Speech by Premier Mbhazima Shilowa at the Opening of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature

Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Members of the Executive Council
Leaders of political parties
Honourable members
Executive Mayors and other leaders in local government
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Heads of Departments
Managers and CEO's of Gauteng state agencies
The Provincial Commissioner of Police
Distinguished guests
Friends and comrades
The people of Gauteng

A special greeting to our people who are listening to us on radio, watching us on TV at community halls, at Beyers Naude Square across the road, or following on the website.

Congratulations to the Soweto Gospel Choir for winning their second Grammy Award. We are proud of their well earned success, which confirms that Gauteng is a hub of culture, music and creative arts.

On a sadder note, our heartfelt thoughts go out to the family, friends, fellow cast members and fans of the late Isidingo star, Ashley Callie, who passed away following injuries sustained in a car accident.

We also remember Emily Williams, the 12-year-old school girl from Fairlands, who was killed in the cross fire during a robbery last week. Our condolences go to the friends and family of Emily and others who have suffered a similar fate as a result of criminal activity.

These incidents should embolden us to join hands to intensify our fight against crime and to improve safety on our roads.

I stand before you to outline a programme of action for 2008 under the theme: Completing the five-year mandate - Laying the foundation for vision 2014. We make bold to state that the Gauteng provincial government will fulfill all the commitments made in 2004 to improve the lives of our people especially the poor, the unemployed, women, youth, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Together with the private sector we will continue to increase activity in highly productive and labour absorbing sectors of the economy so as to create increasing numbers of sustainable employment opportunities. We will continue to strengthen our efforts to create an enabling environment for economic growth through, amongst others, ensuring adequate skills and a safe environment.

Work continues unabated to ensure that more of our people, especially the poor and marginalized, women, youth and people with disabilities, become active participants in economic activity through the promotion of broad based black economic empowerment, local economic development and the development of SMMEs and cooperatives.

The programme we outline today will help us focus earnestly on factors such as poor health, lack of skills and social deprivation as part of our contribution to the people's contract to create jobs and fight poverty.

In recognition of our position as South Africa's most urbanised area, we will continue to explore unique possibilities for us to create an integrated, globally competitive urban region in the shortest possible time.

As we enter the last mile and based on our progress thus far, we are certain that when we reach the end of the term in 2009, our people will join us in celebrating the achievements we have made together with them. Working in partnership with them we will identify further priorities that need to be addressed if we are to realise our vision of where we want to be by 2014. Without undermining or downplaying the challenges that we still face, we will celebrate with our people progress made thus far while committing ourselves to doubling our efforts to further improve their lives.

Our people will acknowledge that we have prioritized their needs in housing, water and electricity supply, education, health and skills development. They will look at our track record and acknowledge that we have done what we could to create conditions for sustainable employment, to distribute wealth through broad-based black economic empowerment and small business development.

Women will look back and recognize the strides made in helping them enter the mainstream of the economy and in opening up opportunities to gain employment and promotion to senior positions. They will also say we have been on their side in the battle against abuse as well as HIV and AIDS. Young people and the disabled will be able to attest to the fact that we have laid a strong foundation for the realization of their needs and aspirations.

Township residents will look around them and say, indeed our residential areas are becoming decent places in which to live and bring up children. More people than ever before will be able to say our roads are now tarred, our refuse is collected regularly and we now have shopping complexes and job opportunities closer to where we live.

We have no doubt that the general population will also look back and say, despite the difficulties, we were together in fighting lawlessness and crime. They will see that our policies and programmes have assisted in growing the economy and in ensuring the attainment of our national goal to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014.

The 2007 Community Survey conducted by Stats South Africa shows that the percentage of informal settlements in our province has dropped to 22.6%. The percentage of households using electricity remains the highest in the country at 83.5%. The percentage of households with piped water now stands at 97.9%.

The unemployment rate in our province shrunk from 30.8 percent in 2003 to 22.6 percent last year. The labour absorption rate improved from 47.3 percent to 52.1 percent in the same period.

Our economy continues to create new jobs. In just one year, between March 2006 and March 2007, an additional 146 000 new jobs were created in Gauteng, according to Stats SA. This brought the total jobs as at March 2007 to 3,4 million. The percentage of persons aged between 5 and 24 years attending educational institutions has increased from 66.9 in 2001 to 68.8 in 2007.

While we should acknowledge that crime is steadily declining in the areas of common assault, rape, assault and robbery, we should equally confirm that violent crime, the abuse of women and children and house robberies in certain areas remain unacceptably high.

We can however say with confidence that a better Gauteng is in the making and that we are on track to complete our mandate and lay the basis for vision 2014.

We have achieved these successes, despite continued in-migration and the massive increase in the number of people now residing in our province. According to the 2007 Community Survey, Gauteng now has the highest population in the country, at 10,451 million people. One in four households in the country is now in our province.

Based on our review of the work done thus far and the need to move with speed to implement the tasks that remain, we will over the next financial year focus on the following priority areas:

* Stepping up efforts to build Gauteng as a competitive city region, which is increasingly prosperous, socially inclusive and able to meet the needs of all its people.
* Implementing the Gauteng Social Development Strategy which provides a comprehensive response to poverty eradication and creates opportunities for more people to move from dependency to productive economic activity and self-reliance.
* Building the capacity and organization of the state, which is central to the achievement of the first two priorities.

A central focus of our efforts to build the Gauteng City Region is government intervention to stimulate shared economic growth and job creation. Priorities in this regard include:

* The continued implementation of our Growth and Development Strategy, particularly initiatives in growth sectors that create jobs
* Broadening wealth creation, including through BBBEE and SMME promotion
* Investment in strategic economic infrastructure
* Promoting Gauteng's comparative advantages, including the ease of doing business and
* Addressing energy and sustainable development.

We are aware of the fact that our economy is facing major challenges. We however share the sentiments of Mr Allan Knott-Craig, the Managing Director of iBurst who said in a letter to his staff recently that: "2008 has certainly started with a bang! The future was rosy on 31 December 2007, but suddenly everyone is buying candles and researching property in Perth!

