. The University of Limpopo-Turfloop Graduate School of Leadership has agreed to partner with us in the delivery of the first programme this year.
Through the CDW programme and the envisaged partnerships we are looking forward to improving communication systems in the province, particularly at the local spheres of government.
Provincial Government Information Technology Officers (PGITO) System
Honourable Speaker
Our endeavour to implement an e-government strategy is still being pursued. We have already started to initiate a series of plans towards implementing the strategy that will be embarked upon during the course of this financial year. We live in an evolving information society which demands societies everywhere to adjust their roles and responsibilities in accordance with the needs of a globalising and enterprising world. In this context, the Information Communication Technology (ICT) is fast becoming a must in our daily lives, let alone in the performance of the affairs of the state and the corporate sector.
Here in our own country and indeed in the province, there is an increasing awareness of the need for data communication infrastructure to be shared not only between various spheres of government, but also with the public, educational institutions and communities at large. The challenge that we face is to ensure that citizens benefit on a wider scale by taking part advantage of information superhighway which can then enable them to take part in democratic processes and economic opportunities that are now available.
This has been confirmed by the choice that the people of Dipichi made when they were asked about the services they need in one of the Presidential Imbizos in 2005. They prioritised the tower for the coverage of their cellular phones instead of basic services such as water and electricity. This shows that our people take communication and information more seriously.
Speaker,
Learning from the experience of Dipichi, the public service could explore the possibility of using cell-phone communication through SMSs over and above the conventional methods of circulars. If this proves helpful within the public service, possibilities could further be explored to communicate with members of the public. We believe this could go a long way in ensuring that our people derive maximum benefits from ICT and experience the information superhighway that we always talk about.
Legal Services
Speaker,
The Office of the Premier is the axle on which the legal responsibilities of the province hinge. The Executive Council has confirmed the need to explore the establishment of the State Law Advice Office to advise departments on legal matters. This will see closer liaison and convergence amongst all the departments on matters relating to legislation drafting, legal research and litigation challenges. This will mean that the cases that are in various stages of completion in various departments will be monitored at a common point and that departments will have compliance officers to offer immediate support on a daily basis.
The Office of the Premier has not as yet reached the ideal of making sure that the State Law Advice Office carries all its responsibilities particularly in the area of litigation. Government continues to lose many cases in court, because of poor co-ordination, lack of records and administrative inefficiencies.
Labour relations
The provincial government enjoys relative labour peace and stability. This is historically largely attributed to our consistent and timeous handling of grievances and disciplinary cases. In order to sustain our labour peace and stability, we shall pay attention to the implementation of a Case Management System this year.
These efforts may however be undermined by emerging signs and potential for labour unrest that we have begun to witness as a result of the number of cases that are still pending. This potential for labour unrest would obviously stem from the fact that procedures from the Labour Relations Act and the Code of Good Practice are not adhered to by our labour relations practitioners. The other challenge we are faced with which is linked to the one we have alluded to earlier on, is the continued reliance and usage of private legal firms in the resolution of labour disputes. We urge both the executing authorities and accounting officers to pay attention to this area.
Traditional affairs
We have just emerged from a successful Traditional leadership summit which was attended by stakeholders from various walks of life. The purpose was to establish a common programme and to share with Traditional Leaders thoughts and experiences on how best we could work together to improve the lives of our people. We have all agreed that transformation of our country and its economy in particular require our traditional leadership to occupy the centre stage. Government on the other hand is committed to continue providing the required support to this important institution so that our traditional leaders are in a better position to discharge their responsibilities.
Honourable Speaker,
The implementation of the Limpopo Traditional Leadership and Institutions Act, 2005 and the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders Act, 2005, have begun in earnest. In the last four weeks we constituted all five local houses of Traditional Leaders in our districts. We have also elected the new provincial leadership of the House of Traditional Leaders in line with the new Act. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to congratulate and welcome the newly elected leadership of these important institutions of our people. Furthermore we also wish to congratulate Khosi Kutama on his recent election as the new Chairperson of the national House of Traditional Leaders in our country.
Speaker,
As promised, we undertook an audit of all traditional authority offices with the view to identify their capacities and constraints in the administration of traditional affairs. The audit process is almost complete and has since revealed a number of weaknesses. These include non-compliance with Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and other government regulations. We are already in the process of implementing some of these recommendations, particularly on financial management and placement of personnel into the mainstream public service. As required by the Public Service Act and regulations the existing personnel in these traditional authority offices will have to comply before they are appointed.
We are mindful of the fact that some staff members may not qualify to be placed as a result of age and other factors. The Office is putting together a well considered social plan to take care of the personal development needs of the affected employees. The capacitating of both the traditional leaders and their support units will continue to receive our priority attention even this year going forward.
Honourable Speaker,
We are delighted to announce progress that is being made in the building and renovation of a number of Traditional Council offices such as Mphephu, Ngove, Tshikonelo, Marota Marulaneng and Matlala Dichueung Traditional Council offices. These offices are almost complete with one that has already been handed over by the Department of Public Works for habitation. During the 2006/07 year, the offices of Matlala Ramoshabo and Bantoane Traditional Councils were transferred from Mpumalanga Province to Limpopo and had to be reconstructed.
For the year 2007/08 the following offices will be built or refurbished:
* Kutama Traditional Council * Mphanama Traditional Council * Bakgaga ba Mothapo Traditional Council * Ramauba Traditional Council * Homu Traditional Council.
We hope as stated in the State of the Province Address that the Nhlapo Commission on Traditional Leadership of Disputes and Claims will report on the first phase of their work in the first quarter of 2007. This will put to rest our anxieties regarding to the existence of Kingships and paramount-ships in the province.
Speaker,
It is my honour and privilege to place before this house the 2007/08 Budget Vote of the Office of the Premier for appropriation:
Budget and programmes structure per Economic Classifications 2007/08: Office of the Premier
Budget 2007/2008
Administration: Compensation of Employees: 69,686 Goods and Services: 41,418 Transfer Payments: 5775 Capital Payment: 3,198 Total: 120 077
Corporate support Compensation of Employees: 44,404 Goods and Services: 38,641 Transfer Payments: 2,793 Capital Payment: 8,316 Total: 94 154
Policy and governance Compensation of Employees: 145,264 Goods and Services: 65,238 Transfer Payments: 22,046 Capital Payment: 1,654 Total: 234 202
Compensation of Employees: Goods and Services: Transfer Payments: Capital Payment: Total: 448 433
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