14 February 2000
Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Excellencies
Members of the Diplomatic corps
High Commissioners
Distinguished guests
Honourable members
Representatives of Local Government
Fellow citizens
Comrades and friends
Today marks yet another chapter in our onward march to the total emancipation of our people and continent. We meet in this house at the beginning of a year which catapults us into the dawn of a new millennium.
Together with the people of our Continent we are ready to reverse the effects of centuries of colonial conquests and their concomitant impact on the lives of all our people. Words have been uttered, books written, stories told, songs sung and pictures painted about Africa's experience.
Some aimed to show the suffering of our people under colonialism and neo-colonialism. Others seek to preserve for future generations the history of Africa as it should be told. Some strive to remind nations of gender, race and class oppression.
On the other hand there were those who aimed to cover up the sufferings of our people. Augustinho Neto, who himself inherited the bitter fruit of the colonial tide of subjugation said: "The grieved lands of Africa In the tearful woes of ancient and modern slave In the degrading sweat of impure dance Of other seas Grieved The grieved lands of Africa In the infamous sensation of stunning the perfume of the Flower Crushed in the forest By the wickedness of iron and fire The grieved lands" In this lament, the former president of Angola paints a picture of a continent whose development was arrested by centuries of colonial rule. I am happy that the Legislature has chosen as its theme - Out of Africa.
There could not have been a better way to indicate that the coming of the new millennium - correctly referred to as the dawn of the African Century - brings with it the hope of a continent's people reborn.
The epoch, which has just set in the distant horizon, has left stories of colonial brutality, genocide, forced removals, and the plunder of our wealth.
Storytellers of this millennium will regale future African generations with tales of the poverty and famine that visited a continent whose belly is rich with the fruit that sustained our economic and political domination.
They will also talk of how the bravery of ordinary men and women, in their resistance to subjugation by foreigners, was reduced to ashes of despotic rule, economic mismanagement and civil war. I am sure that they will regale future generations with tales of men and women who refused to succumb to colonialism, exploitation and oppression. Those who carried on relentlessly, like the shining star beyond the utmost bounds of human thought. They will say that the people of the south entered the new millennium poised for victory against unemployment, homelessness, sexism, ignorance and racism.
The children of this struggle will sit around the fire of human development.
They will hear of how in the year 2000 the people of this province rededicated themselves to a future free of oppression, exploitation, poverty, hunger, homelessness and joblessness. They will hear how this Provincial Government together with National and Local Government turned the tide in favour of the poor, the unemployed, workers, women, children, youth, the elderly and people with disabilities.
As we march towards the new century and millennium, we must at all times bear in mind that we still have an inescapable obligation to create sustainable economic development, employment, empowerment, integrated development, and primary health care.
At this time of the year the memories of road carnage, still fresh in our minds, serves as a reminder for us to confront the lawlessness that prevails daily on our roads. The angel of death walks amongst us as the life of our beloved ones are stolen by the scourge of HIV/AIDS. None but ourselves have the responsibility to ensure the realisation of the call in the Freedom Charter, to truly open the doors of learning, intensify our fight against crime and ensure the emancipation of the impoverished majority. The deepening of our nascent democracy and the eradication of the corruption, which threatens to corrode good governance, are goals we must pursue with more vigour. More importantly, we must end the huge debt created by racial and gender discrimination in wealth distribution and employment patterns. This cannot be ignored when millions still face the cruel heritage of this country's past.
The mandate of this Government and the Legislature must become the antithesis of the list of brutal realities of apartheid. This list of crimes includes mismanagement of the economy, the debt burden, destruction of our human resources, a dysfunctional civil service and the marginalisation of the majority from mainstream economic activity.
Our pledge to create conditions of prosperity and a better future is evidenced by the work Government has done since 1994, in the strides towards change and the better future of the country and province. At the opening of the Legislature in June last year, guided by the overwhelming mandate we received from the electorate most of whom are poor, low paid and unemployed, we set ourselves a clear agenda. We also articulated our strategic priorities for our term of office.
