29 April 2002
Master of Ceremonies;
The community of Kwadukuza;
Distinguished councillors;
Municipal officials;
Senior executives if Denel, Eskom and Transnet;
Distinguished guests;
The media;
Ladies and gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure for me to lead a delegation of our three powerful State Owned Enterprises tot his community. This is a community reflecting the socio-economic features facing the majority of South Africans. It is a reality of people living under extreme and grinding poverty, which we seek to eradicate as a Government.
The initiative to construct a crèche to give opportunities to our children came from within the community of KwaDukuza. This came in the form of a request from the community for my assistance. I recall receiving a letter from Mr Biyela requesting assistance, which I then forwarded to the various State Owned Enterprises for immediate intervention in order to alleviate the plight of this community. The combined response from the State Owned Enterprises has been overwhelming.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank Denel, Eskom and Telkom for their positive and speedy response to your call for assistance. I should also use this opportunity to apologise to the community for the postponement of the launch last month. I had to undertake a trip abroad on an urgent basis. We also felt that the launch should reflect the combined effort of our State Owned Enterprises. This was against an approach where SOEs had developed their own separate launches for the same project. Co-ordination is therefore critical in us realising our objectives.
The establishment of a crèche in a poor community such a s KwaDukuza is significant enough. It will make a real difference and open up much needed opportunities for our children. It is my hope that the crèche will also serve as a community centre that provides hope to the rest of the community.
I need to emphasise, thought, that this is not only about the establishment of a crèche. It reflects a broader process that we have instantiated in our country. A key mandate given to us by President Thabo Mbeki was that we needed to transform State Owned Enterprises to fulfil development objectives of the country. As a result, Government prioritised the restructuring of Denel, Eskom, Transnet and Telkom to ensure that the assets and resources represented by the four large State Owned Enterprises are released in fulfilment of the developments goals of the Government.
As Government, we are satisfied that the past three years has seen the increasing role of our State Owned Enterprises focusing on the development needs of our society.
This concrete experience contrasts significantly with the view of some in our midst who seek to present the Government's Restructuring Programme as being about the "selling off" of State Owned Enterprises.
The restructuring of State Owned Enterprises is a historic necessity if we are to realise the objectives we have set ourselves as a country. We are managing this programme with care and skill in order to ensure that the many different objectives are simultaneously realised. We are aware how difficult this path will be for us as a country and a people.
Restructuring brings with it fear and uncertainties to people who have worked in these industries for any years. However, the difficulties and costs that accompany any restructuring process should not dissuade us form pursuing a path that we believe is right for the country.
The development role of State Owned Enterprises has nothing to do with the social responsibility of State Owned Enterprises. I am aware that each and every State Owned Enterprises put significant resources for social investment every financial year. This forms part of the process of ensuring that resources reach our own communities, and that these contribute to local economic development.
However, key State Owned Enterprises such as Eskom, Transnet and Telkom play have a direct impact on the quality of lives of the majority of South Africans.
These enterprises provide the critical infrastructure, a prerequisite for economic progress and development. These enterprises are involved in significant programmes for the rollout of electricity and transport networks, as well as telecommunication. These infrastructure and services are at the heart of our efforts for a better life, and ensuring that our people participate actively in the social, economic and political affairs of our changing society. Therefore, the developmental role that State Owned enterprises should play is not something that is imported from the outside. Our mandate could make towards the developmental agenda of South Africa and the African Continent.
The launch today is significantly about Government and people working together. We have structured the programme t o ensure that every one of community, the Government, Executives of State Owned Enterprises, Councilors, municipal officials and us. This takes forward the spirit of volunteerism that our president, Thabo Mbeki speaks about everyday. It is the spirit of "Vukuzenzele". This is a partnership for development, which is critical to the success of our efforts to eradicate poverty, hunger and disease among our people.
I wish to also emphasize that at the heart of the partnership for development is cooperative governance between the three spheres of government. The maintenance of this facility and its ongoing activities will depend largely on the support of the municipality.
I am encouraged by the support given by the municipalities thus far, and trust that this is taken to new heights after this event. The sustainability of such initiatives should be factored into our planning process. Therefore, the development of appropriate skills within the community is a necessary if sustainable development is to be realized.
In conclusion, I wish to thank the community for the initiative they have taken to start such a project. This is a community asset to create the conditions of our children to realize their full potential. Let us take the ownership of this important asset. Once again, thank you for your understanding and support for the delays and postponement over the past two months
Thank you!