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Premier Speeches

: 12 August 2019; Hits: 3412; Rating:

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Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, at the celebration of Women’s Day Thabo Moorosi Multipurpose Centre, Mothibistad

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Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Speaker of the Provincial Legislature
The Deputy Minister for International Relations and Cooperation
Members of the National Assembly and the NCOP
Mayors and Councillors
Our honoured Traditional leaders
Leaders of political parties ANC, ANCWL - Johlene May Ntwane
Heads of Chapter 9 Institutions, Commission on Gender Equality - Mr Nosi
LGBTI leadership
Government officials and Major General Athole
Religious la
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to be in this district of giants, John Taolo Gaetsewe District to pay tribute to the many remarkable women of our nation. The District is named after John Taolo Gaetsewe, an outstanding revolutionary from the village of Maruping here in Ga-Segonyana. He was a dedicated trade unionist who played an important role in building the trade union movement and served as the General Secretary of SACTU.

Noteworthy is the fact that he never sought comforts, but dedicated his life to advance the struggle against apartheid. He understood the interrelatedness of class, race and gender in the struggle for the total emancipation of our people. He knew that our country cannot claim to be free until all our women are free and enjoy equal opportunities in all spheres of life.

At a mass rally to inaugurate the SACTU “one pound a day” campaign of the 1950’s, he stated that it was not only black workers who earned starvation wages, but that many white women workers were also grossly underpaid, and he stressed, as he always did, the need for the unity and collective strength of all workers. It was his belief that unity between male and female workers was the only way forward.

This region also produced Joe Morolong who alongside, Mandela, Sisulu, Govan Mbeki and others were charged with High Treason in 1956 by the apartheid regime after the historic adoption of the freedom charter.

We salute Ester Chipanga Molete, Joyce Friedman, Maria Ndiniza, Thembeka Meyidi, Monica Masilabele, Karina Koikoi, Lerato Mosikatsi, Kgomotsego Boijang, Vivian Gaetsietse, Monica Moseki and Nomsa Nonkhathi Mvulane and many other revolutionary women from this district and our province.

We pay tribute to these women activists who through their actions changed the cause of history. We will also be forever grateful to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the apartheid and extension of Pass Laws. These women were led by Lillian Ngoyi, Sophia De Bruin, Helen Josephs and Rahima Moosa.

All these women that made sacrifices inspired others to take their rightful place in the development agenda of the country. It was on 9 August, sixty three years ago that the women of South Africa, from all walks of life and from diverse backgrounds stood firm and challenged an unjust system with conviction that victory is certain, that good shall prevail over the evil system of Apartheid.

This year we celebrate 25 years of freedom and democracy. This is a milestone which calls on us as citizens of this country to reflect on the strides we have made in ensuring a society that is free from gender discrimination and inequality.

We commemorate this year’s Women’s Day under the theme: “25 Years of Democracy: Growing South Africa Together for Women’s Emancipation". Furthermore, this Women’s Month takes place alongside the 65th anniversary of the Founding Conference of the Federation of South African Women which adopted the 1954 Women’s Charter. The Women’s Charter was adopted a year before the historic Freedom Charter of 1955.

Twenty five years into democracy we can rightly state, that South Africa is indeed a much better place to live in; however more still needs to be done. We must work smarter and faster to ensure that we drastically improve the lives of women especially marginalized and poor women, who are in the majority. This year is therefore a very important year for a faster realisation of gender equality and the empowerment of women and the girl child, including women with disabilities.

As this Executive of the Sixth Administration, we articulated a vision of building a Modern, Growing and Successful Province. Key to achieving this vision would be to advance the agenda of a capable developmental state that will advance the lives of the working class and the poor of our Province. We will therefore invest in skills development and create opportunities for our youth and women. The promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment is part our efforts to eradicate poverty and stimulate sustainable development. It should however be noted that the empowerment of women is everyone’s business and needs the support of government, business, labour and civil society alike.

Since 1994 we have progressively increased access to education, initiated bursaries and training programmes for young women and allocated funds for women entrepreneurs. We have incrementally improved access for women and girls’ to basic and higher education, which includes financial support for tertiary education. The enrolment for this academic year for primary and secondary schools in the Northern Cape stands at three hundred and three thousand, one hundred and forty seven (303 147), of these learners one hundred and forty nine thousand, four hundred and eighteen (149 418) are girls.

The most vulnerable in our society have been supported by our social assistance programme through mechanisms such as the child support grant. Other important anti-poverty measures include free public health services to pregnant women and children under the age of six years.

Today, more women than ever occupy positions of authority and leadership in the public and private sector, in careers that were previously only reserved for men. More can and will be done to improve on these achievements thus far.

