His Excellency Honourable the President of the Republic of South Africa
Honourable Deputy President
Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly
Honourable Chairperson of the NCOP
Honourable Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
Honourable Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Honourable Premiers of Provinces
Honourable Speakers of Provinces
Honourable Members
Honourable Special Delegates of the NCOP
The Chairperson of SALGA
Distinguished Guests
Comrades, ladies and gentlemen


This year marks and proclaims the culmination of an Apex era of
legendary Leadership in our country, as we celebrate 20 years of an epic
journey of democratic Governance and the restitution of the dignity of
our people.

Today, I can say with an unshakeable confidence, that I am Proud to be
South African. I am Proud to be an ardent participant in the corporate
efforts of nation building and making South Africa a world class
country.

Under the pioneering leadership of the Honourable President Jacob Zuma,
it is indeed a rare privilege for me to accompany a strong leadership
collective that is progressively realising the vision of making South
Africa a place where the rule of law within, the ambit of our
constitutional democracy shapes the mandate of governance and delivery.
I am indeed humbled and honoured to take part in this debate of the
State of the Nation Address and narrate the good story that our nation
has travelled since the dawn of democracy in 1994.

Honourable Speaker, in the last twenty years of democracy, our
government under the incisive leadership of the African National
Congress, has moved with profound speed and dedication to redress the
legacy of our atrocious divided past. South Africa is continuously
becoming known as a place in the world that is being progressively
liberated from the imposed divisions of sexism and patriarchy, as well
as racism and classism.

In the last twenty years, we have witnessed a government in action to>transform our society and build a better life for all our people,
regardless of their social status, gender and location in any part of
our country. We have done this because when we waged a concerted fight
against apartheid and all its ugly manifestations in all sectors of our
society, we said we need to build a new South Africa guarantees the
dignity of every citizen regardless of race, gender, creed or colour.

Honourable the President, indeed South Africa is a much better place to
live in than it was in 1994. Today, I can say with confidence, that I am
Proud to be a South African, particularly during this epoch of
pioneering leadership in South Africa.

In his state of the Nation address of June the 17th 2014, the honourable
President Jacob Zuma stated that “The National Development Plan (NDP)
provides for rural provinces like the North West better opportunities to
participate fully in the economic, social and political life of the
country. The people should be able to access high-quality basic services
that enable them to be well nourished, healthy and increasingly skilled
wherever they are in South Africa.”

These priorities are key markers in ensuring that the North West
continues to grow and develop, while contributing to the overall mandate
of nation building and cohesion. With the support of our people, we are
making history and leaving a legacy of freedom and democracy that can be
emulated across the world.

We have seen a massive improvement in the lives of millions of our
people whose lives have not improved but changed for the better in the
last twenty years of democracy. We want to reassure the President that
as the North West Province, we remain resolute in our commitment to move
with utmost speed and decisive North West remain part of the good story to
transform our nation.

Our strength in delivery continues to be underpinned by the leadership
impetus to respond with speed, while striving to deliver over and above
the expected mandate we have pledged to our people.

And that is the currency that continues to drive our ambition to deliver
on the promises we have made, in the pursuit to build a social and
economically cohesive nation that is devoid of the impediments imposed
by the retrogressive system of oppression that we inherited.

As the North West, we have committed ourselves to ensure that all our
programmes respond to the commitments that we made in our the National
Development Plan, which among other things, envisions a health system
that is accessible to all and produces positive health outcomes. In this
regard, we have an increase in overall life expectancy from 56.5 years
in 2009 to 60.0 years in 2011. The North West is among the leading
Provinces in this country in ensuring that we decrease Infant Mortality
Rate (IMR) from 40 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2009, to 30 deaths
per 1 000 live births in 2011. We have responded with profound
decisiveness to deal with the recent tragic incidents of the death of
children in Bloemhof due to the cholera outbreak. We dispatched a team
of experts to ensure that this incident never takes place.

The maternal mortality ratio has been reduced from 189/100 000 live
births to 181/100 000 live births. We have established 16 maternity
waiting homes (MCWH) at a cost of over R4 million and established four
milks bank at Potchefstroom, Joe Morolong, Mahikeng and Job Shimakana
Tabane Hospital.

We have procured 10 ambulances and converted into well equipped
Obstetric ambulances for transportation of pregnant women at a cost of
R5.9 million to be launched before the end of the financial year.

