ADDRESS BY GAUTENG PREMIER NOMVULA MOKONYANE ON THE OPENING OF THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE, February 24 2014

GAUTENG STATE OF THE PROVINCE ADDRESS

Madam Speaker

Members of the Executive Council Deputy Speaker

Chief Whip of the Majority Party

Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature Members of the Diplomatic Corps

Executive Mayors

Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner Councillors

Honourable Leaders of Political Parties Members of the Media

Distinguished Guests Residents of Gauteng

I stand here today with humility to share and reflect on the work done, achievements attained as well as challenges encountered over the last twenty years of constitutional democracy. As we reflect on the epic journey that we travelled together and the plans for the future, we are delighted to know that as your elected servants we still enjoy your unwavering support.

We the ANC are forever humbled and moved by the confidence you have in us. As a liberation movement founded 102 years ago, we have continued with the journey to transform and move South Africa forward.

And therefore, this hard-earned trust coupled with responsibility cannot be taken for granted since it is not an entitlement.

Accordingly, what we are here about today is not only about the ANC, but the continuing partnership between the ANC government and the people of South Africa. This partnership born of struggle against oppression, tyranny, racism and exploitation remains a guide to action.

In April, 27 1994 the overwhelming majority of South Africans voted democracy and freedom over racist tyranny and oppression, it was the beginning of a long journey of undoing more than 300 years of damage and plunder perpetuated by apartheid colonialism.

Some amongst us would like us to believe that apartheid is dead, when the converse is true. Others wish that we shy away from referring to the past whilst ordinary South Africans continue to be confronted with the spectre of apartheid legacy in their workplace, suburbs and townships as well as supermarkets and farmlands  in everyday of their lives. The stories they tell are still stories of systematic humiliation, exploitation, and downright racism.

Hence in some areas of our country there are those who still view our people as refugees in their country of birth, a notion which flies against the spirit of the Bill of Rights as enshrined in our constitution.

These are the type of people, in whose sub-conscious, the dream of restoration of apartheid lives on. They are the ones who are hell-bent to undermine the efforts towards reconciliation, social cohesion, unity and nation building. They attach no true value to the sacrifices made by many South Africans, both Black and White, so that South Africans can live side by side in a peaceful and prosperous country as equals.

When we relate the story of South Africa there is a figure that personifies the struggle, suffering and triumph of her people against adversity. And that is Tata Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. His life is an embodiment of the experiences of the majority of our people.

His "Long Walk to Freedom" started in Mvezo and ended in Qunu, but his political consciousness, brinkmanship and leadership prowess got moulded and sharpened here in Gauteng. It is in this province where he shared the political space with such great political intellectuals as Duma Nokwe, Walter Sisulu, Dorothy Nyembe Antony Lembede, Helen Josephs, O.R. Tambo and many others. Madiba took the challenges of being a rural Black in the heartland of so-called Whiteman urban enclave in his strides.

He found shelter in the forgotten squalor of Alexandra moving further to Soweto like many others who were victims of forced removals such as Sophiatown where the wretched of the land were confined. He was, just like millions of Blacks, treated as a second class citizen and a native whose stay in the cities and towns of this country was controlled through Group Areas Act, Influx Control, Population Registration Act and a myriad of other legislations designed to deprived people of their basic human liberties. But Madiba refused to be defined in terms of those terrible laws and chose to give up his freedom so that we can all be treated with dignity and respect regardless of colour, creed or class.

In all his life he never defined himself outside the experiences of his people and the organisation he served and so loved. He remained rooted in the principles of the people's movement, the African National Congress, which he led with the other collective. His magnanimity inspite of gross abuse and long unlawful incarceration never bred hatred or anger against fellow humans. To the world Madiba's humanness and capacity to forgive was beyond comprehension. His iconic stature was easily compared to sainthood. In the face of such association and accolades, Madiba was quick to remind us that no leader was perfect, and thus denied being referred to as a saint, and remarked: " I am not a saint unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying."

The name Nelson Mandela will resonate with future generations as the Father of our Nation and the lodestar that continues to guide us to a united and prosperous future.

Honourable Members and residents of Gauteng

The 20 years journey we have traversed has been an exciting one, however, as in any other journey we continue to encounter obstacles. Together with our people, our commitment is to accelerate the better life for all.

When we came in power after the 1994 general elections, we were never fazed by the daunting task of establishing a government in Gauteng from scratch. Many would recall that Gauteng was not in existence before 1994 and we had to create and oversee an overly fragmented, but highly cosmopolitan province with municipalities based on the apartheid model of government. None of our communities could lay claim of having elected their own councillors or parliamentarian, nor know what platform to express their wish to government except through the organs of people's power.

We have really democratised our country. Lest we forget, even when we had an overwhelming vote, we were the ones who, in the spirit of nation building and reconciliation, invited the members of the erstwhile National Party and Inkatha Freedom Party to be part of government of national unity.

We had to also, without any delay respond to the needs of our people, in areas such as housing. Our responsiveness was a stark contrast to the offering by the apartheid government that had stopped building the old four-roomed structure in the late 1970's.

One of the tragedies of apartheid, amongst many, was to entrench the

99 year leasehold that deprived Africans of property rights wherein women were regarded as minors and could never dream of being property owners. To reverse this situation we had to come up with new housing interventions that sought to deal with the huge demand that existed then.

To get to where we are today, where education has been elevated to the apex priority, we had to break the fabric of apartheid education philosophy which was founded upon racial exclusion. The African child was at the lowest in the packing order of access to quality education.

The African child could also not go from the township to attend school in the erstwhile white suburbs due to Group Areas Act, amongst others.

During the journey that we started, we embarked on significant transformation of the education system over a 20-year period to reverse apartheid legacy and achieve more equitable access to public education for all.

