PREMIER'S ADDRESS
Mr. Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Honourable members of the Legislature
Their Majesties the Kings
Honourable Amakhosi
Mayors and councillors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
We are blessed to be alive at this moment in history. Blessed because never before has our country enjoyed such a buoyant mood amongst its people - all our people regardless of race, colour and gender.
Fortunate because never in the history of this country have our people displayed such great keenness to be part of the process of rebuilding the country - a process that will guarantee a better life for all.
But, Mr. Speaker, that keenness, that willingness to participate in the reconstruction of our province and our country places a profound obligation on the shoulders of each one of us. Particularly the elected representatives of the people. Those amongst us whose presence today and every working day grace the portals of this Legislature.
But it also places a profound obligation and responsibility on the private sector, organised business, the labour movement; the religious fraternity; teachers; parents; farmers - in fact on all of us. There is an obligation on all of us to build on the dreams of those who came before us. A dream towards the creation of a humane and people-centred society.
We have an obligation to free millions of our people from the conditions of grinding poverty, naked and subliminal racism, sexism and violations of their human dignity. When we spoke at the opening of the Legislature on July 6 we committed ourselves to accelerate the programmes on poverty alleviation. We promised to speed-up the process of providing shelter, welfare, jobs and education to our people.
Mr. Speaker, we undertook to promote economic growth and tourism, upgrade rural roads and to create a safe and secure environment. We also committed ourselves to the intensification of municipal infrastructure provision, and sustainable utilisation of the natural resources.
Above all we promised to engender good governance. We have gone a long way in addressing the socio-economic needs of those less fortunate and privileged than us.
We begin the new millennium convinced that we have taken that vital step forward in working for a better life. We can feel emotionally overwhelmed with the screams of joy from our sports heroes and heroines declaring: "We have made it! We have put our country on the World Map of Sport."
We can see the integration of communities in all spheres of life and the new spirit of reconciliation, Nation building and patriotism taking shape.
The process of reconstruction and development of our country and its transformation into a united, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society, and the realisation of the objective of a better life for our people, is on course.
There is no turning back. Mr. Speaker, it wouldn't have been possible for us to reflect on these strides today had it not been for those who for centuries, by word and deed, unwaveringly fought for the total emancipation of our people from the tyrannical system of Apartheid colonialism.
I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those leaders, activists, and our people - those who are alive today as well as those departed - for these sterling achievements. In particular my salute goes to our former President, Mr. Nelson Mandela and President Thabo Mbeki for having ably guided and natured our young democracy through very trying times.
And to my predecessor in Mpumalanga Mathew Phosa, his executive and a number of MPLS. They have laid a firm foundation for the realisation of the need of social progress, democracy, development and justice for all. It is the commitment of our government, to devise fitting ways of paying tribute to all who contributed in the development of our society in general and our province in particular. My office will workout guidelines for consideration by all departments, to initiate activities aimed at recognising and honouring them.
This we hope will be our own way of saying: Thank you in a small way to our heroes and heroines. Mr. Speaker, we have crossed the bridge we built to take us to the 21 St century. Last year we set ourselves a target of providing 17 000 housing units. Six thousand new houses have been built and handed over to beneficiaries.
Seven thousand houses have had their ownership transferred through the discount benefit scheme. More than fourteen hundred housing units are under construction and 2 597 are being processed for Board approvals.
Mr. Speaker, if we listen, and listen very carefully, we can still hear the screams of joy, as we handed over the keys of house no 243 to Mr. Sipho Nkosi.
Wheelchair-bound Mr. Nkosi, ladies and gentlemen, had been on the waiting list for 34 years. He has been living as a backyard tenant in Amsterdam. Now he has a house for his family plus security of tenure because he now has a title deed in his hand. It is clear that it is not the number of houses built that matters but the number of homeless, poor and the under privileged majority that have been housed.
Five years ago we spent R202.25 per child on health care. Today R324 is spent on little Elize Maree and other children - black and white. On Primary Health Care we will this year spend R282 per child compared to R196 four years ago. Expenditure on the nutrition programme has gone up from RI 1 m to R37.Sm benefiting 461 420. If you listen, and listen carefully, you will year that child in Mkhuhlu, that orphan in Hendrina saying "Siyabonga.'
