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Date : 26/08/2003
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Van Schalkwyk: Visit to Rietpoort


EXTRACT FROM SPEECH BY THE WESTERN CAPE PREMIER, MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK, Church Hall, Rietpoort, 26 August 2003

Rural Communities a Western Cape Priority: Premier Van Schalkwyk Brings Infrastructure to Rietpoort

At the end of July our Western Cape Provincial Government took to the streets to bring real and responsive Government to the people of our province. During the Imbizo Focus Week the entire Provincial Cabinet and all Heads of Department travelled almost 2000km, holding 18 separate events in every part of the Western Cape. The results of the week were overwhelming, with more than 10 000 people submitting 1344 written questions or requests for help to all three spheres of Government.

One of the most repeated concerns raised both in the meetings and in the written questions was the need for real attention to be paid to our rural communities. Our Provincial Government is serious about restoring dignity to the lives of thousands in our rural communities who previously did not enjoy the necessary attention from government programmes and initiatives.

Communities like Rietpoort, who have never been visited by a Premier, often face great obstacles, like a lack of physical infrastructure. At our Piketberg Imbizo this fact was brought to my attention by Mrs Johanna Cloete - and I promised to personally visit Rietpoort to see for myself. What I have seen today has made a deep impression - our communities and families are striving for real dignity but are held back by needs which only government can address. Of the 418 households living in Stofkraal, Rietpoort town, Putsekloof, Samsamshoek and Molsvlei, only 130 have electricity or running water. Clearly development is a critical need in this area.

I am therefore very pleased today hand over a cheque for R945 000 to the West Coast District Municipality. This is funding from the Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Program (CMIP) for the rehabilitation of approximately 9km of the Divisional Road between Bitterfontein and the Rietpoort area. Construction is planned to start in November and will be completed by March 2004. Apart from the fact that this road is also an access road to the Bessiesfontein-Kotzesrus and the West Coast area, the rehabilitation project will also assist with much needed job creation. The other indirect benefits that will flow from this, will impact positively on the communities of Rietpoort and surrounding areas, because every job opportunity that is created as a result of this project will mean that there is one less family that will go to bed hungry.

It was also my pleasure today to switch on 23 streetlights in Rietpoort - a process that has been delayed for many years and is now finally receiving government's attention. This shows that the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, in conjunction with our local municipalities, is serious about addressing service delivery backlogs in rural communities where it matters most.

Naturally it is not only Rietpoort where there are needs. Basic services like water, street lighting, improved sanitation and the upgrading and creation of community facilities are needed in communities across our province - and our Government is determined, as a result of needs identified during the Provincial Imbizos - to address these challenges. That is why members of my Cabinet and I will be travelling, over the next three months, across the province to places like Rietpoort to gain first-hand experience of the challenges our communities face and to fulfil the undertakings given during the Provincial Imbizo.

The NNP/ANC Coalition of Hope is illustrating to the people of the Western Cape that we understand and respond to the needs of the marginalised and disadvantaged groups in our province. Our emphasis on capacity-building projects in our rural areas further emphasises our commitment to empowering people through quality service delivery. We believe that by addressing the needs of all our communities we are well on our way to establishing the Western Cape as a World Class Province which Cares for all its people.

Enquiries: Riaan Aucamp, Cell: 083-778-9923
Issued by the Western Cape Provincial Government, 26 August 2003

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