Overall, Gauteng demonstrated a consistent upswing in the matric results. We increased the number of leaner enrolment in the ordinary public schools, especially in the no-fee schools. We also saw an increase overall in post-matric qualification.

In Health, we introduced major improvements in access to health care and promotion of health awareness status. We saw an increase in the life expectancy due to Anti-Retroviral Treatment rollout; whilst the HIV infection rate and HIV-related maternal mortality went down drastically.

We also embarked on strategic economic infrastructure that was intended to turnaround the province. The first generation of major infrastructure project branded as Blue IQ turned Gauteng into a construction site. These included, amongst others, the Gautrain, Expansion of City Deep, upgrade of Newtown precinct, development of the Automotive Hub in Tshwane, Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg, the Cradle of Humankind in the West Rand and Expansion of the OR Tambo International Airport. These projects contributed immensely to the transport system, the tourism sector and general economic activity of Gauteng.

In deracialising the human settlement patterns, we redesigned the apartheid spatial developments through Cosmo City, Bricksfield in the Inner City, Diepsloot adjacent to Dainfern and Olievenhoutbosch in Tshwane, to name but a few.

Madame Speaker, Residents of Gauteng,

In the term of this fourth administration, informed by the review of the last fifteen years, we had to take bold decisions on issues of management, leadership, financial controls, accountability, as well as matters related to accelerating service delivery. We also dealt with matters related to turnaround times of procurement and payment of goods and services.

We implemented the new mandate through the following priorities: education, health, safety, jobs, human settlements and rural development. These Strategic Priorities of the Gauteng government were informed by the 2009 Manifesto of the ruling party, the African National Congress.

In this regard, education was identified as the Apex priority. Through his actions and expressions, the President of the Republic of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, made all South Africans to become partners in championing education as the Apex priority. President Zuma frequently emphasized that teachers had to be: "In class, On time, Teaching."

I dare say that under the stewardship of President Zuma, the education of the African child is non- negotiable.

It is also in this tenure, where cooperative governance found true expression in our day to day execution of our mandate through the following:

Under his leadership, President Zuma introduced an outcome-based approach; prioritized Long Term Integrated planning through the Ministry of Planning and a planning commission. In addition, for purposes of effectiveness and accountability, the president set up a Performance and Evaluation system through a Ministry in the Presidency.

The President further instituted the Inter-governmental relations through the Presidential Coordinating Council where the provinces and Metropolitan Municipalities hold strategic engagements with him through the Premiers and Executive Mayors on matters of strategic importance.

And finally, President Zuma put together, under his leadership as convener, the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee where all three spheres of government engage in the implementation of the R1 trillion Infrastructure Master plan.

Honourable Members

We went further to stabilize government by repositioning the Office of the Premier as the political nerve centre of the provincial government.

This office, assumed the responsibility, amongst others, to pull together and harness the energies of different departments for the achievement of government strategic priorities in the delivery of service.

Furthermore, we embarked on a process of reconfiguration of the various departments and agencies, to bring about efficiencies and effectiveness in government structures and realize savings in costs as well as avoid duplication.

We also established the Gauteng Planning Commission whose responsibility is long-term planning and the development of Gauteng Vision 2055. We also put in place the Gauteng Advisory Council to be able to tap into the knowledge and expertise that existed outside of government.

Madam Speaker

South Africa is a unitary state with clear delegated mandate to each of the three spheres of government. The Intergovernmental Relations is the main ingredient for strong cooperative governance that cuts across the various spheres of power and institutions.

The Gauteng Intergovernmental Relations Framework has become an important instrument for the practice of intergovernmental relations; strengthening and renewal of the activist developmental state and for improved service delivery in the province. And in the case of Gauteng, the Gauteng Provincial Government and the Municipalities continue to work together through the Premier's Co-ordinating Forum for improved service delivery in the context of a globally competitive city region.

Having travelled this journey over twenty years together with our people, notwithstanding the challenges we face, we can boldly say "Gauteng is the better place to live in" and therefore we have a good story to tell, and it needs to be told.

Honourable Members,

Our education has not only overcome the bleakness of historic classrooms but has strengthened our conviction to embrace wholesome approaches that have inspired Gauteng citizens to truly redefine their potential and identity.

Our schools and institutions are now true centres of hope and community life where the education of an African child may not be postponed or compromised. We are indeed on course to producing relevant and influential human resource capital that is equipped and empowered to claim a stake in the global community.

I am confident that education in Gauteng has not only dented the past, but has exceedingly stretched its original mandate to effectively open the doors of learning and culture as expressed in the Freedom Charter.

As part of stabilizing education sector, we had to make an intervention with a strong focus on Soweto in 2011. We convened together with educator unions, political, faith-based organizations, youth structures, School Governing Bodies an Education Summit and adopted a declaration to defend and advance the education of an African child.

In just a year this collaborative approach, yielded positive results with more stability and less disruptions in our schools. This was a stepping- stone to make education a societal priority.

Our efforts to normalise the environment has paid dividends. The matric pass rate in Soweto increased from 58% in 2009 to 83% in 2013. I want to thank the parents, teachers, unions, school governing bodies, communities and learners who made it their business to stabilise education.

Today, we can proudly state that:

2070 schools in Gauteng have a functioning school governing body and over 100 000 parents and members of all school governing bodies have been trained. We have 1, 7 million learners in 2070 schools across the province;

Of this 1,6 million learners are in 1334 no fee paying school; and

128,000 learners are now enrolled in Grade R

A total of 2 180 public and independent Grade R sites are currently operational across the province. 1,2 million learners receive a meal and are able to concentrate in class;

More than 470 000 learners received free uniforms;

We provide scholar transport to over 65,000 learners living more than 5km away from the nearest school. This is an expansion of over 20,000 learners since 2009.

