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26 June 2007

Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Members of the Executive Council
Leaders of political parties
Executive Mayors and other representatives of local government
Honourable Members
Managers in the Office of the Premier
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Honourable Speaker, allow me to on behalf of the people of Gauteng dip our banner in honour of one of our departed artists, Patience Africa who will be laid to rest today. We send our heartfelt condolences to her family.

We should do the same once more in honour of the four police officers who were killed in Jeppe last year. To their families we say, while the pain may still remain, let us take solace in the commitment being made by the rest of the South African Police Service (SAPS) members to double efforts to deal with the scourge of crime.

Fifty two years ago today men and women from all walks of life declared as part of the Freedom Charter that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white. Since then the Freedom Charter has been our blueprint for a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa. One of the chief architects behind the mobilisation of South Africans to commit to this blueprint was Chief Albert Luthuli whose death we will observe in 25 days time.

Chief Luthuli and his leadership collective at the time had foresight to lead and mobilise not only South Africans, but all freedom loving people in Africa and the world behind the struggle for a non-racial and democratic South Africa. While his sacrifices, hard work and devotion led to persecution and banishment by the apartheid government the world bestowed on him the Noble Peace Prize.

In his Peace Lecture at the University of Oslo while accepting the Nobel Peace Prize and based on his understanding of a future democratic South Africa he said, "In government we will not be satisfied with anything less than direct individual adult suffrage and the right to stand for and be elected to all organs of government."

"In economic matters we will be satisfied with nothing less than equality of opportunity in every sphere and the enjoyment by all of those heritages which form the resources of the country."

"We do not demand these things for people of African descent alone. We demand them for all South Africans, white and black. On these principles we are uncompromising. To compromise would be an expediency that is most treacherous to democracy for in the turn of events the sweets of economic, political and social privileges that are a monopoly of only one section of a community turn sour even in the mouths of those who eat them."

Since 1994 our work in government is guided by the vision of the Freedom Charter as well as its interpretation in real life by Chief Luthuli. Our policies on shared economic growth, broad-based empowerment (BEE), women and youth empowerment, inclusive housing and others are intended to give equal opportunity to all our people to enjoy the sweets of economic, political and social privileges.

The same goes for the Global City Region (GCR), hence our position that, "Economic attainment must be accompanied by a concerted effort to ensure that opportunities are spread, labour absorption is increased and the second economy is bridged into the first economy. This means our objective is balanced economic growth that actively works to share benefits broadly."

As we celebrate Freedom Charter day and prepare to celebrate the life of Chief Luthuli we are confident that our programmes are delivering on the ideals enshrined in the Charter. Everyday we are succeeding in providing shelter to someone who has never had any before, everyday when a newly employed graduate succeeds in placing bread on the table we have achieved something and with the arrest of each wanted criminal we gradually move towards the emergence of a safer and better Gauteng.

Our confidence is confirmed by the recent Institute of Race Relations survey which indicated that Gauteng has the most houses built or being built using government subsidies. According to the survey the province has the highest annual household income, the highest annual income per head and the highest proportion of working age people who are economically active.

The survey indicated that the number of houses built or being built was 470 228, the average annual household income was R142 394 the average annual personal income was R44 798 and the proportion of the working age population who are economically active was 69,2%.

While we welcome the findings as further confirmation that our work to make Gauteng an even better place in which to live is bearing fruit, we are aware of the most exacting and colossal task ahead of us. This is made more stark by the fact that our province has the highest population growth, the highest rate of urbanisation and the highest number of households living in informal settlements, making it more urgent to do much more to grow the economy to at least 8% and help reduce poverty and unemployment by half.

At the recent extended Executive Council lekgotla we reaffirmed our strategic programme and policy approach. We also agreed on the need to fast track and ensure more effective execution and implementation of such programmes and policies.

We agreed on the need to move beyond the ordinary to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment. Our task in the years ahead will therefore continue to be to stimulate shared economic growth and attract investment into the productive sectors of the economy, eradicating poverty, improving the skills base of our people and enhancing our government's capacity to deliver.