More pregnant women now have access to maternal health. The health clinics being built at Lefiso, Kabokweni and Moretele are expected to be completed before April this year. The clinic at Verena is expected to be completed before the end of the year and the consultants for Seabe and Moloto Clinics have been appointed and the planning process is about to begin.
The National Minister of Health commended the Province in the strides it has taken in the development of secondary and specialised health services. And, Mr Speaker, there are indeed roads leading to all these clinics. You see our government does not build toilets in the veld. We have regraveled more than 60km of road. Work on the Waverley road; the Dundonald road; the Siyabuswa-Matshiding road.
The Moloto road- the Ebuhleni-Elukwatini road; the Amersfort-Daggakraal road, the Loding-Nokaneng road and the Driefontein-Puiet Retief road will be completed by March this year.
Mr. Speaker, one of the key challenges in the education sector was the restoration of the public confidence on the integrity of our matric results. I can say with confidence that this objective has been successfully realised.
This is confirmed in the report of the national Minister of Education, Prof. Kader Asmal, to the President, Thabo Mbeki, where the running of Mpumalanga exams is rated among the best. To this end, I want to thank all stakeholders in education who contributed to this success, including members of this house, teacher unions, student formations, parents, officials of the department, members of the exam board and the MEC Craig Padayachee.
On the reduction of apartheid infrastructural backlogs in education, an amount of R47, 4 million was budgeted for capital projects. We will be able to complete 17 new schools, 244 new classrooms, ten new specialist rooms, 13 new administration blocks, 910 new toilets and 10 schools renovated for this financial year. To date two new schools, 228 new classrooms, eight new administration blocks, 885 new toilets have been completed and eight schools renovated.
Mr. Speaker, 1 898 592 social grants were paid out. These include child support and foster care grants. 136 687 new beneficiaries were registered. This is more than 75 percent of the targeted total. Services were extended to the under-serviced and disadvantaged areas like the farm areas, targeting the poverty pockets. Services were also enhanced in areas that were previously reached but with little impact.
Poverty alleviation projects targeted the poverty pockets, and poor households within communities. A number of 155 poverty alleviation projects were funded this financial year. The shift from funding very small projects comprising of few people, to funding projects representing the community households is in line with the social development principles. Social development projects are implemented in collaboration with other departments and stakeholders.
This concept is being cultivated vigorously through the Social Cluster Forum. The recreational activities of our people are, to us, an important component of socio-economic rights. We have facilitated the development of Arts and Culture Centres in parts of our province. We have, as promised, upgraded the KaNyamazane Stadium. Not only that. We spent R4, 5m for the erection of an Indoor Sports Centre at Sabie and R2m for an Arts and Culture centre at Matsulu.
Mr. Speaker, we also donated more than RI m to Local Transitional Councils and sports bodies throughout the country so they can be in a position to develop sports in their areas. We will need more than R2m this year to complete or upgrade stadium at Leandra, Carolina, Mbuzini, Driekoppies and Moutse.
R25 000 for the renovation of the library at Amersfort . Our country is still littered with offensive geographical place names from the apartheid era.
Because we believe that our transformation must be qualitatively restorative, we will, Mr. Speaker, from this year afford the people of Mpumalanga as a whole an opportunity to rename some of these places with offensive names.
This will be done in order to enhance the people's sense of belonging and patriotism. Our historic mission demands that we address the question of marginalised languages in this province. We can only pride ourselves that we have restored the dignity of our people when we have ensured that their languages have not only become a language of instruction at universities. But have caught up with the present technological advances.
We will, by the end of this year have published isiswati and isindebele dictionaries. As a Provincial government we continue to place high on the agenda the task of ensuring that all of us act together to achieve high and sustained rates of growth for our economy.
We remain convinced that it is only through creation of a close partnership between the public and private sectors that we can have a growth path that is labour absorbing, reducing inequality, promoting international competitiveness and accompanied by a process of empowerment.
It is this conviction that led to the further enhancement of the close partnership, which led to the holding of a successful Provincial Job Summit in November 1999.
The major challenge is the implementation of the Declarations of the Summit by all social partners. Unemployment remains a major challenge to the Province. I therefore would like, as Premier of the Province to urge all our social partners to use all the means at their disposal to ensure that we do develop small businesses.