Over 6000 school safety patrollers, school safety committees appointed and we introduced school searches to ensure a safe learning environment;

To further support our learners:

 The Extra School Support Programme is provided at 1 266 schools for learners with caregivers, sports assistants and homework assistants beyond normal school contact time. These caregivers give homework support for Grade 1 - 7 in no-fee schools. This Programme also contributes to job creation by providing unemployed youth with work experience, accredited education, on the job training and skills that will assist them in future job seeking.

Over 264,000 learners have benefitted from the Senior Secondary Improvement Programme.

82,000 parents were provided with Homework support to better support their children at home.

The 2013 Grade 12 results - the best ever - further attest to the success of our interventions. We are particularly proud of the performance by no fee schools, with a pass rate of 81, 4%. A total of about 36 000 learners achieved distinctions and Bachelor passes.

Gauteng has reduced the number of schools performing below 60% in matric from 234 in 2009 to 43 schools in 2013.

Also worth noting is that this year's highest performing learner in Gauteng, Praise Ndebele, came from a no-fee paying school whose performance silenced education pessimists.

The Gauteng matric pass rate has been on the rise since 2009 with a pass rate of 78.6% in 2010, 81.1% in 2011, 83.9% in 2012 and 87.6 % in 2013.

The percentage of girl learners in school in Gauteng is currently amongst the highest in the world comparing favourably with developing and developed countries. Based on StatsSA data and enrolment numbers, close to 99% of girls in the province are in school.

In 2011 we launched the dignity packs project for needy girls. Since the programme's inception 350 000 dignity packs have been distributed to girl learners across the province. It has also led to the reduction of absenteeism of the girl learner as well as the reduction of their vulnerability against sexual favours.

In recognition of hard work and dedication in education in this term alone a total of R460 million in bursaries were awarded to more than 12 000 learners mainly from no fee paying schools.

Our school infrastructure has been expanded. To this end:

141 new schools built since 2009.

The number of schools increased from 1970 in 2009 to 2070 in 2014.

Over 2000 classrooms have been added to already existing schools.

we have added over 458 new Grade R classrooms to accommodate the increase of Grade R learners in the province, bringing the total number of Grade R classrooms to 5764

The construction of the Magaliesburg and Fochville boarding schools,  that  will  each  accommodate  250  learners,  are  at  an advanced stage and the Magaliesburg boarding school will open before the end of the current term.

The intended outcome is to have well managed schools ensuring effective quality learning and teaching

Madam Speaker

With regard to health, Gauteng residents today are healthier and live longer than ever before. This is attributable to the commitment and investment we made in turning around the public health system in the province. As a result more access to health care has been achieved and the burden of disease effectively tackled.

The challenges we faced in 2009, which include child mortality and HIV/AIDS decreased dramatically. This was a result of an increased in number of visits to antenatal facilities where women are constantly checked and encouraged to know their HIV status.

The rate in maternal deaths dropped from 167 to 117 per 100 000 live births between 2005 and 2013. In keeping to our promise, we have introduced 120 new ambulances to improve the Emergency Medical Services and twenty of these are specially equipped with maternity and obstetrics for the use by pregnant mothers.

This has resulted in the decrease of child deaths from 43% in 2005 to 75% in 2013. The number of pregnant women and children under 5 years as well as the vulnerable people vaccinated against flu doubled, from 75,000 in 2011 to a whopping 154,000 in 2013.

Primary Health Care has enjoyed top priority and is now accessible to all under this democratic government. We have established district clinical specialist teams in all five districts and, ward-based outreach teams as well as creating integrated school health programme.

Since 2004, the number of primary health care visits doubled from 10, 4 million to 23 million in 2013 and over 8000 community health workers across the Province were trained. We have extended the hours of service at 112 clinics from 8am to 7pm, while at the 26 community health centres access is 24-hour.

Madam Speaker

Our struggle against the burden of disease, HIV and AIDS in particular is bearing results. The level of awareness amongst our communities and cooperation across all sectors has helped in the dramatic drop in HIV and AIDS infections. Through concerted efforts of Government, in partnership with our people and organised civil society, we have turned the tide against the disease.

Ward-based education campaigns have expanded their reach to over 6 million people, while over 3 million people have been tested through the HIV Counselling and Testing campaign, launched in 2010.

Aids-related deaths have been dropping dramatically since 2010. New HIV infections among adults have dropped, from 104,000 to 60,000 between 2004 and 2012. Over the same period, new infections among young people and children dropped by 40% in 2004 and 86% in 2012 respectively. Key in this regard has been the reduction of HIV transmission from mother to child.

The cumulative number of people on Anti-Retroviral Therapy is now over 900,000, compared to just over 75,000 in 2006; and the ART sites number expanded from just 59 in 2008 to whooping 364 in 2013.

In addition, our efforts to reduce the burden of Tuberculosis have also delivered results. The TB cure rate improved from 79% in 2009 to 83, 4% in 2013. This is due to the provision of prevention therapy to HIV positive patients who have not yet contracted TB, as well as children under-5 years that are in contact with infected patients in their homes.

Honourable Members

In the course of promoting primary health care the Executive Council came to the realisation that there were systemic challenges in the department of Health. We therefore resolved to take collective responsibility for the development and implementation of the turnaround strategy to address specific weaknesses. Consequently we have made a steady progress and improvements in the health sector.

Furthermore, budget reforms were implemented, accruals have declined and debt recovery is now more effective, leading to more service providers being paid on time.

We have also developed a litigation strategy with a view to managing the number of litigations that the department is faced with. This is being done in collaboration with the State Attorneys' office.

Key in the health department turnaround strategy was the stabilization of the human resources and executive leadership. The appointment of new Chief Executive Officers in hospital provided stability and improved accountability. We have also taken stern action against individuals who sought to abuse state resources and putting the lives of patients at risk.

The Medical Supply Depot has been reorganised and the availability of essential medicines has improved from 60% to 89%.

