Date: 27/06/2005
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government
Title: Peters: Municipal Conference
Speech by Northern Cape Premier, D Peters at the Municipal Conference, Kimberley, 27 - 30 June 2005
Programme Director
MECs, MPs & MPLs
Judge President Kgomo
Honourable Mayors and Councillors
The leadership of SALGA
Officials of Government
Traditional leaders present here
Leaders of Faith Based Structures
Business representatives
Rep of CBOs and NGOs
Media representatives
Distinguished guests
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
We are privileged and honoured to host this very important conference, and be part of a forum which seeks to embark upon an enthusiastic debate on challenges confronting our municipalities.
Allow me ladies and gentlemen to acknowledge with appreciation the presence of all our dignitaries who have heeded to our call to be part of this conference and join us in these deliberations.
I also wish to acknowledge the presence of eminent friends and partners of our provincial government, those whose partnership is critical to our functional efficacy. Your support will go a long way in assisting us in fulfilling our mandate to our people.
I also believe that your presence here is an unequivocal manifestation of your conviction and commitment to our common goal of ensuring that people living with disabilities benefit from the political transformation of our country.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m particularly excited about the timing of this conference which coincides with the celebration of an important charter of our people, the Freedom Charter. Yesterday we joined the rest of the country in celebrating this charter which clearly defines the very essence of forums like these and spurs us on to act.
June 25 and 26 1955, are dates indelibly impressed on the minds and hearts of many freedom loving South Africans. On those two days, our country witnessed the climax of months of efforts on the part of the people of this country, men and women throughout the country striving for the liberation of their country. The adoption of this historic Freedom Charter forms part the basis of our policies today.
On those days, freedom loving South Africans gathered at Kliptown and amongst others said that in a truly democratic South Africa: there shall be houses, security and comfort for all. Failure to provide these services means that we are in part failing the aspirations of our fore-bearers whose hopes were pinned on a local government which can respond to the basic needs of all its citizens.
As South Africans, the People’s Contract unites us. This contract includes a responsibility to progressively improve access to services by all South Africans regardless of whether they are classified as living with disabilities or not. Our municipalities are the closest we get to our people and they should take the lead in addressing the critical issue of how we provide services to our people. We have learnt that as much as we strive to address lack of services in our communities we are leaving a very important section of that community.
We have a responsibility to create a nation that is all inclusive, tolerant and healthy enough to enjoy these freedoms.
* How do we diminish the loneliness and isolation experienced by people living with disabilities?
* Do the facilities we are building such as clinics, sports facilities, community halls etc address these challenges or are they blocking people living with disabilities out.
* Have we made the necessary adjustments to the physical features of our premises to overcome physical barriers to access
* Do the facilities we are constructing in the country provide people living with disabilities with a sense of belonging and enable them to form lasting friendships and develop the necessary skills to be come integrated into their communities
* How do we increase civic participation of people living with disabilities, is it by engaging them in volunteerism and increasing awareness issues impacting them.
* Many people living with disabilities in our country enjoy leading independent live. Often people with disabilities or their families, friends and caregivers need reliable health information to overcome barriers affecting their quality of life, are we providing enough information
* How do we address discrimination against people living with disabilities as most of them are still subjected to different forms of verbal and physical abuse, lack of access to social opportunities and barriers to employment?
* Despite the commendable efforts of government and community organisations in advancing the challenges faced by people living with disabilities, more still needs to be done on disability awareness programmes
* How do we devote our energies as a collective with a shared commitment towards gaining a full understanding of the potential within each individual that every person regardless of their apparent limitations can thrive and benefit from our young democracy
* How do we ensure that our municipalities are capacitated with the knowledge and skills that allows them to provide quality support programmes for those in need for the developmentally disabled and its auxiliary services
* How do we ensure that our municipalities develop creative programs to promote the quality of life and personal growth of people living with disabilities
* How do we ensure that our institutions in and outside of government dedicate themselves to adhere to progressive legislation in order to expand our service delivery programme and provide social, health and community resources for people at risk and those in need of assistance
* How do we ensure that democratic and developmental local government, which empowers our people to act as their own liberators and directs reconstruction at local level, is further strengthened to play its role.
I do not believe that any of the challenges we face are insurmountable. During these deliberations we should arrive at strategic objectives which seek to advance our service delivery objective to people living with disabilities. We should treat all our citizens as members of our communities, as dignified citizens who have responsibilities and rights.
In our quest to reach all our people, we should ensure at all times that we introduce programmes which adapt to the different needs of our people and utilise public and private resources effectively and equitably to carry out our mandate.