We must vigorously develop the tourism industry that has potential to create many jobs; we must promote development of secondary industries. We must, Mr Speaker, establish Youth Brigades and Learnerships as agreed at the Job Summit.
We need to continue giving the necessary support to institutions like the Mpumalanga Gaming Board, Mpumalanga investment Initiative Mpumalanga Tourism Authority and other bodies.
This we must of course do in a way that will strike a balance between their independence and responsibility to ensure that they always pursue our transformation agenda. We may have to amend Legislation and tighten performance agreements that we have entered into with these institutions. This we will do in consultation with the said institutions.
Let me use this opportunity to call for the finalisation of the restructuring of the Mpumalanga Tourism Authority and the Mpumalanga Parks Board. I urge this Legislature to ensure that all the legislative processes are finalised soon for us to close the chapter on the restructuring of the MDC and the Parks Board. The future of the small industrial parks in former KwaNdebele and KaNgwane will be decided very shortly.
Our industrial cluster strategy is starting to bear fruits as we have launched the Wool Cluster in Ermelo and have secured funding for the training of 24 people on spinning and weaving of wool. Funds have also been secured for a number of other clusters throughout the province.
Our investment promotion activities will be further strengthened and we have already a number of projects at various stages of development. We had trade and investment missions to China, Saudi Arabia and India between December 1999 and January 2000.
We will be targeting Europe as from the end of this month going to countries that have a potential for us to get foreign direct investment forum.
The Maputo Development Corridor project will be taken to greater heights with the dissolution in December 1999 of the Technical Committee and the establishment of a Dedicated Unit made up of senior officials seconded by a number of departments.
The strengthening of close partnership between our Province and Maputo Province in Mozambique is crucial and I will lead a delegation of business and government to the Maputo Province in the near future.
We are in the process of reviewing the co-operation agreements or twinning arrangements our Province has entered into with States/Provinces in other parts of the world with a view to strengthening them.
We recently had a small delegation to the State of North-Rhine Westphalia in Germany. Comprehensive proposals will be forwarded to our counterparts in Germany on further areas of co-operation within the next two weeks.
Mr. Speaker, we have been able to facilitate the granting of loans to small-scale farmers through the Land Bank. We also played an important role in accessing funding for the recently completed Tonga Irrigation Canal. The Nkomazi Extension Pilot Project, and the Spoon 7B irrigation project.
The Sibange Vegetable Project, the Provincial Tractor Purchasing Project for product transport and the Mlondozi Liming Project. These projects are in different stages of implementation and are but examples of what was achieved in broadening access to Agriculture. Of particular importance are the Department's non-formal training courses of which more than 300 were offered to more than 8000 individuals.
These short one-to-five day courses empower existing farmers and officials to perform better in their occupations and are offered on a need and decentralised basis. The emergent and poorest sectors of the communities are the primary targets for this training.
We are aware that the people of the province cannot be safe while criminals wag their bushy tails at will stealing from and maiming people. Children and women cannot truly lead a normal life when shameless criminals rape and kill them. In our sustained effort to curb crime we conducted a number of operations.
Operation Monazite alone netted more than 12 000 criminals including more than I 000 murder and robbery suspects. We were able to recover more than 400 weapons including small arms and assault rifles. We have mounted a number of operations netting criminals who thought they were beyond reach of our criminal justice system.
Let me take this opportunity to thank those people who have donated resources like vehicles to assist Community Policing Forums in fighting crime.
Mr. Speaker we will be holding local government elections later this year. Allow me to appeal to councillors to loyally and in a disciplined manner accept redeployment by their movement, the ANC, where such redeployment is necessary.
The Municipal structures act dictates that municipalities be integrated. This implies putting together Municipalities and reducing the number of councillors.
This process will help in rationalising the municipalities, redistribution of resources, improved services delivery, greater efficiency and lowering administrative costs. It will also help in increasing the tax base of the municipalities.
Consultations have been made with the traditional leaders, municipalities and with LOGAM to outline the process of demarcation.
A number of positive achievements have been made: an agreement has been reached with the Northern province and also a principled agreement with the province of Gauteng on the issue of cross-boundaries.