This is clear evidence that the sustained implementation of the Turnaround Strategy has had a positive impact. We have improved the delivery of health services in our institutions, notwithstanding, much still needs to be done.

Madame Speaker,

With regards to the Health Infrastructure we have made key investments to maintain the current public health capital assets and create new infrastructure. In the 2013/14 financial year, the infrastructure budget was adjusted upward to R1.5 billion. And since 2009 we have cumulatively spent close to R8.5 billion on Health infrastructure.

Accordingly, Natalspruit and Jabulani/Zola hospitals are at commissioning stage. It is expected that the new Zola Hospital will be opened in April 2014 and the new Natalspruit Hospital in July 2014.

Refurbishment work is continuing at other hospitals. With regards to the additional vacuum and oxygen points at the Edenvale Hospital, Tambo Memorial Hospital, Dr George Mukhari Hospital, Rahima Moosa Hospital and the Sebokeng Hospital progress has been registered. Various projects including refurbishment of nurse's residences, replacement of air conditioners at Leratong Hospital have been completed.

We have also commenced construction work in various health projects including the new Randgate Clinic, new Blood Bank at Tembisa Hospital, additional oxygen and vacuum points at Pholosong and Leratong hospitals. We are also doing renovations to accommodate TB beds at Tshwane District Hospital and Pholosong Hospital as well as the upgrading of Ward 4 and 8 at Helen Joseph Hospital.

A large portion of the Hospital Revitalisation Grant budget will be used to implement refurbishment of the Sebokeng Hospital and Ga-Rankuwa Nursing College as well as to complete projects which are currently in progress. The equitable share funding made by the province will be used to commence construction of the Conversion of Lenasia South and Discoverers Community Health Centre into district hospitals as well as to implement the pilot implementation of the National Health Insurance projects in Tshwane District.

The rehabilitation and refurbishments programme is funded by both the Health Revitalisation Grant and Equitable Share. A total of 34 projects are targeted for refurbishment and rehabilitation, with an estimated budget of R477 million over a three-year period.

This allocation is needed to ensure that health facilities that were either neglected over years or have deteriorated critically should be improved to meet minimum standards.

Seven clinics have been identified for the targeted rehabilitation across the province, while about twelve projects relate to the renovations of wards at various hospitals. These projects are various stages ranging from identification, planning, feasibility, construction and retention.

There are various aspects of maintenance, i.e. scheduled maintenance, routine maintenance, day-to-day maintenance and emergency maintenance that still attention. Serious attention will also be given to scheduled and routine maintenance at identified health facilities in order to protect the lifespan and conditions of facilities. Provision will also be made for day-to-day and emergency maintenance to address those breakdowns that may occur and will have significant impact on the provision of healthcare services. Replacement of electro-mechanical equipment such as boilers, lifts, chiller plants and autoclaves will continue.

Honourable Members

While we can proudly state that we have registered political, economic and social gains in the last 20 years of democracy, the fact is that we continue to suffer high levels of unemployment, inequality and poverty.

The world economy is taking time to recover with our people continuing to face high cost of living on food and transport coupled with the erosion of their spending power. As the ANC government, we understand these challenges and we are prepared to work with our people in these difficult times and would spare no effort to alleviate the pressure on individuals and households. In this regard short, medium and long term interventions are already in place.

In the current term, we have put in place measures to stimulate further growth of the economy, whilst reducing inequalities and minimising the impact of poverty and unemployment. As government, we have intervened to mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis on households and insulate vulnerable groups from its effects by providing material and financial support to ensure job retention in key industries such as the automotive industry.

We have established Gauteng as one of the leading hubs of the automotive sector in Southern Africa. The province hosts three of seven local vehicle assemblers - Nissan/Renault SA, BMW SA and Ford Motor Corporation of Southern Africa, providing sustainable jobs in Gauteng.

This includes the Ford T6 Training and Recruitment Project initiated in August 2009 through which over 840 people have been recruited, trained and re-skilled.

We have commenced with plans to establish a second incubator on Nissan SA's production site in Rosslyn, which will be even larger and is expected to have an even greater impact.

In 2010, we concluded an agreement with Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd of India for the establishment of their production plant for the supply of components for the Ford T6 programme. The plant started production in June 2011  and has  created more  than  350 jobs  in the  Automotive Supplier Park.

In November 2012, we commenced with the construction and refurbishment of Gauteng's first Automotive Training Academy to service original equipment manufacturers, mechanics and panel beaters.

In addition, we have supported over 45,000 SMMEs and over 2000 cooperatives, including 285 youth and 296 women's cooperatives. We have provided mentoring, business development, training and financial support to these groups.

The rejuvenation of the tool, dye and moulding industry is strategically important as it produces the tools required for local production. The Gauteng Tooling Initiative started in June 2010 with an intake of 270 students to train as tool-making artisans in four further education and training colleges in Kempton Park, Kwa-Thema, Tshwane and Soweto.

The programme has been successful, leading to a significant uptake of students by the tooling industry.

We have put job creation at the centre of all our programmes which has resulted in the creation of close to 800 000 jobs. In addition, when we restructured the provincial government to improve service delivery and efficiency, not a single person was retrenched.

Gauteng is a youthful province and our endeavours are especially directed towards the creation of job opportunities for the thousands of young people. We have placed particular emphasis on reducing youth unemployment and improving the access by young people to productive economic activity.

We have instituted also the Gauteng Youth Employment Strategy to direct our efforts with regard to youth employment. A total of more than 102 000 job opportunities for youth have been created since we took office in 2009. We are implementing a successful learnership and internship programme, with more than 9 000 learners benefited  this year.

Together with our partners we are implementing the National Youth Employment Accord, through youth placements, youth cooperatives and Small Micro Medium Enterprises, youth work opportunities and youth skills development. We call on the private sector to partner with us in further boosting youth opportunities in our province.

As part of our attempts to create job opportunities and stimulate local economic development in our townships, the Gauteng Government approved the development of Township Hubs.

