8 August 2002
Madame Chairperson,
Honourable Premiers,
Honourable MECs,
Honourable Delegates to the NCOP,
Madame Chairperson, let me begin by saying how honoured I am to be addressing you in your refurbished Chamber.
I have always said that the NCOP is an embodiment of the essence of co-operative governance. The reason why I keep stressing this, is that we must never lose sight of the importance of the NCOP in our constitutional dispensation.
It is the only body that brings together the national, provincial and local spheres of government in one chamber. It is therefore the place that can best deal with the concerns of these spheres and find ways of dealing with issues that arise between them.
It is also a forum where the different spheres can learn best practice from each other, and gain from each other's experiences. Where a particular province or local government structure has a difficulty with a specific area within its competence, the NCOP is the forum where the matter can be discussed so that it can assume a national character.
Madam Chairperson, let me commend the NCOP on the important contribution that you have made with regards to enhancing the legislation that has been tabled in this House. I support the view that the NCOP needs to be given sufficient time to deal with legislation adequately.
One area, which I think needs some attention, is with regard to the participation of organised local government, through the South African Local Government Association, (SALGA).
If SALGA's input is weak, it means that the municipalities - the metros, towns and districts - are not able to make maximum use of this institution. I would also urge the Premiers to ensure that the provinces provide maximum support to local government.
I would also like to congratulate you Madame Chairperson, and all members for taking Parliament to the people, last week, when the NCOP met in Umtata. It was indeed a historic moment.
It was also a demonstration of our determination in this new era, to take public institutions to the communities we serve, to allow citizens the opportunity of voicing their opinions on how we are serving them, and how we can improve service delivery.
Madam Chairperson, we are meeting here today during a period when our country has become a stage on which Africa and the rest of the world meet to discuss matters affecting the entire planet.
Only last month, we had the singular privilege of hosting the last summit of the Organisation for Africa Unity, and of being the soil in which the umbilical cord of the African Union, (AU), is stored. The launch of the AU has prepared the ground for accelerating the regeneration of our continent, through the New Partnership for Africa's Development, (NEPAD).
This House must have a full grasp of NEPAD because as representatives of national, provincial and local government, we must market this African Union programme, ensure that our people understand it, and that it is put into operation.
I am pleased that you had a debate on the "African Union and Development" last term, but I urge you to continue your deliberations on the matter so as to ensure that we have a concrete plan for the implementation of NEPAD at a provincial and local level.
We believe Africa is now well-poised to usher in peace and stability, democracy, respect for human rights and good governance, from Durban to Dakar.
The launch of the AU and South Africa's assumption of the Chair of the AU places a responsibility on all of us to work hard to ensure that this first year of the Union is a success.
It means provinces and municipalities need to play their own part in accelerating the African renaissance. One of the ways of doing this is to promote interaction between South Africans and their brothers and sisters in the rest of the continent, by encouraging people to people contacts and cultural exchanges. I would like to urge the Premiers and other delegates to look at how we can make this a reality.
While provinces and municipalities eagerly form partnerships with the developed world, we should equally make an effort to form linkages and twinning arrangements with cities and provinces in the continent. This can play a vital role in furthering the objectives of NEPAD.
Colleagues will also note that the AU recommitted itself to the early establishment of the Pan African Parliament and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council as envisaged in the Constitutive Act.
This is aimed at ensuring the involvement of all African peoples and their civil society organisations in the activities of the Union.
As we speak, another major international gathering is to take place in our country, the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, (WSSD). The Johannesburg Summit will be the largest United Nations event ever held in Africa, and the largest gathering of world leaders ever in South Africa.
It is indeed a great privilege for South Africa to host this event, and I trust that we will all work hard to ensure its success. In preparing for the WSSD, South Africa has had to play a crucial role in mobilising a global consensus.
We are pleased to have been able to draw on our historical experience of bridging the gap between divergent positions, when we were negotiating our own political settlement.
This experience has helped us to assist with the process of reaching agreement, on areas where countries have been too far apart. We are pleased that the various preparatory committees have managed to achieve substantial consensus at this juncture.
Despite the large degree of consensus, there is still an overall concern that on very critical issues affecting the world currently, the developing and developed world still approach issues from different perspectives.
The Summit is especially important to us because we are grappling with the legacy of underdevelopment and how to create a better life for all. We are also proud of the fact that since 1994, we have developed many solutions to these problems, although many challenges still remain.