On 23 November 1999 when we gave a report on work done since the elections, we reiterated the following as our key strategic priorities:
We stated that the two task teams focussing on economic growth and quality service delivery respectively, had tabled before the Executive Council, concrete plans to enhance the province's economic base. We further stated that consequently, we expected positive spin-offs in the area of economic growth, development, poverty eradication and employment creation. We were and still are aware that the overwhelming mandate we received from the electorate is to provide a social service delivery system which will increase access to quality education, health care, fight crime, rejuvenate our cities and towns and enhance social security and housing. In all areas identified as key priorities we have already put in place structures and plans that will ensure the acceleration of our goal of a better life for all our people. Our primary objective remains to touch the souls of our citizens and give a sense of humanity and hope to millions of our people in all their places of residence and work. We know that in some areas more still needs to be done to ensure that our people live in safety and security, to help them move out of abject poverty and to work with communities to prevent our people from continuing to fall prey to the AIDS pandemic.
We are aware that our province, like the rest of our country is full of contradictions of the humiliating poverty which coexists with the wealth of a few - what President Mbeki called the two nations.
Indeed statistics of our income and unemployment patterns bears testimony to this reality. According to the Intergovernmental Fiscal review of 1999, the population of Gauteng has risen to almost eight million. Of these about 500 000 are non-urban. It is estimated that while 54.5% of individuals earn between R0 - R1500 per month, 3.1% of individuals earn in excess of R11 000 per month. This means that in the province renowned for its natural resources and wealth, about 4,36 million people have no income or earn very little.
It remains a challenge for all of us - government, the private sector and the people to reverse this situation.
Guided by our approach of integrated and well co-ordinated government work, departments have joined hands to pursue integrated economic growth and employment creation. This in turn will make a real contribution to our stated goal of quality service delivery.
We have combined our efforts in areas of tourism, manufacturing and infrastructure development. Such efforts are designed to attract investment, generate sustainable economic growth and income into our province. These will generate income which will translate into real change in the lives of the majority of citizens.
Our strategic infrastructure investment programme is designed to meet the demand of building sustainable economic growth. Through the Department of Finance and Economic Affairs, working in close co-operation with other departments and National and Local Government, we are taking concrete steps to build an economy capable of sustaining our plans for improved quality of life. We are putting in place an Integrated Transport Plan designed to enhance mobility in the economic activities of the province and thus improve the productive capacity of capital and labour.
Through this integrated initiative we will build an economy whose foundation is high value added activities in the research and development sector, information and telecommunication technology, the service sector and export oriented business initiatives.
Knowing the healthy state of our finances, we are now in a position to announce the immediate commencement of work in a number of initiatives designed to give content to our plan for the viability of our economy.
The following are some of the initiatives for which concrete plans to meet the economic challenges have been put in place: In partnership with the University of Pretoria and the CSIR we have begun work to create an Innovation Hub to be situated in Pretoria.
A memorandum of agreement has already been signed with the two institutions. Work done includes the appointment of a project manager, identifying a site for this exciting initiative whose central role is to lead Information Technology development in South Africa. We have put in place a steering committee consisting of esteemed academics to assist us with the details of this venture.
As part of our commitment to ease congestion on the roads, improve the movement of goods and persons, promote easy connection between some of our cities, we are embarking on an exciting venture which will link Pretoria, Johannesburg and the Johannesburg International Airport. A pre-feasibility study for a High-Speed rail link was concluded at the end of last year. A full feasibility study to be completed by October this year will begin before the end of the first quarter of this year. Our goal is to call for international tenders for this venture before the end of the next financial year. We want citizens of this province to enjoy a ride in the first train in 2005.
