His Excellency, President of the Republic of SA
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Members of the Executive Council
Executive Mayor Cacadu District Municipality
Mayor of Camdeboo Local Municipality
Councillors
Ladies and gentlemen

Programme Director, we meet here today on a very significant day and month in the history of our country.

It was on this day 21 years ago, on eve of our first democratic election in 1993, when a racist by the name of Clive Derby Lewis took the life of our struggle icon, comrade Chris Hani in the most cowardly act that we never imagined. Comrade Chris Hani like many other unsung heroes and heroines played a pivotal role in the struggle for the liberation of our people. He was on the fearless leaders that propelled us to the democratic breakthrough we achieved in 1994.

Today we salute him, and other fallen heroes and heroines of our struggle for fighting for the cause of a free and democratic South Africa. His blood together with that of Solomon Mahlangu and other cadres of the ANC was not spilt in vain. It brought us the fruits of freedom and democracy that we enjoy today. To honour them we must continue our collective work of reversing the imbalances of the past that our fallen heroes and heroines despised with all their hearts.

Our duty today, as we think back to how they fought unceasingly for our freedom, is to work untiringly in the service of our people. One of the imbalances of the past that still lingers in our mist is the school infrastructure backlog in our Province. Many would like us to believe that when we came into government in 1994 we found a working education system with adequate resources in all our schools. The truth is we found an education system in a state of decay, an education system that neglected the almost all schools in the poorest communities of our province.

Inspired by the ANC Manifestos, which have been constantly featured Education as a priority since 1994, we too resolute decisions to develop our education infrastructure throughout the province. Over the past twenty years, we consciously worked to address the need for a classroom environment that is more conducive to effective teaching and learning.

During this period we have recorded meaningful successes and these are:

• 1 467 schools have been built. The bulk of these schools are in the former Transkei and they range from small schools (meeting the requirements of basic functionality) to large schools (optimal functionality);
• 1 944 received major renovations or upgrading.
• 7 139 classrooms were provided to address overcrowding, disasters, reducing scholar transport in areas where learners had to walk long distances because their curriculum needs were not met in nearby schools;
• Out of the 42 Special schools in the province, 12 were upgraded and received additional facilities, 5 were built and the remaining were assessed for further infrastructure interventions
• 1 725 schools received running water or water tanks
• 2 296 schools received toilets
• 1 199 schools were electrified, i.e. grid or non-grid

That is a good story that we have in this province and no other political party but the ANC has the capacity to deliver such a huge basket of school infrastructure in a short space of 20 years. I must hasten to add that Government could not have registered the impact it has done thus far without the assistance of its social partners. We remain grateful for the funding provided by the European Union, UK’s Department of International Development (DIFID); the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Luxembourg Government, USAID and the Business Sector in our Country.

The opening of these Offices here today is another milestone in our education infrastructure development programme and after a resounding victory at the polls next month we are going to intensify our school infrastructure delivery.
With those few words I wish to welcome the President of the Republic of South Africa His Excellency President Jacob Zuma and his delegation to the Cacadu District Municipality. Hon President you are in Camdeboo Municipality at a town called Graafreinet, the fourth oldest town in South Africa and the hub of agri-toursim.

Namnkelekile.