12 February 2001
Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Honourable members
MEC's
Gauteng delegates to the NCOP
Mayors and other representatives of Local Government
Excellencies
Distinguished guests
Fellow citizens
Our history has been a bitter one dominated by colonialism, racism, apartheid and sexism. Poverty and degradation existed side by side with modern cities and a developed mining, industrial and commercial infrastructure. Our income distribution is racially distorted and ranks as one of the most unequal in the world. Our country's foundation was built on systematically enforced racial division in every sphere of our society. Towns and cities were divided into townships without basic infrastructure for blacks and well-resourced suburbs Segregation in education, health, welfare, transport and employment left deep scars of inequality and economic inefficiency. Cheap labour policies and employment segregation concentrated skills in white hands. Workers in our country and province were poorly equipped for the rapid changes taking place in the world economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises were underdeveloped. The ravages of apartheid left no individual and no sphere of our society - economic, social, political, moral, cultural, and environmental - untouched.
For many years, millions of ordinary South Africans struggled against this system, to improve their lives, to attain peace, and to bring about a more just society. In their homes, in their places of work, in townships, in classrooms, on the land, in cultural and religious expression, our people devoted their lives to the cause of a more humane South Africa. It was for these reasons that the African National Congress put forward the Reconstruction and Development Programme. It was with this plan for social transformation that we went to our people to seek a mandate to govern the country. It is this plan, vigorously implemented by the government, business, workers, women, youth and the broader community, that is capable of speedily ushering in a non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and democratic South Africa.
We knew that an election victory was only a first step in the process to transform our country. Hence we said to our people that..."No political democracy can survive and flourish if the mass of our people remain in poverty, without land, without tangible prospects for a better life.
Attacking poverty and deprivation must therefore be the first priority of a democratic government". (RDP base document) Seven years down the line, after two sets of elections at national, provincial and local level, we reiterate our commitment to an integrated programme that will promote a better life for all.
It is a programme that will deliver peace and security, link reconstruction and development and deepen democracy. I stand before you to outline a programme that focuses on economic growth and development, poverty eradication and bridging the digital divide in the short, medium and long term. I stand before our citizens to indicate political outcomes that we will strive to achieve between now and the end of our term. As accountable government, we must have the confidence to state unequivocally what we commit ourselves to do. This will make it possible for us to jointly assess whether we remain on course, what the challenges are and why certain adjustments may be necessary. The programme and its political outcomes constitute our joint contract with the people to act together for change.
We call on all our citizens, regardless of political persuasion, race, class or gender to join hands with us to realise these noble goals. Together we can take decisive steps to eradicate the apartheid legacy. Together we can move with speed to change the lives of our people for the better.
Contrary to the myth perpetuated by apartheid apologists, we inherited a fast declining economy. The high budget deficit we inherited was an obstacle to meeting our goals of social transformation. The public service, a critical tool for the implementation of our programmes, was a mirror of racial discrimination in society, with white males holding most senior positions, albeit without the necessary skills.
The state machinery was designed to serve the white minority at the expense of the majority. There was minimal state spending for black people on heath, education and infrastructure like roads, water, electricity and sanitation. There was virtually no policing in black areas. Most police stations in black townships did not have enough vehicles and were not properly staffed.
There was no focused developmental agenda, let alone a programme. There was no industrial policy to promote growth, to create jobs, to support both small and big industries. To say it was undemocratic is to state the obvious. But since no one in our province was ever a racist, or supported apartheid, we will all agree that it was indeed oppressive and authoritarian. It was clear that if we wanted to transform our country and province for the better, it could not be business as usual. And since there was no foundation to talk about, we had to start from scratch. Guided by our commitment to transformation, we put in place a process to restructure and modernize the economy, to ensure sustainable economic growth and development, to redistribute wealth, income and opportunities and to find a niche within the regional, continental and global economy in which to grow our economy. Such an economy had to be able to respond positively to the challenges of poverty and inequities faced by blacks in general and women in particular.
It also had to be responsive to the challenges and opportunities brought about by globalisation.
Propelled by our commitment to eradicate discrimination in the workplace as well as to ensure representivity in terms of race, gender and people with disabilities, we embarked on a process to transform and restructure state institutions to reflect the character and demographics of our province. Through an aggressive programme of affirmative action, we will continue to place more and more black people in senior positions within the public service. Our commitment to the empowerment of women is evidenced by the fact that our province has the highest representation of women in senior government positions. We had to put resources - human and capital - to equip police stations in historically disadvantaged areas.