Ours is to promote equal opportunities for disabled people and eliminate discrimination against disabled people. We should encourage good practice in the treatment of disabled people.
Ladies and gentlemen, we should bear in mind that it is unlawful to treat disabled people less favourably than other people for a reason related to their disability. Government will and shall defend this right all the way.
This conference provides us with a rare opportunity to set the pace for further integrated planning and the implementation of many other initiatives. We should participate in this conference with great optimism, as it should chart the way forward, and produce clear strategies that will locate all stakeholders, at the centre of the programme of action.
In the Northern Cape more than anywhere in the country, we need devoted men and women who will bring together this common vision, and create opportunities for our people. We must also ensure that people living with disabilities themselves are part of the implementation process of some of the strategies that are drawn from this conference.
Our starting point is to get the basics right.
It is our function as government to ensure that all South Africans have access to all our services and that no individual or group of individuals lay claim to, or monopolise these services in any form, to the exclusion of others.
Some of our answers lie in the Project Consolidate Programme. This is a two year engagement programme which will allow national and provincial government, together with other key partners in the private sector, to find new, creative, practical and impact orientated modes of engaging, supporting and working with local government.
We are excited as most municipalities which have substantially high levels of service delivery and infrastructure backlogs are now receiving systematic support which is rendered in terms of Project Consolidate. It is the combination of this support and the expansionary budget allocated to municipalities which offer the potent material for acceleration.
This exercise is aimed at assisting government on how to develop more intimate familiarity with the needs and priorities of local communities. It will also help to bring local and provincial priorities into synergy with national objectives.
One of the key objectives of Project Consolidate is to increase local government capacity for strategic planning. The capacity of our municipalities to prepare good Integrated Development Plans remains uneven.
We hope that the progress we are making thus far will ensure that we reach every corner of our country and access opportunities to all. These are very important building blocks for the developmental stage. This conference should therefore be geared towards empowering our municipalities on how to integrate our service delivery programme and also forge partnership.
By converging here today, you have all placed a permanent mark that indeed you are serious about seeking constructive participation to better service delivery to persons with disabilities. I am the first to admit that this process will not be easy. But will be achieved if undertaken in a manner that encourages high levels of community involvement. Seeking this constructive participation is therefore a responsibility of each and every one of us. As government we believe that this interaction is inherent in good citizenship.
Ladies and gentlemen, you’ll agree with me that providing essential services to our people is a very important activity in our society. It is also a very important indicator of how a particular society is organised. For this reason, our country too has a responsibility to use all available resources to assist our people to move in a particular direction.
A direction which creates a South Africa that is also biased in favour of the poor and those at risk, such as our youth, women and people living with disabilities. We can only achieve this objective through your contribution and commitment. Through your strategies and plans, we will begin to make the wishes of our people come true.
People living with disabilities rely on each and every one of you to participate fully to ensure that we grasp all opportunities and maximise the value of our programme of action. The importance of caring and responsive governance that is embraced by the spirit of Batho Pele is absolutely essential. The need to compliment our skills with the necessary values and attitudes should be emphasised.
We certainly hope that your contribution will go a long way in ensuring that we achieve our objectives. We should be developmental activists and champions of people centred strategies. After all, we are the servants of our people and the public will hold us accountable.
What guides our approach is that each one of us should lend a hand in doing the simple things that will make a difference to the lives of our people.
I believe that there are men and women who can take bold initiatives to make a difference.
There is no doubt that discriminating against people living with disabilities is a gross human right violation. But it is critical that we realise that human rights cannot be proclaimed by government alone. What we require is the development of a culture of human rights, where every individual is accorded the dignity and respect that the Constitution envisages. This means we must continue to act every day, in every sphere of society to realise our common humanity. To this we will remain committed.
Our optimism also stems from the fact that the political will to turn the situation around for the better exists, and a lot has happened already to demonstrate this.
I wish you well in the course of your deliberations and call upon you to continue with the unflinching commitment displayed by your presence, by working harder than ever before to make our response effective and efficient. I cannot finish my address without expressing my profound appreciation to all of you for taking part in this conference.
I congratulate the MEC for Housing and Local Government, Boeboe Van Wyk and your team, Speakers and facilitators, Mr Twasa and his team in the Office of the Premier, and all members of the organising team who worked hard to ensure that this conference is a success.
I hope what I have shared with you will serve as a board for more ideas. Together let us do what we have to do for the sake of our people who are living with disabilities.