The caregivers have increased from 5 330 active care givers appointed in
2009 to 6439 in 2013. This has improved the frequency of house visit to
1 148 940 for the whole 3013. The total number of patients remaining on
Antiretroviral (ARV) treatment has increased from 36 039 in 2009 to
151,589 in 2013. The percentage of HIV-TB Co-infected patients placed on
ARV has increased from 38% in 2009 to 73% in 2013. The province has seen
a 50% decline in the number of aged 0-4 years who acquired HIV between
2006 and 2011.

Honourable President, as the North West we remain resolute in our quest
to ensure that our people have access to quality healthcare. We are
continuing with our programmes to build new health facilities and ensure
the upgrading of the old ones. The facilities maintenance audit which
was done under the hospital revitalization projects at Moses Kotane, Joe
Morolong Memorial (Vryburg), Swartruggens and Brits hospitals confirms
that we have spend over R1,2 billion on these completed facilities.
Bophelong Psychiatric Hospital which is under construction in Mahikeng
will also cost us over R482 million.

In addition to the facilities, we have completed seventeen (17) clinics
and seven (7) Community Health Centres since 2009. Ten (10) Primary
Health Care Facilities have also received essential upgrade from 2011 to
2013. The maintenance programme is fully underway in a number of the
facilities. In 2009, we had forty (40) emergency medical rescue vehicles
and have since then bought one hundred and thirty (130) additional
ambulances as part of efforts to improve quality emergency medical
services.

We have increased the number of medical doctor trainees from 10 in 2009
to 110 in 2003 and have recruited our highest number of 180 trainees to
be sent to Cuba on a budget of R36 million this year.

Honourable President, yesterday you reaffirmed the ANC government’s
commitment to ensure that we continue with our programmes to build our
economy. Indeed, we share your sentiments that the most effective weapon
in the campaign against poverty, is the creation of decent work, and
that creating work requires faster economic growth.

This (in terms of the current Rand (R) Value Of Goods and Services produced
in the Province. The mainstay of the economy of the Province is mining
which contributes averagely 39% to the Gross Domestic Product and
provides jobs for a quarter of its workforce followed by agriculture.
The mining sector has shown a steady growth since 2008 and this could
largely be as a result of the growing demand for commodities
internationally.

We welcome your commitment to ensure that government plays its part in
the implementation of the landmark Framework Agreement for a Sustainable
Mining Industry entered into by labour, business and government last
year. We are certain that your leadership of this important initiative
will bear many benefits for the people of the North West. We also
welcome the commitment that you have made to further promote improved
living conditions for mine workers by ensuring that government plays a
very strategic role in monitoring the compliance of mining companies
with Mining Charter targets, relating to improving the living conditions
of workers. We are certain that will all these decisive interventions,
the lives of the people of the North West will certainly change for the
better.

Honourable Speaker, in the North West we have made progress in the
eradication of the mud schools in our province construction for six
schools in Ngaka Modiri Molema and three in Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Dr
Ruth Segomotso Mompati have started and we have completed one school in
Bojanala.

We have created 3172 jobs in various infrastructure projects including
mud schools, renovations, sanitation, Grade classrooms, Laboratories and
Libraries, water, fencing and recapitalisation of Technical schools.
These projects have been on-going since the first quarter.

In addressing challenges of sanitation in the schools, we have through
the Premier’s special project commencing with the sanitation programme
as matter of urgency. We have committed ourselves to continue to provide
schools with the requisite infrastructure by providing sanitation,
water, specialised rooms, fencing, renovations and extensions to improve
the conditions of our schools. We will continue in our efforts to
eradicate all the dilapidated and mud schools. Lastly but not least we
will assist schools to get the ICT infrastructure for both
administrative and learning purposes.

We will remain hard pressed and armed with the zeal and tenacity, to
aggressively and progressively free our people from the shackles of
shame and degradation.

Madam Speaker, honourable members we have a good story to tell.

When we look through the archives of history, to gauge with sober minds,
the state of social and economic deprivation that we inherited as the
incumbent leadership since 1994, it is a conspicuous truth, an
undeniable fact, that South Africa has progressively changed from a
state of race imposed disparities, to a country that is alive with
possibility, affording every man, woman and child the platform to
realise their full potential.