The Johannesburg International Airport Economic Zone will place us firmly in the map of major players in economic development in Southern Africa, Africa and the World. It will consolidate our status as the economic heartland of South Africa. This high value-adding venture will focus on enhancing the efficient movement of goods, capacity, infrastructure and information technology. As is the case with the other ventures, there are many esteemed partners - private and public who have indicated their readiness to join hands with us to turn the tide against economic decline and unemployment. On 02 December 1999, the World Heritage Committee announced the listing of the Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Kromdraai and Environs as a World heritage site. This Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site offers our economy yet another growth opportunity.
Responding to this positive development and its impact on ecotourism, we have already completed a financial and business plan for the development of the area. We are now ready to invest public sector funds in the development of roads and bulk infrastructure there. In partnership with the private sector, we will also invest in the construction of a world class interpretation centre, to help visitors understand the history and importance of the area.
We will also put in place a community equity scheme which will involve allocation of individual subsidies for 'on farm' housing. A core area for a Big 5 Reserve in the North Eastern Gauteng Area, commonly referred to as The North-East Gauteng 'big 5' Game Park, has been established at Leeuwfontein. Operating facilities have been constructed and staffed and will soon be developed into an advice centre.
The area has also been stocked with game. Negotiations have been initiated with neighbours, which will result in the first phase of expanding the core area into a collaborative reserve.
During the course of this year, the area will be branded and marketed as an "All of Africa in one day" destination. The natural/outdoor/hiking tourist experience will be linked to cultural tourist destinations. These include stone and iron age sites, historic 2nd World War monuments and mining history. The cultural history of the area, including Rust De Winter the home of literary and musical figures such as Ezekiel Mphahlele and Madikwe Dikobe will be included. All of these initiatives including those that the respective MEC's will announce, have positive economic meaning for our people. They will help reverse the de-industrialisation process, which is beginning to take root in our province. Through the provision of bulk infrastructure such as roads and telecommunications, we will rebuild our economy, intensify our fight against poverty, preserve jobs and create new ones, especially for women and youth in our province.
Full details on these and other initiatives, as well as the resources set aside to ensure their success, will be furnished by the MEC for Finance and Economic Affairs during briefings by the Economic Growth Cluster and in his budget speech.
I can however state without fear of contradiction that on all these initiatives, resources for bulk infrastructure have been set aside by Local, Provincial and National government. Meetings have been held with the relevant Ministers and parastatals, who have all committed themselves to join hands with us on these ventures. The thrust of these ventures is to address the current economic inequalities, joblessness and poverty. We are committed to play our role in creating an economy that benefits all the citizens of this province and the country.
Agriculture plays a central role in the development of our economy. The first phase of two important audits - an Open Space Study and an Agricultural Resource Audit mentioned in my report in November have been completed. Given that South Africa has only 3 million hectares of high potential agricultural soils, with a large proportion of this being in Gauteng, it is vital to the agricultural economy of the country that these areas are retained for productive agricultural purposes. Through these studies, we will map out areas that are suitable for urban, commercial and industrial development. We will also identify those areas that are 'no-go areas' based on the importance to the economy of the natural resource base. This we believe is a positive step towards economic expansion and the development of our local market.
The study identifying high value horticultural crops, supported by data on suitable areas for production, production requirements, and indicators of capital and labour input requirements, has been completed. It is already being put to use by farmers' organisations whose production choices are shifting towards commodities with the best internal rate of return.
We remain committed to the expansion of initiatives to contribute to household level food security and the eradication of poverty. To date close to 5 000 direct beneficiaries are participating in small-scale projects where productive resources are being utilised to support their livelihoods. The study for the upgrading and development of the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve in the South East of Gauteng, has been completed. We will be upgrading it into an adventure tourism destination including hiking, mountain biking and horse riding. Together with the National Government, we will champion an economic discourse that will end the historical distortions spawned by decades of apartheid rule.
