A Decade of Change

Celebrating ten Years of Democracy in Gauteng

Contents

1. Message from the Premier
2. Introduction
3. Overview
4. Profile of Gauteng
5. Growth for all
6. Fighting poverty
7. Building sustainable communities
8. Quality health care for all
9. Building quality public schooling
10. Promoting good governance
11. Protecting and promoting human rights
12. Conclusion

1. Message from the Premier

As Gauteng celebrates ten years of our freedom and democracy this year, we do so with pride in the knowledge that we have made impressive progress towards achieving our goal of building a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.

Our pride stems from the fact that we have not disappointed our people because we acted on the mandate they gave us in 1994 and renewed in 1999. It stems from the fact that we have taken great strides in making our vision a reality.

While we are only too aware of the challenges that remain in improving the lives of our people, we can boldly say that Gauteng is a better place to live in as a result of our efforts in partnership with the people.

Our people know that, guided by the Freedom Charter, we have been steadfastly putting in place the building blocks of our new South Africa, free of discrimination on the basis of race, class, gender, religion or disability.

In 1994 we inherited a society that was devastated by centuries of colonialism and apartheid injustice. Today the lives of many of people have changed for the better.

Over the past ten years, together with our people, we have worked tirelessly to reconstruct and develop our country and our province.

We have turned around the moribund apartheid economy. We have worked tirelessly to promote labour-absorbing sustainable economic growth. While the impact of our strategy will be seen in the decade ahead, today we can say with pride that the Gauteng economy is in a better state of health than it has been for many decades. In the process we have been able to create work opportunities for our people, albeit at a slower pace than we would have liked.

We have made massive inroads in addressing people’s basic needs and reversing the neglect and underdevelopment we inherited from apartheid in 1994.

The people of Gauteng know that we have fulfilled the commitments we made in 1994 and 1999 because they have witnessed dramatic changes.

Few families have been left untouched by the far-reaching changes introduced in our health care, education and social services system. For the vast majority of our people the quality of these services is now much better than in the past.

Many who previously did not have access to healthcare know that Gauteng is now a better place because they have access to quality care close to where they live. New clinics have been built in many communities where there were no health care facilities. In other areas clinics have been upgraded and extended.

Parents who were themselves denied a decent education under apartheid can attest to the fact that Gauteng is a better place for their children because the doors of learning have been opened to all. They know that the quality of education has improved and that their children have the opportunity to reach their full potential. The performance of our Grade 12 learners has consistently improved over the past few years.

While homelessness remains a big challenge, many who spent decades living in slums now live in decent homes, built on land they proudly own.

Communities across Gauteng have benefited from new facilities and the upgrading of existing community assets. New communities have mushroomed across the province.

Women and children who have suffered abuse now know that they no longer have to suffer in silence. They know that government services are there to provide them with the necessary support through victim support centres and other mechanisms. Unlike in the past they have the full might of the state behind them in bringing perpetrators to book and in speaking out against the scourge.

Those infected and affected by HIV and Aids know that the provincial government is there to support them through a variety of programmes on the prevention, management and treatment of HIV and Aids.

The most vulnerable of our people who suffered discrimination and neglect under apartheid, now receive special care from government.

Women, children and people with disabilities also have reason to celebrate, as their rights and dignity have been restored, not just in the constitution, but in a myriad of programmes and services aimed at improving their lives. Through social security grants, feeding schemes and other services, we are overcoming the impact of poverty on children.

Our programmes and policies have resulted in a sharp increase in the number of women who occupy decision-making positions in all spheres of society.

The youth of our country, many of whom were neglected under apartheid rule, know that our government cares about their development. This is so because we have created many opportunities for them to acquire skills that will make them productive citizens of our country.

Even the children, the born-free who may not know what life under apartheid was, can see that we care because their government is doing everything to secure their future.

The lives of our senior citizens, especially blacks who were victims of the apartheid racial old age pension system, have improved because they receive better care from our government. All old age pensioners now enjoy equal treatment and care.

We mark the first decade of our freedom and democracy with deep gratitude because millions of our people, who did not have access to basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity, now get free basic amounts of water and electricity. Many places in our province that previously used the dreaded and dehumanising bucket system are aware of the steps we are taking to provide them with proper sanitation.

The workers, who under apartheid were oppressed and exploited, today know that this government has restored their right to fight for better working conditions and living wages.

They know that Gauteng is the economic powerhouse of the country and the sub-continent and that Gauteng produces some of the best quality products for local and foreign markets, thanks to the province’s strategy to grow the economy and create jobs.

The business community has cause to celebrate because they appreciate the changes brought about by the programmes and policies we have introduced, making Gauteng an attractive place in which to invest, do business and prosper.

Our sports men and women who for many years could not showcase their talents internationally now do so with the support of all South Africans.

Together with municipalities we have improved police visibility on our roads, clamped down on corrupt officials and provided police with much needed transport.

We look back with pride because we know that the programmes we implemented over the past ten years have improved, and continue to improve the lives of many of our people who previously lived on the periphery with no hope for a better life.

Today our people are not just living on hopes, but are beginning to experience a better life for themselves. They are secure in the knowledge that their children are guaranteed even better opportunities to overcome poverty, marginalisation and the conditions that make them vulnerable to diseases and illnesses.

When we say that Gauteng is now a better place than it was in 1994, we are amplifying the voices of the people with whom we are in constant interaction through hundreds of Lets Talk campaign, Imbizos, stakeholder meetings and other gatherings.

As we celebrate our achievements, we know we still have a long way to go to meet our goal of a full growing economy that creates sustainable jobs, building sustainable communities and providing quality services to communities, especially in health, education, social welfare and housing.

We acknowledge that while a lot has been done to improve the conditions of poor people, a significant number continue to face the challenges of unemployment, crime, illiteracy, hunger, disease, homelessness, underdevelopment and lack of access to basic services such as water and sanitation and electricity.

Our experience during the past ten years has confirmed that the active involvement of the people in the process to bring about change is crucially important for success. Over the next five years and the next decade, we will continue to work together in partnership to overcome the challenges that still face us. We know that together, we can and will succeed.

Mbhazima Shilowa, January 2004

2. Introduction

The ten years between 1994 and 2004 have seen far-reaching changes in Gauteng. This ten year report highlights the key achievements of this first decade of freedom and democracy in the province and points to the key challenges as we enter the second decade.

The report was produced by the Gauteng Provincial Government. It forms part of a process of reviewing, reflecting on and accounting to the people of Gauteng on the work of the provincial government in fulfilling their mandate to build a better life for all.

Progress has been recorded in terms of the desired political outcomes and the key priorities the provincial government set for itself in fulfilment of its mandate. This includes the constitutional mandate, which determines the competencies and areas of delivery of provincial government as distinct from national and local government. It also includes the election mandate of the provincial government based on the election victory of the African National Congress (ANC) in the province in 1994 and 1999.

Key priorities have included addressing people’s basic needs, fighting poverty, rebuilding the economy, creating jobs, delivering quality social services and ensuring good governance. Policies and programmes in these areas are identified and delivery levels are recorded.

The report looks at the conditions the province inherited in 1994 and shows some of the massive strides that have been made in addressing the legacy of apartheid. It concludes that, while significant challenges remain, Gauteng is indeed now a better place in which to live than it was at the birth of our democracy in 1994.

The provincial government’s programmes are determined by their impact on the quality of life of the people of the province, particularly the poor and the vulnerable. The report therefore also includes the voices of some of the ordinary people in Gauteng whose lives have changed over the ten year period – the witnesses to change.

Prospects for change in the second decade are brighter than ever. Investment, not just in the economy, but in the quality of the public service, in improved service delivery mechanisms, in social and economic infrastructure and, most importantly, in the people of the province, promises to yield even better results. A competent and caring provincial government, working in dynamic partnership with the people, is well-positioned to further accelerate delivery and effectively address the challenges ahead.

3. Overview

For millions of South Africans, freedom and democracy meant, for the first time in their lives, political rights and freedoms. These were expressed most clearly in the right to vote for the political party of their choice, the right to freedom of association and other rights enshrined in the constitution. But, as the struggle for freedom and the country’s new constitution clearly articulated, political freedoms also had to be translated into meaningful social and economic change in the interests of the people.

At the dawn of democracy in 1994, a number of desired developmental outcomes were identified to guide efforts to improve the quality of life of the people. After government’s first term of office and the renewal of the electoral mandate of the African National Congress in 1999, these were revised to drive efforts in the second term of office.

The key political outcomes agreed to in the inaugural period of 1994, as well as at the start of the second term in 1999, are listed below. They provide a framework within which the achievements of the Gauteng Provincial Government can be assessed.

Desired political outcomes

Economic growth and employment creation

• Develop an economy that grows through providing jobs, housing and education
• Promote sustainable economic growth, development and job creation
• Support labour intensive investment
• Promote sectors with large employment potential
• Promote information technology and bridge the digital divide
• Enhance participation of small and medium enterprises in the economy
• Increase opportunities for self-employment through co-operatives and small and medium enterprises
• Harness the country’s resources towards redistribution and development
• Mobilise investment to build the economy and create jobs

Addressing poverty

• End poverty and degradation

Building sustainable communities

• Meet the basic needs of our people
• Speed up delivery of basic services
• Promote an integrated and sustainable approach
• Accelerate housing delivery on well-located land with access to amenities and upliftment of the conditions of the urban poor
• Build and rehabilitate public infrastructure
• Focus on Integrated Development Planning
• Address homelessness
• Develop an integrated public transport system including special assistance to the disabled
• Ensure a peaceful and secure environment in which people can live without fear
• Combat crime and corruption, with special attention to crimes against women and children
• Improve access to and management of social grants

Health care

• Increase access to primary health care
• Improve health care, including better management of hospitals
• Take decisive action against preventable illness
• Dedicate Absolute priority to the HIV/AIDS pandemic

Education and training

• Improve access to schools and improved quality education
• Provide viable public schools with adequate buildings and basic services
• Speed up development of human resources
• Improve skill levels

Entrenching good governance

• Re-organise public services to more effectively meet service delivery priorities
• Foster ethic of Batho Pele
• Ensure an inclusive people-driven process and people-centred governance
• Transform local government with municipalities as centres of local democracy and participation, economic development and service delivery
• Restructure local government boundaries to make them more financially viable
• Establish statutory ward committees
• Deliver efficient, user friendly and accountable governance at national, provincial and local level
• Entrench public accountability and transparency
• Rigorously root out corruption, nepotism and bribery in all state institutions
• Ensure the prudent use of government resources

Citizenship and democracy

• Build a non-racial and non-sexist society
• End the abuse of vulnerable women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities

If you lived under apartheid
	As a black person	As a white person
Your chance of dying before the age of five years	10 in 100	1 in 100
How many children in your school class	48	18
Your chance of being able to read	Below 40%	Above 80%
Your access to a telephone	1 line for 100 people	60 lines for 100 people
Your life expectancy	Men: 55 years	Men: 68 years

4. Profile of Gauteng

Gauteng is unique in South Africa in a number of ways. As the economic powerhouse of the country and indeed the sub-continent, it is highly urbanised and is fast assuming the status of a city state. It is the smallest and most densely populated province and the only province with three metropolitan municipalities.

The people of Gauteng

According to the 2001 Census, the population of Gauteng was approximately 8.8 million in 2001. This was made up as follows:

African	6 522 792	(73.8%)
Coloured	337 974	(3.8%)
Indian	218 015	(2.5%)
White	1 758 398	(19.9%)

In terms of gender composition, there are more men than women in Gauteng, particularly in the 20 to 44 year age group. This can be explained by the perception of higher employment levels in the province attracting males in this age group. Approximately 332,000 (3.8%) of Gauteng’s population is disabled.

The largest metropolitan municipality in the province is Johannesburg, with a population of 3.2 million (3 255 810). Tshwane’s population was recorded as 1.9 million (1 985 984), while Ekurhuleni’s population was 2.4million (2 480 282). There are significant differences in the population size of the different municipalities, with Johannesburg’s population 26 times bigger than Metsweding.

The province has witnessed significant population growth. In 1991 the population of the province (based on the old PWV boundaries) stood at roughly 6,36 million, growing to about 8,8 million in 2001. In 2004 it is expected that the total population of the province will have grown to over 9 million.

Gauteng population size according to census dates (1991-2001)

Close to 30% of the increase between 1996 and 2001 is attributable to net migration into the province (see Figure below). It is not surprising then that Gauteng is the highest net recipient of in migrants of all the provinces. However, the total number of migrants (403,309) represents only about 5% of the total population. While the majority of migrants are from other provinces (especially Limpopo, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Eastern Cape), a significant number also come from the SADC region and Europe.

Figure: Net migration loss / gain for Gauteng province (1996-2001)

Mainly due to the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, infant mortality increased from 36 to 46 per 1000 live births between 1998 and 2002 while life expectancy declined by approximately three years between 1996 and 2002.

Economic development profile

Between 1999 and 2001, Gauteng achieved a GDP figure of 8% compared to the national GDP of 6%. The province also outperformed the country at large in terms of growth in income-aggregated output by 1% per year. The contribution of the province to South Africa’s GDP grew from 32.6% in 1995 to 33.9% in 2002.

The sectors which have grown are transport, storage and communication, which increased from about 7% to 9% and finance, insurance, real estate and business services which increased from around 14% to 21%.

There has been an increase in the number of people who are employed as well as an increase in the number of people who are unemployed. This is due to the fact that the economically active population is increasing at a faster rate than jobs are being created.

According to the Labour Force Surveys of Statistics South Africa, between 1999 and 2002 there was an average annual decrease of 2% in employment. Compounding this is the tendency for new jobs to be less secure and with a lower wage.

While the economic contribution of service-based industries has been growing over time, jobs have been lost in the more traditional areas of mining and heavy industry. This has been particularly the case with low skilled workers, who are not easily able to find employment in growing sectors.

Poverty and development profile

As a result of poor employment levels, the benefits of economic growth have not yet been translated into broad-based income redistribution and poverty alleviation. Levels of inequality, as measured by the Gini Coefficient, increased by 3% between 1995 and 2000 to 0.61. Growing inequality has been most pronounced within the African population.

The number of households with monthly incomes below R1200 also grew by 8% between 1999 and 2000. However, the inclusion of the social wage component into the calculation of the Gini Coefficient would probably result in an improvement in these figures.

Another important indicator of poverty relates to our children. An HSRC report estimated that about 48% of children lived in poor households, with 51% of under five’s living below the poverty line. According to the 1999 National Food Consumption Survey, approximately 40% of children in Gauteng aged between one and nine years of age experience hunger.

Access to basic services such as water and sanitation has been significantly improved. In 2001, according to the 2001 Census, 90% of households had access to piped water and 82% access to flush toilets. 70% had access to electricity.

According to the Census, the percentage of the population aged 20 years or more with no education has decreased from 9.5% in 1996 to 8.4% in 2001. Gauteng has the highest number of individuals with higher education residing in any single province – equal to about 30% of the country’s total.

According to the 1999 October Household Survey, 83% of the population lives within 2 km of a primary school, while 73% live within 2 km of a secondary school and 75% within 2 km of a clinic.

Sustainability Profile

As a result of our high human population growth, the legacy of mining and industrial developments and Gauteng’s location at the confluence of a high number of freight movement routes, the province experiences a high level of environmental vulnerability. This is despite the fact that only 15% of Gauteng’s 1.7 million hectares is developed.

However, the introduction of electricity and its increased use for cooking has lessened dependence on coal and led to some improvement in air quality.

Our mining legacy has impacted significantly on our environmental vulnerability. About 15 000 to 16 000 hectares of land has been sterilised by some 160 slime dams and cannot be used for human settlement. Mine waste, which seeps into the underground aquifers, impacts on the quality of our water.

Industrial effluents and storm water run off, and the demand on the domestic water reserve mean that Gauteng is threatened with permanent water shortages

With respect to biodiversity, South Africa has the highest known concentration of threatened plants and the highest extinction estimates for any area in the world. About 20% of biodiversity in Gauteng is not protected including examples of species where no other known population exists, for example, Juliana’s Golden Mole.

Gauteng’s land cover of 1.7 million hectares includes over 700 000 hectares of agricultural land. Much of this land is of high and moderate potential that is of significance, given South Africa’s limited arable and irrigable agricultural land. Estimates by the National Department of Agriculture indicate that only approximately 12% of South Africa’s land surface, i.e. 14 million hectares, is arable. Of this only 13% is irrigable. Furthermore, only 4% of the total agricultural land area of our country is high or moderate potential land. The loss of agricultural land is irreversible. It is therefore critical that a cautious approach is followed with respect to competing land uses, given that national food sufficiency is partially dependent on domestic production.

5. Growth for all

The developmental outcomes identified by national, provincial and local government over the past ten years all depend on economic growth. Stimulating economic growth and improving access to economic opportunities has therefore been one of the provincial government’s foremost priorities.

Growth on its own, however, is not enough and government has an important role to play in influencing the benefits derived from this growth, for example, increased employment, access to economic opportunities and wealth distribution.

What did we inherit in 1994?

The economy we inherited from apartheid in 1994 was characterised by negative growth rates, rising unemployment and racial inequality.

Some salient economic features of the era leading up to the establishment of the democratic state include the following:

• The formal economy grew at only 0,7% per annum between 1980 and 1989. This was below the national average of 1,6%. From 1984 to 1991 and from 1988 to 1993 growth was estimated at -0.4% and -0.5%
• Unemployment levels were rising and in October 1994 were estimated to be in the region of 29%. For Africans the figure was even higher, at about 40%. Between 1980 and 1991, no less than 21 000 jobs were lost in the Johannesburg central business district alone.
• Labour absorption rates were below 1%
• The province relied on primary production industries (especially gold, iron and steel) characterized by low value added production?
• The manufacturing sector was internationally uncompetitive, having its origins in the drive for self sufficiency and import replacement spurred on by sanctions against apartheid.

In addition to the weaknesses of the local economy, the global economic order that the province and indeed the country entered into in 1994 presented a number of additional challenges for the newly elected democratic government. These included:

• Changing international demand for exports away from low value added manufactured goods towards services and high value added manufacturing
• The decline of the value of the Rand against currencies such as the dollar, pound and yen
• New World Trade Organisation prescriptions for a reduction of tariffs and other protection mechanisms.

Against such an economic backdrop the provincial government had to put in place a number of innovative policies to break the trend of economic deterioration and set Gauteng on a sustainable economic growth path.

A new growth strategy

After extensive research, the Gauteng Provincial Government published its Trade and Industry Strategy (T&IS) in 1997. This focused on improving the province’s industrial and trade performance and attracting foreign direct investment. It also identified ways to increase the contribution of high value added manufacturing and the tertiary sector to the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

A key element of the Gauteng government’s vision has been to build the province into a globally competitive "smart centre". Key strategic thrusts included:

• The realignment of the manufacturing sector away from traditional heavy industry and low value added production towards more sophisticated, high value added production
• The development of a smart province with a specific focus on information and communication technology, telecommunications equipment, research and development and the biotechnology industry; and
• The development of the finance and business service sector with a focus on financial services and technology, auxiliary business services and technology, corporate head office locations, transport and business tourism.

The birth of Blue IQ

In February 2000, R1,2 billion was set aside for projects to promote this strategy, with a particular focus on investing in strategic economic infrastructure. This ambitious initiative was initially called the Strategic Economic Infrastructure Investment Programme (SEIIP) and was later branded as Blue IQ – the plan for a smart province.

In 2003, a revised Trade and Industrial Strategy was put in place with a greater focus on broadening participation in economic activities and extending the benefits of economic activity to all the people of the province.

The Blue IQ projects have the core purpose of delivering strategic infrastructure that acts as a catalyst for market-driven growth. Blue IQ projects include:

• The Constitution Hill Precinct, scheduled for completion in 2004
• The Gauteng Automotive Cluster including the Automotive Industry Development Centres (AIDC) and Supplier Park in Pretoria
• The Newtown Cultural Precinct, including the Mary Fitzgerald Square, the Metro Mall and the Nelson Mandela Bridge, which opened in July 2003
• The Innovation Hub
• The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link
• The Wadeville-Alrode Corridor
• The Johannesburg International Airport
• The City Deep Logistics Hub
• The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site
• The Dinokeng "Africa in a Day" ecotourism destination; and
• The Kliptown Urban Renewal Project
• By 2003, 96% of the initial R1,2 billion budget had been spent and important progress had been made on all the projects. The results earned Gauteng the reputation of having been turned into a construction site and in, many cases, changed the Gauteng landscape forever.

INSERT BOX ON PROGRESS WITH BLUE IQ PROJECTS

In addition to the Blue IQ projects, the provincial government established a number of institutions to promote trade and investment, tourism and small and medium business development in the province. These include:

• The Gauteng Manufacturing Advice Centre
• The Gauteng Economic Development Agency
• The Gauteng Tourism Authority; and
• The Gauteng Film Office

Empowerment through procurement

The province has also used its considerable procurement muscle to promote small and medium enterprises (SME), Black economic empowerment (BEE) and the empowerment of the previously disadvantaged such as women and people with disabilities. This approach was initially promoted through the Gauteng Tender Board and, more recently, through the procurement policy of provincial government departments including the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC). The provincial government has set targets of over 80% on certain contracts such as in construction. The maximum participation of SME’s and PDI’s in tendering for government goods and services will be more fully realised once the procurement platform of the GSSC is fully operational.

Local economic development

Municipalities have become more sustainable as a result of local economic development projects. These include support to SMMEs, co-operatives and specific community projects, which contribute to job creation and poverty alleviation.

The provincial government has supported district municipalities in local economic development initiatives, including in identifying and supporting the implementation of projects. These include a cut foliage project which has linkages to the West Rand Agricultural Hub in the West Rand, a Chemical Incubator in Sedibeng and an Entrepreneur Development Centre in Metsweding.

Key achievements

The policies of the Gauteng Provincial Government, supported by national and local policies and initiatives in partnership with the private sector, have already made a significant impact on our economy. The following figures are testimony to this:

• Between 1995 and 2002 the Gauteng economy grew at an average of 3,3% compared to 2,7% for the national average over the same period. This provincial growth rate is comparable to that of other developing countries such as India (3,9%) and Brazil (3,7%) in the same period. This also represents a significant improvement from the low and negative growth rates that characterized the mid-1980s to early 1990s.
• While the province’s contribution to Gross National Product (GNP) was 32,6% in 1995, this increased to 33,9% in 2002
• As a testimony to success in changing the economic trajectory of the province, Gross Geographic Product (GGP) composition has shifted from primary and secondary industries, which made up 1,8% and 29,2% of GGP in 1997, down to 1,3% and 23,9% in 2002 respectively. The contribution of tertiary services (including services in the areas of finance, transport and communications) increased from 60% in 1995 to 66% in 2002
• The share of government spending in provincial GGP decreased from 22,8% in 1995 to 21,6% in 2002. This points to the provincial government’s strategy in providing an environment conducive to economic growth and private sector investment
• In 2000, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Gauteng totalled R1.69 billion, representing 19% of total foreign investment in the country. The agricultural sector had FDI amounting to R200 million in 2000. This accounted for 10% of FDI. The financial sector is the province’s fastest growing sector and received an injection of R106 million or 5% of FDI. The telecommunication industry received R142 million FDI in 2000.
• Based on the expanded definition, Gauteng has an unemployment rate of 35.1% - lower than the national average of 41.5%
• SME promotion through government procurement improved, with 53% of tenders awarded to SME’s in 2000 and 60% in 2001.

Challenges ahead

Leveraging the economic growth that has been achieved over the past ten years for employment creation has proved to be one of the country’s greatest challenges. According to Stats SA’s Portfolio of South Africa, unemployment levels were approximately 28% between 1996 and 1998. However, this had increased to around 30% in 2003, according to the Labour Force Survey. Within the economic arena, key challenges that remain to be addressed include:

• Improving in the quality of jobs, as measured by sustainability and ability to provide individuals with the necessary means to address all their basic needs
• Optimising labour absorption in all sectors including through the use of labour-intensive methods where appropriate
• Ensuring that Gauteng’s different regions complement each other rather than compete in pursuit of comparative economic advantage
• Increasing the participation of small and medium enterprises in the economy and fostering their growth into larger enterprises
• Ensuring that the economy’s shift towards the tertiary and service sector does not lead to the premature death of secondary and primary industries which still account for a significant number of jobs. For example, manufacturing accounted for almost 20% of employment in the province in 2001
• Winning the rights to be the main host of the 2010 Soccer World Cup would boost economic growth. Such an event promises to bring significant economic benefits and job creation, particularly in the tourism, clothing and textile, ICT, transport, construction, hospitality, media and related sectors
• Ensuring that sustainable and clean production methods are implemented so as to reduce the waste and pollution burden of industry on our environment and to improve the health and well-being of the province’s people
• Aligning the outputs of education and training institutions with the skills and knowledge requirements of our growing economy.

6. Fighting poverty

Poverty and deprivation have been among apartheid’s most damaging and pervasive legacies. The fight against poverty and the protection of the poor and the most vulnerable has therefore been a strong and tangible commitment of the Gauteng Provincial Government. This has included reducing the negative impact of poverty through broadening access to resources such as social grants, nutrition and social services. It has also entailed attacking the roots of poverty through improved access to economic opportunities, incomes, education and jobs.

The vast majority of provincial government programmes, including health and welfare services, education, the provision of basic services and housing, are aimed at benefiting the poor. In addition, a number of specific departmental and cross-sectoral programmes were introduced to address poverty through:

• Improving access to social security
• Providing education and free health care
• Creating short-term jobs
• Ensuring food security including utilizing food gardens and school nutrition
• Providing free water and electricity
• Establishing poverty alleviation projects

A multi-pronged approach

The provincial government has implemented an integrated, multi-pronged strategy to tackle the twin challenges of poverty and joblessness in the short, medium and long term. This is based on the understanding that higher levels of economic growth and investment, coupled with better education and skills development, would result in sustainable employment and incomes for more people. The impact of this aspect of the strategy will be felt in the medium to long term.

Other steps were necessary to involve as many unemployed people as possible in gainful and constructive work in the short term. Short-term job creation, mainly through public works programmes, and income generating opportunities through poverty alleviation and development projects, have therefore been an important part of the province’s anti-poverty strategy.

Poverty has also been addressed by improving the social wage of poor people in Gauteng. This includes providing a certain amount of basic services free, free or affordable health care, feeding schemes and so on. These initiatives have a positive impact in the short to medium term and are particularly aimed at the most vulnerable, including women, children, youth, people with disabilities and those affected by HIV/Aids.

Better access to social grants

The social grant system has been government’s most significant short-term contribution towards helping the most vulnerable. Between 1999 and 2002 there were major increases in the provision of old age pensions, disability grants, foster care and child support grants, with a 294% increase over the period.

The provision of child support grants in Gauteng far exceeded national targets. Towards the end of 2003, 469 980 children were receiving child support grants. Following widespread mobilisation campaigns over the past few years, the province is close to achieving its goal of ensuring that all those eligible to receive the grant are indeed receiving it.

In addition to extending access to social grants, service delivery levels have improved resulting in reduced processing times, increased accessibility of pay points and reduced fraud and corruption. Processes have been streamlined and optimal technology has been leveraged. While grant applications used to take many months, by 2004 the majority of grant applications were being processed in one month.

In August 2003, the provincial government introduced an innovative new approach to the payment of grants. Together with All Pay, the Sekulula card was introduced as a no cost banking system especially created for social grant beneficiaries. This meant that beneficiaries would no longer have to go to pay-out points but would have their grants paid directly into accounts, which would be exempt from service charges.

Short-term job creation

Since 1999, the province has made significant strides in maximizing the number of jobs created by infrastructure projects in the province. Key initiatives include:

• Community Based Public Works Programmes
• Maximisation of Labour Content of CAPEX project
• Labour intensive construction
• The Zivuseni programme to maintain provincial assets
• Working for Water and Land Care Programmes

Maximising labour intensity

The LABMAX programme, which aimed to maximise the use of labour with CAPEX created over 32 000 jobs in the 2002/2003 financial year, and another 17 000 in the following six months.

The Labour Intensive Programme (LIP), which is aimed at the implementation of projects with a minimum of 45% labour content created a further 1502 jobs.

Overall, the number of public works related jobs created increased from just over 9 000 in 1994/95 to approximately 21 000 in 1998/99. By the end of the 2002/2003 financial year the number of jobs created had topped 35 000.

In 2003, the Gauteng government’s Executive Council took a decision that all infrastructure projects would maximise the use of labour intensive methods and that this should be specified in contracts. The implementation of this decision is expected to result in the creation of an additional 50 000 jobs in the next three years, over and above the 72 000 jobs created through the provincial CAPEX programme.

Community Based Public Works

The Community Based Public Works Programme was set up in 1994 and then relaunched in 2002 to focus on the construction of public assets in partnership with other spheres of government or the private sector. Over the initial period it led to the creation of 187 community facilities including schools, clinics, multi-purpose centres, old age homes, hospices, and community halls in more than 120 communities. Job opportunities were created for 3 525 people, of whom 49% were women, 32% youth and 10% people with disabilities. Through the programme, 2 199 people from marginalised communities have received portable skills that they can use to access other income generating opportunities.

Zivuseni

In 2002, the provincial government launched an innovative new programme to both address poverty and improve public assets. The Zivuseni programme focuses on providing short-term job opportunities to unemployed people. Activities include repairing and renovating schools and clinics, clean up campaigns, waste recycling, horticulture projects at clinics and grass cutting along provincial roads. In its first 18 months of operation, approximately 14 000 beneficiaries were employed – over 60% of them women. The programme also focuses on training. In 2003 about 3 500 participants received life skills training, while 28 foremen received training in site management and supervision.

Food security

The province has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve access to food for the most poor.

Food gardens

The Department of Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs (Dacel), runs a food garden programme which has helped put food on the table for over 12 000 Gauteng households over the last seven years. In October 2003, a new programme was launched, targeting an initial 1000 households with food garden starter packs and tools in three of the most impoverished informal settlements in our province: Simunye on the West Rand, Zithobeni in Metsweding and Kanana in Sedibeng.

The Department of Health also has a Vitamin A supplementation programme, for babies and children up to the age of five years who are at nutritional risk. Food gardens have been set up at health facilities and food parcels and nutritional supplements targeting TB sufferers and people living with HIV/AIDS are provided.

Learner nutrition

Since 1994, school and pre-school children have benefitted from the provincial government’s School Nutrition Programme. The provincial government committed itself to ensure that no school child is prevented from learning because of poverty.

By the end of 2003, this was benefiting over 317 587 primary school learners, including Grade R learners, in over 1000 schools. Regional breakdowns were as follows:

• Johannesburg: 85 466
• Tshwane/Metseding: 78 460
• Sedibeng: 35 317
• West Rand District: 29 371
• Ekurhuleni: 88 973

In 2003, a feeding programme was piloted to extend the school feeding scheme to secondary schools, reaching 24 schools and over 25 000 learners. A full rollout of the scheme to secondary schools will take place in 2004.

The provincial government has also addressed other factors that impact negatively on the learning process of children from poor families. In 2003, over 1000 children who are either orphans or from child-headed households were given free school uniforms. Scholar transport also assists poor learners. Free scholar transport was extended to learners in rural areas and informal settlements in 2003, benefiting 37 000 learners.

Poverty alleviation projects

Over the past ten years the provincial government has funded many poverty alleviation projects. One of government’s flagship projects was in Bekkersdal, where 177 previously unemployed women were involved in various programmes such as a restaurant, a hair salon, a guesthouse, a crèche, a recreation centre, a food garden, a car wash facility and a mobile kitchen. The government invested R464 000 over a three-year period for use in infrastructure, training, equipment and materials. The proceeds from the project are shared amongst the participants.

However over the period, the poverty alleviation strategy has focused more on job creation programmes such as Zivuseni, improving the social wage of the poor and initiating development centres. The provincial government has therefore withdrawn from or consolidated a number of projects in line with government’s key mandates.

Free water and electricity

Providing residents with a basic amount of free water and electricity is a very effective measure to target and support the poor. These programmes were introduced in 2002 and, by 2003, all municipalities in the province were providing free basic amounts of water and electricity to residents, except in areas serviced by Eskom. However, in October 2003 an agreement was reached with Eskom to ensure that residents in these areas would also qualify for free basic electricity.

Currently over 90% of households in Gauteng, including those in cross boundary municipalities, have access to water, over 80% have access to basic sanitation, about 73% access to electricity and over 80% have weekly refuse removal. The majority of people in Gauteng now enjoy their rights to basic services and have their dignity restored.

Challenges ahead

The provincial government has made a significant impact on the lives of the people of Gauteng who suffered most from poverty and deprivation. The fight against poverty and the delivery of quality social services remain critical cornerstones of our programme to build a caring province and a caring nation. Going forward our challenges include:

• Increasing the scale of positive initiatives such as the food security programmes and secondary school feeding
• The successful establishment of a Social Security Agency and the extension of the child support grant
• Ensuring the sustainability of the social security system in the light of the HIV/AIDS pandemic
• Increasing the scale and impact of public works programmes and strengthening partnerships with the private sector and communities
• Improving targeting so that those most in need, including children and those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, are prioritised

7. Building sustainable communities

Transforming impoverished settlements and building sustainable and vibrant communities has been a challenging priority for the provincial government, particularly due to the growing population numbers resulting from migration to the province. Sustainable communities are communities in which residents can pursue meaningful and productive lives and which optimise the use of natural resources to the benefit of all its residents.

The provision of housing on well-located land, close to economic opportunities and with access to amenities are crucial aspects of sustainable communities. Others include the provision of basic services and public facilities such as schools, clinics and sport and recreational facilities, urban renewal, transport, the environment and safety and security.

While considerable challenges remain, steady progress has been made in building better and more communities in Gauteng through transforming existing settlements and building new communities.

What did we inherit in 1994?

One of the obvious manifestations of apartheid policy was the creation of racially divided communities. Levels of infrastructure and other public investment in these communities were based on race, with high levels of investment in White areas and poor or non-existent facilities and services in Black communities.

The 1994 democratically elected government thus inherited a system of gross inequality and increasing neglect of services to the majority of the people. Approximately half of the Black African population was informally housed in the early 1990’s. In 1994 the housing backlog as a percentage of all households stood at 31% and informal houses made up 38% of the total formal houses.

Urban migration from the late 1980’s had given rise to large-scale informal settlements with no services and public amenities. Rent and rates boycotts and land invasions were common, in response to housing shortages and poor services.

Addressing the legacy

Like combating poverty, creating sustainable communities is an inter-departmental and cross-sectoral undertaking. In the Gauteng government, this has involved the Departments of Housing; Public Transport, Roads and Works, Safety and Liaison as well as Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs.

Housing and basic services

The provision of access to basic services to the majority of South Africans who previously did not have such access has been a significant achievement. Currently over 90% of households in Gauteng (including cross boundary municipalities) have access to water, over 80% have access to basic sanitation, about 73% access to electricity and over 80% have weekly refuse removal. The majority of people in Gauteng now enjoy their rights to basic services.

Since 1994, the Gauteng Department of Housing has spent approximately R5 billion and has provided 500 076 housing opportunities and shelter to more than 2,5 million people in Gauteng. Housing delivery peaked during 1997 to 322 000 units, mostly through the project-linked subsidy scheme.

Between 1994 and 2003, 295 218 stands were serviced, 193 360 new houses built and 277 367 houses transferred in Gauteng.

Between 1994 and 1999 the focus was primarily to deliver security of tenure and housing at scale to the poorest of the poor. By 1999 there was an increasing emphasis in policy made to improve not just the quantity but also the quality of houses built.

This arose partly due to the recognition that the delivery of low cost houses in badly located settlements had reinforced apartheid settlement patterns. The poorest communities were thus increasingly marginalized without a range of facilities and amenities to make a holistic living environment.

On top of the massive housing backlog inherited from apartheid, the problems facing government in addressing homelessness were compounded over the ten years by two key factors. Large numbers of migrants to the province led to an increasing demand for housing. Due to a lack of income opportunities, many people on housing waiting lists could not afford even the simplest of houses.

In 2002, the provincial government amended its housing policy to address current realities. Today the focus of the provincial government’s attention is on:

• Ensuring that all residents have access to essential services, water and sanitation and to ensure that those in existing and planned settlements have such services to an intermediate standard by 2006
• Enabling residents to build their own homes through the People’s Housing Process. Government provides support, including training, through 60 Housing Support Centres around the province and through the rapid release of land
• Enabling social housing projects for the less poor through supporting housing institutions and attracting the private sector to partner in housing delivery through the Gauteng Partnership Fund. Key social housing projects include flats in Alexandra and Carr Gardens in the inner city
• Establishing Holistic urban renewal programmes in particular areas that have borne the brunt of apartheid policies of exclusion and neglect such as Alexandra, Kashrus, Lipton and Bekkersdal
• Regenerating Hostels , either through converting hostels into more habitable places or into family accommodation in Soweto, City Deep and Katlehong

Housing delivery has also concerned itself with the promotion of black economic and small and medium enterprise empowerment. The provincial housing department has laid out specific ownership and participation requirements for professional services rendered by service providers. These include:

Black ownership and participation	-	70%
Female ownership and participation	-	30%
Disabled persons ownership and participation	-	5%

The province is successfully turning around communities and areas that have been the focus of urban regeneration projects. The major urban renewal projects include Kathorus, Alexandra, Kliptown and the Johannesburg inner city.

Kathorus

The Kathorus Special Integrated Presidential Project (KSIPP) was one of seven high profile urban regeneration projects launched by South Africa’s newly elected post-apartheid government in 1994.

Straddling three African townships, accommodating an estimated one and a half million people, the Kathorus project provided infrastructure, housing and community facilities to Katlehong, Thokoza and Valorous in an integrated manner unprecedented for its time. Starting with a presidential grant of R645, 1 million and an additional R2 400 million of geared public funding, over 300 projects were delivered – on time and within budget.

During its five year life-span, the project:

• Rehabilitated engineering services, including sewerage, refuse removal, roads, storm water, rail, electricity and telephone lines throughout the area
• Established three new police stations, 23 satellite police stations and an SOS Emergency Communication System, and purchased 68 patrol vehicles
• Repaired 2 000 violence-damaged houses
• Provided emergency services to all informal settlements
• Developed 12 500 new houses
• Fixed and upgraded 100 schools
• Repaired and extended 15 clinics
• Upgraded three sports stadiums
• Trained 500 community constables in life-skills
• Trained 120 youths in hard skills

Alexandra

Alexandra has a special place in the heart of many South Africans. It was initially one of the few places in the country where black people could own land. However, since its establishment in 1912, successive white minority governments tried endlessly to take away these rights. Alexandra was known for many years as "Dark City", since no electricity was provided, the provision of all services was neglected or denied and people were constantly forced to move out of the area to other parts of the province.