The Mohlakeng Township Hub, which is being implemented in partnership with the Randfontein Local Municipality has been completed. The Hub will incubate SMMEs and cooperatives in the sewing, bakery, upholstery and carpentry sectors and will be launched soon.

The Winterveldt Hub, which we are implementing in partnership with the City of Tshwane is complete and functioning. The hub encompasses tyre fitment, battery centre, panel beating, body parts and repairs as well as auto mechanics and auto electrics.

We have also committed to service the Gauteng Provincial Government fleet of vehicles based in this region at this hub. All these beneficiaries are ordinary citizens who were operating from their backyards and today they are equipped and meeting the standards that have been set amongst others by the automotive industry and allows them to now participate in the formal economy and partner with established insurance companies for repairs

We are now looking at much more robust implementation of youth development programmes, through some of the initiatives I have already mentioned, as well as key project like Zivuseni Reloaded, which we launched in November last year.

This is an intensified Extended Public Works Programme, led by the Department of Infrastructure Development. Youth who benefit from this programme receive short-term contracts and a stipend based on Extended Public Works Programme rates. To date we have already employed 5000 youth and plan to increase the number to 6000.

Our commitment to our targeted groups with regard to creation of employment has also received attention. We have contracted service providers living with disabilities for the regeneration of the 3 prioritised industrial parks, namely, Orlando East, Ga-Rankuwa and Chamdor.

We created close to 200 000 permanent and temporary jobs as well as work opportunities in 2012/13 and a further 100 000 in December 2013.

Tourism-led employment has grown steadily in our province and it is estimated that employment in the sector has exceeded 100 000 jobs annually since 2009.

Madam Speaker

One of the key features of a smart, globally competitive city region is the ease of doing business. In ensuring that we meet this requirement we launched the Gauteng Business Investment Centre last Thursday, a one-stop centre for investors. The Department of Trade and Industry, South African Revenue Service, the Department of Agriculture whose mandate amongst others is the management of the Environment Impact Assessment and the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller including partners from the private sector have representation at the Centre.

Generally, the post-apartheid economic infrastructure tells a story of a thriving province whose mandate literally anchors potential for growth and development as evidenced by the creation of an integrated network of air, rail, and road transport system.

After surviving two periods of economic recessions, we can stand as colossal warriors that have traversed a long journey and that can still soldier into a successful future without any trepidation.

Gauteng is the hen that lays the golden egg1 Gauteng is a Better Place to live in!

Comrades and friends

Transport infrastructure remains the key driver for inclusive growth and social integration. It is an integral part of this Caring Government. As we are all aware that transport is amongst the main contributors towards a functioning Province and hence our drive in integrated intermodal, safe and reliable transport.

The roll-out of Bus Rapid Transport System made major strides  in putting in place the building blocks of a province-wide integrated transport network. The improvements made at the Park Station, which was once a major effective interchange for rail to various destinations has now been upgraded to be an integrated inter-modal node which has a major taxi rank, Gautrain and Metro Rail station, Gautrain Bus, Metro Bus and Rea Vaya terminal.

The upgrading to world class standards of 200km of the Gauteng freeway system through the South African National Roads Agency Limited is an achievement. The Gauteng Freeway improvement Project offers improved driving quality and has shortened travelling times between Tshwane, Johannesburg and O.R. Tambo International Airport so as to promote productivity and ease of movement of travellers, goods and services in Gauteng. In fact, the project has substantially reduced traffic congestion, particularly at the Gillooly's and Allandale Interchanges,

We wish to thank the hundreds of freeway construction workers who were employed on this project for their commitment to upgrading our provincial road network and for contributing to improving the quality of life of our people. We also wish to thank over one million people who have registered for the e-tolls and bought their e-tags. It's the right thing to do.

We welcome the recent announcement by the Ministry of Transport that conscious efforts are being made to eliminate the initial technical glitches to the e-toll billing system. That is the right thing to do as our people deserve a system that is efficient, fair and transparent.

However, in the event that these identified systemic challenges on e-toll billing system persist, as a caring government, Gauteng will make further representation to the Minister of Transport to ensure that the matter gets resolved.

The maintenance of 5000km of tarred road and 1500km of the gravel road network as well as the upgrading of key arterial routes such as Beyers Naude Drive, Malibongwe Drive, the R55 and portions of the Old Vereeniging Road, including the rehabilitation of the M1 and N14 freeways between Johannesburg and Pretoria has provided functional key routes that provide alternatives to the Gauteng Freeway system.

It is for this reason, amongst others, that we would like to extend our gratitude to the Taxi Industry for having being a back-bone of transports for the Black majority over years. We further commend them for joining hands with Government by partnering with government in the establishment of Bus Rapid Transport and future collaborations in the development of a safe, secure and reliable public transport. Together we have to continue to work towards resolving problems through dialogue and not violence and alienation.

We have established the Gauteng Transport Commission to address the fragmentation of transport governance and management. Its functions include integrated rail planning; promotion of intelligent transport systems and promotion of sustainable transport options. One of its immediate responsibilities is to implement the introduction of a phased in bus transport system for the Westrand region.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Human Settlement development is the biggest contributor to the built form of cities and directly affects the spatial location of where people will live, work and play. Our efforts as government are aimed at ensuring sustainable livelihoods include the identification and purchasing of well- located land for residential development against other competing land uses such as Industrial and Commercial developments more often than not at exorbitant prices.

Since 2009, government has taken steps to further transform the apartheid landscape by acquiring a total of 1 082 hectares of prime and well located land for the creation of new human settlements across Gauteng, amounting to an investment of R339 million rands. A case in point, Malibongwe Ridge land was bought for the formalisation of the Itsoseng Informal settlement north of Johannesburg. Other portions of land are greenfields developments such as Olievenhoutbosch Extension 27, which will accommodate Mooiplaas in the City of Tshwane; Obed Nkosi will accommodate the community of Ratanda, Lesedi Local Municipality; Golden Gardens is to accommodate Kwa-Masiza residents in   Emfuleni   Local   Municipality;   and   Kokosi   Extension   7   will accommodate backyard residents in Merafong Local Municipality where construction for the installation of municipal services and houses is well underway.

