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Office of the Premier 2010/11 Policy and Budget Speech
delivered by Premier DD Mabuza, Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature
27 May 2010
Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature
Honourable Members of the Executive Council
House of Traditional Leaders
Distinguished guests from the different sectors of our communities
Ladies and gentlemen
Honourable Speaker, in the State of the Province Address that one
delivered on 19 June 2009, I said that:
“When our people renewed the mandate of the ANC-led government on 22
April …., it was an unequivocal call for action to deliver tangible results on
government priorities for the next five years as articulated in the ANC election
manifesto. These priorities are:
- Creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods
- Education
- Health
- Rural development, food security and land reform, and
- The fight against crime and corruption
In essence, our people expect the democratic government to continue in
its quests to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality in the context of a
growing economy.”
Honourable Speaker and Members, when one appeared before this august
House on 18 August 2009, I asserted that:
“For this to be possible, the Office of the Premier plays a central and a leading role. It will be expected to provide the necessary leadership, that is, leadership that will continuously bring, inter alia, a perspective to the development path that this government and the people of this province have agreed to pursue”
One also highlighted certain actions that the Office of the Premier
would be undertaking as part of crystallising the issues raised in the 2009
State of the Province Address and further refined in the 2010 State of the
Province Address.
Therefore, for the Office of the Premier to remain focused on ensuring
that all organs of the state act in unison towards delivering on the mandate of
the people, it has to reposition itself differently. It has to lead with the
clarity of purpose and direction to realise the goals that the Province has set
itself.
After an in-depth analysis, and also informed by national developments,
we came to the conclusion that the office of the Premier will focus on five key
areas.
Policy and Planning
The first key area of focus involves policy and planning.
As members will know, the ANC-led government has taken a view that, for
our policies to have maximum impact on the lives of our people, there will be a
need for the creation of an institutional centre for government-wide planning
with the necessary resources and authority to prepare and implement medium and
long-term development plans.
It is in this context that we have seen:
- The emergence of the National Planning Commission,
- The appointment of a Minister for National Planning and
- The re-configuration of the President’s Office as part of ensuring
that this key policy imperative takes off the ground.
As a province, we have also deemed it important to align accordingly.
In the main, this area of work will pay more attention to, inter alia,
- The development and co-ordination of provincial policies and
strategies
- The provision of advisory services to government on policy
implementation strategies, and more importantly
- Co-ordination of macro-planning, including
- Conducting targeted research to inform decision-making processes
of cabinet
- In addition, ensuring that we co-ordinate and facilitate
international co-operation across all spheres of government.
- The realignment of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, and the Integrated Development Plans of the eighteen municipalities which I alluded to in my previous policy and Budget speech, will rest within this area of work.
Target Groups
Honourable Members, part of our policy co-ordination work will focus on
strengthening government’s capacity to mainstream programmes that address the
plight of target groups, namely the youth, women, children and persons with
disabilities. Admittedly, this is an area of our policy implementation work that
requires special attention.
The establishment of the Department of Women, Children and People
with Disabilities and the National Youth Agency bears testimony to this effect.
From a policy perspective, the Office of the Premier needs to have the
requisite capacity to co-ordinate, advise and lead the institutionalisation of
programmes that are aimed empowering women, youth, children and persons with
disabilities.
Honourable Members, this brings me to the second key focus area of the
Premier’s office, namely, performance monitoring and evaluation.
Performance Monitoring and Evaluation
Marko Saravanja once said:
“The challenges facing business and government are not about a lack of ideas or policies but about implementation…Life happens at the level of action and not words and thoughts.”
Honourable Speaker and Members, as government, we cannot agree more
with Saravanja’s assertion.
In the past fifteen years, the ANC-led government has developed an
array of best policies aimed at creating a better life for all our people,
particularly the poor. However, the area of challenge has always been the
implementation of these wonderful policies.
The administration of President Zuma has decided to confront this
challenge head-on. Already there are positive developments in this regard. The
Minister responsible for performance monitoring and evaluation in the Presidency
has already produced policy guidelines to this end.
Fundamentally, the new approach not only serves as a mechanism to guide
the direction of policy implementation but also introduces a new paradigm shift
in terms of measuring the performance of government. This approach assumes an
outcome-based approach as opposed to our traditional expenditure performance
approach.