To succeed in the implementation of our programme, we embarked upon a process to retrain personnel. Our focus was to broaden the skills base as well as ensure that they move away from the mentality of skop, skiet and donner to embrace Batho Pele principles. We had to help change their attitudes to inculcate a culture of transparency, accountability and effective and efficient service delivery. We have succeeded in turning our economy around. According to Statistics South Africa, in 1997, the provincial economy was growing slower than the national economy, with the national growth rate at 2,6 percent and the provincial growth rate at 1,7 percent. Indications for 2000 are that Gauteng's economic growth rate will be slightly higher than the projected national average.
This can be attributed to the sound economic and social investments we have made to date.
Since 1994 we have spent R6 billion on capital expenditure (CAPEX), creating infrastructure such as roads, clinics, schools, and for water and sanitation. Last year alone, CAPEX infrastructure investment of over R1 billion provided employment opportunities and income to around 18 000 people.
We have also continued to attract local and international investors to our province.
While a lot still needs to be done to improve the lives of our people, tremendous progress has been achieved since 1994. While six years is too short a time to undo the ills of decades of systematic oppression, we are proud of our achievements to date.
We are convinced that we are on the right path to build a new society with new values and a new ethos, one that is sustainable and built on a solid democratic framework.
Our approach to poverty eradication has been vindicated by the World Bank's recent World Development Report.
It recommends that we should consistently provide poor people with material opportunities such as access to jobs, credit, roads, electricity, markets for their produce, schools, water, sanitation and health services that underpin the health and skills essential for work.
While government has an important role to play in fighting poverty, so do our people.
It is therefore critical that in fighting poverty we generate an active collaboration by all sections of society.
Through our collective experiences, knowledge and creativity, we can move our people out of poverty and degradation. Together we can find the necessary financial and human resources to ensure the building of a better life for our people today and for the next generations.
We agree with the assertion of the World Development Report, which says: "...promoting opportunity through assets and market access increases the independence of poor people and this empowers them by strengthening their bargaining position relative to state and society.
It also enhances security, since an adequate stock of assets is a buffer against adverse shocks. Similarly, strengthening democratic institutions and empowering women and disadvantaged ethnic and racial groups ... expand the economic opportunities for the poor and socially excluded.
Strengthening organisations of poor people can help to ensure service delivery and policy choices responsive to the needs of poor people and can reduce corruption and arbitrariness in state actions as well.
And if poor people do more in monitoring and controlling the local delivery of social services, public spending is more likely to help them during crises".
Our anti-poverty programmes are therefore targeted at:
We are developing financing models that will promote the establishment and growth of development nodes and contribute to local economic development.
However, merely funding individual poverty relief projects will not in itself have a significant long-term impact on poverty.
We will therefore rely on strong collaborative project facilitation methodologies, well-grounded research and accurate, reliable information systems for poverty targeting. Our programme must establish the foundation for a trajectory of development from poverty relief, to poverty reduction and finally to poverty eradication.
Our commitment to increased efficiency and access to service delivery has resulted in an average one-month turn-around period for social grant applications and payment.
The number of people who benefit from social security grants have increased dramatically, increasing from 280 000 in 1994 to 411 000 by the end of the year 2000.
Last year we saw an average increase of 8% in the number of beneficiaries that receive grants. The largest increase was in grants for people with disabilities, (9,5% increase from 57 000 in April 2000 to 63 000 in December 2000) and Child Support Grants (59% increase from 37 000 in April 2000 to 90 000 in December 2000).
The greatest weapon against poverty and degradation is a thriving economy which provides opportunities for poor people to uplift their standards of living.
As our economy gathers steam, so has the confidence of local and international investors, most of whom have made long-term real investments.
According to GEDA, through direct government engagement during international visits and with their focussed, professional and proactive project driven approach, we have succeeded in attracting a substantial foreign investment quotient of close to R1 billion over the past year alone. This has resulted in the creation of some 4700 jobs.
Other highlights include the decision by the German auto manufacturer, BMW, to increase its investment in our country by expanding capacity at its Rosslyn plant, focusing on the production of its three series model.
August Läpple Group, a motor component manufacturing company, also expanded its capacity by opening a new plant in Rosslyn. In the year ahead, we expect about forty projects worth an estimated R1,3 billion in foreign investment.