Collectively, the acquired portions of land will potentially yield 64 920 new housing opportunities. In the 2013/14 financial year, the Department will conclude the purchasing of 8 parcels of land to the amount of R 181 million, measuring some 911, 88 hectares in extent. These acquisitions will go a long way in sewing the fragmented city structure together into a more cohesive, integrated and vibrant urban fabric.

The cross subsidization of basic services and infrastructure and savings on infrastructure development have been some of the bi-products in these projects. The issues of choice within affordability has been translated to reality as various housing typologies based on the socio economic conditions offer maximum choices to the people of South Africa.

In 2005, all Informal settlements in Gauteng were registered as a basis for planning and implementation. A total of 405 settlements were recorded with the highest number of settlements located in Johannesburg -180 settlements, Tshwane -158 settlements and Ekurhuleni -119 settlements, respectively; 122 of the 405 informal settlements were deemed to be suitable for in-situ formalisation whereas the remaining 283 settlements had to be relocated due to the dangerous and inhabitable locations.

To date, the province has formalised 88 of the 405 with work continuing in the remaining 283 identified informal settlements. These include settlements such as Sweetwaters, Hospital Hill and Sonderwater. Similarly, settlements such as Tudor Shaft on the West Rand were relocated to a new project called Sinqobile, Sitjwetla in Alexandra to Alexandra Ext 7 and Ext 10. In addition 5000 households from Alexandra informal settlements were relocated to both Braamfischer and Diepsloot Proper.

The rapid urbanisation and in-migration phenomenon stems as positive evidence that indeed Gauteng is a Competitive Global City Region. We will continue to embrace our diverse growth with no intention to prejudice against any race, culture and nationality.

As part of restoring the dignity of our people we have a programme with a budget of R60m to eradicate the few remaining bucket system.

Gauteng Government took a decision to convert the apartheid designed single sex dormitories commonly called hostels into family rental units. The Department commissioned the redesign of 57 hostels in the Province. Construction work is either in a form of refurbishment or complete demolition and reconstruction has started in many of these hostels. It is pleasing to report that phases 1 and 2 in most of these hostels have been completed but no allocation of beneficiaries has occurred due to non-cooperation to pay a minimum rental by intended beneficiaries.

The payment of rentals is essential for the upkeep and the promotion of good quality life. We therefore call on all the beneficiaries to these projects to co-operate and commit to the payment of required monthly rentals. Those who are unable or not willing to pay rent must present themselves for application to be included in the housing demand data base.

Over the past years our government has made considerable investment in identified Urban Renewal Programmes targeting areas such as Alexandra, Evaton and Bekkersdal and this involved integrated revitalization of strategic urban localities. This is aimed at stimulating local economies and to create sustainable jobs that are expected to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life of communities.

We have developed and implemented a new approach that has focused mainly on high impact development by prioritizing infrastructure upgrade and development and deal with roads and engineering services guided by identified precincts. With this new approach we have been able to prioritize housing and support infrastructure and more emphasis on attracting private investors for economic development that have high impact and visible.

Our ongoing interventions in these areas have mainly focused on Housing, Engineering, Bulk Infrastructure (water and sanitation), Roads and Transport and Local Economic Development. All these projects will:

Ensure high impact development by prioritizing infrastructure upgrades and development projects.

Ensure alleviation of poverty & Unemployment to achieve sustainability

Ensure adequate funding by inviting external funders to partner with government

Ensure adequate capacity by involving big developers who will then incubate local BEE and SMME's for skill transfer and capacity building

Madame Speaker,

As government we have been able to improve the road connectivity between Alexandra and Sandton through the extension of Rautenbach Street, the widening of Watt Street towards Alfred Nzo Street. Florence Mophosho Street and the construction of a bridge were implemented to improve connectivity between the West Bank and the East Bank. The Alexandra community is now enjoying the close proximity of the new Gautrain and the Marlboro Station which will over time have an enormous economic impact on the Greater Alexandra area.

In Bekkersdal, we have adopted a new approach that is aimed at implementing a regional approach to housing development within the greater Westrand region. We will relocate the informal part of Bekkersdal which is on unsafe and dolomatic land to new housing development in areas such as Mohlakeng Ext 11, Syferfontein, Middlevlei/Droogeheuwel and Westonarea Borwa. Already a number of household has been relocated to Mohlakeng Extension 11, Simunye in the South of Bekkersdal.

In Evaton, our key focus intervention continues to be on upgrading of bulk infrastructure, engineering services, sewer and water networks, storm water and street lighting. The implementation of housing upgrades is aimed at lifting the face of houses for the current beneficiaries whilst also building new houses for new beneficiaries.

This Infrastructure upgrade is important in ensuring support of current and future developments in Evaton while supporting Small Businesses, Developing new entrepreneurs and also creating temporary and permanent employment for the people of Evaton and surroundings.

On community safety, Gauteng has embraced the National Integrated Social Crime Prevention Strategy that involves creating partnerships between government, law enforcement agencies, and civil society.

One of the excellent examples of an effective integrated criminal justice system is found through services rendered by IKHAYA LE THEMBA. The centre provides holistic serviced that include in-house SAPS Unit specialising on detective services, the National Prosecution Authority personnel for dockets management and courts preparations, Forensic Social Workers, Medical Doctors a well as other auxiliary services for survivors of abuse.