Gauteng accounts for 34% of all small, medium and micro enterprises in South Africa. 52% percent of a total of 278 950 SMME's are operated by historically disadvantaged communities. Their operations range from transport to retailing and other services. The thrust of our economic strategy is the eradication of poverty and the promotion of opportunities for SMME's to begin to play their rightful role in the mainstream economy. We have a duty to create an enabling environment for small business, the advancement of women and youth in the economy and the creation of sustainable jobs. MEC Moleketi will soon announce steps and details we will take to create a structure to enhance this sector and assist in the provision and promotion of some of its needs. Our youth are confronted by unemployment and many related social problems.
The Provincial Government will not leave this crucial sector behind in its endeavors for development. Already discussions are underway with the private sector and educational institutions to enhance their skill capacity, making it possible for the youth to be employable.
We will continue to strive for equality through gender transformation within the Gauteng Provincial Government. We will announce our initiatives to ensure the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, taking into account the recent study by the Gender commission.
From its inception, the ANC has always strived to improve the lives of the poor. For decades, we sailed across the ocean to register the plight of the poor. In most instances our cadres paid the ultimate price, as did the people themselves. All this for true emancipation of our country and its people, particularly the poorest of the poor.
The overwhelming mandate we received was based on the conviction of our people that we know their anguishes. They know that we are part of them in the same way that they are part of us, hence our continued commitment to ensure a better life for all. This is the basis of our existence as a government and we will spare no effort in the fight against the poverty which is so pervasive in this society. We are aware that no department or sphere of government can on its own create a better life. It is our integrated approach that will give impetus to the goal of a better quality of life for the citizens of the province. Our integrated approach seeks to ensure that where houses are built, there are various facilities.
These include primary health care facilities, roads and public transport, schools, recreation facilities, proper sanitation, water and electricity. In line with the recommendation of the task team focussing on quality service delivery as well short term measures to create jobs, particularly in economically depressed areas, we will establish an interdepartmental body to ensure synergy in our blows against poverty.
A single strategic approach will be applied to funding poverty eradication projects from now onwards. These include:
This approach will support the implementation of sustainable projects with a cumulative annual impact that systematically addresses the challenge of poverty eradication.
In the forthcoming financial year the monitoring and measuring of the job creation impacts of CAPEX projects will be simplified and improved to provide more accurate information on labour intensity. Project designs for identified projects will be made more labour intensive in order to compare the job creation impacts with the current less labour intensive approaches.
This will allow government to make informed choices to ensure that CAPEX projects are implemented without compromising quality and increasing the levels of employment.
As part of our commitment to creating a safety net for our people, we have committed 81% of the budget allocated to the Department of Social Services and Population Development to social security.
We have increased the number of beneficiaries that receive child grants from 2 505 beneficiaries in April 1999 to 29 332 in January 2000.
Together with National Government we have put aside money for the benefit of the most vulnerable, the women, the disabled, children and the youth. The final structure of the Office of the Premier to be announced at the end of February includes the co-ordination on the status of women, children and the disabled. Our grants have made a difference in the lives of many a citizen of this Province, young and old. Among the people who know what I am talking about is Hazel Khanyisile Makhanya who now benefits from the child support grant.
She is unemployed and has seven children. Mama Violet Khumalo has recently benefited from our efforts to ensure efficient pension payoffs. Together with Hazel and others in a similar situation, they know that indeed we are making major strides to improve their lot.
In the meetings we have had with stakeholders, calls were made for us to improve the state of our schools, discipline - of both teachers and learners - pass rates and to crack down on absenteeism.
While it is true that some of our schools are dysfunctional, there are many more where teachers, learners, managers, parents and communities are doing their best to ensure quality education in our schools.
I have no doubt that together with communities, we are going to turn the tide. We will make our public schools institutions of quality education.
We have teachers and principals of schools who have produced good results even under difficult circumstances. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the teachers in our public schools who have remained there even under very testing conditions. I want to thank those parents, who have chosen to keep their children in our public schools and have chosen to work with us in their rejuvenation. I want to assure them that we will do everything in our power to restore the dignity of public schooling.