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
27 June 2005
Source: Northern Cape Provincial Government
Title: Peters: Municipal Conference
Speech by Northern Cape Premier, D Peters at the Municipal Conference, Kimberley, 27 - 30 June 2005
Programme Director
MECs, MPs & MPLs
Judge President Kgomo
Honourable Mayors and Councillors
The leadership of SALGA
Officials of Government
Traditional leaders present here
Leaders of Faith Based Structures
Business representatives
Rep of CBOs and NGOs
Media representatives
Distinguished guests
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
We are privileged and honoured to host this very important conference, and be part of a forum which seeks to embark upon an enthusiastic debate on challenges confronting our municipalities.
Allow me ladies and gentlemen to acknowledge with appreciation the presence of all our dignitaries who have heeded to our call to be part of this conference and join us in these deliberations.
I also wish to acknowledge the presence of eminent friends and partners of our provincial government, those whose partnership is critical to our functional efficacy. Your support will go a long way in assisting us in fulfilling our mandate to our people.
I also believe that your presence here is an unequivocal manifestation of your conviction and commitment to our common goal of ensuring that people living with disabilities benefit from the political transformation of our country.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m particularly excited about the timing of this conference which coincides with the celebration of an important charter of our people, the Freedom Charter. Yesterday we joined the rest of the country in celebrating this charter which clearly defines the very essence of forums like these and spurs us on to act.
June 25 and 26 1955, are dates indelibly impressed on the minds and hearts of many freedom loving South Africans. On those two days, our country witnessed the climax of months of efforts on the part of the people of this country, men and women throughout the country striving for the liberation of their country. The adoption of this historic Freedom Charter forms part the basis of our policies today.
On those days, freedom loving South Africans gathered at Kliptown and amongst others said that in a truly democratic South Africa: there shall be houses, security and comfort for all. Failure to provide these services means that we are in part failing the aspirations of our fore-bearers whose hopes were pinned on a local government which can respond to the basic needs of all its citizens.
As South Africans, the People’s Contract unites us. This contract includes a responsibility to progressively improve access to services by all South Africans regardless of whether they are classified as living with disabilities or not. Our municipalities are the closest we get to our people and they should take the lead in addressing the critical issue of how we provide services to our people. We have learnt that as much as we strive to address lack of services in our communities we are leaving a very important section of that community.
We have a responsibility to create a nation that is all inclusive, tolerant and healthy enough to enjoy these freedoms.
* How do we diminish the loneliness and isolation experienced by people living with disabilities?
* Do the facilities we are building such as clinics, sports facilities, community halls etc address these challenges or are they blocking people living with disabilities out.
* Have we made the necessary adjustments to the physical features of our premises to overcome physical barriers to access
* Do the facilities we are constructing in the country provide people living with disabilities with a sense of belonging and enable them to form lasting friendships and develop the necessary skills to be come integrated into their communities
* How do we increase civic participation of people living with disabilities, is it by engaging them in volunteerism and increasing awareness issues impacting them.
* Many people living with disabilities in our country enjoy leading independent live. Often people with disabilities or their families, friends and caregivers need reliable health information to overcome barriers affecting their quality of life, are we providing enough information
* How do we address discrimination against people living with disabilities as most of them are still subjected to different forms of verbal and physical abuse, lack of access to social opportunities and barriers to employment?
* Despite the commendable efforts of government and community organisations in advancing the challenges faced by people living with disabilities, more still needs to be done on disability awareness programmes
* How do we devote our energies as a collective with a shared commitment towards gaining a full understanding of the potential within each individual that every person regardless of their apparent limitations can thrive and benefit from our young democracy
* How do we ensure that our municipalities are capacitated with the knowledge and skills that allows them to provide quality support programmes for those in need for the developmentally disabled and its auxiliary services
* How do we ensure that our municipalities develop creative programs to promote the quality of life and personal growth of people living with disabilities
* How do we ensure that our institutions in and outside of government dedicate themselves to adhere to progressive legislation in order to expand our service delivery programme and provide social, health and community resources for people at risk and those in need of assistance
* How do we ensure that democratic and developmental local government, which empowers our people to act as their own liberators and directs reconstruction at local level, is further strengthened to play its role.
I do not believe that any of the challenges we face are insurmountable. During these deliberations we should arrive at strategic objectives which seek to advance our service delivery objective to people living with disabilities. We should treat all our citizens as members of our communities, as dignified citizens who have responsibilities and rights.
In our quest to reach all our people, we should ensure at all times that we introduce programmes which adapt to the different needs of our people and utilise public and private resources effectively and equitably to carry out our mandate.