Through the application of this integrated approach, IKHAYA LE THEMBA has successfully service over 10,000 adults and children; played a major role in the conviction of the notorious Birthday Rapist, Mlungisi Mtshali, who is serving thirty nine life sentences. In the main, support and services provided by the centre have assisted in the restoration of the dignity and re-integration of survivors of abuse back into society as successful, self-reliant and skilled individuals.

Furthermore, in our quest to enhance the safety of our communities, Gauteng has improved forensics capacity, including the training of 30 Forensic Social Workers, the re-establishment of the Family Child Protection and Sexual Offensive Units, followed by re-establishment of Sexual Offences Courts, 50 Community Safe Houses, known as Green Doors, which are the first point of call for abused children and women within communities before involving law enforcement officers.

I wish to encourage our communities to embrace the adage that "it takes a village to raise a child" as critical to reducing the extent of violence perpetrated against children. I still maintain that "every child is my child" the responsibility lies with us as a community to love and protect all our children before we look at what government can do to fight the scourge.

Working in partnership with civil society we have intensified our fight against substance abuse, focusing on both the drug lords and the social ills which provide a breeding ground for their criminal agendas. This includes targeted and coordinated interventions such as those in Eldorado Park, a model which we are rolling out into other communities suffering from social ills and drug-related crimes, including areas such as Kagiso and Senoane.

We have worked with the police to clamp down on drug dens and the use of derelict buildings by drug dealers and drug users, including in places such in Etwatwa, Ga-Rankuwa, Soshanguve, Winterveldt , Cullinan, Moroka and Naledi amongst others across the province.

Since 2009, we have scaled-up our substance abuse prevention programmes, reaching over 380,000 people across the province. Over 58,000 people were treated at our substance abuse treatment centres and close to 120,000 children participated in the Ke Moja programme, with 250 Youth Ambassadors trained to focus on schools affected by substance abuse. Schools are further supported in this regard by 25 dedicated social workers.

Random school searches have been reinforced to clamp down on alcohol and illegal substances. School safety has been further enhanced through the training and deployment of over 2000 patrollers to schools

In the past few weeks the Province was affected by the rise in a number of protests. We are however perturbed by escalating Public Protest actions that have cost the province a loss of R65 million rand of public

infrastructure. We condemn the loss of lives and personal property during such acts. We therefore call on our communities to find reasonable means of engaging government through the legal channels provided for by our constitution without interfering with the rights of other individuals who want to exercise their right of association and movement.

Madame Speaker,

The Gauteng Anti-Corruption Strategic Framework has been implemented to fight corruption and promote ethical behaviour and integrity in the public service. And we will continue to monitor and respond to cases referred from the National Anti-Corruption Hotline. In this regard, we have acted with speed against those public servants who have made themselves guilty of wrongdoing and will continue to do so to ensure a public service with integrity. We will continue to work with all law enforcement agencies where cases have been referred to them.

Significant progress has being made towards achieving clean audit outcomes in line with the targets set of Operation Clean Audit. Our strategies are yielding positive results; we are addressing audit findings that prevent the achievement of desired results. We have also eliminated adverse audit findings and disclaimers in all our public entities.

Compatriots,

Since 2009, we have elevated the importance of agriculture and food security in the province. We have improved access to sustainable livelihoods and broadened black farmers' participation in the agricultural sector through cooperatives and farmer support programmes including rural and peri-urban areas.

To date Gauteng  has  empowered  over 5800  farmers  with  skill and equipment. Presently, Gauteng has over 700 black farmers with 50 504 homestead food gardens in some of our 50 poorest wards. The Clean and Green Campaign in 2009 planted over 455 000 trees.

Since 2009, the Bontle Ke Botho campaign has benefited 108 wards,

123 schools and 6 municipalities through financial prizes for environmental projects. Agricultural extension and advisory services to more than 7000 farmers were implemented. We created 28 Agri- processing businesses which contributed to job creation and growing the economy.

All our interventions are in line with our policy objective to change the face and the structure of the agricultural value chain for the benefit of all our people. However, our journey in the transformation of the agricultural sector is still riddled with many challenges and difficulties. Our government is hard at work to improve access to funding and markets for our emerging farmers and cooperatives.

The province we live in today has significantly changed for the better compared to what it was before we took office in 1994. The past 20 years have seen a vast improvement in the lives of the majority of our people and our communities.

Despite the continuing intergenerational impact of apartheid's legacy, the quality of life of the majority has improved tremendously. Gauteng is today a better place than ever before. A child born in Gauteng today has unparalleled opportunities to realize his or her ambitions and dreams.

The opportunities open to Thandiswa today are immeasurably better than those of her mother or her grandmother.

As a caring government, we have paid particular attention to providing for the vulnerable and the poor. We have prioritised the provision of services to women, youth, children, the elderly and persons living with disabilities. The purpose is, in particular, to ensure that they too enjoy greater freedom and that their interests and human rights are promoted and respected.

Central to building a prosperous country and taking South Africa forward, we have to think and plan long term. Accordingly, as you all know, we have, for the very first time, developed and concluded a long term vision and plan for South Africa, in the form of the National Development Plan 2030.  The NDP offers us a great  opportunity to dream of an even better South Africa than today - a South Africa that has eliminated poverty and unemployment and reduced inequality.

We have contextualised the NDP at the Gauteng city-region level in the form of Gauteng Vision 2055. It is a long term vision and plan that stands on the pillars of equitable growth, social inclusion and cohesive society, environmental friendly and human settlement sustainability coupled with good governance. We shall shortly be launching Vision 2055 as the foundation stone for our work in moving Gauteng forward.

When we embarked on the transformation journey in 2009 we categorically stated that the work of government would be accelerated. "Kuyasheshwa" was our clarion call to every government worker to roll up their sleeves and work diligently for the building of a better Gauteng. We undertook to pursue efficiency, effectiveness; transparency and accountability.