We agreed that to move to the kind of future we envisage in 2009 and 2011 we would need to focus our energies on three broad areas of priority namely:

* building Gauteng as a globally competitive city region
* implementing the Gauteng Social Development Strategy (GSDS) and building sustainable communities
* strengthening the capacity and organisation of the State.

In pursuit of the goal of building Gauteng as a globally competitive city region, a broader review of institutions and governance structures is being undertaken. Part of this review includes an assessment of development agencies in Gauteng to determine an appropriate agency to propel our vision. A decision will soon be made on the model and necessary funding required for the establishment of this agency.

Through the research that the province has being conducting, such as the Gauteng economic footprint we are gaining insights on what our economy looks like and who our trading partners are, as a means of increasing our competitiveness. A good understanding of how people, capital flows and business linkages shape our economy will help us devise appropriate strategies that will enhance our ability to deal with challenges facing Gauteng.

It is with this understanding that we are pursuing the establishment of the Gauteng Urban Observatory. The necessary ground work has been done to assess the needs and capacity required to set up such an observatory. We shall be soon moving into a phase where we garner support from our partners for the establishment of the observatory, identifying the necessary funding and building technical capacity to run it.

We are also in the process of realigning the Gauteng Human Resource Planning and Development Agency (GHRP&D Agency) and the Gauteng Management Development Programme (GMDP) and creating one academy that will be tasked with building the necessary relevant knowledge, skill and talent base.

Recently we launched the Gauteng Spatial Development Perspective (GSDP). The perspective is integral to our Growth and the Development Strategy (GDS) and serves as a platform to guide and align infrastructure investment and development spending across Gauteng and by various spheres of government and the private sector.

It maps out current and future development patterns for the province including social, economic, infrastructure, human settlement, environmental, transport and other characteristics.

This spatial development perspective aims to ensure better urban and land use planning. It takes into account and aims to provide a framework for the spatial development plans of cities and other municipalities.

The implementation of the perspective will ensure that the 20 poor townships are not excluded from the economic development of our province. Recently we launched the construction of a hospital in Jabulani as part of our 20 priority township programme. In addition to the road infrastructure projects, parks, schools and clinics we will also be establishing drivers license testing centres in Mamelodi and Soweto in this financial year.

The provision of a safe and reliable public transport system is one of the key requirements in building a city region. In line with our spatial development perspective, the public transport system we are planning for our province is intended to break away from what was intended mainly to transport people from the periphery to the centres of economic activity. The new system is informed by an understanding that new economic hubs are being created in areas where people live. It also recognises that people need transport not merely to go to work but also to travel to places of entertainment and to visit their relatives and it must therefore be available all the time depending on the needs of the citizens. We will continue to work for an integrated and inter modal public transport system.

In February, we promised that we would install a new system of booking drivers' licences to respond to the needs of consumers and to minimise fraud and corruption. Since then the Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works and the Gauteng Shared Service Centre (GSSC) introduced a centralised learner booking system as well as the Computerised Learners and Driving Licence Test System. Both systems were first piloted at Langlaagte Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) to ensure that they were stable before rolling out to other centres.

All centres except those in Ekurhuleni have now been linked to the central learner booking system. Centres in Ekurhuleni will go live on 1 July. I have, however, been informed that management at the Randburg testing station is not co-operating and is withholding information from the contact centre. Together with the City of Johannesburg we need to ensure that the situation is corrected forthwith as no one should be allowed to circumvent agreed procedures or undermine our commitment to efficient service delivery to the public.

Hours of service are being extended beyond normal times during the week and in weekends to deal with the 36 000 people who have registered for the learner driver's tests.

Our efforts on growing the economy require us to focus on targeted job creating growth sectors such as tourism, the creative industries, the manufacturing sector and the tertiary sector.

Tourism into our province continues to be strong. The South African Tourism departure survey released last month shows that Gauteng remains the favourite destination among tourists. This survey indicates that tourists spent more nights in high end establishments in our province compared to anywhere else in the country. To strengthen our position as a tourist destination of choice we have established the Dinokeng Game Reserve.

