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14 March 2005

President Thabo Mbeki will pay a visit to the Northern Cape Province to interact with the people of the Province, from 17 - 19 March 2005. The three-day visit is part of the South African government’s Imbizo programme aimed expressly at promoting interactive governance.

Dr Essop Pahad, Minister in the Presidency, some Cabinet Members, Premier Dipuo Peters and members of the Northern Cape Provincial Executive Council will accompany the President.

The President’s visit to the Northern Cape follows a series of Presidential Imbizo to eight other Provinces, namely, Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, North West, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. In this regard, the Northern Cape Presidential Imbizo logically concludes the first series of successful visits to provinces that started in 2001.

The Imbizo-style of governance was initiated four years ago as a platform for promoting participatory democracy and building partnership with communities and civil society in general. It has grown into an integral part of governance based on unmediated communication with the people of South Africa, from all walks of life.

Thus, previous Imbizo have been marked by open-air community meetings in the tradition of African cultural gatherings wherein people seized freely the opportunity to tease government on issues of service delivery and submit proposals on what needs to be done to create a better South Africa belonging to all.

The President will cover the following District Municipalities of the Northern Cape: Namaqua, Siyanda, Frances Baard and the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality. During the visit, the President will be afforded the opportunity to visit community projects, interact with the people and listen to their views and opinions on various matters of state.

The theme of this Imbizo will be: “Building a South Africa that truly belongs to all”.

The President will start the Imbizo on Thursday 17 March 2005 in the Namaqua District with the Agriculture Sector Meeting in Calvinia West, Regina Hall; followed by a ‘walk-about’ in Calvinia West and a Community Imbizo in Steinkopf at the Steinkopf Sports Field.

The visit will proceed, on Friday 18 March 2005, to Siyanda District and Frances Baard District Municipality. The major highlights at Siyanda District will be: a visit to the Kai!Garib Housing Project in Langverwag, Kakamas and a walk-about in Vredesvallei, Riemvasmaak.

On the same day, a Community Imbizo (Lorato Park) and an Imbizo-on-air Radio Programme will be held in Kimberley.

A Stakeholders Meeting will be held on Saturday 19 March in Kimberley (Christian Revival Church Hall), in the Frances Baard District Municipality. The final stop will be the Pixley ka Seme District Municipality where the President will visit the MaAdam EPWP Access Road Project in Victoria West and participate in a Community Imbizo at the Victoria West High School.

Enquiries: Bheki Khumalo
Cell: 083 256 9133
David Hlabane
Cell: 082 561 9428
Malerato Sekha
Cell: 082 467 8579
Brenda Nkosi
Cell: 082 770 2369

Issued by: The Presidency
14 March 2005