We successfully stabilized the financial standing of the provincial government. We increased the timeous payment of service providers from 30% in 2009 to 90% 2013, helping to save many of our emerging entrepreneurs from financial ruin and build stronger relationship with service providers. We went further to consolidate the work of agencies so that they become efficient and effective in the execution of their functions.

In this province we are driven by the interests of our people who for twenty years have shown confidence in the ANC government. We are always motivated and committed to executing the aspirations of our people as contained in the mandate given to us in twenty years of democracy. It is therefore our responsibility as government to avoid the restraining pitfalls of narrow and short-term plans. What we are for is a long-term sustainable program of action that will benefit posterity.

As we have changed gear, and accelerated the pace of delivery we take cognisance of the fact that a lot still has to be done to move South Africa forward.

To this end, we commit individually and collectively to a range of interventions that will create more jobs, decent work and sustainable livelihoods for inclusive growth focusing on the following:

We will strengthen the regional competitiveness of the Gauteng city region and reposition it as a Gateway to Africa.

We will promote investment in strategic economic infrastructure and key economic sectors including through:

- the implementation of Gauteng - Kwa Zulu-Natal rail corridor

-  the development of more Freight and Logistics Hubs

- Research and Development through the Innovation Centre

- development of new industries in the West Rand and Sedibeng

- the Green Economy

- the upgrade of N14 between Krugersdorp and Pretoria

- the completion of N12 from Springs to Merafong

- the development of Aerotropolis in Ekurhuleni

-  the rollout of the Gauteng broadband network

- the implementation of the Smart City in Nasrec

- the Century-Diepsloot SMME Incubator

We will further promote access to basic services, sustainable livelihoods and develop inclusive, integrated human settlements on well-located land with improved living environments. We will focus on the following:

-  acceleration of Sedibeng Regional Sanitation Scheme

- development of Lion Park

- acquisition of land in Munsieville Ext 5 to de-densify Munsieville

- development of Syverfontein

- further development of Lady Selbourne in Tshwane

- development of Savannah in Sedibeng

- Clayville in Ekurhuleni

-  Development of Heartlands in Modderfointein, driven by foreign investment

On moving Gauteng forward through quality Education

- rolling out of compulsory Grade R in all public schools

-  completion of Fochville boarding school

- increase the quality of education through further teacher training and development

On the creation of jobs and access to the social safety net, we will:

-  Improve access by targeted groups, especially young people, to the Expanded Public Works Programmes, Zivuseni Reloaded and Community Works Program

- apply preferential procurement in all infrastructure development projects

-  ensure the effective implementation of local content in government expenditure

- will invite the private sector to partner with us in accessing more resources form the Jobs Fund

On accessing quality health care, we will

- improve the maintenance of infrastructure

- ensure the effective execution of a strategy on HIV and AIDS

-rollout HPV to prevent cervical cancer

On crime and corruption, we will

- exercise oversight on quality of training and standard of the SAPS and Metro police

- mobilise communities to desist and refrain from buying illicit goods

- take action against public servants involved in fraud and corruption

- intensify  the  fight  against  crimes  against  women  and

children and

- work together with our communities, national government and law-enforcement agencies to reinforce the fight against substance abuse by convicting those involved in the manufacture and distribution of drugs.

On building a capable, developmental state, we shall:

• further strengthen cooperative governance in Gauteng
• further improve our technical and strategic capacity to improve service delivery
• consolidate centralised planning, monitoring and evaluation and institutionalize long-term planning.

We will be launching Vision 2055 in few weeks to further put emphasis on the foundation already made to prepare for the better future. Together  with  the  people  of  Gauteng,  we  are  walking  the  journey towards building a prosperous and socially inclusive Gauteng City Region. We are indeed working to move the province and the country forward.

In the next few days as part of nation building and promotion of social cohesion the Gauteng Provincial Government on behalf of the people of South Africa will be hosting a soccer tournament between Brazil and South Africa. The primary objective is to launch the 20 year celebration of our democracy. In that ceremony we will also as a country officially wish Brazil well in the hosting of the 2014 FIFA World CUP. Coincidentally, the 20 years anniversary also comes at the time when South Africa has to hand over the chairmanship of Brics to Brazil. All of the above-mentioned will happen during the spectacular soccer match between the two countries.

A comprehensive program to celebrate 20 years of democracy that seeks to promote nation building, social cohesion and inclusivity will be unveiled in due course. We call all on all residents of Gauteng in our diversity to take claim in celebrating the hard won freedom whilst at the same time together reflect on what needs to be done as we move towards the third decade of democracy.

Distinguished Guests

2014 marks the fifth national election since the birth of democracy in South Africa. Those of us elected representatives are in the process of going to the very same people who elected us, to renew the strong partnership and mandate of 2009. This is a tribute to the democratic

dispensation that so many fought and died for, which now allows us the right to vote.

• To all those contesting the elections let us commit to a free and fair election!
• To   the   residents    of   Gauteng:   exercise   your   right   to   vote   and participate in our democracy!

As the ANC government we can openly account to our people because we have a good story to tell. Our story and vision tells it all and it is there for all to see. It has not been an easy road but a journey worth travelling.

Thank you South Africa!

Thank You Gauteng resident for showing confidence in us!

May I take this opportunity to thank the Speaker, Chief Whip and members of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature for the support and oversight that they have afforded me and the Gauteng Provincial Government.

I would also like to express my appreciation to the Members of the Executive Council and the staff of the provincial government, led by the Director-General.

Critical to us as government is to keep the people of Gauteng informed of what their government is doing and our challenges. We need to tell our story, incredible to many cynics, as it may sound. However, one thing that cannot be wished away is that we have a good story to tell, we have just told it, and will continue to tell it.

Once more as Nelson Mandela said it, "what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead."

It has been and continues to be an honour to serve the people of South Africa.

Dankie. Ngiyabonga.

Issued by the Office of the Gauteng Premier, February 24 2014

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter