20 February 2001
ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
I. INTRODUCTION
It is a great honor today to stand before you and feel proud to be a member of this society and government that is championing different approaches and strategies to ensure a qualitative improvement in the lives of all the people of our beautiful country.
Allow me to hail our President as leader of our country in his opening speech to parliament, once again showed strategic leadership for our country by providing a clear direction and a series of programs and projects to achieve our mandate as given to us by the millions of our people who voted for the ANC.
Allow me, Mr. Speaker also to thank our Premier, Comrade Mbazima Shilowa, for the visionary leadership in the province, for his tireless efforts to drive, coordinate and motivate all of us to achieve our collective goal of eradicating poverty, stimulate the economy and deliver quality services.
Mr Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not thank our people for going to the polls and vote for the democratic local government.
The overwhelming mandate given to the ANC is a reflection of the confidence in this government and its policies to achieve development and fundamental change.
The vision of sustainable communities through which we will achieve a better life for all is not only realizable but shall be touched, felt and enjoyed by the generations to come. And my department is ready to do this.
Mr Speaker, the fundamental task to achieve a better life for all is the eradication of poverty. This is a challenge that requires commitment from every woman, man, black or white; every institution, public or private, in short all of us. However, I continue to be amazed at the narrow self-interest expressed by the opposition.
Mr Speaker, Professor Sono's a-historical contribution to this debate, provides the theoretical basis for the DP's "alternative policies" which are designed to protect privilege and yes Professor, history has not been erased, it is White Privilege!
I am reminded of a book I read in 1971 by Frantz Fanon, "Black Skin, White Masks". Professor Sono's utterances are similar to that encountered by Fanon wrote in 1952: "Lay aside your history, your investigations of the past, and try to feel yourself into our rhythm. In a society such as ours, industrialised to the highest degree, dominated by scientism, there is no longer room for your sensitivity. One must be tough if one is to be allowed to live".
Said in another way, Fanon quotes a disabled war veteran who said, "Resign yourself to your color the way I got used to my stump " Comrade Speaker, I want Professor Sono and the DP to hear Fanon's response that epitomises mine to what I deem a personal affront. "Nevertheless, with all my strength, I refuse to accept that amputation. I feel in myself a soul as immense as the world, truly a soul as deep as the deepest of rivers, my chest has the power to expand without limit".
Not only do you deny us our pride and heritage, you deny us our future!! Let me answer Professor Sono's question. "What meaningful change to the material conditions of poor people and the formerly oppressed will such an admission bring? The answer lies in your own colleagues statements. Honourable Goodall's assertion "That the single biggest challenge facing Gauteng today is that of the retention and development of skills". Yet his colleague Hon.
Quail says, "We believe in merit and the best person for the job.
We do not think that all appointments in the name of transformation and race and gender representivity have been in the best interests of delivering quality training".
This assertion is repeated by Hon. Bosman, that an aggressive programme to place Black people in Senior Civil Service positions is RACISM! The Hon. Members of the DP are forgetting history. It is apartheid that created a minority of white people with skills!
How do you deliver quality service in the context of Batho Pele when the only people employed cannot communicate with the majority of the people in their mother tongue or intrinsically understanding their needs?! Let me request you Hon. Bosman to read the Premier's speech, just two sentences beyond you misquote. "To succeed in the implementation of our programme, we embarked upon a process to retrain personnel ".. to inculcate a culture of transparency, accountability and effective and efficient service delivery".
Comrade Speaker, I could continue to give examples of this defence of White Privilege by the DP but I wish to turn to the Premier's speech.
Comrade Speaker, it was clear as early as 1980 that the strategy of the Apartheid Regime recognised that certain blatant apartheid laws could be removed and apartheid would remain. The fact is that the racial laws had institutionalised class supremacy, that is the working class and the poor were, and remain overwhelmingly Black, while the middle, upper and owning classes are overwhelmingly White.
This fact is the fundamental tenet of the DP strategy. Strip government of the capacity to intervene to ensure transformation.
Consequently, Hon. Quail and Bosman oppose steps to create a representative public and private sector, Hon Thusi devoid of all facts opposes intervention for transformation. Hon. Prinsloo downplays the uptake of child support grants in short the safety net for the poor.
Hon Killian by inuendo implies that every black person who improves their social condition through black empowerment is as a result of patronage. The sum of these inuedos and input is to retain the status quo in other words white privilege.
II. PLANS FOR MUNICIPALITY SUPPORT
The transformation of the Local Sphere of Government that was unleashed with the full implementation of the Constitution on 5 December 2000, presents massive challenges. The key is to create institutions that are developmental in nature, fosters people involvement and is focussed on quality service delivery that will advance the battle to eradicate poverty.
In some cases the establishment of municipalities has been a legal process and the integration of the business of the old municipalities to the new municipalities in ongoing.
A. MUNICIPAL SUPPORT PROGRAMMES
The Municipal Support Programmes recognise the historic weaknesses of certain municipalities (Professor Sono there is that History again!) to shape a programme that will ensure continued service delivery but will also assist municipalities in transforming into more effective entities. Through 2000 and 2001 over R5m for Transformation Management and an additional R22.1m on support (both financial and transformational support) for all municipalities. Hon. Nkomo we would be happy to provide both the names and the programme of work of the Transformation managers.
They were instrumental in the compilation of the Section 12 establishment notices. The following municipalities are being given special attention, given the challenge they are facing, Sedibeng, Metsweding, Midvaal, Randfontein, Nokeng-Tsa-Taemane and East Rand Metro.
B. MUNICIPAL INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT CENTRE
The department is putting in place a mechanism to provide focussed support. This support is in the form of a Municipal Institutional Support Centre or MISC as it has come to be known in the department. The centre will be fully operational in the next three months.
i) Integrated Development Plans Integrated Development Plans are an instrument through which Local, Provincial and National governments will be able to prioritise their spending and target specific pockets of poverty. Interim IDP's are targeted for next month to guide the formulation of the budget before June 2001, incorporated into the priorities for the budget will be the issues of localising the campaign against the spread of HIV/AIDS, and care for the victims of AIDS, investment promotion, crime prevention (Metro Policing) primary health and health promotion, urban regeneration and curbing urban sprawl.
ii) Eradicating Poverty Besides economic growth and sustainability a fundamental tenet for the eradication of poverty is ensuring that people progress beyond provision of a quantity of free water, sanitation and electricity is key. Hon. Johan Killian, we don't sing and dance about poverty! Yes the problem of the lack of water meters in all households is an obstacle, but not an obstruction. Alternative methods appropriate to those conditions are in operation. The implementation of this policy will roll out as of July 2001. The real challenge is to garner support from all people for this noble task!
A further instrument in achieving quality service delivery is the Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme, not only provided infrastructure to enhance service delivery but to date has created 788,600 person days of work. Women and youth currently account for 12% of employment under this programme, which we feel, is inadequate and will be improved.
iii) Human Resource, Systems Support Key to the transformation process is addressing the challenges of human resource management. Just as citizens are the main focus for municipalities, workers and staff are fundamental to the delivery of quality service. Unfortunately, colleagues some members of this house may have difficulty in understanding this concept. The DA's fanatical adherence to the "Free Market" and "Flexible Labour Environment" neglect the importance of a stable and workforce driven by commitment (not a fear of retrenchment) to providing a service to all citizens even those who are in poverty outside the realm of the market. The question of billing systems and appropriate information management is also part of the support that will be provided.
C. INTER GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
The constitution requires coooperative that ensures that National, Provincial and Local spheres have consistent approaches. The Premier outlined the Gauteng Government approach. I wish to expand on the approach to Municipal government. Last year, it was agreed with the Local sphere of Government that the Premier would convene a Coordinating Committee composed of the District and Metropolitan Executive Mayors together with the MEC for Development Planning and Local Government. This will precede the Gauteng Inter-Governmental Forum (GIGF). These meetings will take place next month.
D. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I wish to quote from the UN Development Report's definition of poverty: "Poverty is the denial of opportunities and choices most basic to human development to a long healthy, creative life and to enjoy a decent standard of living, freedom, dignity, self-esteem and respect from others. Our role as government is to mobilise resource and people to achieve this goal. The transformation of the Local sphere of government moves us closer to achieving this goal. I appeal to you to join us along this noble journey.
Issued by: PWV Gauteng