These will result in the creation of more than 3500 jobs. Some of you may have already seen press reports indicating that two more motor manufacturers are investigating the possibilities of opening up assembly plants in Gauteng. Currently, 50% of South African auto manufacturers are based in Gauteng, whilst 70% of component manufacturers operate from the province. This places Gauteng in an ideal position to attract further foreign investment as an export manufacturing site for other world auto manufacturers. These are indeed clear indications of a growing economy.
The ten Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) projects announced last year and branded by pessimists, some sitting here, as unrealistic grand plans remain on track. True to our commitment to make good on our promises we have set aside R1.2 billion to fund these projects.
The SDI projects will realise our vision of Gauteng as the "Smart Province" with a specific emphasis on the development of innovation, quality business and financial services and value-added higher technology-based manufacturing.
The critical success factors are ready access to information, skilled people, effective government leadership and private sector participation, cost effective transportation as well as other inputs such as access to markets and research and development capability.
While MEC Moleketi will announce the full progress to date on Wednesday, allow me to give a brief update on the rail link SDI. A feasibility study has been conducted which concluded that this is indeed feasible and will be able to attract at least 70 000 commuters a day.
According to the study, the project has the potential to create and sustain an estimated 42 000 job opportunities. It is projected that 1 220 employment opportunities will be created directly through the operation and maintenance of the system, and an estimated 39 000 indirect job opportunities will be created through downstream impacts.
These jobs will predominantly be created in the manufacturing, transport, communication, financing, real estate, business services, government and personal services.
New economic activities created by the link will be shopping, accommodation, transport and restaurants.
It is expected that the contribution to Gross Geographical Product for Gauteng over five years is expected to be between 0.7% and 1.0%. Other beneficial impacts of the project will be personal time saving, an expected decrease in traffic accidents and improved air quality.
While some work still needs to be done on technical aspects of the project we are on track to have an investment conference in April this year and will initiate a tender process soon afterwards. Another important element in our strategy to grow the economy is the utilisation of technology. The information and communication technology revolution presents great opportunities for economic and social development.
However, it also has the potential risk of further polarising society.
Government therefore has an important role to play in ensuring that the benefits are not confined to an elite but are used as a tool for the development and empowerment of society. As part of our commitment to eradicate the digital divide and to prepare our citizens for the information age, we will soon be launching an exciting groundbreaking initiative to be known as gautengonline.com.
Plans are at an advanced stage to create an internet service provider which will provide every learner in public schools with free access to the internet and an email address -@gautengonline.com. We have already registered the domain gautengonline.com.
This major new initiative in partnership with the private sector will help us lay the foundation for the creation of an information society in Gauteng and has the dual goal of social upliftment and economic growth.
The gautengonline.com project aims to provide a model for sustainable computer usage in schools. In addition to providing an average of 25 computers per school, we will provide applications and train educators to ensure the sustainability of this initiative.
By 2006 every learner at a public school should have a personal e-mail address, which they can use anywhere where there is a web-enabled facility.
Together with communities and schools, we will ensure the safety of these computers in schools. One of the preconditions for providing computers to any school will be the presence of tight security measures.
Gautengonline.com aims:
MEC Jacobs will give full details of this project on Wednesday.
Today we issue a challenge to institutions of higher learning in our province to take note of our plans. They need to start now to put in place plans that will help produce learners who are ready to take up employment in the new economy.
We are issuing a similar challenge to the private sector to join hands with us to build our economy as well as the necessary skills for their work force.
Together we need to acknowledge that while foreign direct investment is important, so too is local investment.
The SME sector in Gauteng has a great potential for growth as well as the potential to make a significant contribution to the provincial economy by creating more jobs, assisting in poverty alleviation, black empowerment, and skills enhancement.
In addition to existing policy, which favours SME's in the awarding of government contracts, as well as advice, counselling and mentorship, the provincial government will be establishing an economic portal for SME's.
This portal will provide services to SME's to help them achieve growth through support, information provision and mentorship. The core of the service will consist of two elements. The first relates to providing SME's with access to markets. This marketplace linkage will be premised on the establishment of a comprehensive database of SME's, the accreditation of those SME's, the brokering of transactions and giving effect to those transactions, whether online or offline.
The second relates to the provision of support services to SME's. The initiative will ensure that SME's are provided with all the information and infrastructure they require to focus on their core business.
This will include information about general market issues, business opportunities such as tenders and information necessary to establish and grow a business.
