User Rating: 0 / 5

Programme Director, Mr Zhang Yinqiao
His Honour, the Executive Vice-Governor of Hunan Province Mr Chen Zhaoxiong
Economic and Commercial Counsellor of Chinese Embassy, Mr Rong Yansong
Members of the Executive Council
Mayors and Councillors
Our esteemed visitors
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Ni Hao (hello in chinese)

It is particular pleasing and heart-warming to have the Executive Vice-Governor, Mr Chen Zhaoxiong and the entire delegation in our midst this morning. Let me on behalf of the entire Provincial Government and its people extend our warmest Northern Cape greetings to you. 

Huanying (welcome)

We are especially delighted to bring together business and political leaders from the People’s Republic of China and the Northern Cape to deepen our engagement that will unlock mutually beneficial business opportunities.

The Northern Cape is the largest province of South Africa with a landmass of three hundred and sixty two five hundred and ninety one thousand (362 591) square kilometres covering approximately a third of South Africa. The Province consists of Five District Municipalities namely: Frances Baard, Pixley Ka-Seme; Z F Mgcawu; Namakwa and John Taolo Gaetsewe.

Although we are the largest province in terms of land mass, the Northern Cape has the smallest population of just above one million inhabitants with a population density of 3 persons per square km according to the Census report of 2011. This means that the province proportion of the National population is only 2.2%.

As we gather here this morning, we are reminded of the fact that our President, His Excellency Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, during the state visit to China in December last year, emphasized the importance of South Africa’s relationship with the Peoples’ Republic of China. We share a historical relationship with China that dates as far back as the early 1990’s. However, for the African National Congress (ANC) this relationship dates back to 1993 when the then ANC President Oliver Tambo took a trip to Beijing to cement the party to party relations. This engagement gave way for the South African Communist Party to forge links with the Chinese Communist Party towards the common goal of development in both countries.

We thus value the working relationship that we share with your country and are deeply humbled by the fact that the President of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping and the government of China honoured us last year by declaring 2014 the year of South Africa in China. Through that kind gesture of courtesy and goodwill, we were given the opportunity to promote our South African culture to the Peoples’ Republic of China.

It is therefore in this spirit that we also extend the same gesture to our friends through celebrating the Year of China in South Africa this year. We also look forward to our national government hosting your national government for the 6th Forum of the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in December this year.

As stated the ANC has a long standing relationship with the Peoples’ Republic of China. China remained our friend even during the difficult days of Apartheid when the Government of the day oppressed its non-White majority and denied them rights to live as humans in their land. Our Chinese friends stood by our side in our quest for liberation and for this reason we cannot and will never forget our friends.

The African nations were also ardent fighters for China’s seat at the United Nations to be restored in 1971 when twenty six countries voted in favour of the Peoples’ Republic of China. To this day, we are witnessing the commitment made by the Chairman Mao Zedong, the founder of the Peoples’ Republic of China in response to that overwhelming support when he stated that “It was the African friends who carried China back to the UN.”

When President Zuma and other political leaders lobbied for Africa to be included in the BRICS grouping, The Peoples’ Republic of China led the campaign to support that motion – our friendship with China is thus real and has stood the test of time.  

Today the Peoples’ Republic of China is South Africa’s largest trading partner in Africa. Since 2009, under the leadership of our President Jacob Zuma stern inroads have been made in strengthening the relations between the two countries. The outcome is manifested in bilateral trade which has soared to $60-billion by 2012 from $1.5- billion in the late 1990’s.

Our undertaking to consolidate our relations with the Peoples’ Republic of China and the Hunan Province in particular is mainly influenced by our common agenda of advancing development in countries to eradicate poverty, unemployment and inequality.  

As a precursor to this engagement, we had the BRICS Expo last year in order to deepen our engagement aimed at unlocking business opportunities and connecting our business people with their relevant. This friendship week will undoubtedly strengthen relations of equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation amongst all the stakeholders.

It comes as no coincidence that the Northern Cape is known as the province of opportunity and has tremendous economic potential. It offers investors opportunities in virtually every economic field, from agriculture to mining, from manufacturing to tourism, from infrastructure to fishing, from aquaculture to mariculture and we holds enormous potential in renewable energy resources.

The Northern Cape is dedicated to promoting direct investment and we offer business abundant opportunities to earn handsome returns on their investments. The National Development Plan (NDP) is the blue print of our development agenda. The goals and objectives of the National Development Plan remain at the core of all our policies and programme to address the challenges of inequality, poverty and unemployment.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the fight against unemployment, job creation and economic growth is our central challenge; we want to have sustainable jobs for all our people. For this reason we constantly seek to propel the economy of our province into one which is innovative, inclusive and labour absorbing. With the newly established university of Sol Plaatjie and our urban and rural Technical Vocational and Education Training Colleges we are raising the skills base of especially our youth to respond effectively to the social needs of our community.

It is clear Ladies and Gentlemen, that though we still face enormous challenges, but our province has undoubtedly laid a solid foundation to advance the course of the reconstruction and development of our country in meeting the needs of our society with a special focus on the needs of the previously disadvantaged.

Our ANC led Government is working hard to provide the soundest possible operating environment for business, allowing it to continue to innovate and succeed in a way that will make this possible

I need to mention to this collective that South Africa has South Africa has solid bilateral and diplomatic policies and strategies that guide our cooperation with the Peoples’ Republic of China and other countries, including Africa. In areas where the utilization of natural resources is required, the task will be carried out by both parties in an open and transparent way based on commonly acknowledged rules.

 I want to urge you to use this opportunity as an important and vital platform to network with other like-minded people as you endeavour to set up business opportunities. During the course of this engagement we will be signing Memorandums of Understanding with Hunan Province as a recommitment and dedication of our desire to work together in areas of cooperation, benefits and implementation strategies. 