In schools where there were difficulties of management, we have already appointed temporary administrators. We will focus on early childhood development, primary schools, secondary schools, Technical Colleges and on Adult Basic Education and Training. Already interventions made late last year have proved to be a success.
These include the high impact Matric Intervention Programme designed to improve the matric results of marginal schools. Based on this programme, schools such as Morris Isaacson Secondary School sent educators around communities to encourage learners to attend lessons. At Westbury High School, situated in a community terrorised by gangsters - teachers, parents and the community worked together under very testing circumstances to improve the quality of education. The matric pass rate improved from 40% in 1998 to 85% in 1999. We will continue to give support to schools such as this and encourage others to do their best.
The Education Action Zones are succeeding in giving support to marginal and dysfunctional schools with the aim of enhancing educator and learner performance throughout the system. This entails the dual approach of developing the teaching skills of educators and taking stern action against those who shirk their responsibilities. As part of integrated government work, our endeavors to improve access to information and resources for education, have been complemented by the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, which has provided six new libraries, stocked with relevant information resources. These were opened to the public in areas, which never had such facilities before. We provided funding to build two libraries in Ivory Park and Lusaka, which will be opened this year.
All these initiatives were taken in partnership with local government, business and other vital partners in development. Sport remains our passion as a people and in this regard too, we are making significant strides. The Dube Community Boxing Centre results from our partnership with the Gauteng Gambling Board, the Sportsman's Club and the World Boxing Council.
Should our country be chosen, as we hope, as the host for the 2006 Soccer World Cup, Gauteng will play host to some of the main events of the tournament. We shall work together with the 2006 Bid Committee to do all we should to ensure the tournament becomes a resounding success in all respects. The high-speed rail link referred to earlier will also improve our capacity to transport spectators. To show our support for the 2006 soccer bid, we call on all citizens to join the Bid Committee in extending our warm welcome to the FIFA team during their visit in March this year.
Our efforts in the area of culture and the revival of our cities are advanced. These efforts will see up and coming musicians and other artists perform in some of our parks as part of our ongoing measures to turn our cities around. Plans are being finalised on developing new libraries, community halls and sports facilities in formerly disadvantaged areas. More information will be provided by MEC's during briefings. In addition, MEC Moleketi will announce a comprehensive plan on the revival of the Cultural Precinct situated in Newtown, in partnership with National and Local government.
Together with the Minister of Justice and the leadership of the Constitutional Court we are engaged in discussions for a venture to establish a Constitutional Hill in the old Forte Prison. The idea is to house most of our constitutionally entrenched institutions there. This we do in order to preserve some of our historical sites in the province and to entrench our commitment to a constitutional democracy.
Ensuring the safety of our citizens remains one of our keys. Last year, some of our schools, just as in communities, experienced incidents of crime in their own yards. A project aimed at dealing with violence in schools is currently being implemented in 40 schools in Soweto and in 9 others in the East Rand. We will work tirelessly to ensure that schools remain places of teaching and learning rather than havens for criminals.
These challenges notwithstanding, we have seen an improvement resulting from the recent efforts of our men and women in uniform. We will continue to accelerate our efforts to ensure the safety and security of all the people in our Province.
I want to express my appreciation to our police, communities and the department of Safety and Liaison for their efforts in dealing with crime and its causes. We commend those communities that have established policing forums and have worked closely with us in this fight against crime. As we agonize about those who rape our women and children and the incorrigible thieves who rob us of our valued belongings, we are certain that the answers lie in us working hard to make the police visible. We will ensure that people feel the presence of the law enforcement officers as they walk down the streets and feel free to support our intensified battle against crime. We will continue with roadblocks and search and seizure operations.
We have identified a number of flashpoints of crime in the Province. We have stepped up police operations in the areas we identified as flashpoints. To this end, a fact-finding mission on Greenfields and Mandela Park has already been finalized. Already, a number of people have been arrested and are facing charges for the massacres that occurred in these two areas.