The Rio Summit of 1992 adopted Agenda 21 as the programme to achieve this objective, but after 10 years, progress has been slow. The levels of poverty and inequality continue to be unacceptable, especially in Africa.
This Summit is an event in which all spheres of governance should participate. The Gauteng Province and the Jo'burg Metro, as hosts, are directly involved in almost every aspect of hosting the Summit.
The North West Province is sponsoring two major stakeholder pre-summit consultations for youth and women's organisations from around the world. KwaZulu-Natal is currently hosting the pre-summit environmental law conference, and Western Cape the sustainable tourism conference. This shows active participation in many levels, and it must be applauded.
The question many people are likely to ask is what does sustainable development and the WSSD mean for local communities?
Our view is that while looking at broader issues, the Summit should also focus on tangible matters such as access to adequate water and sanitation, safe energy, health care, reversing land degradation and increasing agricultural productivity to guarantee food security. These are issues that affect people directly. We have, for instance, received a detailed letter from Ms Nomvuyo Bontshi from Maclear in the Eastern Cape, outlining very specific problems around access to water, infrastructure, social and health services in her hometown, which she wants government to address as a matter of urgency.
Our system of cooperative governance is designed to draw on local experiences to inform better planning and delivery. It will enable us, as public representatives, to work together to address the kind of infrastructural problems Ms Bontshi wants us to address urgently.
Members of the NCOP in particular should play a more active role in monitoring and intervening in such situations, because you cut across all three spheres of government.
Madame Chairperson, it will also be crucial for public representatives to ensure that we take the sustainable development debate to local communities. Councillors and ward committees are important in this regard.
Local government is the hands and feet of governance as it is closest to communities we serve. Government has sought to make this sphere more responsive to the needs of the people. This has been done through the establishment of structures for democratic participation of communities in developing and implementing integrated development plans.
This places local government at the centre of development. Local Economic Development through the integrated development plans, requires that national, provincial and local governments plan together. This is further evidence of the high priority that integrated and cooperative governance enjoys, within and between the different spheres of Government.
Honourable members, a discussion of sustainable development is especially relevant during this month, which is dedicated to Women's Emancipation, and on the eve of National Women's Day.
Women are increasingly occupying more prominent roles in South African society, and we salute them on their achievements, which have come as a result of the struggles that women have waged in this country over the years. Women have gone to prison, have been tortured, banished, killed and dehumanised. They have carried the heaviest burden of the struggle in this country.
There are also millions of women who contribute tremendously socially and economically in many different corners of the country, especially in rural areas. Let us use National Women's Day to also salute these unsung heroines, who never make the front pages of newspapers, but who remain the backbone of many households and communities.
As we mark this day, we also need to look at the challenges facing us all. The scourge of HIV/AIDS is one challenge that we should continue to fight relentlessly together. Women bear the brunt of this disease due to the still unequal power relations between men and women in our society.
Madam Chairperson, we must also note the challenge facing us with regards to the stigmatisation and other difficulties experienced by women with disabilities. This continues despite the protection enshrined in our Constitution, new laws and policies. We need to ask ourselves what can be done to ensure that these laws and policies and effectively implemented, and that we change attitudes.
The Office on the Status of Disabled Persons in the Presidency has launched a campaign to highlight the plight of women with disabilities, and to encourage them to speak out.
We urge Honourable Members to contribute to this campaign in their respective constituencies. Let us work together to remove the remaining obstacles of prejudice and stigma. Let us create the space for all South Africans to optimally utilise all the new and exciting opportunities our country has to offer.
Madam Chairperson, I am sure Honourable Members will agree with me that this year's Women's Day has a special significance for our country. Sarah Baartman, a symbol of the oppression, humiliation and violation of the human dignity of women in particular, and black people in general, will be laid to rest for the first time in Hankey in the Eastern Cape tomorrow.
The burial of her remains, one hundred and eighty seven years after her tragic death, and after being barbarically put on display for most of this period, is a telling example of how human rights were brutally and ruthlessly violated in the so-called civilised world.
Her burial will be part of a healing process for all, and should encourage us to recommit ourselves to working towards reconciliation, national unity and togetherness as a nation.
May her soul rest in peace at last, in the land of her ancestors, free from the prejudice, hatred and barbarism that she was subjected to in Europe.
Madam chairperson, once again, let me reiterate how happy I am to have had the opportunity to share my thoughts with this House.
I look forward to seeing some of you at the WSSD, and am sure that we will, as usual, succeed in ensuring that our guests have a memorable and productive stay in our country.
I Thank You.