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8 March 2007

Programme Director
Honourable Mayor of the Namaqua District Municipality
Chairperson of South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Northern Cape
Members of the Executive Council (ExCo) present
Honourable mayors of local municipalities and councillors of municipalities and district
Members of the provincial legislature present
Representatives of organised business and private sector
Representatives of organised labour
Representatives of community based and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
Representatives of Development Funding Institutions (DFIs) and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)
Senior official of national, provincial and local government
Dames and here

We have been brought together here today to participate in shaping a new developmental governance era for the Namaqua District, province and country as a whole. It is my firm belief that when we accepted the invitation to the summit, it was a response based on a genuine, conscious and eager need to individually and collectively contribute to a process that seeks to make our country a more prosperous and comfortable place to live in. It is further my belief, (which we share as all three spheres of government), that your invitation to the summit is based on our knowledge that from your respective professional and experienced position you have something of value to contribute!

This District Growth and Development Summit is the fourth to be held, i.e. from a series of these, having started last year in November 2006 in De Aar. Let me, therefore, at this stage take the opportunity to thank the Namaqua District Council and staff for the hard work undertaken i.e. from the mini-summits and the ultimate launching of this District Growth and Development Summit (DGDS).

In its election manifesto for the 2006 local government elections, the African National Congress (ANC) made it a political priority for each metropolitan and district municipality to begin to frame District Growth and Development Strategies (DGDS). The manifesto directs that "to ensure that everyone pulls in the same direction in building better communities, every district and metro will hold a summit for growth and development within one year of the elections. These summits will bring together social partners, government, business, labour and community organisation, to develop concrete steps towards higher rates of local economic growth and poverty reduction."

Subsequent to the ruling party's pronouncement on its plans for local government after the 2006 elections, President Thabo Mbeki, in his State of the Nation address (SONA) of February 2006 directed that district and metropolitan municipalities hold growth and development summits in their areas of jurisdiction.

Ladies and gentlemen

Already in 1999 when we promulgated the white paper on local government, we emphasised the concept of "developmental local government."

Developmental local government encourages and required that:

* municipalities develop both medium-term Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and annual business plans
* IDPs be those comprehensive plans that align activities across the municipalities around clear medium term priorities and objectives
* business plans be detailed operational plans that advises on what each part of the municipality will accomplish on a year by year basis
* both the medium-term and annual plans be used for the proper deployment of available administrative capacity, prudent allocation of financial resources and effective measurement and management of municipal performance.

Through the lessons we learnt in governance during the first decade of democracy, we have come to know and agree that:

* districts and metros are the arena for intergovernmental co-ordination and social partner mobilisation
* district scale is large enough for national and provincial government to organise their capacity to respond to local/regional conditions and unique requirements
* through this convenient regional sphere, national departments can also organise themselves spatially through better structured relations with counterpart provincial departments.

This summit must also for the medium and long term produce a DGDS which will necessarily be prepared in a collaborative way and clearly mapping the future development road for the Namaqua District Municipality and region. This strategy will amongst others include the following:

* A vision for the 20 to 30 year development of the municipal area that seeks to address current and future development needs and responds to current and future threats and opportunities by harnessing the development potentials of the people, natural endowments, infrastructure assets and locational advantages.

* A development paradigm outlining the values and principles that guide the approach to the development of the municipal area in pursuit of the vision.

* An analysis of a set of issues that threaten or offer opportunities for the municipality together with responses to these including applicable disaster management plans.

* An in-depth, robust description, projection, modelling and analysis of and response to service backlogs, infrastructure provision and maintenance needs, economic sectors of growth and decline, household growth and formation, travel patterns, settlement form and growth and land reform.

* Specific statements on the state of and challenges surrounding youth, HIV and AIDS, women, safety and security and the environment.

* A 20 to 30 year spatial development framework including long and medium term spatial development objectives for the municipality.

* An infrastructure investment framework including long and medium term infrastructure investment and maintenance objectives for the municipality.

* Land development policies and plans prepared in support of the long and medium term spatial development objectives.

* Developmental outcomes, targets and key performance indictors for the short, medium and long term.

Ladies and gentlemen

Through the mini-summits that were organised prior to today clearly indicate that what brought us here today, is indeed not a once off event, but rather a process that must lead to an improved system of local government planning and execution of government programmes.

The outcomes of this Growth and Development Summit must immediately be incorporated into the IDP (IDP 2007/08) of the district municipality, with this contribution intended to produce a mandatory credible IDP (2006/11) for the Namaqua District Municipality.

Programme Director

Through the work that is being done as part of the harmonisation and alignment of the three spheres of government, we have come to know the following:

The Namaqua District Municipality contributes 12,04% to the Gross Value Added (GVA) of the province. Dominated by agriculture which contributes 16% to the GVA of the district.

The contribution of mining and we know that Namaqua has a variety of minerals is only 7,6% to the district GVA of which 4,18% accrues to the mining activities in the Richtersveld.

The Namaqua District is further characterised by:

* 15 779 (9,37%) of people being unemployed
* 34 912 (6,16%) of people living below the minimum living level.

We are also aware of the decline in the mining industry and as you are aware, the fishing and mariculture sector was looked upon to alleviate the impact of the closure of the mines in the district.

The provincial government has deemed it necessary to fund the infrastructure development of the Mariculture Park in Port Nolloth at which oysters and abalone, amongst others will be harvested. Due to the pristine condition of the west coast much activity has occurred in the mariculture industry with Hondeklipbaai, Alexander bay and Kleinsee also being involved in this programme.

The coastal management programme of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is also looking at ways to improve the harbour facilities at Hondeklipbaai and Port Nolloth.

In addition, the Premier fishing company situated in Cape Town is also being engaged with regarding the fishing factories that are lying dormant in the district.

These are but some of the efforts being undertaken to ensure the revitalisation of the fishing and mariculture industry in the Namaqua District.

Ladies and gentlemen

South Africa is bidding for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), as everybody should know by now, in the space of the Namaqua region. The process is at an advanced stage as some of the competitors have been eliminated and only two countries are now in this race namely South Africa and Australia.

An obvious competitive advantage reflected in the vastness of the area concerned, its concomitant clean air (not affected by excessive pollution as we find in the more urban areas of our country) and the radio silence prevailing in the region has suited this area to be a favourable competitor, on behalf of the country for the SKA.

The Karoo Array Telescope (between Carnarvon, launched in 2006, is a fore-runner to the SKA and further indicates South Africa's ability to host this important global, astronomical and scientific infrastructure.

Ladies and gentlemen

With the astronomy projects previously mentioned South Africa has the opportunity to become an international astronomy hub, the location of which is the Namakwa region.

Programme Director, we all would agree that through our collective efforts, we are able to realise the objectives as outlined for this summit. Our continued resilience and focus to contribute towards the vision of building a better life for all, will be realised if all of us genuinely go back to our respective areas of work and seek to implement the resolutions to be taken in this Namaqua District Growth and Development Summit.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to end by quoting Victor Hugo who said, "Greater than the tread of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come."

This is your opportunity. Seize it, make it your own and be counted amongst those that shaped the economic development trajectory of the Namaqua region.

Baie dankie!

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Northern Cape Provincial Government
8 March 2007