The destiny of the marginalised masses of our people, who were once
treated as slaves in the country of their birth, has indeed been
reignited. Fellow South Africans, our dignity, our identity and the
pride of who we are as nation can once more shine brightly under the
African skies, in all splendour and glory.

As the North West government we have committed ourselves to ensuring
that tourism becomes one of the strategic interventions in ensuring that
we improve the economy of our province. Statistics South Africa
indicates that in the last five calendar years from 2009, the
international tourist arrivals figures increased by an average of 9, 6%
per annum. As the north West we have created a total of 38 754 jobs as
at 31 December 2013 in the tourism, agro processing, manufacturing,
green economy, retail, service and social economy sectors which is
inclusive of youth, women and people with disabilities activities.


Fifteen (15) new tourist products were established and the touinvestment
value is now estimated at R10 billion, Tourism which
contributes about 4% of the provincial GDP generated R2.2 billion during
2012.

For the past five years, the province supported 1144 SMMEs, 81
cooperatives, 40 Economic development projects in municipalities and 28
capacity building and interventions. One hundred and eighty-three (183)
SMMEs benefitted from first phase development, capacity building, Market
access and exposure to industry in the past financial year. Women, youth
and people with disability were beneficiaries in Seventy-three (73)
economic development programmes which were rolled out. From these
efforts, we are proud to report that the province scoped the 2010/2011
Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year (ETEYA) award.

Madikwe Buy Back Centre in Moses Kotane Local Municipality and the
Enterprise Information Centre in Ratlou Local Municipality were
completed at a cost of R5, 2 million.

An additional R3.2 million was also allocated for the construction of
small industries within Dr Kenneth Kaunda District. The Madikwe Sisal
Project towards which we have spent R10, 5 million has commenced
production with 50 workers.

We have merged of the three of our entities namely North West
Development Corporation (NWDC), Mafikeng Industrial Development Zone
(MIDZ) and Invest North West (INW). This is in response to the
recommendations of the Presidential Review Committee on SOEs. The new
entity is charged with the responsibility of economic development,
growth, trade and investment promotion enterprise development and
related priorities of the province. The new CEO has been appointed to
allow for effective functionality and stability in the new entity.


Honourable Speaker, agriculture in the North West remains one of the key
drivers of our provincial economy and continues to employ a substantial
number of our people. We welcome the commitment of the President to
ensure that government continues to provide comprehensive support to
smallholder farmers by speeding up land reform and providing technical,
infrastructural and financial support. We also welcome the commitment to
provide support to communities as well to engage in food production and
subsistence farming to promote food security, in line with the Fetsa
Tlala food production programme.

As the North West Province, we are indeed proud to report that through
our Food Security Strategy, Kgora, we are registering remarkable success
in identifying and assisting households to move from destitute to a life
above the breadline. Kgora food security is a pilot project in food
security as in December 2013 it has more than 50 families benefiting
from it, we have donated to people living with HIV and AIDS and this
project is supplying the local Pick an Pay retail store.

We want to replicate this pilot project to other regions in province.
The project has received recognition by the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2013 as a project that demonstrated
sustainable systems for food security.Kgora is another success story in
the province, as its been refurbished and repositioned. It has also
obtained accreditation though Agri –SETA. To date 415 farmers were
provided with training.

The North West Province is the first province in the country where the
Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) was
launched and Provincial CAADP Team established. The comprehensive
assessment has already been conducted on the rehabilitation of the
Kraaipan, Springbokpan and Vryhof silos.


We have secured funding from Treasury to rehabilitate the Springbokpan
grain silo and the process is already underway. We have since the
inception of this project in 2012, distributed a total of 161
mechanization packages to 716 qualifying smallholder farmers in the
Province and planted over 31 854 hectares of grain crops. We have since
the delivery of the first batch of the Nguni cows in 2007, distributed a
total of 65 bulls and 1 665 breeding cows to qualifying farmers in the
Province. Twelve (12) sites which received the cows during itsyear of the
pilot phase, have during the 2012/13 financial year,
returned the 144 loaned cows with each site returning 12 cows as part of
the project conditions.