In our province we can measure negatives and positives where our Provincial Executive is made up of more female MEC’s than men, in the Provincial Administration however out of the two hundred and forty two (242) Senior Manager positions; eighty five (85) are occupied by females, comprising the following:
Directors (level 13) = 59
Chief Directors (level 14) = 21
Deputy Director General (level 15) = 5

In our Municipalities the situation is way below expectation with only three female Municipal Managers, eight female CFO’s and eleven women at senior management positions across the thirty one municipalities. We want to appeal to the MEC for COGHSTA to focus on correcting this anomaly as a matter of extreme urgency.

We need to improve women representation in the public sector, and this goal should be part of the Performance Management Agreements between the Premier and MECs.

Key to the empowerment of women is expropriation of land without compensation, this will end asset poverty. The fact that 7% of the white population in the province owns 83% of the land and 93% blacks own less than 15% of the land in the province is a socio-economic disfigurement that requires urgent action by the government. Women must also play a central role in the establishment of the State Construction Company and the Northern Cape Mining Company.

The full participation of women in our economy is essential to achieve our shared and inclusive growth. If we were to consider economic empowerment in our Province in the form of entrepreneurship, then we would note that in the last financial year a total of R 1, 6 billion was spent on Northern Cape based businesses. From the R 1, 6 billion, an amount of R 493 225 (four hundred and ninety three million two hundred and twenty five thousand) was spent on more than 850 black women-owned companies based in the Northern Cape, which represents 31% of the provincial public procurement spent.

This indicates that procurement opportunities in the province are not equally spread. The top seven commodities supplied by women owned companies are:

Construction services (maintenance, repair and upgrades): 39% - R 194 million
Accommodation: 7% - R 35 million
Catering activities: 3% - R 17 million
Promotion and events: 3% - R 13 million
Nutrition services communities: R 9, 7 million
Security: 2% - R 8 million
Transport of learners: 2% - R 7, 5 million

We need to do more to ensure the full participation of women in the economy and leadership positions. We remain committed to ensure that women enjoy equal access to opportunities.

An important attribute of a Modern, Growing and Successful Province is the safety and security of our people. We need to create a province where our people; especially women and children, can freely enjoy their streets, without fear of being molested, harassed or abused.

It is therefore very disheartening that we had to learn of the rape of a five year old girl here in Mothibistad earlier this week. The alleged rapist, a 28 year old male is currently in custody. Towards the end of last month, we were approached by parents, friends and family members of victims of violence requesting that Provincial Government assists them to ensure that the justice system is sped-up to finalise all those cases.

The protection of life and limb is not only the responsibility of the police and we wish to call on all men and women, LGBTQI sector, NGOs, business, communities, one and all, to work with government to put an end to all forms of violence against women and children, especially the devastating scourge of femicide and rape.

Ladies and gentlemen, Gender Based Violence has the potential to destroy our societies. Violence targeted at the LGBTQI sector in the form of corrective rapes has no room in our society. We must therefore all strive to change negative social norms and gender stereotypes must be challenged at all times. We once more call on everyone in society, especially those who have the ability to bring about behavioural change to do so and to lend your voice and resources to advance the rights of women and girls everywhere. We call on all men to respect the dignity of women and children. We will continue to engage with civil society organisations and community based initiatives to improve the response to gender-based violence.

As the Provincial Government, we have identified health and education as our apex programmes. We will continue to cut costs on executive luxuries and frills to increase our investments on education and health. This will ensure access to quality education and health care that includes sexual and reproductive health. We will ensure gender-responsive planning and budgeting.

In growing a Modern, Growing and Successful Province we need to seriously capacitate women and young people to participate meaningfully in the mainstream of the economy. It cannot be that the only source of income for young girls and women are Social Grants. This mentality is counterproductive to development and progress.

As part of creating a modern Province, we once again commit that this Sixth Administration will work towards greater digital and economic inclusion of women. I would like to reiterate that let us make use of the opportunities that are provided, in order to achieve inclusive growth and prosperity.

We fully support the #What Women Want campaign. Work has started to ensure that complete the Provincial Gender Action Plan. In order to strengthen and encourage support to female entrepreneurs, we will as a matter of urgency review the mandate of the Mme Re Ka Thusa Trust to become a fully-fledged Schedule 3 Public Entity to focus on women economic empowerment and skills development. This will improve accountability and reporting.

The development of the Provincial Sanitary Dignity Towel Policy Framework needs to be fast-tracked. This needs to be done in an effort to ensure that we advance reproductive health care and restore the dignity of poor women and girl children.

Currently the distribution of Sanitary Dignity towels happen on an adhoc basis and is uncoordinated in the Province, the Office of the Premier is facilitating the establishment of the Provincial task team to foster better coordination. We will ensure that women are the ones to benefit economically in the production, manufacturing, storage and distribution of sanitary towels.

