PREMIER'S RESPONSE
Mister Speaker
Honourable members,
I would like to thank those members of the Legislature who
focused their comments on our stated mission of fighting poverty.
A number of good suggestions have come from the Opposition benches on issues
relating to economic growth; job creation; tourism; financial management and the
creation of free trade zones.
To the extent that these suggestions are in keeping with our overwhelming mandate, we will consider them.
Where they contribute towards the enhancement and speedy implementation of our policies, we will take them on board.
After all the policies of this government have always been derived from the mandate given to the ruling party, the African National Congress.
I was very encouraged by the approach of the honourable member of the UDM Joe Nkuna. We accept your commitment to work with us to ensure a speedy and effective implementation of plans that will benefit all South Africans irrespective of race, colour and gender.
You said we must govern with a sense of justice and honesty. We will not disappoint you. I look forward to a constructive relationship that puts the people of this province above narrow interests. All of us should roll up our sleeves to bring about the necessary changes to our divided nation.
Mr Speaker, on Wednesday some honourable members took the latitude of lecturing us on the virtues of democracy.
The very same people who less than a decade ago voted for parties that were prepared to kill, imprison and banish people in an attempt to stop the democratic process from unfolding.
To them and their parties it was all in the name of the “defence of democracy” to blow up freedom fighter while enjoying a braai.
I consider it the height of hypocrisy that people who for decades have through deeds and action displayed tendencies of autocracy should now try and lecture us on government by the people.
It is almost like Hitler trying leading a crusade to teach us about the evils of anti-Semitism and race hate. Where were these self-appointed experts on democracy when the people of Mbombela were forced off their land?
Did they raise any objection when our leaders were detained, killed, imprisoned, banned and forced into exile.
Did they raise any whimper of protest when the honourable member Lassy Chiwayo and many youths his age were carted off to Robben Island all because they spoke out against the evils of apartheid. This selective morality MUST stop.
Not only that. These are the people who want to define who is an African.
These are the very people who tell us not to talk about
racism because we ended apartheid and therefore racism, when we became a
non-racial democracy in 1994.
They tell us that any discussion on ending the demon of racism can only lead
to the division of our country into mutually antagonistic racial camps.
Such discussion might very well encourage racial conflict, destroying the progress we have achieved towards national reconciliation, towards the birth of a happy rainbow nation, they claim.
It has been argued that those who point to the persistence of racism in our country and province are themselves racist. Those who propagate affirmative action are accused of seeking to introduce reverse racism, or, more directly, of resort to anti-white racism.
I believe, and so do our people, that those who are most
vocal in seeking to suppress discussion of racism are those who benefited from
centuries of colonial and apartheid racial domination.
The privileged do not want this discussion because they want to maintain their
privileged positions at all costs. To them it does not matter that our people
wallow in poverty because of their policies.
As far as the other questions raised in this house by one percenters, suffice to say that those who spoke before me handled them adequately.
Mr Speaker, indeed it would be very difficult for us to speak of a new South Africa if we fail to deal with the urgent challenge of poverty. In order to make real inroads into the grinding poverty most of our people find themselves, we need a larger economy growing at high rates.
We need this to be able to generate the material resources
that would enable our country to meet the needs of our people.
Our economy must develop in a manner that enables it to absorb those who are
unemployed as well as the new entrants into the labour market.
The realisation of these objectives requires that we achieve much higher levels of new public and private investment into the economy than we have so far achieved.
We have made our commitment towards the accomplishment of this goal and will proceed to implement the objectives we have outlined last Friday.
Precisely because my opening address seeks to highlight broad outlines of our plans for the year, it was not necessary for me to outline everything in detail. The MECs will do so when they present their departmental and cluster budgets.
Mister Speaker
The Thin Tank I spoke about will tap into and be strengthened by the Economic Development think tank in our province. The Economic Development ‘think tank' was launched in March 1999 in Secunda. The launch was attended by leading industrialists, politicians, researchers unionists, government officials and NGOs of Mpumalanga.
The objectives of the ‘think tank' are basically to:
- provide a forum for all social partners to debate economic development issues;
- initiate research and policy studies;
- through the presentation of research findings, to build capacity in the province to understand economic issues; and
- generate economic development policy proposals for consideration by government.
The major output of the launch was the setting out of the research agenda for five work-streams that enjoyed the consensus support of the ‘think tank.'
These are:
- Creating an information and research inventory
- Updating the Mpumalanga Development profile
- Examination of the performance of the PPP projects, particularly in the area of empowerment;
- Secondary industrial development; and
- Developing a clear vision for the Provincial tourism industry
The job creating growth to which we are committed also requires that we pay particular attention to the development of small, medium and micro enterprises.
The Government is determined to assist in making capital available for investment in these sectors of business and will therefore act on this matter. Similarly, the Government will continue to intensify its work in ensuring that our rural development and urban renewal programmes are implemented.
Through these programmes, we aim to reach the very poor in
our country, those most in need of the basic necessities of life. Those, who
have to contend with the most abject poverty, paying particular attention to
women, the youth and the disabled.
We are aware that in the short to medium term, many people will still not be
able to enter the economy as income earners. These will continue to require
direct government assistance to alleviate the impact of poverty.
It is for this reason that we will, as we have already
announced, work to expand the social safety net, bearing in mind what the
economy can afford and the need for us to achieve the correct balances between
social and economic spending.
From the job summit point of view, a number of
institutions have been identified for job creating projects.
Regarding the job summit, a number of institutions have been identified for job creating projects. These include the Poverty Alleviation Project Fund; the National Public Works Project Fund, the Local Economic Development Fund; the Social Fund; the Emergency flood disaster Aid Fund; the National Skills Fund; the Business Trust and the Umsobomvu Fund.
These Funds and projects are located in provincial and national department and in Nedlac.
The Provincial Department of Public Works Roads and Transport is currently implementing Special Employment projects funded by National Public Works Project Fund and District Councils serve as implementing agencies.
Projects initiated from national have been implemented during the financial year 1999-2001 in three districts and 2 191 temporary jobs were created.
The Department has also implemented the following projects during the financial year 2000-2001. The Department of Economic affairs Gaming and Tourism has implemented three projects funded by Local Economic Development Fund from the national Department of Provincial and Local government. The following projects were implemented:
A number of projects were funded from the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism as poverty relief projects. Everything points to the need for us to continue to focus on the challenge of youth development.
All the programmes we have announced will concentrate on the youth, among others.
During this year of the 25th Anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, the Premier's Office, the Provincial Youth Commission, the Departments of Sports and Recreation, Arts and Culture and Education will co-operate to develop programmes to draw larger numbers of our youth into sports and cultural activities, including those directed at the promotion of traditional culture and sports.
These programmes should also enable us to take the necessary steps to bring up our youth in the context of a new value system aimed at ensuring that they grow up to be good and responsible citizens.
Clearly, the youth organisations will be critical to the success of this programme as they will have to mobilise and inspire the youth to get involved in what should be an act of self-development.
In conclusion Mr Speaker, we must all work to mobilise the masses of our people to be involved in these programmes of social upliftment.
The political parties in particular and other mass based
formations will have to make a special effort to help develop a veritable mass
movement for development and change, to speed up the process towards the
eradication of poverty.
Again we appeal to those who have skills and other resources they can bring to
support the efforts of this movement, to notify especially their municipal
governments of their availability to work for change.
I thank you.