In this first quarter of the year, we will be embarking on joint projects with Business Against Crime, the police and community based structures.
These will deal with crimes involving firearms, domestic violence, violence against women and children and youth crime prevention. We have identified projects in areas such as Katlehong, Soweto, Johannesburg and Alexandra to focus on the improvement of management skills of Station Commissioners. We have also identified police stations to be renovated. We will ensure that there is improvement of client service centres in these Stations so that we can improve the image and credibility of the SAPS.
On 15 December 1999 the Domestic Violence Act became operational. Many police officials, public prosecutors and social workers have already been trained on aspects of the Act.
We are working closely with all criminal justice system structures to ensure that the problem of crime is dealt with in a holistic manner. Already we have established special courts in some areas to ensure swift prosecutions. Our participation in operation Monozite, which was initiated by the National Minister has borne the expected fruit. Since the announcement of the operation, police have arrested more than 15 000 people for offences such as hijacking, bank robberies and the possession of unlicensed firearms.
Health services constitute an important part of our priorities. During the course of this year, we aim to increase levels of immunization by 3%. We will make contraceptives accessible to men and women as well as their partners. In 70% of our health facilities we will have on-site syphilis testing. 50% of our health institutions will have cervical cancer screening programmes.
We plan to have local intersectoral AIDS programmes in 50% of our local authorities including home-based care projects in each district.
Recent statistics show that there is a decrease in hospital outpatients and a significant increase in primary health care visits. This is due to the fact that we have converted some of our hospitals to primary health care institutions, thus bringing health care closer to communities. We will reinforce this with proper management of these institutions in order to achieve the desired outcomes. In line with national policy, we have adopted a district health model as the means to providing decent primary health care services.
The Interim Provincial Health Authority was launched and now oversees the process of district health development. Hospital Boards have been appointed for the majority of hospitals. This will improve accountability and transparency.
The District Health Service Bill will be introduced later this year. We have already discussed a draft outline of the bill with local government. A draft white paper on district health services has already been circulated for public comment.
The house is aware that we have conducted an inquiry into some of our hospitals. We have already taken concrete steps to deal with management problems confronting hospitals in Gauteng in line with the recommendations of the commission. Already CEO's have been appointed at both Chris Hani Baragwanath and Johannesburg Hospitals. Together with Transnet, we are assisting some of our hospitals with finance management as well as the proper deployment of resources.
There are reported incidents of violence and theft in some of our hospitals.
We will be installing Closed Circuit TV in 80% of public hospitals in the province to bring this practice to an end. During the election campaign, I visited an informal settlement near Bronkhortspruit called Sokhulumi. Residents said to me that they know that it might take longer to build a clinic in their area.
They suggested that government should at least provide the community with a mobile clinic from nearby Bronkhorstspruit. I will be going back to the area to fulfill my election pledge within two weeks. We will be doing the same thing to many other areas where we may be in no position to provide clinics immediately.
The partnership between our departments has resulted in an intensive programme of educating citizens about AIDS infection, care and prevention.
To paraphrase John Donne with this pandemic dwell: When so many of our people are threatened by this disease, can we afford to look at death defiantly and argue of this pestilence that 'though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, thou are not so.' On this Valentine's day, with conflicting versions of its origin, the greatest love we can show to others is to intensify the war and commit ourselves to a life of responsible and caring behaviour.
Only then can we advance to a future when we can finally say that: 'death shall be no more, death, thou shalt die.' As reported in November 1999, a committee on AIDS chaired by me has been established. By the end of March this year, we will put in place a council, which includes key stakeholders in the fight against AIDS. We will continue to form strategic partnerships with other partners in development. These include national and local government, NGO's trade unions and employers.
One of the challenges we also have to deal with during this term of government is homelessness. Given lessons we have learnt from the past, we will improve the management of the subsidies and the use of state resources.