In April, I visited the newly established Dinokeng Game Reserve to see how far the first phase of this development was. In addition to the 260 catered bed nights at 18 sites in the start up area, there are two restaurants and abundant activities including game drives, elephant rides, hiking, quad biking, balloon rides and of course, horse riding.

The start up phase is traversed by public roads and the permissions have recently been granted by MEC Jacobs for road access control and the construction of gateways which will be put out to tender next month. An expansion area of 2 400 hectares involving 67 property owners has been consolidated and fencing of this area as a plain game area will commence in the near future.

The reserve has undoubtedly opened opportunities for skills development, employment, a reduction in poverty and the attainment of a better life in the area.

The drive to expand the information and communications technology infrastructure in our province and our strategies to build a competitive sport sector and host a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup, present further opportunities to create jobs and spur economic growth.

At the opening of the legislature in February this year I indicated that an international business and financial news television station, Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) Africa, would be setting up its operations in our province. I am glad to report that the station started broadcasting from our province this month.

The benefits of having such a broadcaster in our province are manifold. Not only has it created employment for our people but more importantly it has brought in new technology that our media personnel had never used before. The broadcaster plans to open a media academy and this will further assist in ensuring that our people have a good opportunity to acquire skills on the latest media technology that will be used when the football World Cup kicks off in 2010. I am convinced that CNBC Africa's smooth entry into our economy affirms that Gauteng is a key media hub in our country and proves that we will be able to host media that will be coming into our country for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Exactly five months from today the biggest football exhibition in the world, the SoccerEx, will be opening at the Sandton Convention Centre. This is a window of opportunity we must use to boost tourism into our province, to market Gauteng ahead of 2010 and to position ourselves as a platform to host major events including sports.

SoccerEx also offers an opportunity to train and to test the skills that will be required for the successful hosting of the Confederations Cup in 2009 and the World Cup in 2010. Of critical importance will be to train our young people to be proficient in many European languages to enable them to provide services to visitors with more confidence.

Mr Speaker, we must avoid creating the impression that our programmes are driven by the desire to prepare for the 2010 World Cup. Our vision remains that of contributing to halving poverty and unemployment by 2014 and the 2010 World Cup provides a window of opportunity to fast track development towards the attainment of this vision.

Paramount in our minds is the desire to create conditions for our people to move from dependence on the state to self reliance while ensuring a safety net for those who are really indigent. We also intend to build integrated human settlements to promote national unity and stronger social cohesion.

Following the success of integrated housing development at Cosmo City, we are now on course to implement mixed housing developments as part of our integrated housing and inclusionary strategy as the only way to achieve even and balanced development.

We will also pay urgent attention to the development of hostels so that we assist to integrate residents of these institutions into the broader community and ensure that they too are able to taste the fruits of our economic growth and social development in a better Gauteng.

Speaker, today the world is observing the international day against drugs and illicit trafficking. Substance abuse including alcohol and dagga is a major cause of ill health and social instability. It is a major factor contributing to the abuse of the elderly, women and children. Often car hijackings and gruesome robberies are undertaken by people who are high on drugs.

The Department Social Development, Education and Community Safety are working together to ensure early detection of drug abuse among young people in schools.

This year we launched the Take Charge Campaign to mobilise communities to work together with us in a social pact to fight crime. As part of our safety strategy we must continue to proactively address conditions that breed social crime particularly on women and children and prevent drug abuse and trafficking in our communities.

In February, we announced that the Department of Safety and Security was working on a new high tech 10111 centres that will be able to monitor the deployment and movement of police vehicles. I am glad to announce that the centre has now been completed and is currently being furnished. While all SAPS vehicles are being fitted with the new radios, the system will go live later than anticipated due in part to the need to include new areas from the former cross boundary municipality and environmental issues in those areas.

Together with communities and organisations such as South African National Council On Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SANCA), we will continue to build capacity in drug treatment centres especially in townships to deal with the challenge of drug and substance abuse. By linking the fight against drugs to the quality health care for all campaign, launched by the Gauteng health Department, we will help to prevent our people from experimenting with drugs. By promoting the adoption of healthy lifestyles we will be able to deal with the primary causes of ill health and empower people to avoid behaviours that make them susceptible to diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, tuberculosis (TB) and even HIV and AIDS.