A combination of recession in the USA, global equity market negativity, high interest rates, the National Credit Act and power outages have combined to create the perfect storm.

But don't panic!

I think 2008 will be a tough year, but I also see it as a great opportunity to seize the day whilst everyone else is whinging and get a front-seat on the inevitable boom that we'll experience in 2009, 2010 and beyond."

We too believe that, despite uncertainty currently experienced within the economy, we remain on course to meet our goal of growing the economy by 8% by 2014.

As South Africans we have proved before that we have a strong will to succeed. If we work together we will ride this storm and get back to enjoying the better life that we committed ourselves to achieve in 1994.

Measures to save electricity, promote energy efficiency and increase the electricity supply must be a top priority for all of us this year. Every one of us as individuals, families, organizations, communities, government and business must respond to the national call to save electricity.

Together with municipalities and Eskom, and in line with the National Electricity Emergency Plan, we have agreed on a range of measures to manage the crisis in the short, medium and long term.

The first and most important step is to reduce our consumption of electricity by at least 10%. All provincial government offices which have not already done so will change to energy efficient globes and switch off lights and appliances at night and when not in use.

In line with the President's call we call on the public to name and shame those who fail to comply. Departments who were named by Radio 702 as failing to comply such as the Departments of Public Transport Roads and Works, the Gauteng Legislature building and the Johannesburg Roads Agency will have to take immediate corrective measures. Within the provincial government we have launched a campaign to raise awareness among all staff on saving electricity at work and at home. We call on civil society organizations, trade unions, the private sector and political parties to do the same.

Municipalities will install geyser ripple control switches in households and will supply geyser blankets and energy efficient light bulbs. Businesses will be encouraged to install generators. To minimize traffic disruption, light emitting diodes will be installed in traffic lights and traffic departments will be informed when loading shedding is taking place. Load shedding will be agreed to between municipalities and Eskom and municipalities will develop zones for shedding, to minimize the negative impact in key areas.

In the medium term, Eskom will assist in the supply of solar water heating to households, traffic lights will be powered by solar energy and energy management devices will be installed.

To increase energy supply and improve energy efficiency in the long-term, we will together with other spheres of government and the private sector, investigate measures to increase the capacity of existing power stations. We will explore the generation of our own electricity in government buildings, particularly in hospitals, and other key sites throughout the province, including shopping centres and office blocks.

It is our intention that, once the Gautrain is in operation, it should feed the electricity it generates back into the national grid. We call on the private sector to work with us in this regard to generate their own power. We expect Eskom to improve its capacity to buy electricity from private operators. We would also encourage businesses to position themselves to take advantage of opportunities to increase the supply of goods and services arising from the need for greater energy efficiency and operate in a more energy efficient manner.

If government, business and the people of Gauteng collectively take the necessary steps in the short, medium and long term, we are confident that we can minimize the negative impacts of load shedding on the economy and our society.

While the electricity emergency has raised investment concerns, we are pleased that big investors in Gauteng that we have been working with have not been discouraged. This includes the car manufacturers such as the Ford Motor Company, which recently announced a R1.5 billion investment in South Africa. Part of the investment will go towards the expansion of the production capacity of their motor assembly plant in Tshwane.

We will further expand the Automotive Supplier Park in Tshwane to accommodate the growing demand from a range of new motor manufacturers. We will expand the Logistics Centre and explore the creation of supplier parks related to the heavy vehicle industry for export purposes. New tenants who have taken space at the Park include Greely - the Chinese motor manufacturer - Original Equipment Manufacturers and Orange Vibrator, which supplies vibration testing equipment for the mining and automotive industry. We will expand the Supplier Park to Silverton, including a small empowerment park within this to assist small, medium and micro enterprises in the sector.

In partnership with the private sector, we have established the Gauteng Tooling Initiative to look at the development of the automotive, aerospace and other related industries.

A total of 4 404 direct jobs were created in the Automotive Supplier Park between 2002 and 2007, with 70% of them being from historically disadvantage backgrounds. A further 2000 employment opportunities were created in the support functions to the component suppliers. The annual tenant turnover of the park currently stands at R1.46 billion and 75% of this comes from exports.

Other initiatives to boost growth and job creation include the acceleration of work to establish a jewellery manufacturing precinct at the OR Tambo International Airport and plans to revive and increase the capacity of the Ekandustria industrial park in Metsweding.

All of these initiatives are evidence that a better Gauteng is in the making. We are on track to complete our mandate and lay the basis for vision 2014.

We will in the period ahead implement the G-link (Gauteng link) initiative to provide affordable broadband access to 95% of Gauteng's people within the next five years. This will add significantly to the province's GDP and job creation efforts by 2014. The initiative will not only enhance economic growth and investment, but will also contribute to social development and improve the delivery of social services. Entrepreneurs and SMME's will be linked to the information superhighway, giving them the opportunity to develop relevant products and services.

In the coming year we will expand our Innovation Hub to accommodate 40 high technology SMME companies. There are now 68 companies in the hub's Incubation Programme, employing a total of 850 people. Seven companies have graduated from the Incubation Programme and are achieving a turnover of R43 million and another 14 companies will graduate from the Incubation Programme this year.

We realize that to be more successful in growing our economy and expanding decent work opportunities, we need to reduce the cost and ease of doing business in Gauteng. This year we will establish a one-stop service for businesses interested in investing in Gauteng. We will also take steps to reduce red tape, streamline approval processes and upgrade the business portal. By March this year we will table before the Premier's Coordinating Forum (PCF) the report on the difficulties faced by businesses in Gauteng with a view to more effectively addressing these.

Within the tertiary sector, strategies to strengthen the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector and the freight and logistics sector will be concluded for implementation in the coming financial year. Further work will also be done on venture capital and increased financial support for emerging businesses, especially small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and Cooperatives.

Tourist arrivals to our province continue to grow, creating decent jobs and other economic opportunities for our people. According to the latest annual report of South African Tourism, foreign tourists visiting Gauteng increased by over 400 000. One in every two foreign visitors in South Africa visit Gauteng, making our province the country's highest earner of tourism income.