The Provincial Gender Based Violence Strategy will be finalised and we will review and strengthen the provincial gender machinery. Awareness will be created around campaigns such as the Thursdays in Black and we call on all sectors of society to support these campaigns.

We must continue to work together to create a non-racial,non-sexist, democratic and prosperous country in which all our people live in peace, safety and with equal opportunities. It is only through women’s full an equal participation in all areas of public and private life that we can achieve a sustainable, peaceful and a just society as enshrined in our Constitution.

Let us in this twenty fifth year of democracy recommit ourselves to the ideal of our first democratic President, the late Tata Mandela, when he stated that, “Freedom cannot be achieved unless the women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression”.

We call on all to work with Government as we envision to build a Modern, Growing and Successful Northern Cape.

I thank you

: 20 December 2023; Hits: 313; Rating:

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Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, at the Farewell Luncheon of Major General Henriette de Waal Horseshoe Inn, Kimberley

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Programme Director, Brigadier Moeng

MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Ms Nomandla Bloem

Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt General Otola

Our honoured guest, Major General de Waal

Senior Management of SAPS

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Today is a bittersweet day for not only the South African Police Services but also for the people of the Northern Cape. Bitter in the sense that we have gathered to say not goodbye, but see you later to a decorated and respected officer of the law. The sweet part is that we grant her the well-deserved and earned rest.

Looking around the room, there is a mixed display of emotions. To many Major General de Waal was a mentor, a mother and a friend, the epitome of what it means to represent the uniform. She selflessly went the extra mile to ensure the well-being, safety and contentment of members under her command and beyond as well as their loved ones. Her generous, fair and compassionate nature played an integral role in her success as a respected and much admired senior officer.

I have learnt that Major General de Waal studied Industrial Psychology and obtained her Honours in both Project Management and Labour Relations. Amongst her career highlights is that she has been the Chief Negotiator of the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council (SSSBC) for the Northern Cape for the last 15 years. She also holds the rank of Major General for the last 12 years and this is a major accomplishment.

In my meetings with the distinguished Major General, I did not doubt in my mind that I met a phenomenal woman of deep gravitas, soaked and absorbed both in her area of expertise as well as delivering on her mandate to the best of her ability.

The speakers before me, Ladies and Gentlemen, gave you an in-depth account of her resumé, the accolades bestowed upon her during her illustrious and very challenging career.

Programme Director, one of the abiding clichés of our times is that “First Impressions are Lasting Impressions” and the impressions embedded in my mind of General de Waal are as follows:

Neat and methodical
Unassuming yet confident
Pragmatic but purposeful
Authoritative yet compassionate; and
Friendly but possessing of a determined resolve to get things done

Ladies and Gentlemen, while one may be able to learn good management and leadership techniques from a textbook or the internet, the genuine X factor that makes a born leader is innate. We have seen this indescribable X factor in Major General de Waal.

At the peak of the Covid 19 pandemic, I worked very closely with Major General de Waal; under very difficult times and amidst the very personal loss of her husband, Brigadier Dick de Waal, Major General still managed to leave a lasting impression. It was during these trying times that she was called upon to steer the SAPS into unchartered terrain. Over and above the preservation of life, General de Waal had to ensure that law and order were maintained and executed to the letter.

In our Joint operations and Command Centres, she was the voice of reason and an example to many. The calibre of Major General De Waal is a rare gem these days. In Afrikaans we say “hulle is maar dun gesaai”.

This is what all of us will miss. A person of nobility and pride, of law and order, of right and wrong, an officer and a lady.

We in the Northern Cape will sorely miss you but we wish you well in all your endeavours. Your singular and sterling contributions will remain in our collective psyche as the people of the Northern Cape.

Thank you

: 11 June 2019; Hits: 3405; Rating:

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Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, during the International Candlelight Memorial Thembelihle Adult Centre, Upington

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Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Mayors and Councilors
Members of Civil society
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

This year marks the 36th annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, a day when countries the world over stand together in solidarity, and reflect on the progress we are making in the fight against HIV and its impact on individuals, families and communities. Our gathering here today, albeit later than the 19th May, joins us with the global community to remember the friends and family we lost and raise awareness with this year’s theme, “Intensifying the fight for Health and Rights.” The fight against HIV/ AIDS requires a collective effort from all of us because the disease knows no age, race, colour, gender and creed.

HIV/AIDS remains one of the world's most pressing public health challenges, particularly in low- and middle-income countries that include South Africa. Today especially then calls on us to serious introspect and to once again recommit ourselves to safe and responsible sexual practices.

This day also serves as a crucial reminder of those who lost the fight to this pandemic. We are mindful of the devastation HIV/Aids has caused in not only our Country, but right throughout the world. And it affects every one of us, either directly or indirectly.