Ours is to promote equal opportunities for disabled people and eliminate discrimination against disabled people. We should encourage good practice in the treatment of disabled people.
Ladies and gentlemen, we should bear in mind that it is unlawful to treat disabled people less favourably than other people for a reason related to their disability. Government will and shall defend this right all the way.
This conference provides us with a rare opportunity to set the pace for further integrated planning and the implementation of many other initiatives. We should participate in this conference with great optimism, as it should chart the way forward, and produce clear strategies that will locate all stakeholders, at the centre of the programme of action.
In the Northern Cape more than anywhere in the country, we need devoted men and women who will bring together this common vision, and create opportunities for our people. We must also ensure that people living with disabilities themselves are part of the implementation process of some of the strategies that are drawn from this conference.
Our starting point is to get the basics right.
It is our function as government to ensure that all South Africans have access to all our services and that no individual or group of individuals lay claim to, or monopolise these services in any form, to the exclusion of others.
Some of our answers lie in the Project Consolidate Programme. This is a two year engagement programme which will allow national and provincial government, together with other key partners in the private sector, to find new, creative, practical and impact orientated modes of engaging, supporting and working with local government.
We are excited as most municipalities which have substantially high levels of service delivery and infrastructure backlogs are now receiving systematic support which is rendered in terms of Project Consolidate. It is the combination of this support and the expansionary budget allocated to municipalities which offer the potent material for acceleration.
This exercise is aimed at assisting government on how to develop more intimate familiarity with the needs and priorities of local communities. It will also help to bring local and provincial priorities into synergy with national objectives.
One of the key objectives of Project Consolidate is to increase local government capacity for strategic planning. The capacity of our municipalities to prepare good Integrated Development Plans remains uneven.
We hope that the progress we are making thus far will ensure that we reach every corner of our country and access opportunities to all. These are very important building blocks for the developmental stage. This conference should therefore be geared towards empowering our municipalities on how to integrate our service delivery programme and also forge partnership.
By converging here today, you have all placed a permanent mark that indeed you are serious about seeking constructive participation to better service delivery to persons with disabilities. I am the first to admit that this process will not be easy. But will be achieved if undertaken in a manner that encourages high levels of community involvement. Seeking this constructive participation is therefore a responsibility of each and every one of us. As government we believe that this interaction is inherent in good citizenship.
Ladies and gentlemen, you’ll agree with me that providing essential services to our people is a very important activity in our society. It is also a very important indicator of how a particular society is organised. For this reason, our country too has a responsibility to use all available resources to assist our people to move in a particular direction.
A direction which creates a South Africa that is also biased in favour of the poor and those at risk, such as our youth, women and people living with disabilities. We can only achieve this objective through your contribution and commitment. Through your strategies and plans, we will begin to make the wishes of our people come true.
People living with disabilities rely on each and every one of you to participate fully to ensure that we grasp all opportunities and maximise the value of our programme of action. The importance of caring and responsive governance that is embraced by the spirit of Batho Pele is absolutely essential. The need to compliment our skills with the necessary values and attitudes should be emphasised.
We certainly hope that your contribution will go a long way in ensuring that we achieve our objectives. We should be developmental activists and champions of people centred strategies. After all, we are the servants of our people and the public will hold us accountable.
What guides our approach is that each one of us should lend a hand in doing the simple things that will make a difference to the lives of our people.
I believe that there are men and women who can take bold initiatives to make a difference.
There is no doubt that discriminating against people living with disabilities is a gross human right violation. But it is critical that we realise that human rights cannot be proclaimed by government alone. What we require is the development of a culture of human rights, where every individual is accorded the dignity and respect that the Constitution envisages. This means we must continue to act every day, in every sphere of society to realise our common humanity. To this we will remain committed.
Our optimism also stems from the fact that the political will to turn the situation around for the better exists, and a lot has happened already to demonstrate this.
I wish you well in the course of your deliberations and call upon you to continue with the unflinching commitment displayed by your presence, by working harder than ever before to make our response effective and efficient. I cannot finish my address without expressing my profound appreciation to all of you for taking part in this conference.
I congratulate the MEC for Housing and Local Government, Boeboe Van Wyk and your team, Speakers and facilitators, Mr Twasa and his team in the Office of the Premier, and all members of the organising team who worked hard to ensure that this conference is a success.
I hope what I have shared with you will serve as a board for more ideas. Together let us do what we have to do for the sake of our people who are living with disabilities.
I thank you.
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
27 June 2005
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