Mr. Speaker, we will continue to strengthen local government structures, which have been weakened by a number of factors. Chief amongst these is the relative inexperience of some of our councillors. Their problem was further compounded by the fact that they inherited a backward and outdated administrative system and method of local government. Add to that an administration that was skewed in favour of whites and you realise the magnitude of their problem.
Mr. Speaker, some of our people did not make it easy for councillors. They just refuse to pay for services, thus crippling the running of a large number of areas in the province. Of course there was also the question of corrupt officials. We are in the process of sweeping through a number of licensing departments in the province with a fine comb. If you are corrupt, we will get you and I promise that traffic officials involved in such scams will go to jail. Including those who aid and abet them.
What worries me though Mr. Speaker, is how some of us have a tendency of exaggerating a problem in order to gain maximum sensation.I want you to picture a truckload of documents. It is quite clear that one would need a lot of space to store just one truckload of documents.
That is a lot of paper. Now how on earth can documentary evidence, relating to less than a hundred people, fill four truckloads, is beyond my comprehension. That so many documents could actually disappear right under the noses is equally mind- boggling.
That such arrant nonsense could be printed without pausing to think is a reflection on the standard of journalism in our country. In July we promised that we would act ruthlessly in our fight against corruption.
The Provincial Treasury is instituting and strictly monitoring monthly cash flow projections so as to eliminate overspending. Stringent cost curtailment measures are enforced in order to curb expenditure.
In order to beef up our finance section we appointed a superintendent-general and a chief director of treasury as well as a chief director of financial management.
One of these two chief directors is a chartered accountant. This shows our determination to safeguard the finances of the people.
Because we want to ensure that the tender processes are above board and conform to our corruption-free dictum, we have appointed a deputy director to oversee the process of tender.
May I add that in the areas of tender and procurement we are going to be extremely vigilant and will deal ruthlessly with tenders who try to bribe their way in. We will also act ruthlessly against officials who allow themselves to be bribed.Central to good governance are the principles of accountability, transparency and zero tolerance for corruption. But good governance is also about capacity and political will to detect bad and corrupt practices in our Provincial Government.
Our obligation and accountability to the public are at the centre of this ethic.
Mr. Speaker, we have beefed up our internal audit unit and have appointed audit units in all departments so as to ensure early detection of corruption. I am proud to announce that we shall, as the Mpumalanga Provincial Government, adhere stringently to the Public Finance Management Act.
The Act is aimed, partly, at ensuring for proper evaluation of all major capital projects prior to a final decision on such projects. It also aims to prevent unauthorised and fruitless expenditure as well as prevent overspending.
Through this Act we hope we will be able to manage available working capital efficiently and economically, settle all contractual obligations and pay all money owing within the prescribed or agreed period.
The Act applies to all government departments' organs including constitutional institutions and public entities. Act calls for departments to establish internal audit components and internal audit committees.
Budget overspending by Accounting Officers is now a punishable offence. Those, Mr. Speaker, are the scorecard of these women and men who, individually and as a team, are committed and determined to serve their people.On their behalf I make a pledge to this Legislature that as the Executive Council we shall be accountable to the Legislature as a body collectively representing the needs and aspirations of the people of this province.
We will continue to act with honour at all times, since to do otherwise will be a betrayal to those whom we seek to serve.
We trust that all members of the provincial Legislature, from all political parties represented here, will continue to put the interests of the people above self. We know they will work for a better life for all.
Mr. Speaker, through the help and co-operation of members of this Legislature, In partnership with business, members of the opposition. Working closely with the community we will meet the challenge of the ageing of the province. We will assure quality, affordable health care for all.
Because education is more than ever the key to our children's future, we must make sure all our children have that key. To give our children that key we will need the best-trained teachers in every classroom and school. And real college and tertiary education opportunities for all our children. We have set higher standards. Learners, educators, parents and all stakeholders have to be more responsible for the education of our children. They have to be more accountable.
Mr. Speaker, we must ensure that all teachers know the subjects they teach. This means we have to give teachers all the training they need. That's the only way open for us to reach the high standards we have set for ourselves. Get talented people into the classroom, reward good teachers for teaching and give all teachers the training they need.
