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Mr Speaker,

We have outlined our vision, we have set our goals, we have painted our pictures of a province on the move and we have our people's renewed mandate to run this province. We now also have the budget with which we must give credence to aims and objectives of even greater delivery to our people.

Ons bevind ons nou in 'n diensleweringstadium waaraan ons al hoe groter momentum moet gee. Ons moet 'n nog groter verskil maak in mense se lewensgehalte. Al gaan dit strate beter hier as elders in die land, is daar nog te veel mense in die Wes-Kaap wat nog nie die nodige essensiële dienste kry nie. Die finansiële raamwerk waarbinne ons ons diensuitbreiding moet doen, is deur die agbare Minister van Finansies vir ons uitgespel.

Minister Markovitz has a slightly larger cake for distribution than last year, but unfortunately the number of cake eaters has increased dramatically. Despite increased budget allocations outstripping normal expected population growth, health and education services are buckling under dramatic increases in demand.

The growing number of learners clamouring for education is way beyond our normal population growth rate of 2,7%. Surveys indicate that the Western Cape has 43 000 learners from outside the province. We have taken delivery of 56 new schools over the past five years, while enlarging many existing schools. These measures have not been enough to meet the rapidly growing demand for additional educational facilities. At the same time our budget is shrinking in relation to our increase in population. The migration of learners to the Western Cape is an indication of the high regard parents and learners have for the quality of education in this Province. With more resources, there is much more we can do to cater for all learners and educators in our region.

The same goes for health services. In the southern Cape alone our maternity wards are experiencing an influx of pregnant women which far outstrips annual estimated birth-rates for the province. Of the 4 million hospital beds occupied by patients in a year, 12,5% - that means 500 000 - are not citizens of this province. And this is all over and above an estimated influx of at least 100 000 people per year to the Western Cape by mainly job seekers. More than 60 000 families, I repeat - families - moved from the Eastern Cape to the southern parts of the Western Cape and the Karoo during the past three years alone. The fact that our schools are bursting at their seams is not because of bad planning or an under-estimation of the projected annual growth in learners. It is because of an influx which exceeded all predictions.

Why? Why do people prefer the Western Cape for their health services, their education, to find jobs, if this is nothing more than a banana Republic in the eyes of the ANC. (Ben Turok in Parliament). Are all these thousands of people streaming to this province stupid or are they just trying to find better health services or a greater chance of infant birth survival, or a better education for their children, or a two times better chance of finding a job? Why leave other provinces to come to the Western Cape Province labelled by the ANC as a Banana Republic? Is it because they don't agree with the ANC's label? Is it because they don't believe the honourable leader of the Opposition, Mr Rasool and his colleagues, when they say this provincial government does not deliver or that this province is run by an old or former regime and that nothing has changed? Why come here if nothing is being delivered? I can't blame people for coming here. I can't blame expectant mothers to look for health services where their unborn babies have a better chance of survival. I can't blame jobless people for exercising their best options of finding work. I can't blame people for wanting their children to have the best education. If this province's delivery is measured by the rest of the country we are Olympic champions. But if our delivery is measured by our own standards in our pursuit of excellence, we need to improve even further.

Yes, we are better, but in no way are we beyond improvement. If we win the delivery race hands down in South Africa and we still take 20 seconds to run a hundred meters, we are not yet good enough. And when one looks at this irrefutable evidence of our standard of delivery and accompanying rising population figures, why is national government penalising us when it comes to budget allocations? SA Statistical services claim that we are the only province with a declining population and budgets accordingly. What utter nonsense. Just look at all the neighbouring provincial vehicle registration numbers, just look at our growing traffic - the congestion, our burgeoning hospital bed occupancy, our exploding demand for schools. Is this indicative of a declining population? Certainly not!

THE WAY FORWARD.

In my opening address of 6 February I outlined this government's five priorities. I will repeat them for you: The first priority was security followed by job creation/economic growth, tackling the HIV/AIDS crisis head on, a special programme of rural development and the protection of our environment . These five priorities are in some way or another, closely linked and sometimes even intertwined.

Security: A safety plan has just been unveiled for the Western Cape to tackle terrorism, transport violence, gangsterism and the upliftment of communities through visible policing and the safeguarding of tourism and agriculture. An additional R19 million has been budgeted in this respect. I will leave these details to my Ministers. Suffice it for me to say, we will deliver to all the people of this province.