Taking cue from national, as the Office of the Premier, we have also
prioritised this area of work. We also intend to strengthen the capacity of the
Office of the Premier to monitor and report on government performance. In
essence, more attention will be paid on:
- Monitoring the implementation of policy and agreed-upon
programmes, and
- Evaluating the quality of achievements on set targets and outcomes
as captured in the Provincial Five-Year Plan.
- Enhancing performance monitoring and evaluation systems and tools that enable timely access to departmental and municipal performance information.
Government communications
Honourable Speaker, part of our organisational transformation programme
relates to the critical need of co-ordinating government communications. We need
to ensure that the provincial government creates a ‘single window’ of
communication on matters affecting the Province. Alignment and consistency of
government messages across various government institutions in the Province
remain essential.
We are quite aware that this issue is not new at all within the
corridors of government but, the truth is, as a province, we always find
ourselves wanting when it comes to providing a single window of communicating
the activities of government.
Our provincial communication strategy is not integrated and this
presents serious problems not only for government but also for the people who
consume our information.
Therefore, as the Office of the Premier, we intend paying special
attention to this area of work.
- We intend ensuring that an integrated provincial communication
framework is developed and implemented as expected.
- Public participation will also feature high within this area of work. Activities of the call centre that one mentioned in the Policy and Budget speech last will serve to create a necessary platform for communities to raise issues and interact with government. Cabinet outreach and provincial events will be part of functions co-ordinated within this area of work.
Integrated Security Management
Honourable Speaker and Members, in the previous policy and budget
speech, we highlighted the issue of security management within government.
As things stand currently:
- The whole aspect of security management service within government
is disjointed. Part of the security services are co-ordinated by the
Department of Safety, Security and Community Liaison and other security
activities are left to individual departments to discharge.
- Adherence to security standards and protocols is also a thorn in
the flesh of government.
- The safety of government assets, protection of sensitive
government information and classified documentation leave much to be
desired.
- Fraud and corruption within government is alarmingly high, and if
not curbed, will undermine the integrity of government.
To address these challenges, the Office of the Premier has already
begun work to develop a framework that will guide government on all these
matters that we have alluded to.
However, let me quickly point out that these security services that we
are referring to are those falling outside the core mandate of the Department of
Safety, Security and Community Liaison.
Corporate Services
Honourable Speaker and Members, the last major focus area of leadership
by my Office places particular emphasis on institutional capacity, efficiency
and effectiveness through out the provincial administration. This area of work
will involve, among other things:
- The provision of institutional development services to the
provincial administration, largely dealing with organisational design and
systems
- The standardisation of policy implementation across the entire
administration, as well as
- The provision of administrative services to the Office of the
Premier.
Priorities for 2010/11 financial year and the Budget
Honourable Speaker and Members, these five key areas of focus that I
have just outlined define the new Office of the Premier. Therefore, the big
chunk of the Budget that we have come to motivate for today will be used to
reengineer the Office of the Premier. We have to ensure that we put together not
only a fit organisation but an organisation that will exhibit fitness over time.
The centre must hold. The centre must lead.
We are inspired by the wise words of Bobby Knight when he argues that:
“The will to win is not as important as the will to prepare to win”
It is our belief and conviction that creating an institution that is
effective and efficient is key to our progress as a Province. Such an
organisation will go a long way towards ensuring that the set priorities are
realised.
Conclusion
Honourable Speaker, as I conclude, I would like to call upon the people of the Province to come out in numbers to enjoy the upcoming ‘once-in-a-life-time’ experience of being part of the World Cup soccer spectacular. It will always remain a firm reminder of where we come from as a country as well as the continent.
South Africa could not have not have pulled it together alone without the support of the continent. Therefore, this World Cup will remain a proud legacy to all of us but most importantly our National Pride.
It must be emphasised that hosting this event did not come as a miracle
but through hard work of the country and the contribution of the continent as a
whole. We therefore deserve it.
Let us all go out there to send positive messages about this
prestigious event. As Mpumalanga, let us prepare to welcome our visitors to our
beautiful province with warmth and hospitality. With 14 days to go, the World
Cup is here.
Let us feel it, and see it. Now, it is here.
I thank you
