PREMIER'S REMARKS
Programme Director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen.
On behalf of the Mpumalanga government and the people of Mpumalanga, on whose behalf I speak here today, allow me to extend good wishes to you all.
All of us are, I believe, aware that we have done well in the past seven years in government. Given the constraints within which we operated, we really managed to give renewed hope to millions of our people. When we speak of delivery you as councilors are at the coalface.
Delivery or lack thereof, is most visible at the sphere of government you are involved in – local administration. But allow me to warn that in the years ahead we face challenges which in many ways are even greater.
We are faced with an enormous, yet achievable task. The critical element of this task is to understand clearly the nature and character of all our priorities.
Comrade Jerry, as leaders we have a duty to provide new leadership. Leadership which is sensitive to the needs of those who work in our councils and municipalities. The need for equal treatment and respect follow implicitly from the fact of sensitive leadership and management.
The people you work with must look forward to their work. The woman or man who cleans your corridors must know that she/he is one of the key pillars of the office. Your offices must be places where work is approached with less bitterness and more enthusiasm.
We must put the people first. But what is this Batho Pele? Batho Pele is not only about putting ‘the customer' first. It is also about giving those who serve ‘the customer' - the front-line staff - a key role in the transformation of our municipalities.
Front-line staff, whether serving the public directly or providing services to other parts of local government, are often best placed to tell managers what needs to be done to improve services, both to internal and external ‘customers'.
Batho Pele is about eliminating wasteful and expensive internal procedures and using the money we save to provide better services to more people. It is about making sure that our priorities for where money should be spent are in line with what our people regards as priorities.
Many improvements that the public would like to see cost nothing - courtesy; respect, adequate information, an apology if things go wrong - these are not a matter of additional resources; they are a matter of adopting different standards of behaviour. Is that really difficult?
Comrade Jerry, I am confident that you and your colleagues as true South Africans will discharge your duties with distinction and with dedication to the development of the people of Ehlanzeni. But beware of those who want to disrupt the work of the council and councilors for purely selfish reasons.
This will call for maximum unity in action in order to change the lives of the people of Ehlanzeni. After all Comrade Jerry, when you take the oath you would be swearing that you would be a loyal and honest servant of the people. And that you shall always be sensitive to the needs and feelings of the people and will, as far as you can, respond quickly and correctly to their needs.
You must direct resources at your disposal to meet the needs of the majority, especially the poor. One of our priorities in government this year is to grow and expand the economy, create more job opportunities and further strengthen the material base for the provision of a better life for all.
We identified sectors of our economy that require special attention because of their potential to contribute especially to the objectives of higher growth rates and job creation. In this area we have identified tourism, agriculture and to some extend manufacturing.
As government we have called for the identification of potential growth nodes in all three districts – nodes that can help regenerate the economy of the province.
We expect people in a locality to get together all stakeholders, regardless of race, colour, creed or gender to sit down and decide how we can create jobs in that locality. They will then form a local economic development forum comprising of business, labour, community organizations, religious organizations etc.
They will then come together with people at a regional level and form a regional economic development forum and these regional forums will then make up the provincial economic forum.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is something else. Our nation and our province are experiencing a deep moral crisis. One of the greatest threats to our democracy is corruption. There is general agreement that the cost of corruption to the public sector and society is devastating and adversely impacts on our capacity to deliver social services. But there are a few guidelines I want all of you to follow in the execution of your duties.
The first would be to execute your duties with honesty and with integrity. Let no-one challenge you when you say you are incorruptible.
Adhere to the principles of openness and transparency in everyday business practice, policy-making and communication, and see to it that your own conduct is always above reproach. Have respect for government assets and property, and use all resources sparingly and with honesty.
Challenge others if they are acting in an unethical way, report behaviour in conflict with good governance. Our motto is ZERO TOLERANCE to corruption and bribery. I do not know how many of us have heard this message, understood it and taken it to heart in terms of our behaviour.
Every cent you steal or encourage someone to steal means that a learner in one or the other informal settlement will continue receiving education under the trees. Government does not have unlimited resources.
Indeed, acceptance of this reality should lead all of us to reject totally the notion that we are entitled to steal and rob the poor, thus wasting scarce resources that could have been spent on the millions of the poor in our country.
Ensure that at all times you act justly, promoting the culture of respect for the law. Act in a way that will promote respect for all people regardless of their beliefs.
Finally you must promote and support these principles, seeking to recommend by personal example and service the fundamental moral principle on which a successful community can be built and maintained.
As you leave this hall today you must prepare yourselves to play your due role as councillor in a society going through a truly revolutionary transformation.
We look up to you as men and women who will give our people the possibility to say that, at last and permanently; we have emerged from the valley of darkness.
I thank you.