 The celebration of the Year of China in the Northern Cape in the same year that we celebrate 21 years since the dawn of our democracy and commemorate 60 years since the development of the Freedom Charter, should signal a turning point in the China-South Africa trade relations or Hunan-Northern Cape trade relations as we bring it closer to home. Let us make a conscious decision to move from just talks to actual implementation being cognisant of the fact that Rome was not built in one day.

I want to conclude honourable guests, by expressing the hope that our discussions over the next few days will be fruitful, that we will seize the opportunity to exchange best practices in mining, tourism, infrastructure, agro-processing, and other sectors. Our goal is a common one and that is the development of our Provinces and ultimately our countries. Let us therefore come up with innovative ways that will positively impact on investment in our respective provinces. As our esteemed guests and partners in development I trust that you will enjoy the hospitality of our Province and that all of you will have a chance to savour the beauty, warmth and splendour that is Northern Cape. 

Our home is your home. 

Thank you
XieXie (pronounced She Shay). 

User Rating: 0 / 5

Speech by the Premier of the Northern Cape, Ms Sylvia Lucas, on the occasion of the tabling of the Budget Vote 1, at the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, Thursday, 17 July 2014

Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature
Honourable Members of the Executive Council
Revered Members of the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders
Representatives of Business, Labour and Community–Based Organisations
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Premised on the overwhelming mandate accorded by the Ruling Party, our beloved ANC, it is my honour and privilege to present to this august house the details of the budget of the Office of the Premier for the 2014/2015 Financial Year.

Mr Speaker, this budget speech is taking place in our first term during the second phase of our transition at a time when South Africans are celebrating 20 years of democracy and freedom. Indeed we are celebrating the remarkable gains we made in a relatively short space of time. President Zuma stated in his reply to the State of the Nation Debate that: “Twenty years of freedom and democracy have changed the face of our country. The last five years have further advanced change and a better life for all, especially the poor and the working class.”

Honourable Speaker, we have all been on the campaign trail and we have seen the living conditions of our people. We have all promised, I am certain, to make life better for them. We are charged with that challenge to make things better for them and with the necessary speed.

Honourable Speaker and Honourable Members, allow me to take this opportunity to, once more, express our gratitude to the people of our country, particularly those living in the Province, for electing the African National Congress to lead the transformation and developmental agenda of our beloved Province.

Honourable Speaker and Members, as a Party that always takes its mandate and responsibilities very seriously; we have since appointed a team of highly capable men and women to lead government. They are acutely aware of the action--oriented and people-centred vision which the current government has assumed and they are already moving with incredible speed to ensure that services are rolled out to our people in an effective, efficient and cost effective manner.

The radical second phase of our transition to a national democratic society needs bold thinking and decisive action to completely eradicate the legacy of apartheid and colonisation. It requires men and women with the capacity to think ahead and the capacity to inspire.

From the onset, we identified a set of levers that the Office will be utilising henceforth in ensuring that government remains focused on the work at hand. This strategic approach is informed by the Ruling Party’s Manifesto priorities. In this term our focus remains on the following key priorities, namely:

• Economy and jobs
• Human Settlements and Basic services
• Rural Development, Land Reform and Food Security
• Education and Training
• Health
• Fighting Crime and Corruption
• Social Cohesion and Nation Building; and
• A better Africa and a better world

Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker, July is the birthday month of our world icon, Isithwalandwe and former President of South Africa, Tata Nelson Mandela. The 2014 Mandela Day Celebrations has great national significance as we honour our international icon, and Father of our Democracy.

It is during this time of the year that all South Africans and every citizen of the world pay tribute to this giant that fearlessly, fiercely and selflessly fought for South Africans to live in a free, democratic and just society.

It is only appropriate that we continue to honour his rich legacy of helping people who are destitute and in need of social upliftment. Ladies and Gentlemen, from tomorrow onwards, we will travel through the length and breadth of our province visiting, towns, villages, farms and rural areas to launch a multitude of projects for the upliftment of needy people.

To us, everyday is Mandela Day to enable us to leave an indelible and profound memory of substantial change in the lives of our people. In line with President Jacob Zuma’s pronouncement during the State of the Nation Address, we will embark on a massive clean-up and greening campaign in our towns, schools and other areas. Through these tangible efforts, we hope to touch the lives of our people in a meaningful and positive manner.

Mr Speaker,

Through our performance monitoring and evaluation system we will also strive for continuous improvement in service delivery. Our mission is to work with all stakeholders to improve government performance in achieving the desired outcomes and to improve service delivery through changing the way government works, both in a creative and innovative manner. We are transforming government into an effective organisation which constantly collects evidence to gauge whether its policies and programmes are working, and as a consequence, we use this evidence to inform interventions we make.

As we apply ourselves to these and other tasks, we will be guided by the National Development Plan which seeks to radically transform the economy that will benefit all South Africans. It seeks to do so while protecting existing jobs and through creating millions more.

Mr Speaker,

The State of the Province Address enjoined us to embrace the National Development Plan as the blueprint to fundamentally transform our society and accelerate basic services to all the citizens of our province. The stated objective of the NDP is one of writing a different story in the years ahead, a story wherein every citizen is concerned about the wellbeing of other citizens.

As the Provincial Government we are therefore prioritising the establishment of the Northern Cape Planning Commission. At the inaugural meeting of the National Planning Commission in May 2010, the President, Mr. Jacob Zuma stated that, “For the first time in our country’s history we will begin to chart our way forward in a purposeful manner with a view to the country’s long term interest”.

It is against this backdrop that we are engaging the National Treasury to assist the Province with the establishment of the Northern Cape Planning Commission. This Commission will have the necessary authority to lead planning and direct policy implementation towards the achievement of common provincial goals as set out in the Provincial Development Plan, the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy and the Provincial Spatial Development Framework.