We are coming to the end of our celebration of Youth Month. As part of the celebrations, we have held youth focus izimbizo to listen to the voices of young people in our province. It is clear that while young people appreciate progress made thus far on youth empowerment and development, many of them still bear the brunt of poverty, unemployment, crime, drug abuse and disease and therefore expect the government to work with them to create conditions and opportunities to help them contribute in making Gauteng a better place to live.

Through the projects we are implementing in the 20 Priority Township Programme, the upgrading of stadia and 2010 practice venues and the construction of the Gautrain, we have an opportunity to meet our targets of providing employment to 30% of young people, 40% women and 2% disabled on these projects.

Young people have high consciousness about HIV and AIDS and play a crucial role in peer education in youth friendly centres throughout the province. However, what is required now to win the battle against HIV and AIDS is a change in behaviour. Increasing incidents of teenage pregnancy and increasing new infection suggest that many people are not modifying their behaviour. But we must send a strong message that people must take individual responsibility to protect themselves against this disease. The government must continue to provide support, to treat those who are already sick, but individuals must change their attitude to unprotected sex.

In February, we placed the education of the African child very high on the agenda. A provincial summit was held followed by regional summits to discuss the necessary interventions to improve the quality of education of the African child. It is my hope that the public sector industrial action has not adversely affected this initiative and I would like to urge educators and learners alike to put in that extra effort this year to produce better results in our schools. We have lost some critical time during the industrial action but we certainly can make up for it for the sake of the education of our children.

We have long recognised that unless we address the capacity of the State, all our efforts to achieve shared economic growth, reduce poverty and unemployment will be undermined. We therefore have to continue to pay attention to the implementation of our human resource development strategy in the public sector and address the recruitment and retention of scarce skills.

Skills development is central to all our efforts to reduce poverty and build our economy. Learnerships and internships have been introduced to deal with this challenge. By the end of the past financial year (2006/07) 5 726 learnerships and internships were registered within the Gauteng government. This represented 9% of the public servant staff establishment and a percent above the 8% target for the year. Given the fact that we have met our target two years ahead of time, we promise to keep up the high standard set in this regard in the interest of fighting skills shortages in our province.

We need to redouble our efforts in the implementation of the Integrated National Disability Strategy and Gauteng Disability Policy to provide reasonable accommodation to the disabled and ensure that they constitute at least 2% of our workforce by 2009.

We will continue to champion women empowerment and gender equality in all departments. All reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that we achieve our target of 50% women in senior management by 2009.

We are however aware that Gauteng senior managers, especially female managers, are highly sought after by other provinces and national government which makes this a moving target.

We will continue to work hard to ensure that economic opportunities are opened up for women and to reach our targets of 40% women employed in expanded public works projects and 50% of funds allocated by the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller going to women owned small medium and micro enterprises.

Process and consultations to rename parts of the R21 and R24 after Mama Albertina Sisulu are at an advanced stage. We hope to conclude the process within the next three weeks.

As part of our programme to ensure participation of women in our democracy we will continue our programme of women's dialogues during Women's Month in August.

The Gauteng Youth Commission is already working with departments and Gauteng municipalities to implement youth programmes. We, however, have to improve their capacity to do the work and to introduce indicators as well as monitoring and evaluation systems to determine whether we are meeting our objectives.

A city region that is competitive has to be able to guarantee efficiency, ethical conduct and responsiveness to citizens. We are therefore committed to rolling out programmes to enhance the ethical conduct of our officials, implementing service charters and standards including effective redress and complaints management systems. We will also continue to extend the effective use of technology to improve our business process.

In line with our commitment to promote active citizenship, we will continue with our izimbizo across local, provincial and national government. We will seek to ensure ongoing community meetings in all the wards and involve ward committees in monitoring service delivery across government spheres.

Our people are looking up to us to liberate them from poverty, hunger, unemployment and underdevelopment. We are the key to their upliftment and social emancipation. Let us make the remaining years to 2009 a special period and work to the maximum of our ability to achieve our goal of a better Gauteng for all.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Gauteng Provincial Government
26 June 2007
Source: SAPA