Job creation and Economic growth:

We are fully aware that the Western Cape clearly has a long way to go with a 18% unemployment rate. One in 5 of our population, or more than 650 000 people, live in poverty and some 300 000 people have no work in this province. These are terrible statistics and need a major effort from this government. As I said, we might be the Olympic Champions in South Africa when it comes to delivery, but we are no way near world class performances. The quality of our education, despite being the best in the country, still lags behind that of our international economic competitors. Based on this appreciation of the dynamics of the global and local economy, and taking into consideration the macro-economic direction taken by our national government, our provincial government has developed an economic strategy based on four essential pillars:

Firstly, to ensure that the Cape becomes one of the world's premier learning regions within the next decade. We must also speed up the diffusion of new knowledge and techniques within industries through specialised training.

Secondly, our infrastructure is being upgraded to ensure an environment conducive to the movement of goods, people and information. Our provincial roads programme has been allocated an extra R77 million. The dramatic improvement at Cape Town International Airport is another example and others are in the pipeline. Similarly, it is our firm intention to put the Cape in the fast lane of the information super highway. There are clear signs that the Cape is becoming a centre of IT based industries in South Africa. We know that these cannot function without a world-class telecommunication infrastructure. Thirdly, we want to bolster the Cape's entrepreneurial strength. That requires making it an attractive destination for foreign investors, but also providing suitable support for local entrepreneurs. We are building a strong private equity and venture capital sector in the Western Cape. We are confronted virtually each week with businesses producing excellent products and poised for a great future. But when we lack the capital to expand we cannot take the critical leap forward. This is particularly the case with good businesses from previously disadvantaged communities.

Hierdie ekonomiese strategie is direk daarop gemik om die lewensgehalte van al ons mense te verbeter. Dis gemik op dienslewering. Dis gemik op ekonomiese vooruitgang en werkskepping. Nog 'n prioriteit is die bekamping van MIV-VIGS. Die bedreiging wat VIGS vir Suid-Afrika en die Wes-Kaap inhou, om nie eens van die res van Afrika te praat nie, is vreesaanjaend. Dis 'n bedreiging so groot soos 'n berg wat alle ander probleme na blote molshope laat lyk. Dit sal feitlik nie 'n enkele aspek van ons lewens in hierdie provinsie onaangeraak laat nie. Die aantal wesies gaan dramaties styg. Na skatting sal daar teen 2010 meer as 2 million weeskinders in Suid-Afrika wees waarvan baie self MIV positief sal wees. Onthou, weeskinders is ook baie meer geneig om misdaad te pleeg en sal meer geneig wees om by bendes aan te sluit. Die Verenigde Volke se VIGS-organisasie skat Suid-Afrika se VIGS-bevolking op 4,2 miljoen. Om 'n enkele VIGS pasient te behandel kos R70 000 per jaar wat die die huidige gesondheidsbegroting van R28 miljard teen 2010 op R38 miljard te staan sal bring. Die helfte sal slegs vir VIGS-behandeling wees. Mediese skema tariewe sal dramaties styg, die privaatsektor sal nadelig beinvloed word weens siektes en sterftes, die ekonomiese groei sal daal met 'n gevolglike groeiende werkloosheid.

Maar daar is lande wat sukses behaal het met die bestryding van die siekte. Thailand het 'n suksesvolle openbare bewussynsveldtog onderneem, maar in Suid-Afrika word veldtogte gekniehalter deur onverantwoordelike en dikwels bizarre teorieë en word selfs farmaseutiese maatskappye beskuldig dat hulle vir eie gewin VIGS bevorder.

In 'n omvattende artikel in die Economist word daar verwys na 'n "Catalogue of blunders" deur die voormalige Nasionale Gesondheidsminister met verdoemende resultate. Die Wes-Kaap het die voortou geneem met die verskaffing van AZT vir swanger vroue en slagoffers van verkragtings wat nie sulke behandeling kan bekostig nie. U hier ken die verloop van sake in hierdie verband. Ek kan net herhaal dat ons volstoom darmee voortgaan en dat ons almal in die hele provinsie van diens sal wees om hierdie grootse bedreiging met alles in ons vermoë te bekamp.