Our goal is still to build houses on well-located and developable land as well as to upgrade informal settlements and hostels. Between August and December 1999 we built a total number of 22 000 houses, thus providing shelter to more that 110 000 people. To date, more than 140 000 houses have been built in our Province. We serviced 23 000 stands and now an additional 150 000 family members have access to clean water, sanitation and electricity. Since the ANC government came into power in 1994, over 1,5 million people have been housed in Gauteng alone.
We are committed to promote the People's Housing Process. The Newtown Urban Village was officially opened on 12 February 1999. Three more will be launched in Soshanguve, Ivory Park and Orange Farm.
MEC Mashatile will outline areas in which we will provide new houses, upgrade hostels and informal settlements. The partnership with trade unions and the private sector will be improved in this regard.
The Kathorus project, designed to give a sense of hope for thousands of people in the violence torn area of the East Rand is nearing completion.
While lessons learnt still have to be analysed, there is no doubt that this intervention made a huge contribution to peace and stability in the area. Continuous programmes and regulations for road safety will form part of our transport strategies this year.
While we worked hard on this challenge, we are aware that much work still has to be done. We have taken specific steps in the area of creating peace and sharpening law enforcement in the taxi industry.
Our people need an efficient transport system. As Government we will provide them with whatever is possible in the circumstances. We will further strive to create an enabling environment for the private sector to play its part. We will not allow criminals who hide behind this industry to undermine our efforts to improve our mass transportation system. I have already given instructions to MEC's Mosunkutu and Mokonyane to deal very firmly with those who mistake our commitment to consultation and dialogue for weakness. I am however aware that the taxi industry is also full of men and women of integrity whose cause is to provide our people with efficient transport. To these I want to express our sincere gratitude for they are testimony to the fact that the ideal of a caring nation is realizable. I have submitted the report on taxi violence in the Province to the Legislature. Those who are fingered in the report are being investigated.
These include members of the police mentioned in the report. I must however indicate that only a small number of police are involved. The rest remain committed to deal decisively with criminals.
Effective and efficient local government remains a critical part of our democracy. Together with leaders and organisations involved in local government, we know the challenges and the significance of this sphere of Government. It is an organ of the state closest to our communities. It is this sphere of our Government that creates a sense of closeness to the goal of quality service delivery we share with our people. The process of Local Government transition from the interim to the final phase is well on course. We are busy with legislation which will be tabled before this Legislature at the end of this month. In this Bill we will outline the categories of the different municipalities that may be established in terms of Section 155 of the Constitution. The end result is likely to see the number of municipalities reduced from 51 to 15. The creation of more effective and efficient municipalities, although fewer in number, is our approach to addressing the legacy of poor financial management and finding better ways of identifying local priorities. In areas of cross boundaries between Gauteng, North-West and Mpumalanga, we are having discussions with these Provincial Governments on the best ways of dealing with the issue and its implications for local government.
The MEC for Development Planning has already had meetings with his counterparts in these provinces to deal with the modalities of this process.
We remain committed to clean and good governance. We will continue with the crusade against those who seek to undermine our democratic state through such parasitical means. In those cases where corruption is detected we will expose it and prosecute the perpetrators.
We will continue to improve on systems that will eliminate fraud in our social security grant and pension service. Our system must be able to track those who may be receiving more than one grant. As part of this crusade against corrupt practices, we will table the Municipal Systems Bill, which espouses a very stringent institutional arrangement for local authorities. Through this we will put in place codes of conduct for councilors. I hope that the Powers, Privileges and Immunities Act, which is currently in force for MPL's, will also be extended to Local Government.
While on this issue of the Code of Conduct, I wish to request greater transparency and accountability from all of us in the Legislature. It is high time that we all declare assets, directorships of companies and that of the members' partners in line with the code in place in the National Legislatur. I hereby request the house to finalise by March this year, a similar code.
Like Caesar's wife we should all be above suspicion. The same will apply to senior public servants. They will declare their business interests in order to avoid conflicts of interest. Everyone has the right to administrative action that is lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair. Further, everyone whose rights have been adversely affected by administrative action has the right to be given written reasons.
This Province is committed to the effective implementation of the Administrative Justice Act which seeks to ensure that our people can exercise their constitutional right to just administrative action. We will ensure that all administrators who exercise public powers or perform public functions give proper effect to the rights to just administrative action.
Everyone has the right of access to any information held by the State and any information that is held by another person and that is required for the exercise or protection of any rights subject to justifiable limitations.
The Information Act gives effect to these rights. It also provides for reasonable measures to alleviate the administrative and financial burden on the state. It also seeks to promote transparency and accountability by all organs of state by providing the public with timely, accessible and accurate information. Importantly, it also seeks to empower the public to effectively scrutinize, and participate in, governmental decision making that affects them.
The Act also provides for the protection of persons disclosing evidence of contraventions of the law, serious maladministration or corruption in governmental bodies. These provisions in particular will give us more ammunition in our fight against corruption and maladministration.
As stated before this province is committed to efficient, transparent and accountable governance. This Act gives us a framework to improve in our quest to achieve this objective. Good governance extends to our schools, hospitals, and our police stations.
We must ensure at all these levels that we promote good, clean and efficient government. Substantial progress has been made towards the implementation of the shared services centre. In two day's time we will finalise the governance structure which will include MEC's to ensure proper accountability and responsibility. It is envisaged that the Internal Audit SSC will be up and running by July 2000. At the end of this week we will announce a business partner for this initiative.
Overspending in the Gauteng Provincial Government is now a thing of the past. The 1999/2000 financial year shows a healthy surplus in the Provincial budget. The efforts we have put to maintain budget discipline within our Government have paid off. In addition we have enhanced our procurement system through the revision of delegations to Departments.
To demonstrate accountability and transparency we will ensure that the provincial government maintains its good practice of submitting its financial statements to the Auditor -General within the prescribed period.
We will continue with our efforts to root out corruption in our Police force. We will not allow the good work of our police officers to be compromised by the corrupt few that sell dockets, interfere with evidence and collaborate with criminals when they are supposed to protect society.
We have already acted on those we have caught and some of them have been convicted. I call on the public sector, including unions to work with us in all our endevours to transform our state, local government and the economy of the country, so that we can improve the quality of life in the country.
Mr. Speaker, good governments communicate with their people. We promised our people that we will be with them to report our advances as well as the constraints and challenges that face us. It remains our primary duty to account to and keep the citizenry informed. This we will do at all times.
Partnership with our people remains our major strength. The decisive turn of events in the period 1990 - 1994 was a product of struggle by the people.
In all our efforts to combat crime, to provide homes, to open the doors of learning, to provide sporting and recreational facilities, to expand our economic base, health care, local government and many such tasks, we depend largely on the support we continue to get from our people.
On 2 March 2000 MEC Paul Mashatile and I will be launching yet another project of the people's housing movement. Through such efforts we will ensure that through our process of building homes, our communities are empowered to do things for themselves.
Our departments in all their programmes seek to invite contributions from many sectors of our community. Our department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture continues to widen its engagement with many organs involved in art, culture and various sporting codes. In all its ventures the Department will work closely with communities. Our partnership with the labour movement, business, and all our people will remain the pillar of our strength. Last week saw a number of areas affected by flood resulting in loss of property and fatalities. Areas severely affected include Alexandra, Diepsloot, Zevenfontein and Kliptown.
The Provincial Government has been working together with the local government, business, communities of faith, the emergency services, the army, the police and the communities to assist families adversely affected by the floods. We will continue to assist. We appeal to people living in the informal settlements at high risk to cooperate with the authorities in trying to find safer places where they could be relocated.
I am aware that the challenges I have outlined are huge. I am however certain that all of us here are equipped to confront them. The key to creating a better life for all of us is our joint effort. We have demonstrated in the recent past that we can rise to the challenge. We dare not fail.
Thank you.