To strengthen our position as a tourism destination of choice we must continue to increase the appeal of our special destinations such as the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site and the Dinokeng Game Reserve. We must improve our tourism offerings in the areas of competitive sport and the creative industries.

Tourism attractions in and around the Cradle of Humankind have grown to 386 with over half of these offering graded accommodation. Dinokeng continues to grow, with 276 attractions. Together these two destinations now offer 9179 beds and 15 614 seats in 199 restaurants.

The threefold increase in the grading of accommodation at these sites is a sign that we are already well prepared for the hosting of tourists in the run-up to, during and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Only graded attractions will be able to offer official accommodation. In 2008 we will be working with product owners to achieve our target of 100% grading by 2010.

Plans for further development of the Cradle of Humankind in 2008 include the construction of two orientation centres and seven gateways. We are also planning an expansion of Dinokeng in the south east. We are in discussion with De Beers and we anticipate agreement that will allow sustainable tourism and mining activity to jointly contribute to a vibrant economy in Metsweding.

The creative industries have significant potential to create jobs and economic opportunities, particularly among women. We have implemented a range of initiatives in this regard, including the Pale ya Rona carnival. In the coming year we will implement strategies in the craft, music and performing arts sectors.

We will also this year launch the Gauteng Craft and Design Centre based on the national integrated craft hub model. This will include a central hub in Sandton as well as satellites in the West Rand, Ekurhuleni and Sedibeng. The initiative will benefit about 1800 crafters and 200 SMMEs in the sector. It will help develop a viable craft industry and link up local craft producers with retail, wholesale, tourist and local buyers as well as international buyers, importers and designers. The centre will empower craft entrepreneurs and create jobs and sustainable livelihoods through targeted interventions in design and innovation, market access and enterprise development.

We are achieving continued success in marketing Gauteng as a film production hub of choice. Market research estimates that the revenue of the sector in the province was R1,1 billion in 2006. A critical part of this is the provision of information to prospective productions, which has been facilitated by the launch of a searchable on-line directory of over 900 Gauteng-based companies in the sector. Last year the Gauteng Film Commission hosted a successful Film Indaba and supported five film festivals reaching out to an audience of more than 15 000 people. Festivals supported include the Encounters Documentary Film Festival, the Tri Continental Film Festival, Out in Africa Festival and the Sihlangana National Film Festival.

Significant progress has been made in building Gauteng as a home of competitive sport. In November last year we successfully hosted SoccerEx, the international exhibition and convention on the business of football. The event attracted thousands of foreign visitors to the province and has helped market Gauteng and the country internationally as a business, tourism and competitive sport destination. It has helped stimulate the sport sector of the economy and showcase our readiness to host a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup. We look forward to hosting the event again in 2008 and 2009.

Together with municipalities in Gauteng we are on track in preparing for the World Cup. In the coming year, we will step up our preparations and ensure that investment in infrastructure, transport, stadia, sport facilities, health care, youth volunteer programmes and other initiatives leave a lasting legacy for the development of our people. We will also cooperate with the LOC and the City of Johannesburg on initiatives linked to the hosting of the FIFA international broadcast centre at Nasrec.

SMMEs provide a key mechanism to expand participation in the economy. New projects to support SMMEs include smart assistance, a portal which will serve as a knowledge bank of pertinent information and sources of assistance for entrepreneurs. It contains online tutorials and guides for start-ups. The portal will provide access to virtual consultants to coach and mentor smart entrepreneurs. Smart opportunities provides an online platform which rewards entrepreneurs who find solutions to issues facing corporate and research organisations. The initiative will encourage entrepreneurs and investors to actively develop smart ideas, knowing there is a ready market for them.

The Gauteng Enterprise Propellor will continue to support SMMEs, with 50% of funding going to women and 30% to youth-owned enterprises.

We will this year pilot micro-financing loans above the Apex fund limit for small businesses with the aim of introducing these products by 2009.

A strategy to strengthen the cooperative sector has been developed and funds allocated to support 100 cooperatives by 2009. The aim is to facilitate their participation in strategic sectors and contribute to poverty alleviation and job creation.

A range of other initiatives are underway to promote youth and women-owned enterprises in key economic sectors including transport and construction.

In the coming year we will pay attention to the further development of small contractors and the creation of more jobs as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme. Particular attention will be paid to providing funding and business development support to women.

These once more confirm that a better Gauteng is in the making and that we are on track to complete our mandate and lay the basis for vision 2014.

We will continue to support broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) in the key job-creating growth sectors of the economy. We will continue to use our spending to broaden access to wealth creation by those sectors of the population historically denied such access.

In relation to procurement done jointly through the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC) and departments for the first three quarters of the 2007/8 financial year, BBBEE expenditure was 54%, of which 18,4% was women and 5,9% youth. This means that over R2 billion rand went to BBBEE companies.

As we approach the end of our term of office we will need to step up our efforts in this regard.

Immense progress has been achieved since construction started on Gautrain's 80-kilometre route featuring ten new stations. The project is helping to stimulate our province's economy, to promote empowerment and small business development.

Gautrain's contribution to black empowerment amounted to a total of R590 million in the current financial year, while small medium and micro enterprises received a total of R70 million for services provided to the project. In 2008/9 the project will contribute R710 million to black empowerment, and R70 million to SMME development.

Gautrain's key achievement is its ability to stimulate sustainable job creation. It is estimated that in 2007/8 the project created and/or sustained more than 29 400 direct, indirect and induced jobs. It is expected that these jobs will increase to about 33 000 in 2008/9.

The project has also helped in the initiative to bring back skills to the country. A number of construction professionals who left South Africa to work in the United Kingdom have returned home to work on Gautrain.

With a range of strategic economic infrastructure projects concluded and underway, the priority remains the strengthening of Gauteng's integrated transport system.

We will by July this year ensure that the Gauteng Transport Management Authority is up and running. The GTMA will establish operating standards for all public transport operators and take further our vision of a single ticketing system for all modes of public transport across Gauteng. This initiative will be piloted in 2009 and will include all subsidized public transport services, the municipal bus operators such as Metrobus and Pretoria City Transport, the proposed new Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRT) for Johannesburg and Tshwane, Gautrain and its bus feeder systems and the Wits and Tshwane Metrorail services.

It is essential that we get this system right. It should make public transport more accessible, convenient and affordable and reduce traveling times as well as provide spin-offs that will lead to further investment in public transport. Good roads play a significant role in economic development and ensuring the easy movement of goods and people. This year we will, in partnership with SANRAL, implement the Gauteng freeway improvement plan and accelerate our programmes to upgrade provincial and township roads.

In addition to roads already under construction or upgrades, the following roads will be upgraded in the coming financial year: Leratong Road between Protea Township and Leratong Hospital, the K15 between Protea and Dobsonville in Soweto, the K29 from Cosmo City to the R28, Beyers Naude Drive from Honeydew Police Station to Sasol Garage in Zandspruit and Main Road from Bryanston to Kyalami. The R55 from Kyalami to Laudium and Zambezi Road to Cullinan will also be improved. Our focus is to strengthen existing and develop new economic nodes and to attract new investments.

Sedibeng residents will be pleased to note that we have entered into a partnership with national and local government to upgrade the sewerage system in the region. The R860 million Sedibeng Regional Sanitation Scheme flows from the provincial and district growth and development strategy and will benefit not only Southern Gauteng, but also the Northern Free State.

The initiative will replace aging water treatment works and pump stations and will improve the water quality of the Vaal River and some of its tributaries such as the Klip River. It will also have a positive impact on basic services for residents in the district, and open the way for tourism, leisure and related investment, boosting sustainable job creation.

Again this shows that a better Gauteng is in the making. We are on track to complete our mandate and lay the basis for vision 2014.

As we pursue economic growth, we are equally pursuing sustainable social development to address the social needs of all our people and reduce social inequality.

In 2004 we undertook to, within five years, formalize all informal settlements that existed at that time with a view to eradicating them by 2014. We said we would provide water and sanitation to every household in the province within five years.

An increasing number of people who live in informal settlements are beginning to enjoy the taste of a better life as a result of our programme to formalize and eradicate informal settlements in our province. The people who previously lived without basic services in Zevenfontein and Riverbend informal settlement now have roads, water, electricity and proper toilets in Cosmo City where they were moved.

Based on our 2004 commitment, our target was to formalize 122 informal settlements by 2009. To date 66 informal settlements have been formalized and we have set a target of formalizing a further 56 in 2008/9 to reach the target of 122. A total of 41 informal settlements have been eradicated.

Through the programme to formalize and eradicate informal settlements, 103 948 dwellings have been upgraded and provided with basic services. These sites are now ready for the construction of proper houses. In the year ahead, ten additional informal settlements will be eradicated and 13 hostels will be upgraded.

By the end of March this year we will deliver 58 552 houses planned for the 2007/8 financial year. Through the mixed housing development, alternative tenure and urban renewal programmes, we will fast track housing delivery to ensure that we meet our target of 120 000 housing products delivered by 2009.

A number of mixed housing developments are being implemented and are changing the old apartheid spatial development patterns. Mixed housing developments include subsidized housing, social housing, bonded houses and community facilities. Work will continue at Cosmo City, with schools and further housing planned. Other key projects are planned for Doornkop, Azaadville/Kagiso, Middlevlei Droogeheuwel, Westonaria South, Chief Luthuli in Ekurhuleni, Nelmapius, Olivenhoutbosch Extension 36 and Thorntree View.

While we have made great strides in the provision of decent shelter for our people, we know that there are still many who are waiting and want to know where they stand. I am therefore pleased to announce that the creation of an integrated database of people who have applied for houses has been finalised and the housing waiting list will be published before the end of March this year.

Through our urban renewal programme, we are changing lives and giving hope that indeed a better life is possible. Our project in Alexandra is changing the landscape of this township, which was one of apartheid's most deprived urban slums. Today the Jukskei River flows freely again, the stench has been removed and the people breathe fresh air. Driving through London Road is no longer a scary experience. There are currently 18 housing projects underway in Alex and houses are being allocated on a weekly basis. Educational facilities are being upgraded including the construction of four new schools. The Local Business Support Centre is fully functional and provides support services to small and emerging business. Transport infrastructure is being upgraded, including the major Gautrain station which is under construction in the area.

The Pan African Retail Facility is under construction and will consist of mixed use taxi, retail and an informal trading facility. Once completed, this will provide opportunities for small entrepreneurs and informal traders to conduct their business in decent facilities thereby increasing economic opportunities and creating employment for local people.

These are further signs that indeed a better Gauteng is in the making. We are on track to complete our mandate and lay the basis for vision 2014.

We are aware of the delays in the implementation of urban renewal programmes in Evaton and Bekkersdal. We will double our efforts in these areas so that in time, the residents of these two townships should also live in a decent environment, with proper roads and economic hubs. The housing department and the municipalities concerned should present me with a revised plan on how we can accelerate the programme in these areas.

Our attention to revitalizing social and economic infrastructure in 20 old established townships is also helping to support their continued transformation into communities in which people can take pride. Projects completed so far include the upgrading of three stadia, schools, public transport and health facilities as well as the tarring of streets, the paving of sidewalks and the completion of housing and water and sanitation projects. A total of 150 projects will be undertaken in the 20 priority townships in the coming year to stimulate development, improve the quality of the environment, create healthy and safe neighbourhoods, reduce poverty and create job opportunities.

Improved access to social infrastructure and services is a critical aspect of our efforts to eradicate poverty and improve the lives of the poor. At the basic level, every Gauteng resident should have access to basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity. We have made important progress in this regard, but more needs to be done. We have replaced over 12000 identified buckets with the water borne and VIP system. The continued formalisation of all informal settlements by 2009 will accelerate the delivery of basic service infrastructure. Together with municipalities we will fast-track the rollout of basic services in line with national targets.

I have been horrified by reports of collusion by big companies to fix the prices of bread, milk and pharmaceuticals. This kind of behaviour undermines our efforts to improve the conditions of the poor. In addition to the fines imposed on companies, individuals who are involved deserve to be arrested and jailed.