Rural Development:

Rural development has been included as a tenth policy objective of this government. A rural development plan is being drawn up in conjunction with municipalities and an audit has been commissioned of the job creation impact of programmes undertaken by the provincial government.

Environment:

I have always said there shall be no development at the expense of our environment and I will continue saying it. The environment and tourism are intertwined. Cabinet has therefore called for a tourism marketing policy and to strengthen our efforts to develop our own tourism identity. By promoting tourism, our most important earner of foreign exchange, we are promoting the interests of all our people in the province. A budget allocation of R1,5 million will now allow us to process environmental impact assessments facilitating controlled economic growth and improved infrastructure which in turn accelerates job creation. Let me now turn to my own portfolio. The Provincial Administration: Western Cape consisting of 5 service divisions namely the Office of the Premier, the Office of the Director General, Support Services, Corporate Services and Legal Services. There is a total budget of R287 million for the five service divisions.

The Support Services division includes the Office of the Premier, Inter-governmental relations, Human Rights and Poverty Relief, Information technology and an internal audit component. Firstly I would like to thank members of my personal support staff for the many late hours they have put in, not only to help me run my office, but also their dealings with the general public in a professional and dedicated way.

Interowerheidsbetrekkinge en eerbewyse:

Op hierdie gebied is daar etlike belangrike verwikkelinge. Die Wes-Kaap provinsie staan vir die eerste keer op die drumpel van 'n Europese teenwoordigheid met die skepping van 'n eie belangekantoor. Ook kry ons internasionale betrekkinge verder beslag met 'n ooreenkoms wat binnekort met die Amerikaanse Staat van Kalifornia gesluit word. Sulke interstaatlike bande plaas ons vierkantig op 'n pad van verstewigde- handels en toerismebande asook die bevordering van die landbou wat groot ekonomiese voordele vir al die mense van die provinsie inhou.

We will also be awarding our first provincial honours soon. I will be making an announcement shortly. We have already received several proposals for candidates from members of the public. Through awarding honours we will be taking the first important step towards establishing a sense of pride for the Western Cape Province. When one is proud of something you do everything in your power to nurture and promote it. Maybe I should repeat that for the sake of some on that side of the House - when one is proud of something - you do everything in your power to nurture and promote it.

Internal Audit:

This Provincial Government is committed to transparency and has an obligation towards clean government and a corrupt-free society. These requirements stem directly from the National Government's decisions on fraud and corruption. But, fraud prevention involves more than simply preparing documents - it requires a commitment at all levels of society to protect the nation's assets. To this extent the Western Cape has established a forensic audit unit which focuses on fraud and theft by employees of government. The unit's mandate is based on zero-tolerance and effective prosecutions and disciplinary processes. During the last two years 247 cases of fraud have been investigated with actual recoveries exceeding R12,95 million. Indirect recoveries flowing from the results of the investigations have not been quantified, but will certainly be five times that of actual recoveries. This unit operates independently and it has my blessing. I will never, as has recently been claimed, try to stall any investigation of corruption of fraud.

I am grateful that the unit has been functioning so well that only one or two cases of corruption had to be referred to the former Heath Commission out of more than 200 000 referred to it country-wide.

Poverty Relief:

As part of this province's commitment to effect an appropriate response to the relief of poverty, a Directorate: Poverty Relief has been established. The broad objective of this Sub-Directorate would be to give strategic direction to all Provincial Government Departments regarding the relief and eradication of poverty. These Departments are responsible for the operationalisation of integrated and co-ordinated poverty initiatives. A strategy will be formulated in partnership with civil society, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. Government resources and benefits will be concentrated on communities and sections of the Western Cape population identified as most vulnerable.

Wat Korporatiewe Dienste betref is ek besonder trots op ons eie Kaapse akademie by Kromme Rhee vir staatsdienswerkers. In die eerste jaar van die akademie se bestaan is 9 000 werkers opgelei wat ons bestuurskorps aansienlik verstewig het en grootliks bygedra het tot effektiewe dienslewering vir al ons mense.

Corporate Services has also been instrumental in transforming the senior management of the Western Cape provincial government which is now broadly representative of the population of the Western Cape. We are very fortunate that in our recent appointments we were able to secure the services of a number of highly skilled officials from previously disadvantaged groups, all of whom were chosen for their ability to contribute to the service delivery programme of the Western Cape government. A full 50% of senior managers are from groups identified as disadvantaged in terms of national policy and the Employment Equity Act. The Heads of Department in the provincial administration are also representative of the province's demographic profile, with 5 of the 9 positions filled by officials from previously disadvantaged groups.

I do, however, want to express my extreme disappointment in the Public Service Commission. This commission attempted to portray a false image of this province's attempts at transformation in its evidence before the Public Service and Administration committee of Parliament recently. The Commission alleged, incorrectly, that the Western Cape Province had made little progress on transformation in comparison to other provinces. It is difficult NOT to believe that the Public Service Commission is deliberately trying to present the Western Cape in a bad light. I have invited the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Professor Stan Sangweni, and all other members of his commission to pursue the channels open to them to familiarise themselves with the true facts. I believe the time has now come for the Public Service Commission to focus on making a tangible contribution towards good public service delivery rather than on feeding the National Parliament with inaccurate information. Such conduct by the Public Service Commission does nothing to promote co-operative Government.

The Western Cape Government prides itself on co-operative governance and sound intergovernmental relations at all levels. This government fully subscribes to article 41 of the National Constitution which specifically calls for the fostering of friendly intergovernmental relations and to assist and support one another. This is sadly often one way traffic. We are repeatedly called on by other provinces for guidance, support and assistance. This is freely given and in total confidence knowing full well that such requests can be embarrassing for some. We are not in the game of embarrassing our neighbours, but do not deserve to be branded uncooperative. Our Kromme Rhee Academy offers excellent training facilities at all levels for all civil servants irrespective of the province they are from. Last month we trained 11 from a neighbouring province at their request - we gladly accommodated them. Our assistance in combating cholera and Foot and Mouth Disease in KwaZulu-Natal is but another example of our willingness to co-operate and to foster friendly relations.

Legal Services:

The demand for legal expertise and guidance by provincial departments has continued to escalate, as we find ourselves functioning within the firmly entrenched framework of a modern Rechtstaat. This is evidenced by the 350% increase in Legal Services' workload since December 1997, which amounts to a little over a 100% increase per year. To meet this demand, Legal Services has expanded its capacity and now has three Directorates offering Litigation, Legislation and General Legal Advisory Services. After only 3 and a half years Legal Services has emerged as a modern, professional and efficient component that has successfully protected the rights, interests and the autonomy of this Administration.

In terms of the National Constitution, government is constituted as national, provincial and local spheres of government which are distinctive, interdependent and interrelated. Provincial Government has a constitutional duty to conduct its business in an open manner and hold its sittings in public. Our Cabinet to the People project has been a great success and we will continue in this vein. In order to involve all the people of the Western Cape in government, the Western Cape Cabinet will meet and talk to all the people of this province. The Cabinet will continue to hold meetings with the people in their own communities. We will listen, advise and compromise. We will establish first hand where the needs are the greatest and prioritise our service delivery accordingly. We will also involve our business community through our Cabinet meets Business projects. We, as a provincial government, must not only claim to know what our citizens want, we must inform ourselves first hand, what our citizens needs are. Only then can we truly deliver. To assist us with these projects we need strategic communication.

It is clear from some of the comments made by the ANC, or even the Public Services Commission, that our communication on service delivery, is often misconstrued. I tend to believe this is done deliberately which merely confuses the very people we wish to serve. It is all very well being recognised by national and international organisations as service deliverers and receiving awards for it, but if all our own people are not aware of our service delivery programmes because of opposing political agendas, we are being hamstrung in our communication efforts. A great many people in various communities are experiencing a better quality of life as a result of our service delivery, but we need to reach all our people of this province. Through effective communication, delivered in context, our citizens will know what services are being provided and become part and parcel of our service delivery. Political opportunists distributing false information about this province's service delivery record, are doing our people an injustice.

I appeal to my colleagues on that side of the house, let us promote co-operative governance. Let us work together to deliver to all the people of this province. Let us be constructive in our criticism. Come with viable alternatives, this government is willing to listen and deliver.

I Thank You.

Issued by the Office of the Premier, Western Cape, 13 March 2001