As parents, as members of the community and as proud South Africans we need to ensure that there is learning and teaching going on at schools.
Let us keep our children in class. We are fortunate and privileged to live in these times. Mr. Speaker, the Integrated and Sustainable Rural Development Programme will most definitely kick off this year
I would like to take this opportunity once more to emphasise the importance we attach to the strategic objective of building the partnership between the public and the private sectors. We will therefore further intensify our links and co-operation with the private sector for the successful implementation of the various economic initiatives we have mentioned.
Throughout the country and the province, from Mathanjana to Mkhuhlu, from Mbibane to Moretele the people are responding to this call by taking the initiative to engage the challenge of productive economic activity.
The Government will work further to encourage its partnership with the people for development, which will help to lay to rest the false notion that the Government has the exclusive responsibility to create jobs. And therefore that everybody should wait for the Government to create these jobs.
Government is in part responsible for the creation of an enabling environment for business to operate and create wealth, which in turn create jobs. In partnership with all sectors of society, we will continue to give absolute priority to HIV/AIDS programmes. We will continue to mobilise popular awareness of the seriousness of the epidemic. All of us must realise that the epidemic is not only a health issue, but also an economic one, which we ignore at our peril.
As Government, we will make it possible for all the people of Mpumalanga who want to play a part in the process of accelerated transformation to do so. These are great goals, worthy of a great nation. We will not reach them all this year. Not even in this decade. But we will reach them. Let us remember that the death of apartheid was not a single event. The lesson of our history and the lesson of the last five years - is that great goals are reached step by step- always building on our progress, always gaining ground? Of course, you can't gain ground if you're standing still.
Mr. Speaker, allow me to take this opportunity to thank all those who opened their hearts and their purses during the recent flood disaster. From all works of life our people rose up almost as one to provide much needed assistance to those left homeless and destitute by the forces of nature.
My thanks particularly to the Mpumalanga Disaster Management Committee headed by MEC Mahlalela. A big hand for them please. Mr. Speaker, I would also like us to thank the Joint Operations Centre in Nelspruit. Allow me to express a special thanks to the army and the police - men and women who when duty called responded.
Two of these men are here this morning. Colonel Hein Visser and Inspector O'Kelly, you and your teams have served your province and your country well. In their own small way these gentlemen and all others men and women who through the night toiled to rescue flood victims have helped in creating a sense of belonging and worth.
Ladies and gentlemen, we need to ask ourselves what strategic tasks are facing our generation in the new century. The challenge facing our generation includes deepening democracy, creating a non- racial, non-sexiest society, fostering the spirit of reconciliation, Nation Building and a new patriotism.
Committing ourselves to eradicating the legacy of apartheid, including ensuring that all forms of discrimination based on race, colour, or creed is a thing of the past.
We must achieve unity in a collective resolve to pursue a common agenda/ objective, in dealing with key challenges facing our province.
It also means Mr. Speaker that there has to be an unconditional and unwavering commitment by all of us to eradicate the legacy of apartheid, resulting, in the total emancipation of all our people on the shop floor, education institutional, farms, rural and urban areas, etc.
It further means intensifying our offensive against crime and corruption and ridding our society and all institutions of elements who are raping, maiming, murdering, robbing our people and destroying property.
It means intensifying our offensive against those who take advantage of the positions of power and influence that they occupy to continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the masses of our people.
The most needy, the poorest of the poor for whom the resources are meant. This means further growing our economy.As our economy grows so must our commitment to conservation. We have to work harder to protect the environment.
We have to protect our rivers from toxic waste and ensure that our people breathe cleaner air. There needs to be cleaner water for our people.
In conclusion, the ability of our government to take forward the process of accelerated transformation and service delivery depends on good governance, a concept at the very heart of any successful nation.
Allow me to thank all the public servants in the province for having loyally stood by their government in very trying times. Your province and your country is proud of you and your children and their children will be forever grateful to you fir that. We are all rolling up our sleeves to begin tackling the problems our country faces. We ask you all to join us.
Let's get Mpumalanga working. I promise that I will do my best to be worthy of the faith and confidence you have placed in the government I lead. Let us build the future together, and toast a better life for all South Africans.
I thank you.