While growing numbers of Gauteng residents have access to jobs and other economic opportunities, too many people remain trapped in poverty. If we are to call ourselves a caring society we must continue to expand our anti-poverty programmes to reach those in need and the most vulnerable members of society.

Last year, we adopted a Gauteng Framework on Indigent Policy which sets out a common approach to assisting indigent people across municipalities in Gauteng.

We are providing a basket of services to the poorest children in the province through the Bana Pele programme.

In the year ahead we will extend this to focus on the poorest families in the province. The aim is to provide a pro-poor basket of services to the poorest households. The goal is that every poor household in Gauteng should have access to services such as free basic water and electricity, rates rebates, social grants, free health care, free education, indigent burials, free scholar transport, home-based care for those affected and infected by HIV and Aids, food for poor children and families in distress and services for the elderly. Issues such as access to expanded public works programme jobs, skills development and other economic opportunities will also be addressed.

While many of these services already exist, we need to integrate them across government to maximise the benefits for the poor. A critical first step is the development of an integrated database. We have conducted a pilot project to match the indigent register databases of Emfuleni, Mogale City and Nokeng Tsa Taemane with the social grant database. The pilot will be extended to all municipalities by the end of June 2008.

Our programmes will aim to help people move from poverty and dependence on state welfare to independence and self-sustainability.

Our response to poverty is multi-faceted and addresses, amongst others, income poverty, infrastructure poverty, asset poverty, services poverty, skills poverty and information poverty. We will further expand social infrastructure such as schools, clinics, old age homes, preschool and sports facilities, parks and community centres in poor communities and improve the quality of services, thereby addressing infrastructure poverty and services poverty.

Many poor people have benefited from the transfer of ownership of title deeds, land and the building of houses, which have addressed asset poverty. In addition to support for emerging businesses and increasing job creation, income poverty is being addressed through social grants as well as through jobs provided as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme and other initiatives. Community development workers and Thusong Service Centres are addressing information poverty to enable residents to better access services and development opportunities.

The Bana Pele programme will continue to give hope, courage and strength to thousands of children who receive free school uniforms, exemption from school fees, free scholar transport, health care, school feeding and psycho-social support. The number of children receiving school uniforms has increased from 24 700 in 2006 to 80 000 in this financial year.

Electronic infrastructure has been installed in 2500 schools, clinics and social development sites to facilitate easy referral of children between services in health, education and social development. Access to these e-government services will be expanded in the coming financial year.

In the coming year we will give priority to the implementation of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) strategy, the strengthening of the ECD institute, the finalization of ECD norms and standards and the effective and integrated delivery of ECD services.

It is still our aim to phase in Grade R into the formal schooling system by 2010 so that all Grade R learners are part of the compulsory education system. There are currently 41 736 learners in publicly funded Grade R. The number of sites has increased from 960 in 2006 to 1 360 in 2007, which represents an increase of 400 new sites. Training has been provided to 533 ECD practioners in preparation for our 2010 goal.

To extend early childhood development to more children, 20 ECD centres are planned in previously disadvantaged communities. Thirteen will be completed in 2008/9, with each providing services for 120 children.

As part of the strategy to alleviate the effects of poverty, redress imbalances of the past and ensure all children exercise their right to basic education, we eliminated school fees at Gauteng's poorest schools as from January 2007. More than 378 000 learners in 426 schools benefited from this initiative. From April this year, 49% of learners in Gauteng will not be required to pay school fees. This will benefit more than 865 000 learners in over 1055 schools. These schools will receive the national maximum adequacy grant of R775 per learner.

The pursuit of quality education remains our priority. We will implement key initiatives to provide the educational foundations for the Gauteng City Region, including the GCR balanced curricula. This includes mandatory programmes and targets in gateway learning subjects, including financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

Maths, Science and Technology education will continue to be prioritized, with a public awareness campaign to encourage young people to pursue subject choices and careers in these and related areas. The number of Dinaledi schools were increased to 101 in 2007 as part of the emphasis on Maths, Science and Technology.

The Thuthuka Project implemented in 100 schools continues to stimulate interest in these subjects. Learners from schools in the Thuthuka Project have received bursaries to pursue engineering and accounting careers at various South African universities.

The 2007 matric results have shown that improvements do occur when under-performing schools receive support from government. Results in schools that were identified for hands-on support improved last year. This indicated the need to continue this support and further implement the resolutions from last year's provincial and regional education summits, with particular attention to the education of the African child.

In the year ahead, we will provide support to those in the 2007 class that failed matric. A total of 51 centres have been identified to provide tuition to learners who will sit for their exams in May/June this. The phasing out of the old curriculum on a part-time basis will continue until 2011.

During 2008, we will introduce a province-wide literacy programme in support of the national literacy strategy. We will also implement a revised curriculum framework for Adult Basic Education and Training focusing on technical and vocational skills required in the economy. We will reconfigure the current ABET centres to focus on geographic access, local economic skills demand and to create a virtual 24-hour ABET programme so that both employed and unemployed adults can access continuing education programmes.

The construction of 58 new schools which commenced in 2006 is scheduled for completion for the 2009 academic year. This will enable us to provide for the increasing educational needs of our people as a result of population growth and in-migration.

The provision of accessible, quality health care remains critical to the development of a healthy, skilled and productive population. We are piloting smart card technology in hospitals as part of our turnaround strategy that seeks to reduce waiting times, improve the quality of health care and ensure a minimum level of care and health care services at all health care institutions.

The new technology will improve the health information system and electronic record system. We plan to roll it out to 30% of health facilities by the end of the year.

We have exceeded our target to train 3000 community health workers. We now have 3500 community health workers who have been trained and deployed throughout the province. They play a crucial role in health promotion, caring for the frail and aged and treatment adherence for those infected with TB, HIV and AIDS. The scope of the programme will be broadened this year to include facility-based care givers and care-workers. A further 1000 will be trained annually for the next three years.

The prevention of ill-health is central to improving the quality of life of our people. Particular attention will be paid to preventive health care and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Strengthening local governance structures in clinics and community health care centres, infrastructure delivery and retaining, developing and attracting skills will also be prioritised.