Currently the Planning function is coordinated by the Development and Planning directorates in the Office of the Premier, the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism. It goes without saying that this poses some challenges and leads to planning being very fragmented. The mandate of this Planning Commission will be to take a broad cross cutting, independent and critical view of the Province in order to assist us in achieving the Northern Cape we envisage in 20 years time.

The first output will thus be to draft Vision 2030 that sets out the intention for high level development of the social, economic and political society. We remain committed to seeing this succeed.

As the apex of the Provincial Government, the Office of the Premier has the responsibility of coordinating, monitoring and evaluating the work of government across the entire Provincial administration. The scope of this responsibility includes the local sphere of government. As a result we view the performance of local government as critical in our efforts to respond urgently to the pressing issues that communities have raised and mandated us to prioritise as the ANC-led government.

In this term of office, attention will be given to municipalities to reinforce their capacity for accelerated delivery of municipal services as well as to improve their effectiveness and efficiency.

The Office of the Premier has also provided sound leadership in the implementation and coordination of the key infrastructure development projects such as Sol Plaatje University, Square Kilometre Array (Carnarvon), Solar and the related renewable energy sectors.

The Provincial Renewable Energy Strategy has been developed to unlock existing potential and to position the province to attract both local and foreign investment.

In terms of the strategy, we will become a net producer of renewable energy to the rest of the country by 2020. The Renewable Energy Independent Producers Procurement Programme, directed by the Department of Energy, has thus far approved 31 projects for the province. This means that we are well on our way to become the renewable energy hub of the country with prospecting for shale gas also underway in the Province.

On this topic it gives me great pleasure to announce that this week in Good News South Africa, the Province earned top honours with the Northern Cape counting comfortably amongst the top ten in terms of countries that are supplying solar power to the world.

To keep abreast with the changes and opportunities that the renewable energy sector presents, we have engaged various stakeholders including the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority to fund learners from the Province to undergo accredited training programmes at the Central University of Technology in the Free State with the express purpose of transferring knowledge and expertise to contribute to developing the local solar industry. This will assist us to close the skills gap along the clean energy value chain.

Honourable Speaker, in our attempt to provide fresh impetus to stimulate the provincial economy, barely two weeks ago I led a Provincial Government delegation to Spain on a fact finding mission on renewable energy and co-operative industrialization model.

Our visit was most beneficial within the context of the independent power producing initiatives and related activities in the Province, especially with regard to the construction of a Renewable Energy Centre for Training, Certification and applied research.

We will therefore ensure that the solar industry in the Northern Cape would not lack skilled labour and the technological services required to support a steady economic growth in the sector.

The Office of the Premier will also shortly establish a Provincial Business Working Group to lend tangible impetus to our developmental agenda. Our express aim is to regularly engage with business to unlock private sector investment, build investor confidence and to build mutual trust and cooperation between our respective sectors.

Honourable Speaker and Members, in our first term of this second phase of our transition, the Ruling Party will be paying more attention to gearing the economy towards robust economic growth that leads to exponential job creation and development. We will continue to ensure that local people benefit from business opportunities, skills development programmes and employment opportunities created by the local economy.

Tabling of the Budget Vote

Honourable Speaker and Honourable Members, having outlined the broad plans and priorities for the year, I now have the honour to table Budget Vote 1, Office of the Premier for 2014/2015. The total amount to be appropriated to fund the requirements of Vote 1 this financial year is R173, 3 million.

This year’s budget is R13.87 million lesser compared to last year’s final budget of R187.1 million.  This means we must do more with less!

Mr Speaker, as a result of the hard work from the Director-General and his dedicated team, the Office of the Premier received an unqualified audit opinion from the Office of the Auditor-General during the previous audit cycle.

Furthermore, I am pleased to report that there were also no material audit findings on pre-determined objectives.  I expect similar audit outcomes during the current audit cycle that is being finalized by AG and express the sincere wish that this is replicated in all state entities and government departments throughout the Province.

Despite all budgetary challenges that we are faced with, we remain committed to both the good cause of delivering better and quality service to our people, and we will not loose sight of the fact that our over-riding objective is to create “a better life for all.”

The budget breakdown per programme for this financial year is as follows:

• Programme 1: Administration.  R76, 7 million
• Programme 2: Institutional Development. R64, 1 million
• Programme 3: Policy & Governance. R32, 5 million

PROGRAMME 1: ADMINISTRATION

Mr Speaker, the purpose of this programme is to provide administrative support to the Premier, Executive Council and the Director-General in fulfilling their executive functions and ensuring sound financial management support and advisory services within the Office of the Premier.

The role of the Premier’s support sub–programme is to provide efficient and effective personnel, strategic, operational, and administrative and secretariat support to the Premier. The Premier’s Support Programme has been allocated R16.5 million in order to meet the Premier’s statutory and political obligations.

The Director General’s Support programme is to provide operational, strategic and administrative support to the DG to enable him to execute his various coordinating roles in the Provincial administration.

Despite all the available challenges, the Director-General will continue with his operation clean audit efforts in partnership with affected stakeholders in the quest to improve audit outcomes at the local government. The Director General’s Support Programme receives R8.9 million.

To preserve the corporate memory and provide for a safe working environment in the Office of the Premier; Security and Records Management received R8.2 million.

R31 million has been allocated to the Finance section to ensure corporate financial reporting, financial and management accounting, contract management and supply chain management for the office of the Premier. As part of driving the policy imperative of ‘Clean Audit’ by all departments of government in 2014, we also tracked progress relating to the implementation of audit findings.

The Executive Council Support Programme will continue to provide strategic, policy and operational support to the Executive Council through secretarial services, programme & decision management and implementation to enable the Executive Council to function optimally. The Executive Council Support Programme is allocated R7.7 million.

The Executive Council Support Programme will continue to provide support to the Cabinet outreach programme. The outreach programme will see members of the Northern Cape Executive Council and senior government officials conducting door to door visits to poor households as well as conducting community meetings. This programme was started in the 1990’s and has proven to be a great success. The visits to the areas in the Province are principally aimed at fast tracking the provision of government services to the communities.

Last year alone 25 towns were visited and a number of social issues were raised by communities and were accordingly addressed. Communities benefitted from improved health, social and economic services. During this year we shall continue with our engagements with communities in order to improve their lives.

The Provincial Aids Council Secretariat receives R3.8 million to provide support to the Provincial Council on AIDS (PCA) that is coordinating and implementing the multi-sectoral Provincial Strategic Plan for HIV and TB in the province.

That brings me to PROGRAMME 2 which is responsible for Institutional Development.

Mr Speaker and Honourable Members, the purpose of this programme is to improve service delivery through institutional capacity building and transformation management in the province.

An institution’s soundness can also be measured by its Human Resource Management. Critical to this function in the office is to coordinate and provide strategic leadership to all Provincial Departments with regard to transversal corporate matters to enhance transformation of the public service.

The key focus of the Human Resource Administration component is to manage and co-ordinate the human resource administration functions in the Office as well as provincially.

The Strategic Human Resources Sub-Programme co-ordinates and monitors the customisation, development and implementation of human resources policies, systems, programmes and plans for the Province.

HRA will monitor and review the implementation of the transversal HR policies in the Provincial administration. This includes advising Provincial departments on HR compliance issues. Human Resource Administration (HRA & HRM) receives R5.5 million.

R9.8 million will fund activities relating to coordinated planning, implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation of human resource development and skills development strategy and initiatives in the province.

Achievements in the Human Resource Administration in the past year that deserve a mention include reducing the vacancy rate to 10.3% at 31 March 2014; from the internship programme of 2012/2013 four (4) interns were absorbed into permanent positions. A total of 16 new appointments have been made in the previous financial year, of which three are promotions from other departments to OTP.

Thirteen officials were promoted internally on posts that were vacant and funded during the financial year. The unit successfully implemented the Job Evaluation Coordination process of clerical staff within OTP of which 15 were upgraded to a higher salary level

We will continue for the 2014/15 financial year to focus on skills development of our employees through the Workplace Skills Plan as well as the provision of Bursaries. Last year alone 40 bursaries were awarded to officials to improve their qualifications.

The Human Resource Development unit placed six interns in the Department to obtain relevant on the job experience. A further 200 FET learners were also placed in Provincial Government Departments for workplace integrated learning.

Government in taking the lead in job creation and economic sustainability will fill all funded vacant posts in the Province to contribute in a meaningful manner to our job creation target.  In this regard the performance monitoring and evaluation unit has been charged to provide a report within six months.

A highlight for the Office was the adoption of a key set of interventions to strengthen the coordination and implementation of Human Resource Development initiatives. This led to the establishment of a Provincial Human Resource Development Council that will serve as a platform for all public and private sector stakeholders to engage on common matters related to human resource development. Some of the work of the council will also entail assisting the Province to source funding from the National Skills Fund which aims to address skills shortages and challenges.

Honourable Members, education remains the cornerstone of our future and is therefore correctly labelled as an apex priority. R13.8 million has been set aside for the Premier’s Bursary Fund.

The objective of the Fund is to make higher education opportunities available on a full-time basis to Northern Cape youth that have academic potential but have no financial means. For the 2014 academic year, funding is set aside for 150 new students and 373 continuing students in various institutions of higher learning.  Funding allocation for the students is informed by skills required by the Provincial economy.   132 students are expected to complete their studies in 2014. I can proudly announce that 50 students benefiting from the NCPETF successfully completed their studies in the 2013 academic year.

Efficiency Services is responsible to provide professional Human Resource Planning, organisational design and efficiency enhancement services to advance continuous service delivery improvement within the Office of the Premier.  The unit has an additional coordinating role on HR efficiency issues in the Provincial administration. R4.8 million has been allocated for Efficiency Services.

A primary challenge faced by the Office of the Premier is that the organisational structure is not adequately responsive to the demands of the current environment that calls for more coordination, monitoring and evaluation. For this reason the Efficiency Services unit has started work in terms of realigning the organisational structure with the national generic framework in order to allow it to perform its primary responsibility and thus pursue the achievement of the outcomes of Government.

The Labour Relations Unit helps to coordinate labour related issues in the Provincial administration to ensure a harmonious working environment that supports service delivery. The Labour Relations Unit receives R3.6 million.

The Employee Health and Wellness Unit coordinates the implementation of wellness programs in the Northern Cape Provincial Administration to improve the morale of the workforce and related issues. Employee Health and Wellness is allocated R2.8 million.

Honourable Members, as part of addressing the digital divide, government will: Deploy ICT solutions to improve service delivery in health, education and other key services; and identify opportunities for small business development in the ICT sector. The ICT Unit will complete the implementation of phase 1 of the Provincial IT plan and commence with the implementation of phase 2.  The ICT Unit is also providing support and coordinates the activities of Thusong Centres which provide direct services to the people from various national and provincial departments in four regions. R10.6 Million has been allocated to the ICT unit.

Mr Speaker, we will continue to strengthen our communication services to ensure effective communication with the people of the Province, our partners and key stakeholders in business, civil society, and the global community as a whole.

Highlights of this unit during the previous year included follow up and resolving queries received through the Presidential Hotline, which led us to achieving a 100% reporting rate and receiving a commendation from the Presidency.

The unit also led a groundbreaking production of a TV series, aptly termed a “Nation at Work” highlighting the achievements and challenges in service delivery that the Province faces. This series was showcased weekly for 13 weeks on SABC 2 with repeats on the pay channel of SABC. During this financial year the unit will seek unique and innovative ways to continue to manage and promote programmes through communications and marketing campaigns, production of media and provision of media production services for the Office of the Premier as well as the Northern Cape Provincial Government. We will also promote development communication through direct interactive communication with Northern Cape communities and provide the public with access to information. This unit has been allocated an amount of R 4 million.

The Legal Services Unit has been resourceful in providing legal counsel to the Executive Council and employees in general. Furthermore, the Unit renders legal advisory support services to the Office of the Premier to ensure that constitutional obligations are met.  Furthermore, the unit has a coordinating role in the provincial administration on legal matters and has received R5. 5 million.

The main purpose of the Programme Support unit is to provide administrative and management support to the DDG: Institutional Development as well as the coordination and management of units in the programme. Programme Support   is allocated R3.2 million.

3. PROGRAMME THREE: POLICY & GOVERNANCE

Honourable Members, the purpose of this programme is to initiate provincial wide development and implementation of strategies and policies to achieve a co-ordinated approach towards sustainable provincial growth and development.

The Northern Cape will continue to foster strong inter- governmental relations through the Premier’s Coordinating Forum and the Extended Executive Council Makgotla to jointly address matters affecting the provincial and local spheres of government.

The IGR sub programme manages and co-ordinates Provincial intergovernmental relations and protocol. Intergovernmental Relations receives: R2.3 million.

Director of special programmes - manages and coordinates the implementation of the equity plan and programmes of older persons. (R 2 million) is allocated to this unit.

The Office on the Status of Women gets (R2.5 million + R 4 million). Through its activities, the Office on the Status of Women (OSW) ensures that women are included in all processes of consultation, policy formulation, decision-making and evaluation to ensure gender equality.  R2.5 million is set aside for these activities.

Ladies and Gentlemen, R4 million has been set aside for transfer to Mme Re Ka Thusa Women Development Trust during the 2014/15 financial year.  The trust was incorporated to help previously disadvantaged women on economic empowerment initiatives in the Northern Cape.  During the 2014-15 financial year, the trust will target 50 women with existing businesses to be trained to obtain drivers’ licences.  Thirty five mostly new companies to be owned by women are targeted for business related training that will culminate in grant allocations.

Fifty existing companies are targeted to receive loans for capital injection. These efforts will contribute to wider job creation programmes of the provincial government.

During last year I personally presided over five awareness District summits that culminated in a Provincial Summit reaching out to 4 185 women. After the summits, 32 interest free loans were granted to qualifying women and 35 are being given business training which will confer them with grants for their business initiatives.

The Office on the Status of Persons with Disabilities (OSPD) will continue to embark on programmes geared towards building capacity in the Northern Cape Provincial Government to enhance government’s ability to implement the recommendations contained in the integrated National Disability Strategy. The Office of the Status of Persons with Disabilities will receive - R1.7 million.

Through its programme of action, the Office on the Rights of the Child (ORC) will continue to focus on creating an enabling and supportive environment for children by developing an effective, co-ordinated and holistic response to issues of children.  The Office on the Rights of the Child gets: R2.2 million.

Moral Regeneration Movement - It will mainstream moral regeneration issues. R1.8 million is allocated to this programme.

Provincial Policy Management Unit will facilitate and coordinate the implementation of goals set in the National Development Plan through interaction with planning functions in the NC provincial administration.

It will monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS), government’s special projects & programme of action.

It will continue to coordinate the implementation and development of the Renewable Energy projects in Northern Cape. R5.6 million is allocated to this unit.

Mr Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the Monitoring & Evaluation Unit tracks the performance of provincial government on service delivery initiatives and interventions.  One of the key projects of the unit is the coordination of province-wide MPAT (Management Performance Assessment Tool) where the government is assessing its performance in all material aspects which culminate in the announcement of performance results by the Presidency for all provinces. It receives R7.2 million.

The purpose of the Programme Support Unit is to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of governments’ programme of action and management of units within the programme. R3 million is allocated to this unit.

In closing, I wish to thank the DG and his entire team, as well as the staff in my office for all their hard work and support. I also wish to thank my family as well as the ANC for their invaluable support and guidance.

Moreover, together with my colleagues on the Executive Council, I can confidently state that we have a clear vision for the Northern Cape Province that will certainly yield economic prosperity, peace and stability for all.  Work has begun in earnest and we count on the support of each and every citizen of the Province.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my sincere belief that with this budget we will continue to strive to make the Northern Cape a better place to live in, a place for all of us to be proud of. A home for all!

Honourable Speaker let me emphasise that, for us to move South Africa forward, unity of purpose will always be central in our endeavours to create a better Northern Cape Province and South Africa for all.

Honourable Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my privilege now to table to the House the Budget of the Office of the Premier for consideration and endorsement.

I thank you

User Rating: 1 / 5

Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Mayors and Councillors
Representative from the Office of the Gender Commissioner
Social Cohesion Advocate, Ms Sophie de Bruyn
Officials from Government
Ladies and gentlemen

Good Morning, Dumelang, Goeiemôre, Molweni

Considering the rich political history of the International Women’s Day, and the special occasion and meaning of this gathering, I feel quite humbled to address you here today.

The faces in this room this morning are a reminder of our history that brings forth memories and personal experiences. It tells me that we have travelled a long way and that we cannot give up now in this struggle for the improvement of women's lives.

Ladies and gentlemen, Comrades and friends,

The progress of women’s rights has not been a gracious present offered to women, but rather the result of their determined action against gender hierarchy and inequality, and women’s ability to advance proposals and make alliances to build a universal movement. In South Africa the contribution that women made for the advancement of women’s rights is seen in three major campaigns.  The first, in 1913, was in Bloemfontein and stands out because it also set the tone for later anti-pass action by militant African women.

The second episode was in 1930 in Potchefstroom, which at that stage was a small white-dominated town, where officials tried to bully the women to comply with the particular labour needs of the town. In this case, the grievance of the women was against lodgers' permits.

The third campaign was masterminded in Johannesburg from 1954-1956, culminating in the march in 1956 of nearly 20 000 women to Pretoria. In each of these episodes women reacted not because of major political issues or broad developmental policies but because the stability of their homes and families were in jeopardy.

Today we are honoured and privileged to have in our midst, Ms Sophie de Bruyn. She led the Women’s March to the Union Buildings in 1956 and is the only surviving leader of the historical event. We thank you for joining us here today and look forward to your input. We know that we will gain insight from your contribution here today.

Ek wil ook net noem, dat nog voor die gebeure van 1913, en voor die totstandskoming van die “Bantu Women’s League” het vyf duisend vroue in 1912 na die kantoor van Generaal Louis Botha opgeruk om te protester teen die Paswet. Hierdie dapper vroue was nie georganiseer of geregistreer onder ‘n spesifieke Beweging in die tyd, maar het die gewetens oortuiging gehad om te protes teen ‘n onregverdige sisteem. Dit is gebeure soos hierdie in die geskiedenis wat ons merkvaardige vordering tot dusver soveel meer insiggewend en merkwaardig maak.

Ladies and Gentlemen

The International Women's Day thus forms part of global efforts to create a better world order where there shall be Peace and Friendship. Originally called the International Working Women's Day, it first started as a political and socialist movement in 1909 in four European countries. Until the late 1900s, the influence of the day was limited to Europe. In 1975 the United Nations announced 8th March as the official date for the International Women's Day.

This year, in South Africa, we celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme” “Press for progress – Leave no woman behind, Together we can empower woman across the globe.” This theme says to us that now more than ever, there is a strong call to action to press forward and progress gender parity. There is a strong call to motivate our friends. colleagues and communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.

On this day it is also important that we note the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, where the global community stressed the importance of women assuming positions of power and influence, not only because of their points of view and talents are needed, but also as a matter of their human rights. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was therefore established and signed to encourage women and girls to make choices, get an education, get involved in politics and have an income without being discriminated against.

Ladies and gentlemen, there’s nothing in the history of the struggle for women’s emancipation that suggests that it was ever an easy struggle. The idea of championing a cause for women’s aspirations, did not only meet with resistance from traditional anti-progressive forces, but, for quite some time, even from within revolutionary and progressive formations all over the world.

It is for this reason, that while the legitimacy of many protests movements against race, culture and class oppression were recognised much earlier on, global support for the cause for gender equality followed a path more tedious.

Despite these difficulties, the truth that could not be denied was that women had real social experiences that alienated them from the obtaining social structures of the time. So, even if the mainstream political thinking of the time refused to recognise this, it was these experiences of women that mobilised them as a social force.

Dames en here, op hierdie geleentheid kyk ons terug en reflekteer ons op die vordering wat gemaak is asook die struikelblokke wat nog bestaan in die opheffing en bemagtiging van vroue, en veral jong vroue in ons land. Hierdie dag bied ‘n geleentheid om vroue bemagtiging te verhewe en te vier en ook om vroue gelyke regte te bied. Dit is ook ‘n geleentheid om hulde te bring aan vroue wat hul lewens en familie opgeoffer het in die stryd om nie net vroue regte nie, maar ook gelyke regte te bevorder.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as we celebrate the International Women’s Day which takes place at a strategic moment in our political history, we are once again reminded of the sacrosanct declaration made by South Africans from all walks of life that converged in Kliptown in 1955 that the People Shall Govern! Today in South Africa the people govern because every man and woman has the right to vote and to be voted for.

South Africa remains resolute in promoting gender equality, women’s rights as human’s rights and women empowerment in all spheres of life. To this end, the ANC has consciously adopted a 50% women representation in all decision making structures. This has led to increased women representation in all spheres of government at the legislative and executive levels. A lot has been achieved in ensuring that the people govern. However, we still have a long way to go in ensuring that women occupy their rightful position in society. We need to ensure that we transform not in quantity in terms of numbers but also in quality in terms of women occupying strategic positions in all sectors be it the Private or Public sector.

We are optimistic that this is achievable in our lifetime because our country is taking great strides to redress gender imbalances and promote women’s rights. The vigorous implementation of women quotas has gone a long way in challenging the attitudes and changing the mindset of our people.

This Provincial Government also remains committed and will ensure that women's rights and, in particular, women's socio-economic empowerment will be prioritized in all possible sectors of society to promote that very important balance between men and women.

We will continue to pay attention to empowerment of women and especially young women, not only in the socio-economic aspect, but also in the political part of society. We will thus build on the progress we have made in the promotion, empowerment and development of women and also ensure that our women cooperatives are strengthened in order to stimulate economic development. At the same time we will also review existing gender policies to test their effectiveness.

Ladies, the key to prosperity is to participate in economic sectors such as mining, construction, manufacturing, the green economy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and engineering. This is important, because although the public service is already actively addressing women's transformation, it will not bring us equality on the road to development.

Ladies and gentlemen, this year, as we pay tribute to the 100 years of the legend of Nelson Mandela, the vision we have for our women should be mirrored in the words of our late great statesmen when he proclaimed that, “As a tribute to the legions of women who navigated the path of fighting for justice before us, we ought to imprint in the supreme law of the land, firm principles upholding the rights of women.” This we have done with great success.

Dames en here, dit is al te duidelik dat hierdie ANC beleerde regering groot spronge gemaak het in die opheffing van vroue. Baie van ons hier teenwoordig is die eind resultaat van hierdie initiatiewe en word ons as een van die toon aangewende lande beskou waar dit kom by die opheffing, bevordering en gelyke behandeling van vroue.

Ladies and gentlemen, considering the strides that have already been made, the struggle for freedom and equality continues for women beyond equal participation. The struggle for women takes an even more challenging route of fighting poverty and underdevelopment, HIV/AIDS and women and children abuse. These struggles touch at the very core of the rights of women in our country and demands strong action, not only from women, but also from all South Africans.

Ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends let this celebration and dialogue of the International Women’s Day, serve as a new motivation in all of us to attend to the unfinished business of ensuring women’s empowerment and gender equality.

This year 2018, being the year of unity, renewal and jobs as part of emulating the good example of service and selfless dedication to the course of our people and recognising the centenary of the birth of the late Nelson Mandela; we wish to call upon women to take action to build on the strides that this ANC led Government has made. This should be done by making sure that Government at all spheres is in safe hands. As women; let us grab opportunities and shine. I wish to thank everyone present for this opportunity to celebrate our women and to engage in dialogue with our women. We carry with us the burden of many other women out there who do not have the opportunities we have. Let us therefore rise to the challenge.

I thank you
Malibongwe!

User Rating: 0 / 5

Address by the Honourable Premier of the Northern Cape Mrs Hazel Jenkins on the occasion of the Provincial Matric Awards, Kimberley City Hall, 05 January 2012
____________________________________________________________

Programme Director
Honourable MEC for Education, Ms Cjiekella
Members of the Executive Council and the Provincial Legislature
MP Charl de Beer
Chairperson and Members of the Portfolio Committee on Education DG – Mr. Justice Bekebeke
Executive Mayors, Mayors and Councillors
Veterans
Canon Russel Visser
HOD Pharasi, Chief Directors, Senior Managers and Departmental Officials
Officials and Members of School Governing Bodies
Representatives of various donors and sponsors
Parents, Principals and Educators
Leaders and Officials of our Educator and Learner formations
Members of the Media
Honoured Guests
Learners
The people of the Northern Cape
Ladies and Gentlemen:


It is truly a privilege to yet again be part of this matric awards ceremony . As I look around, I see beaming parents, proud relatives and friends, and well maybe not so satisfied leadership and officials of the Education Department; - please stay positive, this is not the end of the road, just a bend.

Many of you here today would have been ever present in the developmental and educational lives of our award recipients; Many of you would have been there on the first day of starting school of our awardees, to the last day of high school; helping with homework, preparing lunches, attending parent meetings; and here you are again today:Proud! Happy and Satisfied!

You truly deserve a round of applause!

To the class of 2011: all your hard work has paid off.

Years of hard work have brought you to this moment, this place and this time.

This is your time; Your time is now!

Each one of you has travelled your own road to get here, but you are here together on the threshold of your future.

You are brimming with confidence, filled with unbridled optimism and hope, and ready for the infinite possibilities and opportunities that await you.

What we see in you; what your parents, relatives and friends see in you is the pride and future of our province and our country and our continent.

We are here today, in our numbers because we believe in you; we believe in you because you believe in yourselves.
Today is a celebration of your achievement and contemplation of what now lies ahead.

Your achievements today have availed opportunities for you and given you choices which are yours to take and make.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Ceremonies of this nature are symbolic events where a few exceptional individuals are singled for direct recognition, but where at the same time we are celebrating something much bigger.

These awards and many similar ones must therefore be seen in the context of promoting better performance in all our learners and should serve as an incentive for those who follow.

Allow me to pay tribute to a special group of candidates, from especially our previously disadvantaged communities, who through their own performance proved that if all things were equal, each one of our children would be able to perform and excel according to their God-given talents and be the best that they can be.

Ladies and Gentlemen the 2011 National Senior Certificate examination was written by a total of 10 183 candidates in the province; of these 7 002 candidates passed, and 3 181 candidates were not successful, giving the province an overall pass rate of 68.8% which is a decline of 3,6 % compared to the 72.3% pass rate in 2010;

Ladies and Gentlemen these results were not what we had hoped for and expected in terms of the provincial average, but we are finally beginning to witness, for the very first time, the positive results of what we have been aiming to achieve since the advent of our new dispensation -the improved performance of learners from our previously disadvantaged communities.

The 2011 national senior certificate examinations, for the very first time made it possible to only have one Provincial Top Twenty List, based entirely on merit and the true and actual performance of all our learners.

It is worth noting that in this year’s Provincial Top Twenty, a total of seven of our top twenty candidates, which is 35%, are from previously disadvantaged communities. Two of these candidates feature in the top five, with a third candidate making it three from our previously disadvantaged communities featuring prominently in the top ten!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have reason enough today to be proud of our learners and proud of our Province.

In what must rank as perhaps the biggest and best news of this time, deserving of a thunderous applause and a standing ovation, is the featuring of one of our Top Candidates in the NATIONAL Top Ten Candidates in the country; Jamie-Lee Albertrams- Prins, Congratulations!!! We are truly proud of your prestigious and historic accomplishment!!!

In addition to this milestone academic achievement, two of our learners, from our previously disadvantaged communities, from our township schools, are joint recipients of our Top Mathematics and Science awards: Charles Pitso from Dr E.P Lekhela High school is our Top Mathematics Candidate.

Kagiso Scott from Vuyolwethu High school, is our top Physical Science candidate.

Ladies and gentlemen, the overall result is admittedly not the desired outcome, but the overall achievement certainly sets us firmly on course to reach the goal that was set when almost one hundred years ago, men and women, from all walks of life and drawn from the entire population in our land came together to find common ground and common cause to save our country from inevitable ruin.