Honourable Speaker, as the North West we want to express our profound
appreciation to the President for establishing the Ministry of Water and
Sanitation. Indeed, it will assist us to ensure that our interventions
in the provision of clean water and adequate sanitation to our people
continues to bear fruits. The 2011 Census Report indicates that good
progress has been registered in increasing the numbers of households
with access to clean running water, sanitation facilities and
electricity. We have made progress, we are aware that more still needs
to be done. As part of the commitment made to the people of the North
West, the Premier’s Legacy Projects seek to meet the municipalities
halfway in the delivery of basic services.

We have a backlog in sanitation of 312 022, an amount of R150 million
has been set aside through Premier Legacy Project to reduce backlog in
sanitation by end of March 2014. We have reduced the backlog by 12, 314
sanitation facilities shared among the four (4) District Municipalities.
2500 rain water tanks will be distributed to the areas with less average
rainfall. 56 boreholes are constructed and will be ready by the end of
the 2013/14 financial year. This will assist municipalities in having
access to clean water.

To elaborate we are in partnership with Department of Water Affairs and
Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality to construct the Dinokana
Water Supply Phase 2 at Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality. The
Project amount is twenty one million, four hundred and sixty eight rand
and seventy four cents (R 21, 468, 289, 74). The completion date is the
29th November 2014.

The Mafikeng South Regional Water Supply Scheme with benefit
Majemantsho, Setlopo, Dithakong and Lomanyaneng villages. The main
objective of this project is to address the issue of low pressure in the
system to ensure that all the villages get sufficient water at the right
pressure. The contractual amount of the project is twenty one million,
eight hundred and one thousands and two hundred and thirty seven rand
(R21 801 237). The intended completion phase date is 14 March 2014. The
Mafikeng Rural Sanitation Phase 4 contract is part of this.

The Setlagole Bulk Water Supply commenced on the 01 November 2013 and
will be completed on 30 October 2014. This is a R22 000 000 project.
Over and above these projects we have signed memorandum of understanding
with the Department of Water Affairs and Human Settlement to the value
of R2 Billion in January to accelerate the provisioning of clean water
and sanitation. The employ of disabled people are priorities.


The project also seeks to leave a legacy in a maximised number of skills
to be transferred to the local labourers in capacitating them with the
ability to grow the trade. Training will focus on the following
activities; pipe laying, concrete works, health and safety, managerial
and supervision skills.

Honourable Speaker, as the North West we welcome the commitment made by
the President that poverty reduction will continue to be reinforced. As
the North West, we have made some remarkable progress in changing the
lives of our people and address the social ills that are manifestation
of poverty and historical marginalisation of our people. In the last
financial year, we created a total of 26 300 jobs. As part of our
mandate to eradicate poverty we have profiled 69 169 households; out of
with 15 469 households benefiting from the poverty alleviation
programme, and also funded 88 cooperatives/projects and 1054 young
people are linked to the National Youth Service (NYS).

We have good story to tell regarding development of our young people.
The North West Province has sponsored 1, 035 youth through the
Provincial Bursary Programmes during the period 2009/10 – 31 December
2013 at the expense of R49, 488 million. A total number of 213 bursary
beneficiaries graduated in various scarce skills needed by the ProvinIn
addition, we have also registered 3, 833 unemployed youth in other
skills development programmes such as Learnerships, Internships and
Apprenticeship during the same period. All these interventions were in
line with Outcomes 5 and 12 of the Medium Term Strategic Framework and
other government Human Resource Development policies and strategies. In
total 4, 868 unemployed youth and graduates benefited from the
Provincial skills development and training programmes that were
targeting youth.

Madam Speaker, 90% of indigent households in the North West have access
to free basic water and 35% have access to free basic electricity and we
have successfully developed and indigent policy framework. These are
just some of the mile stones of delivery that we have recorded in the
North West.

Indeed, Honorable Speaker, under the leadership of the ANC, we have a
good story to tell. We have been able to help take South Africa nearer
to non-racialism, non-sexism and equality. Indeed, our decisive
interventions have been able to address the consequences of apartheid
and the inequality of the past that still affects our society and define
the lives of millions of South Africans. Our practical actions and
decisive leadership has ensured that none can challenge us when we say -
we have a good story to tell and that we are a nation at work to build a
better life!

The successes that we have garnered as a nation are often minimised by
the politics of expediency, the politics of opportunisms and
sensationalism. But despite the vile efforts of our detractors, this ANC
led government will continue to thrive and transport our nation to a
place of common identity, unity and greatness!

I thank you!