In the coming year, every child under the age of one year will be immunized against preventable disease such as polio and measles. The elderly and adults with compromised immune systems will also be vaccinated against flu.

As part of our comprehensive strategy against HIV and Aids, I am pleased to announce that we are ready to introduce multiple therapy to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child from April this year, in line with the announcement by the Minister of Health last week. We aim to cut the transmission rates to less than five percent, thus saving the lives of many babies. The follow-up of mothers and children will have to be improved to properly assess the success of the programme. All efforts must be made in our clinics and hospital to offer the service to every HIV-positive pregnant woman in the province.

Post-exposure prophylaxis to assist survivors of sexual assault and rape will also be expanded. The number of sites providing this preventative HIV treatment will increase from 54 to 60 by the end of March.

Our programme to provide anti-retroviral drugs to people with AIDS defining symptoms continues to give hope to many of our people. Whereas in the past people were reluctant to enlist, growing numbers are now willing to come forward. We have far exceeded our earlier targets. Currently there are 104 560 people on the programme, including 10195 children, and we plan to reach 108 000 people by the end of March this year.

There are currently 52 sites in the province offering comprehensive care, management and treatment including anti-retroviral therapy. Our target for 2008/9 is to establish 63 sites, reaching a total of 158 000 people, taking us closer to our goal of universal access to anti-retroviral therapy for eligible people.

In the coming year we will continue to train, recruit and further improve the conditions for our health professionals to encourage them to remain in the public sector and boost the performance of our health care institutions. We are pleased to note that as a result of the steps we have taken, the number of doctors and nurses who resign from our hospitals and clinics has dropped. The attrition rate among doctors has fallen from 20% in the last quarter of the 2006/07 financial year to 4.5% in the third quarter of this year. Among nurses there has been a decrease from 6% to 2.9%.

The target to recruit 2300 health professionals annually will remain. In the first half of this year, 972 health professionals were employed. Two nursing colleges - Bona Lesedi and Coronation - will be reopened this year to increase the numbers of nursing personnel in our clinics and hospitals.

The improvement of our emergency medical services must receive further attention.

In line with our commitments to increase access to health care, the following clinics have extended their hours of service and are now open on Saturdays: Refilwe and Zithobeni in Metsweding and Plessn, Krugersdorp Central and Itumeleng in West Rand. The clinics at Kempton Park Civic Centre and Boksburg Civic Centre in Ekurhuleni have also extended their hours. By the end of 2008/9, all clinics in Gauteng will have a minimum service package that our people should receive, regardless of whether the clinic is owned by the province or a municipality.

We started the 2007/8 year with a strong push against lawlessness and crime. This saw us mobilizing our communities behind the Take Charge Campaign, which we implemented as part of the Gauteng Safety Strategy.

I would like to express gratitude to Primedia and the SABC for working together to promote the sms crime line. This initiative has bolstered the Take Charge Campaign by offering citizens an opportunity to provide information to the police without having to identify themselves. The Patroller Programme which we launched in 25 local areas last year has assisted in improving safety in communities. We have trained and recruited 1640 volunteers into this programme to date. The total number of volunteers to be recruited by the end of March 2008 is 2000 and will expand to 4000 recruits by the end of March 2009.

These improvements have pointed to the need for the accelerated implementation of the Gauteng Safety Strategy, including improved coordination across spheres of government and law enforcement agencies.

The new world class 10111 centre, which we promised last year, is now operational in Midrand. Vehicle location systems have been installed in more than 1800 vehicles in the Johannesburg policing area. This enables the call centre to track the movement of vehicles and monitor response times to reported incidents of crime. All 6200 vehicles in the province will be fitted with tracking devices before the end of this financial year.

In line with the Gauteng Safety Strategy, the quality of policing has been improved through the implementation of the Gauteng Information on Police Performance System. This enables the monitoring of crime trends and police performance using up to date information. The system also allows for an assessment of the performance of police stations in relation to priority contact crimes. It also monitors the number of cases that detectives take to court. Poorly performing police stations are identified and station commissioners provide plans on how they intend improving policing in their areas. They are given six months to show the results. We will continue with this programme as we seek to support the SA Police Service in identifying policing priorities and in improving the performance of every police officer in our province.

We, together with our communities, are horrified by the extent of violence associated with crimes committed in our province. We call on the criminal justice system to deal with this scourge in the most comprehensive way.

A number of measures aimed at social crime prevention have been identified, including closer cooperation between government officials in community safety, health, social development and housing. Steps will be taken to improve access to integrated services such as health services, psycho-social support and shelters for victims of social crime as well as improving the Victim Empowerment Centres.

In partnership with civil society, we all need to intensify the campaign against substance abuse, which contributes to violence in general and violence against women and children in particular. No one can claim a legitimate reason to use violence to settle a dispute and it is now time that society shows its contempt to those who abuse others, whether it be their wives, mothers, grandmothers and grandfathers and daughters. If you are scared to be identified, use the SMS line to report the matter to the police. That SMS can save a life. To those who are abusers, get help. Together with communities we should not stand by and watch criminals destroy other people's lives.

While the Ke Moja campaign is helping in raising the consciousness of our people about the negative consequences of drugs, far too many of our people are still becoming victims of substance abuse. This year 1517 people were admitted to our substance abuse centres for treatment. These are breadwinners and young people whose ability to build a better life for their families and themselves has been devastated. More than double that number are receiving treatment as out-patients. We have run prevention programmes reaching 23 531 people and youth programmes reaching 21 069 people.

We need to stand together as government and all components of civil society, to counter the social ills that we continue to face and build a culture of caring and mutual support in our communities.

Our ability to grow the economy and reduce poverty and unemployment depends on the levels of skills that our people have. Skill levels also determine the capacity of governments to deliver improved services and are of the utmost importance in ensuring the competitiveness of global city regions.

This year we will launch the Gauteng City Region Academy which will drive the development of the necessary skills for economic growth and social transformation in the province. It will also pay attention to research and development and innovation capacity as well as the skilling of the public service.