Though it may look bleak- I am confident that governments throughout the world have made tremendous strides in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS and I can assure you that South Africa remains resolute in our fight to improve the lives of those affected.

Dames en Here, die bestryding van HIV/VIGS kom nou al dekades aan. Geen person kan vandag ontken dat dit nie werklik en so ook ‘n dodelike siekte is nie. Maar dit is nie als verlore nie. Met verantwoordelike gesondheidsgewoontes en ‘n eerlike wil kan mense baie lang, gesonde en produktiewe lewens lei.

Ons is dit verskuldig aan ons kinders en ons naastes om die siekte toestand te beveg en ook om aktiviste te word in ons stryd om te oorwin. Met ons daaglikse interaksie met gemeenskappe kan ons die verskriklike nagevolge van die siekte sien. Gesinne word uitmekaar geskeur en kinders word wees gelaat om as kinders grootmense te word en hul boeties en sussies te moet versorg. Boonop moet hierdie onskuldige kinders met die stigma saamleef en in ons gemeenskappe verwerp word. Dit is die bose kringloop wat hierdie siekte veroorsaak. En dit is genadeloos en ook so onregverdig.

Ladies and Gentlemen, fortunately as Government and stakeholders in the HIV sector we are working tirelessly to tackle this pandemic head-on and find ways to ease the suffering. Today we are grateful that many scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, but despite these advances, stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with or affected by HIV.

The strides that we have made in the fight against HIV and AIDS cannot be diluted by stigma and discrimination. We all need to take the bold step and break the stigma and discrimination and get yourself tested so that you can start living positively. It is unfortunately the case that it is unheard of in some of our homes and communities to speak about HIV/AIDS and the precautions that one has to exercise in order to prevent it.

I want to say to these parents that in order for us to overcome this pandemic we cannot settle for soft, safe responses. We will never achieve an AIDS-free generation unless we acknowledge that young people have the right to accurate and complete sexual health information and we need to ensure that all young people are provided with the tools they need to safeguard their sexual and reproductive health.

Die verspreidng van HIV, is in meeste gevalle ‘n direkte resultaat van die roekelose leefwyse van veral ons jongmense. Dit het tyd geword dat ons beheer oor ons eie lewens neem en verantwoordelikheid vat vir die morele herlewing van ons gemeenskape. Van die Kant van die Regering en burgerlike organisasies sal ons ook ons rol speel om seker te maak dat die nodige ondersteunings programme in plek is om aan te vul wat U daar gestel het. Dissipline en ‘n goeie voorbeeld is ‘n sterk begin punt tot ons morele herlewing.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as we partner to fight this scourge, we need to support Government campaigns such as the HIV Counseling and Testing Campaign and the Medical Male Circumcision Programme. As Provincial Government we find it inspiring that the Provincial HIV prevalence rate has reduced significantly over the years; showing signs of stabilization. Encouraging is the fact that the province has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rate in the country. The Province has also strengthened prevention programmes which resulted in reduction in the HIV positivity rate among 15 – 49 years, from 7.5% in 2012/13 to 4.0% in the last financial year.

Ladies and Gentlemen, one of the greatest challenges facing Government is ensuring that health services are brought within reach of all people, including communities in rural areas. As a result we are making concerted efforts to increase the number of hospitals, clinics and health centres, with a special focus on rural areas. As a provincial government we recognise that good health is critical in enhancing human development and facilitating the process of economic growth and development. The provision of healthcare in the Northern Cape is therefore a top priority and therefore together with Education, these two sectors are often allocated the bulk of the provincial budget. This is done so that healthcare can be accessed by especially our poor and uninsured communities who would be left destitute without these services. The sad reality however is that even though we invest most of the provincial budget in health, it is still not enough to ensure that everyone in every corner can access health services at their doorstep as and when it is required.

As this ANC-led Government we will however continuously strive to achieve the goals that the Freedom Charter set for us and that were further institutionalised in the economic rights spelt out in the Constitution of our country. We will therefore also seek out partnerships to assist us in making available modern health facilities in especially rural areas to make it possible for us to meet these goals.

I would like to make a plea once again to the young people- the generation of tomorrow- to be responsible in the choices they make. You are the tomorrow we look to. The prosperous South Africa we seek to achieve. If we are to achieve the vision of a modern, growing and successful province we will need our young people to be healthy, educated and economically active. Not sexually active at a young age- but actively improving your lives and that of the community you live in.

My plea is that you remain in school and that you avoid the pitfalls of peer pressure. Pressure such as substance abuse, irresponsible consumption of alcohol and reckless sexual practices robs our young people of that prosperous and successful tomorrow that belongs to them. If at all you feel that you cannot abstain then the next logical thing to do is to be responsible and make sure that you or your partner is properly protected against any sexual transmitted diseases and prevent the risk of contracting HIV.

As I conclude, I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who made the effort today to empower people that the only way to live positivley is to speak openly and honestly about our experiences. Let us in this spirit guard the gains made by our democracy and unite to fight the scourge of HIV/ AIDS and improve the quality of life of all our people. As we join hands let us deepen and strengthen our response and seek innovative ways to sustain our interventions over the short, medium and long-term.

All our efforts, however small, contribute to the global vision of an AIDS-free world. This vision is attainable; let us continue to strive towards it.
Be safe, be responsible and never stop advocating for a HIV free generation.

Thank you

: 24 January 2022; Hits: 1397; Rating:

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Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, at the SALGA Northern Cape Provincial Conference

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Programme Director Cllr Lulamile Nkumbi Speaker of Sol Plaatje Municipality
Members of the Executive Council
SALGA NEC Member Cllr Deon De Vos (Acting president)
Cllrs Stofile, Flora Boltman, Xolani Sotashe, Gillian Peterse,
COO Lance Joel
Provincial Chairperson of SALGA Councillor Mosikatsi
Executive Mayors and Mayors
Traditional leaders present
Councillors
Business leaders
Municipal Managers

All stakeholders present here today

SALGA Management and staff (Provincial Director Madeleinne Brandt)

Members of the media

Ladies and gentlemen

I am greatly honoured and pleased to be part of this august event, the SALGA Provincial Conference. This is s demonstration of the fact that our journey to improve the efficiency, capacity and impact of local government continues. To all our Councillors, congratulations on your election as local representatives of our people and to other eminent positions. As elected representatives we have three things in common. One, we are here through the votes of our communities. Two, we have an unequivocal mandate to improve quality of lives of our communities. Lastly, our communities have a legitimate expectation that we are not going to betray that mandate.

You are joining local government at a point where despite the enormous challenges of service delivery compounded by Covid the work to build a modern, growing and successful province is on track and its accelerated, just to mention few:

Quarterly Labor Force Survey Q3 of 202
15.4% improvement in Grade 12 results
Improvement in audit outcomes
more than 160 libraries are WiFi-hotspots
online school registration
massive rollout of infrastructure
Now in March we closed our provincial bank account with a positive bank balance after many years of more that R360 million

Ladies and Gentlemen, as you are seated here this morning as councillors, you might be representing various political parties; you however need to be united in the fact that you carry the wishes and aspirations of the people on your shoulders for the next five years. You have been entrusted by the voters with the responsibility to deliver services across the Province and be part of the work to improve our communities.

As you come from different political parties, it is very critical that you remain true to the democratic principles of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. This will enable you to carry out the mandate entrusted to you by the electorate in an exemplary and honourable manner. Citizens have empowered you with their votes and they also have a right to be active participants in building sustainable communities that will contribute to the establishment of a functioning democracy.

As I said, the hard work begins now and the task is clear. We need to reduce unemployment, increase access to better quality basic services, overcome the legacy of apartheid spatial development, strengthen community participation and build effective, accountable and clean local government. Local government is where physical implementation of policies and legislation takes place and where lives are changed for the better.

On behalf of the Provincial Government, I would like to welcome the new and returning councillors who are now part of this Fifth Term of democratic and people-centred local government and wish them strength in the task ahead. The hard work begins now and I hope everyone is ready for the task at hand.

Programme Director, our Province, similar to the country, is facing challenges of poverty, inequality and an increase in unemployment. Added to this is the fact that the Northern Cape has by far the smallest population and economy in the country. As such, there is an urgent need for the Provincial government, local government, institutions of traditional leadership, Civil Society, Organised Labour as well as Organised Business to find solutions to improve the three socio-economic challenges bedevilling the Province.

The conclusion of the 2021 Local Government Elections ushered in a new chapter in local government. The outcome of the elections is mostly welcomed as it has entrenched democracy. This is evident with the number of community forum or movements that have participated and emerged with seats in many municipalities.

As we all know, Local government is at the coalface of the work that we collectively undertake as servants of our people. We therefore need to tackle head on the challenges that our communities face at this sphere of Government. Local government is the primary site for the delivery of services in South Africa since 1994.

Thus far we have made tremendous progress in delivering water, electricity, sanitation and refuse removal at a local level. These rates of delivery are unprecedented in world-wide terms. The reality however is that more can be done and needs to be done because the challenges that exist cannot be ignored and this is where we need to join hands to make sure we improve the lives of our people.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are glad that most of the municipalities across the Province have convened their first council meetings within the 14 day period as required by law. We are also grateful for the role that SALGA has played in the establishment of these new municipal councils.

As councillors, you recently hail from the Councillor Induction Programme that was intended to provide you with the necessary capacity. Over and above this Provincial Government also provided support and will continue to do so to ensure that the inauguration of the municipal councils are convened and constituted in accordance with the new legislative requirements of the amended Local Government: Municipal Structures Act.

This support was evident across the province in all 26 municipalities that constituted their municipal councils from the 19 to 23 November last year. As Provincial Government we will continue to provide support to ensure that local municipalities complete their inaugural council meetings.

The amendments of the Local Government Municipal Structures Act have entrenched the separation of powers in the municipal councils as envisaged by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. It separates the positions of speaker and mayor, and provides for the new position of whip of council. All these office bearers have their respective powers and functions.

It will indeed be necessary to provide support and capacitate the newly established offices of the mayors, executive mayor and whips of councils to ensure that the powers and functions are exercised within the ambit of the legislation.

The transformation of the local government sector remains a priority for this current administration. MEC Vass has already alluded to the District Development Model and I want to further encourage you to work hard at ensuring that we finalise our One Plan, One Budget for all Districts. Our goal is to improve the functioning of municipalities to deliver better services to communities by getting the basics right.

Ladies and gentlemen, crucial to service delivery is to manage your budgets in a responsible manner and this is reflected in the annual audit outcomes of municipalities. In the past few years, audit outcomes improved and regressed due to various reasons mentioned by the Office of the Auditor General (AG).

As part of the new dispensation of the Local Government : Municipal Structures Act there is provision made for the Municipal Public Accounts Committees (MPACs) with a Chairperson and specific powers and functions. This is an important step in the oversight functions of the council.

There will be more support provided to this office to strengthen its capacity at governance and technical or administrative level to ensure that there is a significant reduction of the Unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditures. COGHSTA in conjunction with SALGA and Provincial Treasury has established a forum to support the Municipal Public Accounts (MPA) committees to exercise oversight over the executive and administrative heads.

Municipalities were also supported to develop Municipal Support Implementation Plans (MSIP) to address the shortcoming in the operations of the municipality particularly improving service delivery. The implementation of these plans has clear targets with timeframes to be monitored by National, Provincial and local governments to better the lives of communities through quality service delivery.

We will therefore continue to monitor and support all municipalities through the Municipal Support and Intervention Programme (MSIP) which we introduced before the 2021 local government elections.

Programme Director, we are aware that the contracts of many municipal managers and managers that reports to municipal managers have come to an end and recruitment processes have already commenced. SALGA, CoGHSTA and Provincial Treasury will continue to support municipalities during the selection process to ensure that municipal councils appoints suitably qualified, experienced and competent senior managers.

To allow for participatory democracy, the establishment of ward committees must be concluded within 120 days after the proclamation by the IEC and this will enhance the participatory process to ensure communication with communities is strengthened for effective and efficient service delivery. After the elections of ward committee members it would be expected from municipalities to capacitate these committees.

In order to clearly define the role and responsibilities of the ward councillors as well as the ward committees; it remains crucial for ward councillors together with the Ward committee members to interact constantly with communities. This will enable you to identify critical issues and prepare possible solutions to avoid situations that might lead to protest within particular wards.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are also pleased that in the municipalities that have been established, we elected women leadership in key positions to lead the fight in improving the lives of our people. We are also aware that the role of young people is vital if we are to build a better country because young people are the innovators and frontrunners of change.

Young people are also crucial in the fight against poverty, inequality and unemployment and for this reason we have also deployed young people to strategic positions such as Mayors, Speakers and Chief Whips. We wish all of you well and are certain that you will carry out your duties in the best interests of the people of this Province.

As I am about to conclude, I want to remind you that the role of leadership in the 21st century requires leadership to be smart as the challenges of our communities are more complex. It calls for leadership that is energetic and focussed to engage with issues that are aimed at improving the lives of our communities.

Focus on the task at hand is very important, do not get distracted by nonsensical sideshows that have nothing to do with improving the quality of life of our people. You must undermine attempts to de-focus you.

I wish to appeal that we, as representatives of our wards and our people extend to one another the respect that comes with serving our people. Be tolerant of views and persons expressing views opposed to ours. My humble plea is that we work together and when we differ, we do so with restraint, respect and humility.

Having said that colleagues, comrades and friends, I am confident that you will emerge from this conference determined, better equipped and more capable of using local government to help us build a Modern, Growing and Successful Province with the single aim of building a better Province for our people.

We want to express our gratitude for the support of SALGA as a critical stakeholder in capacitating and enhancing the role of local government. We will continue to call upon SALGA for their inputs and comments in shaping the developmental agenda of local government.

I want to wish you well on your conference and trust that you will emerge with a leadership that will provide the necessary guidance and expertise to accelerate service delivery, promote clean governance and high standards of ethics.

Thank you

: 02 December 2019; Hits: 3265; Rating:

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Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, on the occasion of World Aids Day held at Victoria West on 01 December 2019

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Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Speaker of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature
Mayors and Councilors
Co Chairperson of the Provincial AIDS Council, Mr Beau Nkaelang
Members of Civil society
Faith Based Organisations
Members of the community
Members of the media
Ladies and Gentlemen

By now all of us are well versed with the concept of AIDS. And this pandemic or crises has received international levels of concern. To this effect World AIDS Day is observed annually on 1 December to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness as well as to demonstrate our support to those who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.

This day also presents an important opportunity to take stock of our successes against the pandemic, review our challenges and to reaffirm our commitment to ending the scourge of HIV, AIDS, TB and STIs plaguing our province and country.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this year’s World AIDS Day theme is “Communities at work #Reaching the 90-90-90 targets”. This theme seeks to call on all community members to rally behind and stand together in fighting the scourge of HIV. This also calls for community participation in designing and implementing locally based interventions.

The South African National Aids Council (SANAC) recently conceded that South Africa continued to record the highest and most high-profile HIV epidemic in the world. Accounting for a third of all new HIV infections in Southern Africa, South Africa had a higher incidence rate among women aged 15 to 24. To put it into context I need to repeat it in a way that is understood by all gathered here so that we can start to comprehend the extent of the problem.

Wat ek nou gesê het is dat Suid Afrika jaar in en jaar uit die hoogste aantal mense in die wêreld het wat met die HIV Virus besmet en aangesteek word. Nie net is ons die hoogste in die wêreld nie, maar ook die mees dodelikste van die virus is ons in aanraking met.

En dit is ook sleg want jong vroue tussen die ouderdom van vyftien en vyf en twintig word die ergste geraak. Die inligting wat ons het is dat hierdie vroue drie maal meer is wat siek raak of wat aangesteek word met die virus as wat mans is. Dit is waar ons nou moet keer. En die gemeenskap moet ons help. In hierdie tyd wat ons die Sestien Dae van geen geweld teen vroue en kinders implimenteer, moet ons ekstra waaksaam wees teen die misbruik van vroue en kinders.

The 16 Days campaign seeks to promote the protection of women and children and this is not only confined to this period of the year- but throughout the year. The impact of violence and the senseless rape and killing of women and children has a detrimental effect on society, the family and the victim if she is fortunate to live to tell her story. Often enough the victims of these brutal attacks has over and above the physical and lifelong emotional scars, still deal with the real threat and reality of being infected with the HIV virus.

Ladies and gentlemen, despite the country having the largest anti-retroviral treatment programme in the world, serving an estimated 4.4 million people, it is concerning to find little behaviour change seem to have occurred. Wat dit beteken is dat ten spyte van die Regering se beste pogings om die siekte hok te slaan, bereik ons baie min sukses. En dit is n aanduiding dat mense wat ly onder die siekte nie hulle medikasie gebruik nie. En dit is geld wat gemors word.

It has also been found that consistent condom use is low and there is an increase of early sexual debut, before the age of 15 years, especially amongst males, compared to 2012. It has also been established that over a third of young women had sexual relationships with older men, despite the implementation of wide-ranging programmes and interventions.

Seuns so jonk as vyftien jaar oud begin nou seksueel aktief raak en wat verder bekommer is dat die meeste van hulle nie altyd kondome gebruik nie. Dit ten spyte van die feit dat hierdie regering kondome verniet verskaf. Die “sugar daddy syndrome” is ook nog steeds n groot probleem. Dit is waar jong meisies met ouer mans slap vir gunste. Hierdie jong meisies is in gevaar om dat besmet te word met die HIV virus.

Ladies and Gentlemen, government recognizes that the fight to end HIV, AIDS, TB and STI’s is a long and difficult one and it is a fight the Northern Cape government is willing and committed to fighting until the very end. In the past 25 years since the first reported cases of AIDS, we have gained valuable and vast knowledge on how to prevent and treat HIV, AIDS, TB and STI’s and have learnt to mobilise for financial resources to cover costs of our efforts against the pandemic.

Moreover, we have utilised a multi-sectorial approach to maximise our efforts in our collective fight against this scourge.
Although much more work has to be done, our efforts have led to the attainment of significant gains in the fight against the pandemic, and these include the following:

HIV prevalence among women attending antenatal care has remained stable for the past five years at around 17% with no significant change (according to the 2017 National Antenatal HIV Prevalence Survey)
HIV incidence rates decreased from 0.43% to 0.24% in the period 2012 to 2017. This represents a 44% decrease in infection rates during the same period.

In the first two years of the National Strategic Plan, a total of 575 897 people were tested for HIV and this achievement was due to health education and an increase in community testing.

The Province is looking at further improving current efforts through the training on the Index HIV Testing that was held in August this year.
HIV Index testing is a testing model that involves provision of HIV testing to family members of known PLHIV (index clients) who are at an increased risk of HIV infection such as sexual partners and children under 5 years. The Province will roll-out this intervention together with NGOs.

There has been an improved implementation of the Universal Test and Treat programme which has seen the number of HIV positive people enrolled into treatment increasing to 59 347 by the end March this year (2019).

Currently all facilities in the Northern Cape have nurses trained in ART treatment initiation to ensure that patients diagnosed with HIV are started on treatment on the very same day. Coupled with treatment enrolment, the Department of Health has established Adherence Clubs and by end of March this year already there were 98 of these clubs. These adherence clubs would ensure that people that are on treatment adhere to their treatment and do not default.

90-90-90 Programme

At the end of September 2019, of the 84599 people estimated to be living with HIV, 88.9% know their HIV status.
86.5% of People living with HIV were enrolled into ART treatment
83.6% of clients on treatment were virally suppressed.

Ladies and gentlemen, the National Health Minister, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, on Wednesday (27th November 2019) launched a new advanced anti-retroviral medication in the Ugu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. This new combination drug is said to provide significant benefits to patients. This new three-in-one pill promises to accelerate viral suppression in those living with HIV throughout the country and help people with HIV to take control of their health faster with fewer side effects. The country will avert more than 300 000 new HIV infections in the next two decades, and the TLD is much cheaper than the previous combination, therefore we will be able to treat more people with the resources at hand.

I am pleased to report that the Northern Cape Province will start rolling-out the new treatment combination from 3rd February 2020.

Ladies and Gentlemen, these successes represent concerted efforts by government, civil society and the private sector to address the single and greatest challenges facing humanity today. Importantly these successes represent the result of evidence based interventions, dedicated leadership and the recognition that HIV and AIDS is not a health issue but a cross sectoral developmental issue which requires a mult-sectoral approach to deal with it.

Despite the success we have gained against the pandemic, the disheartening fact remains that up until now we have failed to fully utilise the vast knowledge that we have gained over the years to mount the decisive blow required to successfully end HIV and AIDS. The incredible progress that we have made against HIV/AIDS has created a sense of complacency that is threatening our ability to end HIV/AIDS within our lifetime. As a result, a number of challenges and drawbacks still persists in our fight to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Dames en here, een van die ernstige nagevolge van die HIV virus is dat dit die immune stelsel erg affekteer en ons ligaam kan dan nie baklei teen siektes nie. Een van hierdie erge siektes is TB. Ek doen ‘n beroep op almal wat aan TB en ook ander siektes lei om asseblief U medikasie op tyd te drink en om ‘n gesonde leefwyse aan te neem. Dit is nie net vir U nie, maar ook vir U kinders en omdat ons U nodig het om aan hierdie wonderlike provinsie te help bou.

Ladies and gentlemen, although our many challenges and setbacks seem increasingly insurmountable, this under no circumstances means that we will waver in our efforts to end the pandemic.

As this Sixth Administration we will however continuously strive to achieve the goals that the Freedom Charter set for us and that were further institutionalised in the economic rights spelt out in the Constitution of our country. We will therefore also seek out partnerships to assist us in making available modern health facilities in especially rural areas to make it possible for us to meet these goals.

I would like to make a plea once again to the young people- the generation of tomorrow, the architects and builders of a modern, growing and successful province to be responsible in the choices they make. You are the tomorrow we look to. The prosperous South Africa we seek to achieve. If we are to achieve the vision of a modern, growing and successful province we will need our young people to be healthy, educated and economically active. Not sexually active at a young age- but actively improving your lives and that of the community you live in.

Ons jongmense is ons toekoms en ons nodig nou meer as ooit ‘n gesonde jong generasie wat hierdie provinsie tot nuwe hoogtes sal neem. Ons het ‘n dwelm, HIV en TB vrye generasie nodig om te bou aan ons provinsie en ons toekoms.

Dames en here baie dankie vir U teenwoordigheid vandag. Ek vertrou dat U my boodskap nie net sal neem na ander toe nie, maar dat U lewenswyse sal verander en dat U die hand van U regering sal neem en saam met ons HIV/AIDS sal beveg.

Dankie
Thank you

Page 4 of 27

Premier Speeches

Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, at the celebration of Women’s Day Thabo Moorosi Multipurpose Centre, Mothibistad

Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, at the Farewell Luncheon of Major General Henriette de Waal Horseshoe Inn, Kimberley

Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, during the International Candlelight Memorial Thembelihle Adult Centre, Upington

Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, at the SALGA Northern Cape Provincial Conference

Address by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul, on the occasion of World Aids Day held at Victoria West on 01 December 2019

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