Government will use its influence to encourage big business to support SME's by providing incentives and partnerships where necessary.
We will also continue to focus on black economic empowerment. The primary beneficiaries would be those businesses whose benefits accrue to the majority of communities.
Tourism remains one of the key pillars of our economic strategy. Reports indicate that foreign tourism contributed R12 billion and domestic tourism over R30 billion to the Gauteng economy.
We are also committed to enhance tourism infrastructure through the development of the World Heritage Site, the Constitutional Hill Precinct and the Newtown Cultural Precinct.
New tourism routes in Alexandra and Mamelodi and initiatives such as the annual tourism month, the Johannesburg Big 5 City slicker bus and the 'Discover Johannesburg' show have extended tourism beyond the traditional boundaries.
The work of the Gauteng Tourism Development Partnership has emphasised SME development and industry transformation through infrastructure, product development and capacity building initiatives.
Last year we launched the Gauteng Film Office as part of our effort to continue to attract both international business and tourists to our province. The film industry has the potential to play an important role in the economy of our country.
Through this office we will be able to market the resources available in the province so that we can attract producers to use them. The office will also serve as an advice centre for producers, providing information on matters such as climate conditions, banking facilities, airports, travel facilities, tourism and accommodation facilities.
Our continued focus on education is beginning to bear fruit. Our matric pass rate in 2000 was 67,5% compared to 57,5% last year. This takes us a step closer to our target of a 75% pass rate by 2004.
I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate all the learners who passed their examinations and their educators for their good work. I believe that we should reward and recognise our best educators, learners and schools.
Those who do not match up must be encouraged to do so. However, those that continue to undermine the culture of learning and teaching must get out of the system. They must shape up or ship out.
We will step up our efforts to normalise schooling in historically disadvantaged communities. We will continue to build more schools, as well as renovate and refurbish schools in the poorest communities. We will also continue to empower principals with the necessary skills to effectively manage and lead our schools.
To harness the skills, abilities and talents of learners in poor communities, we will focus on Mathematics, Science and Technology, Economic and Management Sciences, Fine and Dramatic Arts and Sports.
As we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the June 16 uprisings, we should take note of the fact that inequalities in the provision of education and training are most acute in rural areas. Schools in these areas are often under-resourced in terms of buildings, utilities, learner support materials, equipment and teachers. In certain instances, learners have to travel long distances to schools.
We are awaiting the findings of a task team into the state of schools on farms and in rural areas, whereafter we will act accordingly.
Together with the Born to Read Campaign launched last year as well as our efforts to make libraries centres of both information and inspiration for a more literate nation, we will succeed in raising the Province's education and literacy levels.
The provincial government continues to support a wide range of projects aimed at the prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Gauteng AIDS Council, launched in June 2000, brings together the insights of different stakeholders to fight against the epidemic. R15 million in grants has been allocated to non-governmental organizations for their work against HIV/AIDS.
We have launched Local Intersectoral AIDS programmes in most municipalities, including a home-based care project in each district. Training to develop counseling and home care skills is taking place and will be expanded.
Research sites on mother to child transmission have been extended from Chris Hani Baragwanath, Coronation Hospitals and Zola Clinic to new ones at J Dumane MOU/Natalspruit Hospital Complex and Pretoria West/Kalafong Hospital Complex.
There is evidence that our social mobilisation campaigns are succeeding. More and more volunteers continue to participate in the World Aids Day activities. Last year the number of volunteers was 8000 compared to 5000 in 1999. We call on all political parties to join us in this social mobilisation and to move away from the quest for sound bites at the expense of those who are living with AIDS. Our ABC message is continuing to reach more and people, especially the youth. This has been demonstrated by the increased acceptance of condom use. We continue to distribute over 7,5 million condoms every month, mostly to young people.
We have a challenge to deal with adult men who continue to have sex with young girls, some in the mistaken belief that this will rid them of their HIV infection. Together with communities of faith and NGO's we will be launching campaigns targeted at such men and young people in our peer education programmes.
Surveys to be conducted this year will provide more details about youth risk behaviours. These surveys will inform our programmes to make them more effective.
We will continue to focus on the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Our research in Carletonville has shown that the successful treatment of STDs reduces HIV infections by up to 40%. Our repeated AIDS message through radio, door to door campaigns, billboard murals etc. continue to reach the vast majority of the Gauteng population.
The new Provincial Health Information System is already operational at Carletonville, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Natalspruit, Garankuwa, Sebokeng and Weskoppies hospitals. We will soon be extending it to Johannesburg hospital and the Pretoria academic hospital Local area networks have been installed in six more linics. This has improved the efficiency of the delivery of health services, including a dramatic decrease in time spent in queues for consultations.
The past few weeks have seen certain incidents of maltreatment of patients by health workers. I commend the MEC for taking immediate steps to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book. We will not allow a few rotten apples to tarnish the image of the majority of dedicated health workers, many of whom are committed to the Patient's Rights Charter. I call on the public and the media to continue to bring such incidents to our attention so that we can root such elements out of our system.
One of the biggest challenges facing the government is the effective integration of human rights issues at all levels of our work. We will continue to do everything within our power to translate rights in the constitution into concrete reality.
We are currently putting in place a mechanism for coordinated baseline data collection. Together with municipalities and communities, we will develop an integrated information system that will systematically collect information regarding the economic, social and political status of women, elderly people, children, youth, and people with disabilities in the province.
This will in turn inform and enhance the evaluation and monitoring of service delivery and the identification of strategic programs.
As in previous years, we will continue to celebrate important local and international days that focus on the rights, freedoms, abilities and achievements of women, consumers, youth, elderly people, people with disabilities and children.
Together with the police and communities, we must continue with our efforts to deal with child prostitution and child abuse in the province. We commend the recent raids by the police of certain hotels and clubs in Hillbrow.
A survey of the Public Service Commission in July 2000 states that, of the 113 976 public servants employed in Gauteng, 68% are women - the highest of all nine provinces. As indicated by the President in his recent state of nation address we are also leading in the employment of women at senior management level.
We have also taken note of the policy document on Women Empowerment and Gender Equity. As part of our commitment to implement the policies outlined in the document, we are going to focus on the following issues during 2001:
We will also monitor the impact of all our programmes that seek to implement gender equality. This will be done through the development of a set of indicators for both the short and long term. These indicators will be used to measure and report on progress annually.
In August last year we launched the Premier's awards for outstanding women achievers. We will soon establish the panel to develop the guidelines for nominations and selection. The first awards to women who distinguish themselves as shining stars in social transformation will be made in August this year.
We call on the private sector and society at large to continue to respect the dignity of people with disabilities and to empower them through among others giving them employment opportunities. In this regard we look forward to the code of good practice on disability in the workplace that is being developed by the Commission on Employment Equity in terms of the Employment Equity Act.
As indicated by the President, Johannesburg will be the host city for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.
The summit will challenge us and the world on the relationship between economic and social development and the sustainable use of our natural resources. In addition, the Summit will have direct positive economic spin-offs for our province.
We should all take note of the saying by the Cree, a Native American community, that: "Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realise we cannot eat money."
Our housing programme continues to make an impact in the lives of ordinary citizens.
By the end of January 2001, we had transferred 155 086 houses with title deeds to people who for many years were denied ownership by the apartheid government.
By the end of December 2000, 149 639 houses had been built. Over the same period, 233 190 households have received serviced sites with basic services such as water and sanitation.
We have said that we want to build housing that contributes to the creation of viable communities on well located land, and which are close to centres of economic activity.
To this end we have initiated the Cosmo City Project, a flagship project of our government which embodies modern integrated development principles.
The project will provide a combination of fully subsidised housing, credit linked units for those who earn below R3 500 but above R1500 per month and rent-to-buy housing units to qualifying beneficiaries.
It is expected that the project will have far reaching socio-economic benefits for the province, with more than 2000 new jobs created over a five-year period.
The second phase of the Braamfischerville Project is already underway. About 7000 housing units are at various stages of construction.
We have also responded positively to the call by the President in 1999 for a multi-disciplinary approach to urban renewal and rural development.
Together with local and national government we have developed a comprehensive plan for the rejuvenation of the Greater Alexandra area.
As the President announced in his state of the nation address: "Beginning from this centenary year of Alexandra, R1,3 billion spread over seven years will be set aside to embark on an integrated development programme that will deliver housing, roads, water, sanitation, schools, clinics, magistrates offices and police stations."
The integration of Alexandra into the surrounding economy constitutes a critical focus area. In order to reduce unemployment, enhance job creation and increase income levels in the area, a sub-regional economic development strategy is being developed in consultation with various stakeholders.
This will include programmes to stabilise and upgrade existing commercial and industrial areas such as the Kew-Marlboro South industrial area and the Wynberg Retail Precinct. Steps will also be taken to introduce relevant skills development programmes to support the redevelopment.
One of the immediate interventions we shall make is to relocate approximately 3500 households from the Jukskei riverbank and London Road, followed by the immediate greening of this area.
This process has already started. It is not only necessary to avoid the continued occupation of land in life-threatening circumstances, but is also an important step in the restoration of green and public spaces for the residents of Alexandra.
To further facilitate the de-densification of Alexandra, 2200 additional houses are to be constructed at the Alexandra Far East Bank and River Park area.
Our aim is to ensure that at the end of the period of the celebration of the approaching centenary of Alex, we have a new residential area that all of its citizens are proud of.
We call on all members of the community and their organisations to join hands with us to rebuild this historical area. MEC Mashatile will announce the full details of the project tomorrow.
The poet, Shirley James, wrote:
"There is no armour against fate
Death lays his icy hand on kings"
This may be so honourable members, but what happens on our roads is not only the result of fate showing its ugly face. It is also the result of recklessness, drunkenness, and people driving without licenses and unroadworthy vehicles that continue to cause fatal accidents on our roads.
Innocent people are being killed daily. Acting together with law abiding citizens, we must work hard to bring this carnage to an end.
Beginning this year, we will be extending the Arrive Alive campaign beyond the festive season to run throughout the year. MEC Mosunkutu is already doing an analysis of accidents which occur out of peak seasons, so that we can adopt a comprehensive strategy to reduce accidents and fatalities on our roads.
Visibility of traffic law enforcement officers on our roads has been increased by the appointment and training of 151 additional traffic officers.
The recent municipal elections marked the beginning of a new era of local government. Of the six metropolitan areas in the country, three are located in Gauteng. The viability of the country's economy is intrinsically linked to the success of these municipalities. We also have three District Councils that bring together key towns and cities in the province.
The calibre of Mayors serving in the new councils is a reflection of the growing recognition of the importance of local government.
The new local government system offers heightened opportunities for the provincial and local government to work together to improve the lives of the people.
We now have an opportunity to combine resources to deal with poverty, economic development and service delivery. It is also a necessary step towards our objective of building a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist society, one where services to our people are rendered effectively, efficiently and equitably.
We have appointed transformation managers to help transform these municipalities into centres of excellence in service delivery. This is in addition to work already underway to train our new local councillors.
We have set aside resources to enhance the viability and sustainability of these new municipalities. In particular, we have established municipal support programmes to stabilise the finances and administration of the Randfontein, Nokeng tsa Taemane, Metsweding and Midvaal municipalities.
I believe that local government needs to focus on the following issues:
These and other issues will form part of the agenda of the forthcoming Gauteng Intergovernmental Forum meeting.
The new districts in Sedibeng and West Rand offer an opportunity to fast track the regeneration of economic activity in these areas. The MEC for Finance and Economic Affairs will indicate the steps we intend to take in partnership with the local government structures to reverse the economic decline. These include conducting a detailed economic study of the two districts to identify opportunities for growth and development.
We intend to meet with political leaders and business people in these areas before the end of March to solicit their inputs. As part of our commitment to co-operative governance, we have continued to play an active part in intergovernmental activities.
These include regular meetings of the President's Co-ordinating Council and Premier's Co-ordinating Forum, MINMEC's and NCOP. We will continue to use these structures to ensure effective co-ordination and a multi-disciplinary approach to service delivery.
We need to urgently review the role of our NCOP permanent delegates to ensure that in their work they truly represent the aspirations of the people of Gauteng as well as the mandate of the Legislature.
We must find ways of enhancing the quality of our mandates as well as ensure that our delegates are properly informed of provincial dynamics and perspectives. This will in turn make it possible for them to advise us on key legislation and policy issues before the NCOP.
As part of our commitment to internationalism, we have formed mutually beneficial relations and entered into twinning agreements with other regions and provinces across the globe. Our focus this year will be on consolidating and strengthening these relationships.
We salute the members of the Gauteng rescue teams who went to Gujarat in India to assist in the recovery of victims after the earthquake. This is internationalism and solidarity in action.
We have demonstrated over the years that our commitment to good governance includes as a large part of it, the need to communicate directly with the people, as well as the need to make government information accessible to all.
The community outreach programme we started at the beginning of our term of office has created more possibilities for ordinary people to interact with members of the Executive. Many of those who came to the meetings we organised had opportunities to raise issues they wanted us to attend to and others made suggestions which we found very useful to our work.
Consistent with our commitment to provide access to government information and services we have initiated, in partnership with GCIS, a programme to establish Multi-Purpose Community centers throughout the province.
Disadvantaged communities, which previously did not have access to government information and services, will through these centers have such access closer to where they live.
The first of 10 centres to be established in Gauteng was launched in Sebokeng in the Vaal in November last year.
Last year we adopted the code of conduct for members of the Legislature, an important step in realising our commitment to accountability and transparency. We remain committed to the code of conduct and look forward to the finalisation of institutional mechanisms and the appointment of the Integrity Commissioner. All members of the Executive Council look forward to the speedy finalisation of the process so as to afford us the opportunity to declare our private interests.
New measures that require senior management to make a full disclosure of any private business interests they have outside of their employment in government are now in place. This will make it easy for us to identify officials who are serving their private interests to the detriment of the public.
We call on the public to remain vigilant and to report any act of corruption regardless of who the person may be or their position. It is only when society works together with government that we will be able to root out corruption.
We also wish to place on record that in all the reports we have received from the Special Investigation Unit, the Public Protector and the Public Service Commission, no concrete evidence of corruption has been found.
This should however not lull us into a false state of security. We must continue with our relentless campaign to prevent, detect and root out corrupt elements within government.
Honourable members, we have spoken at length about our plans to make Gauteng a better place to live in for all its citizens. These plans look at building the economy, eradicating poverty, building sustainable communities and bridging the digital divide.
But we also recognise that the safety of our people is pivotal to our work towards the realisation of these programmes. We need to address the socio-economic and environmental factors that influence people to commit crimes.
We should ensure that communities work together with the law enforcement agencies to apprehend those who terrorise our communities.
We should continue to implement strategies that prevent violence against women and children and prevent the youth from committing crimes.
Together with the new metropolitan councils and the private sector in these areas, we will continue to identify resources to install more CCTV cameras to help us identify criminals. While the war is not yet over, we have all seen the positive results of the cameras we installed in the Johannesburg CBD.
We must work hard to create a new patriotism. This will in turn have a greater impact on those who do not value other people's lives, property and dignity.
We call on all institutions and political parties to join hands with us to build a new society.
Such a society must also be free of racist and sexist bigotry. As we move towards the UN Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, we need to have open and frank debates on how we can build a truly non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and democratic South Africa.
The Legislature can play an important role in social transformation. We are in support of measures that enhance the capacity of the legislature to contribute in the delivery of services and the fight against poverty.
We agree with you Mr Speaker when, you say, "oversight could also be thought of as a way of promoting co-operation between the Executive and the Legislature, and in this way contributing to enhanced service delivery and government performance".
We will soon table a budget to give effect to all the programmes we have outlined today. The healthy state of our finances vindicates the choices we made for prudent financial management.
We are now in a position to plough back resources to rebuild our economy as well as invest in other critical areas that will help improve the lives of our people.
It is widely acknowledged that improvements in health and education are important to promote growth in the incomes of poor people. This is what informs our strategy to invest more money and resources in these areas. We will continue to do so until every child can go to school with a full stomach, until every mother can give birth in safe and healthy conditions and until every family is lifted out of poverty.
We know that there are still big challenges ahead of us. We know that life remains a struggle for many people.
We are however proud of our achievements. Those who sent us to this legislature are also proud of our record. Together with them we are happy to proclaim loud and clear that while a lot still has to be done, a solid foundation for success has been built.
Let me reiterate what we have said before in this house: "When you are in government, you are expected to make choices and priorities and stick to them. Demagogy and populism (for its own sake) have no place. When you are in government you can not go on board every train, taxi or bus. You have to know which one will take you to your destination".
As we have done before, we are putting in place a programme to go and put our case to the people. They remain our opinion makers.
We will go to every part of our province. We know that they want to hear about our plans for the next three years. That is why we are taking our message directly to them. Face to face, on the doorstep, in the shopping centre and at the taxi rank. That is the way we have always done it. That is the way we will always do it. To keep on building mutual trust. To involve them in governance.
A wise man once said: "Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is the triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing was ever achieved without it".
Let our passion and enthusiasm to change the lives of the ordinary people be our gift to the African century. "As is our confidence so is our capacity".
I thank you.