Next month we will establish a Gauteng Skills Partnership with representatives of organised business, Higher Education Institutions, labour and JIPSA to ensure effective collaboration to achieve our skills objectives.

In pursuit of our mission to skill Gauteng, we will continue to forge closer working relationships with Further Education and Training (FET) colleges, Sector Education and Training Agencies (SETAs), industry and government. Memoranda of understanding have been concluded with 19 of the 23 Setas to assist 46 000 FET students acquire the relevant skills.

Currently the provincial government awards bursaries worth R 6.581 million to 120 full time students and 368 part timers. To improve the availability of scarce skills in critical areas, we will this year pool our resources to establish a single province-wide bursary fund coordinated by the Global City Region Academy (GCRA).

The fund will target 1500 learners in the 2008/9 financial year. Students pursuing studies in critical skills such as Information and Communication Technology, Science and Engineering will be given preference.

A better Gauteng is in the making. We are on track to complete our mandate and lay the basis for vision 2014.

The provincial government will continue to implement learnerships and internships to give young people workplace experience and therefore better access to jobs. By the end of December last year there were 5 881 learners and interns in various government departments in the province, of which 2906 were women. The Executive will in due course announce a new target for learnerships and internships.

We are well aware of the socio-economic complexities involved in building a globally competitive Gauteng city region that is socially inclusive and benefits all in Gauteng. We have therefore entered into a partnership with the universities of the Witwatersrand and Johannesburg as the anchor institutions in the establishment of a Gauteng City Region Observatory. The GCRO will undertake and coordinate research and benchmarking for the Gauteng City Region. This partnership will allow for an independent assessment of the GCR's impact on poverty, underdevelopment, unemployment and inequality and other key indicators. It will also enable us to more effectively harness the province's intellectual capital to help build a better Gauteng.

As a further step in implementing our global city region strategy, we will by April finalise the provincial strategic framework to deepen the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad). Key in this regard will be to strengthen our strategic partnerships and economic linkages with other strategic city regions in the continent.

Our international relations were strengthened significantly in 2008. Last year we signed a declaration of intent with Katanga to cooperate in economic development, science, technology, sport, culture, education and health. A delegation from the province of Katanga led by the Deputy Governor Mr Yav Tshibal Guibert is here to look at how we can strengthen our relationship. Within the next three weeks a delegation of Gauteng officials will visit Katanga to identify areas where the province can provide assistance. This will be followed by an economic summit in Lubumbashi in April this year.

We have also signed cooperation agreements with the Moscow Regional Government and renewed our cooperation with the Regions of Ile de France in France and Bavaria and Baden Wurtenburg in Germany. The agreement with Moscow will help the province to build capacity in nanotechnology and space technology. Other areas of collaboration include sport, education, transport infrastructure, tourism and trade and investment. In the year ahead we will further strengthen our relations with Beijing, Ontario and Havana.

Together with municipalities we have strengthened collective planning, alignment across spheres of government and the implementation of intergovernmental priorities. We have reached the point in Gauteng where we have been able to agree on the key inter-governmental priorities in the period to 2009 for the provincial government and in the period to 2011 for local government in Gauteng.

As part of our GCR strategy, we will in the coming year undertake long-term planning to the year 2025, including the alignment of planning across local and provincial government. Learning from experiences in other global city regions, we will also investigate the feasibility of a Gauteng Planning Commission.

As provincial and local government in Gauteng, we have over the past few years undertaken a review of the powers and functions of the three spheres of government. We will in the coming year take this further to review the current governance model, including engaging in the process led by the national Department of Provincial and Local Government on the system of provincial and local government. We will later this year engage with the Demarcation Board on the process to establish a metropolitan system of local government in Gauteng.

We will also engage with the national government and the Independent Electoral Commission to review the size of our provincial legislature in line with the population growth in the province.

To strengthen service delivery, improve capacity and to share expertise between municipalities, we have agreed with Gauteng's mayors to pair our metros with district municipalities. Therefore the Tshwane Metro will be paired with Metsweding, Ekurhuleni Metro with Sedibeng and Johannesburg Metro with the West Rand.

Last year we intensified provincial government support to municipalities. A municipal finance summit was held and a programme of action outlining key interventions to support municipalities with financial management was adopted. A project to clean the debtors' books of municipalities was undertaken. R30 million was collected from government debtors alone. A municipal revenue management unit will be established with the provincial department of local government to recover the R20 billion currently owed to municipalities.

The provincial treasury will continue to assist municipalities to strengthen their financial management capacity. One of the outcomes we hope to achieve is for all Gauteng municipalities to receive unqualified audit reports by 2009.

We are on track to achieve our goal of unqualified audits throughout the provincial government in 2009 and a reduction of matters of emphasis. Last year 12 of the 13 provincial government departments received unqualified audits. We will also prioritise the filling of all vacant positions for Chief Financial Officers and comply with all requests for reports within specified time frames from the portfolio committees.

In further improving our efficiency, we will pay attention to decreasing the turnaround time for the payment of contractors and services providers. The Gauteng Shared Services Centre will introduce an electronic system of submitting invoices which will help eliminate the manual handling of payments and minimize fraud.

The public utilization of the Gauteng Call Centre has continued to grow, with more than 450 000 calls every month. The centre now has over 500 seats with over 1000 employees. Further expansion is planned with the establishment of 150 seat centres in Mogale City and Tshwane. Among the services available to the public on the 0860-Gauteng number are the booking of metered taxis, public transport information, accessing Bana Pele services, information on SMME support, the housing hotline on the housing waiting list, the police complaints line and job applications by SMS.

Last year the Call Centre continued to experience challenges relating to the booking of drivers' licenses. This is both due to the lack of capacity to deal with increased demand as well as a lack of cooperation and corruption by certain staff at some of the Drivers License Testing Centres and the Call Centre.

I have been told that some of the people working at testing centres are trying to undermine the centralized booking system so that they can get bribes from people wanting to get bookings. Together with the police, we have taken great strides in clamping down on fraud and corruption and will continue to do so as we improve the efficiency of the centralized booking system. We will not tolerate corrupt or lazy people in the testing centres or anywhere in the public service. We will also further improve capacity in the booking system by establishing two new satellite testing centres by the end of June 2008.

We remain committed to root out the scourge of fraud and corruption and unethical behavior and conduct in both the public and private sectors. All of us as leaders, civil servants, legislators and all of our people, have a moral and ethical obligation to uphold the highest possible standards of honesty and integrity.

We will continue to invest our resources in the fight against corruption, whilst also taking pro-active steps to inculcate among all of us the values of decency and integrity in whatever we do. As part of this agenda, we will this year conclude an integrated provincial anti-corruption and fraud plan. To this extent, we undertook a process last year to integrate the various anti-corruption initiatives by departments and municipalities. We will also this year take further our ethics programme, including completing a manual on public sector ethics and training public sector managers. These initiatives will provide impetus in our quest to produce a clean government, and a noble society at large.

The capacity of the province to respond to major disasters such as chemical spillages, road accidents, and stadium disasters has been improved by the completion of the Disaster Management Centre. This has also bolstered our preparations to ensure the safety of our communities and visitors during the FIFA World Cup in 2010. In the coming financial year, we will invest in a mobile centre that will ensure on-site coordination of disaster relief.

We remain committed to ensuring that issues regarding women, the youth and people with disabilities are factored into the main agenda for social change and economic development. We have continued to engage targeted groups in the development of programmes to improve their lives.

Last year we hosted a provincial dialogue with organizations of people with disabilities to discuss the government's programme for this sector of our community. We heard what they need us to do, together with them, to build a province fit for people with disabilities.

This year we will review the Gauteng Disability Policy and Strategy. We are also committed to improve our performance in the recruitment, training and retention of people with disabilities in order to achieve the target of having 2% of GPG employees being people with disabilities.

In the coming year we will pay attention to strengthening the institutional capacity of departments and municipalities to deliver to young people of the province in line with Gauteng Integrated Youth Development Strategy. To strengthen the implementation of the strategy, we will engage with the Gauteng Youth Commission on the appropriate institutional location of the Commission.

The Gauteng Youth Commission last year launched the National Youth Service Programme to link young people to skills development projects offered by different departments within the province. In the coming financial year, the Commission will conduct research on the effectiveness of the current model of learnerships and internships in achieving youth skills development and employability.

Our provincial women's dialogue last year with about 700 representatives of women's organisations emerged with a programme of action for government, business and women's organisations themselves to improve the lives of women in the province. We will in the period to 2009 focus on the implementation of this programme and improve the provincial government's capacity to mainstream gender issues.

To contribute to the deepening of democracy in our province, we have introduced the Gauteng Political Party Fund Act. The Legislature will engage with parties to finalise all related issues. Measures to ensure that the funds are used for the improvement of democratic participation must be put in place. Parties must be held accountable to the efficient use of the resources with proper audits.

Over the past two years we have worked with the legislature to define more accurately working relations between the executive and this legislature. We have produced a ministerial accountability manual and the ball is now in the legislature's court to pronounce themselves on it.

We recognise that the capacity of the state to perform better is partly dependent on the enhanced capacity of the Legislature to effectively execute its monitoring and evaluation and oversight role over the state. We will therefore continue to cooperate with the Legislature in strengthening its role in this regard.

One of the key measures of accountability of the Executive includes responding to questions in the legislature. As the Executive we must therefore commit ourselves to respond timeously to these questions regardless of the political party posing the question.

To encourage our people to exercise their right to vote for the government of their choice, we will, in 2008/9, support the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in conducting voter education. The Gauteng Youth Commission will also step up its programme to train young people on electoral processes, voter registration and the importance of elections in building participatory democracy.

To further enhance government performance, the Premier's Service Excellence Awards which reward and recognize teams of public servants who excel in their work, will this year be awarded to those departments which have excelled in implementing the five-year mandate that we received from the people of the province in 2004.

To improve access to government services, especially in poor areas, we are on course in establishing Thusong Service Centres (formerly called Multi-Purpose Community Centres - MPCCs) to reach our target of 40 in the course of 2009. This service has made it easier for our people to apply for Identity documents, birth certificates, social grants, municipal services etc.

The basket of services delivered at the Thusong Services Centres has been further enhanced by the rollout of connectivity and access to the GPG portal.

Honourable Speaker, this is our programme of action for 2008. It is this programme which will propel us to the end of term of the current government and legislature. It is this programme which will answer the question: did we succeed in implementing our mandate to work in partnership with our people to create work and fight poverty. It is through this programme that we will be able to emphatically proclaim that we have laid the foundation for vision 2014. It is through this programme that we will be able to assert that not only is a better Gauteng possible, but that it is indeed in the making.

The successes we have achieved thus far were possible because of the partnership we have had with the people of Gauteng. It was made possible because of the positive contribution by Gauteng cities and towns in partnership with the province. It was made possible by the support through increased investment by the private sector. It was made possible by the many public servants in local and provincial government who despite a few evil servants amongst them, have steadfastly served our people with dedication.

To ensure that indeed tomorrow becomes better than today, will require more than a programme. It requires public representatives who are willing to say to our people that while not everyone currently has shelter, many others now have shelter. That while some of our people still live in squalid conditions, many more have moved out of these appalling conditions. That while crime remains high in a number of our areas and businesses, that communities and the police are making strides in many other areas. That while not every street has been tarred, many more streets have been tarred. That while a lot more needs to be done to improve the quality of our health, many of our institutions have now turned the corner. That while poverty and unemployment remain high, we are making progress in growing the economy, thus creating much needed jobs. That while a lot still needs to be done to improve the quality of our education, especially in poor areas, progress is being made to improve the situation for the better. That while many young people and women continue to bear the brunt of poverty and unemployment, many others are beginning to benefit from our efforts. That while our programmes have indeed also benefitted business, the majority of beneficiaries of our programmes have been the poor.

With all hands on deck, we will all be able to say: that indeed a better Gauteng is in the making and that we are on course to complete our mandate and lay the basis for vision 2014.

I thank you