This is an overall provincial pass rate that we are less than pleased with, yet we are hugely encouraged by the number of positive developments that the performance of our learners, particularly from our previously disadvantaged communities and our disadvantaged schools, in this examination presented us with!

In another interesting development, two of the candidates in the one and only provincial Top Twenty list that we have this year, are twin sisters from the Northern Cape high school.

While these results may not be the desired outcomes, the overall performance of our learners is certainly pointing to a maturing and stabilizing system as more of our previously disadvantaged learners have, this year, recorded milestone achievements in critical subjects.

Ladies and Gentlemen as we continue to celebrate excellence, we must ensure that all our programmes of building quality across the entire system from the Programme for Learner Attainment and The Matric Intervention Programme, continue to be enhanced and extended to , include those of our schools where there is no quality as reflected today by the 38 schools that achieved pass rates below 60%.

MEC Cjiekella,as we build quality across the entire system, we must again ensure like in 2010, that urgent corrective steps are taken to immediately halt the 3% decline in our overall pass rate.

I am sure that the MEC, as would all of us, agree that something more drastic, more urgent and more intense, other than mere lip service needs to be done to ensure good quality, not only in Grade 12, but across the entire system, from Grade 1 right up to Grade 12;

As we have said so many times before, the critical importance of the involvement of parents and our communities in the education of our children cannot be over-emphasised!

And very often the difference between failure and success is the extent to which parents are involved in the education of their children.

As parents and as communities, we have a right and a duty to ensure that our children are at school everyday; that they are in class, they are learning and they are being taught.

We call on our parents, all our parents to report children who bunk classes and are seen roaming the streets!

In the same breath, we also call on our educators to ensure that they do what they must do in our schools and particularly in our classes;

They must teach our children and do whatever else they need to do outside of their official duties, outside, and after official school hours.

We require today, more than ever before, the total and practical commitment of all stakeholders which must go far beyond the usual empty rhetoric to reflect an unwavering determination to see our education succeeding – the Quality and Learning and Teaching Campaign (QLTC), offers all of us an opportunity to do so.

The QLTC recognizes that the role of parents, educators, public servants and the community at large, is central to the consolidation of a culture of learning and teaching, particularly in those of our areas and communities where such a culture is not yet fully entrenched.

Ladies and Gentlemen: We continue to be encouraged by the good performance of many of our schools and our learners in the province, some of which operate under very difficult conditions.

Some of these schools like the 21 schools that posted 100% pass rates continue to perform according to our expectations and beyond;

We certainly hope that many of our schools emulate their shining example, including the six schools that dropped their 100% rating from last year.

We call on all of our young people not to let their socio-economic status dictate and limit their chances of furthering their education and increasing their skills levels.

Ladies and Gentlemen, government, together with our social partners remains committed to ensuring that no deserving young person, from whatever walk or station in life, is denied the opportunity of developing to their fullest potential through a lack of resources.

In this regard, I take this opportunity to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to the following donors; Assmang, De Beers, FNB, Maskew Miller and SKA foundation, for their continued generous support. Nagomso!

To those of our children who did not succeed, we urge you to rise above this temporary setback and work your way back to success. Many a great man in history did not always succeed in their first attempt, but after persevering and working harder, they came up with some of the greatest inventions in modern life.

You have been given a second chance in the extended May/ June supplementary exams; grab it with both hands and make sure that you succeed this time around.

As you make and take those choices, education remains the great equaliser and the great facilitator.

As you make and take those choices, understand that success in life will not be determined by what is given to you, or what happens to you; your success will also be determined by what you do with all that is given to you; what you do with all that happens to you; how hard you try; how far you push yourself; how high you are willing to reach

Ladies and Gentlemen, true excellence only comes with perseverance.

We understand that you are in the middle of exciting times; you are in an age of a popular culture that says you can be rich and successful without much effort; you just have to become a celebrity!

We live in a culture that tells you there's a quick fix for every problem and a justification for every selfish desire.

As you are about to venture into the real world, the world of adults, the world of work, please be cautioned that meaningful achievement and lasting success does not happen in an instant.

It is the large choices and the small choices that you make that add up over time. It is about the skills you build, and the knowledge you accumulate, and the energy you invest in every task, no matter how trivial or menial it may seem at the time.

Ladies and Gentlemen; as I am about to conclude, today is not a time for long speeches; it is a time for celebration- I wish to offer my final piece of advice to our awardees; always learn to give back and to be part of something bigger than yourselves.

Like many of us, you may feel like you have got enough on your plate just dealing with your own life.

It might be easier to tell yourself that other people’s problems really are not your responsibility.

Let us just pause and think about the consequences of this for our country; if our leaders and founders of the oldest liberation movement in Africa, the ANC, would not have taken a similar approach.

What would have happened if those heroes and heroines in 1912; in 1921; in 1956; 1976, among others, would have refused to sacrifice their lives and volunteer their services for the greater good of all?

As we celebrate with our achievers today, lets us spare a thought to think about those brave young men and women who made huge sacrifices to ensure that the correct assertion contained in the freedom charter that the doors of learning and culture are opened to all, is given concrete expression; and today we reap the fruit of their sacrifices,

We are here today because those people made a noble choice. They chose to step up and answer their country’s call.

Today, through these awards, we are asking you to emulate their good deeds by seeking to have the same kind of impact with your own lives; by pursuing excellence in everything you do; by serving this province, this country and all our people, without fear or favour.

May I in conclusion, take this opportunity to wish everyone present here this morning, your families and relatives, all our partners in the broader education family, everything of the very best for 2012.

Kea Leboga

Baie Dankie

Thank you