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7 October 2007

Programme Director
Minister of Public Works, Ms Thoko Didiza
Colleagues from the province and other provinces
Representatives of governments in the South African Development Community Southern African Development and Economic Community (SADEC) region
Chairperson of Public Works Portfolio Committee
Government officials
Ladies and gentlemen

It is a great evening and an honour for me to welcome you all to the 12th International Labour Organisation Regional Seminar on Labour Intensive Practices in our beautiful country and the province of KwaZulu-Natal. As governments of the continent and the world, we have a responsibility to find solutions to problems facing our people, to develop policies and environment favouring job creation, more importantly to come up with best methods to combat poverty facing the people of the world and the people of the continent.

Hence our theme for the Seminar is, "Prioritising Employment Creation in government policies, investments and infrastructure programme. "We all know that the common feature facing countries, particularly African countries, is the legacy of colonialism. This therefore calls for all of us, to from time to time, come together in seminars of this nature, to intensify our efforts towards job creation. We in KwaZulu-Natal pride ourselves to be part of Regional delegation convening here in the next five days to deliberate, in search of common action to promote decent work for our people.

We hope to showcase our own Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), to share our best practices, but also to learn from the experiences of representatives from around the world, with the aim of identifying areas of improvement for the benefit of the masses who are the main target and beneficiaries of the EPWP. Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the city of Ethekwini, one of the fastest growing urban areas in the world.

I welcome you to the beauty of the country at its best, a province that stands out as one of the most beautiful of all tourist destinations. Durban remains the ideal holiday destination for tourists and local holidaymakers alike. I have no doubt that by the time you leave you will have been fascinated by the beauty of KwaZulu-Natal, the beauty of its people, its cultural diversity, its beaches and mountains. I can assure you that, whichever way you chose to enjoy your stay here, an indescribable beauty awaits you.

I therefore hope that resolutions and recommendations, the sharing of knowledge, and information dissemination will characterise this Seminar and help us discover the best employment intensive approaches that can be applicable to the existing Expanded Public Works Programme so that at the end of the day we are not only seen as governments that can deliver on the most pressing needs of employment, but that indeed economies of our countries flourish, whilst at the same time, large numbers of our people gain access to job opportunities. Ladies and gentlemen welcome and enjoy your stay in KwaZulu-Natal.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Public Works, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
7 October 2007
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za)