It nevertheless became the proud home of intellectuals, musicians, politicians, poets, film stars and sportsmen and women of world acclaim. As with all places beset by poverty and unemployment, it also had its share of thugs and gangsters.

Famous films of world standards such as such as the "The Magic Garden", "Jim Comes to Joburg" and some parts of "Cry the Beloved Country" were shot in Alex, with some of the actors coming from the area.

The first professional football body, the South African Soccer League, was formed in Alexandra.

The people of Alexandra played an important role in the struggle against apartheid, from the heroic bus boycotts of the late 1950's, popularly known as "Azikhwelwa", to the 1976 resistance by students and the rise of strong youth and civic organisations forming the backbone of the United Democratic Front.

The Alexandra Renewal Project was launched by President Thabo Mbeki in 2001. The multi-faceted project has already begun to change the face of the area and promises to be the best legacy that government can leave for the people of Alexandra. It includes not only the development of housing and social infrastructure such as schools, police stations and heritage sites, but also provides employment for local residents. It has become a pilot in the province, representing what Gauteng would like its communities to become, a vision of how to build a sustainable community. It can show us how to turn not only this Dark City of Alexandra, but all our communities, into cities of light and hope.

Kliptown Urban Renewal Project

Kliptown, like Alexandra, is rich with history. It was here, in 1955, that the historic Freedom Charter was signed. On Freedom Charter Day, 26^th June 2005, the provincial government will open the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication on the same spot where the Freedom Charter was signed. The project will include a centre for the community as well as scholars of freedom and tourists to learn about our past.

But the project is not only about heritage – it is also about local economic development – about rejuvenating the area as an important small business and retail hub serving the communities of Kliptown, Eldorado Park and Soweto. Work has already been completed on improving the road network, taxi station and trading facilities.

To address problems of flooding and to create open spaces for environmental and recreational needs, the Klip River is being restored. From Kliptown through to Soweto, members of the local communities are restoring its natural beauty to a river that was once choked with dirt.

Finally, over 7 000 housing units, mostly social housing, will be built in the area.

Rejuvenating Johannesburg

Cities around the world have changed their nature as they have grown and been impacted upon by the shifting nature of business, globalisation, urbanisation, migration and so on. Johannesburg was no exception and since the 1980’s the inner city went into decline.

However, today the inner city is being transformed to play its role as a dynamic African city, resplendent in its diversity of population and land use types, from the Constitutional Court to the shopping capital of Africa, from social housing for the poor to penthouses for the rich.

The investment by the Gauteng Provincial Government through Blue IQ has been the catalyst for much of this transformation, including the revitalisation of Newtown as a cultural hub, the building of the Nelson Mandela Bridge and MI/Carr Street Interchange, as well as the Mary Fitzgerald Square, the Metro Mall taxi and bus rank.

Still to come to Newtown is the opening of the Sci-bona science edutainment centre in early 2004 that will attract a new constituency of parents, children and tourists to the growing number of music and art lovers that frequent the area.

This has been complemented by inner city housing developments such as Brickfields and Carr Gardens, as well as increasing pro-active measures by the council to take decisive action against poorly maintained private buildings.

The provincial government’s investment has spurred increased occupancy of the inner city by the private sector – old tenants are staying but new tenants, and in some instances a new generation and kind of tenant – small businesses - are moving in. The most dynamic example of this is the Fashion District to the east of the city, now populated by fashion designers and craftsmen from all parts of the continent.

The announcement by the Gauteng Provincial Government in November 2003 that it was buying a number of buildings in the vicinity of the City Hall and Legislature to create a government precinct will be the cherry on the top in the process of changing the face of downtown Johannesburg.

Improving public transport

Public transport is a wide-ranging competency, stretching from the improvement and maintenance of our road network, to road safety and vehicle and drivers licensing. Critical too has been the challenge to improve the culture of compliance and adherence to the rule of law by all road users. This has been no mean feat in the face of a previously unregulated taxi industry competing for scarce resources, overloaded trucks converging and passing through the province from all corners of the sub-region and a vehicle and drivers licensing system that faced a stigma of discrimination and inefficiency from the past.

Over the last ten years, in partnership with national and local government, the Gauteng government have been successful in:

• Bringing about taxi stabilisation and democratisation. Through a combination of tough action against instigators of violence and conflict and capacity building of associations and drivers, we have brought relative peace to this volatile industry. The majority of taxi drivers in the province are now registered. Gauteng has also participated in and is preparing for the process of taxi recapitalisation.
• Overhauling vehicle and drivers licensing so that the systems are now more speedy and effective and have minimised opportunities for corruption and fraud. The province’s best practice model has won international and local accolades and staff members have been recipients of the Premier’s Service Excellence Awards.
• Introducing a much higher level of policing on our roads through increasing the number of traffic officers, introducing metro police forces in all three metros and introducing more sophisticated technology. This has reduced the incidence of road deaths and car hijackings. Increased joint operations between provincial authorities, Metropolitan, District and Local Councils has resulted in the pooling of resources between all Traffic Law Enforcement Agencies.
• Taking tough steps against truck drivers for overloading and unsafe driving. Our latest initiative, Operation Juggernaut, immediately removes suspecting offenders from our roads and takes them to testing stations. During Operation Boima 1–3, the average percentage of overloaded vehicles has decreased from 66% in 2000 to less than 30% in 2003. The number of vehicles weighed increased from close to 15 000 to over 150 000 between 2000 and 2003.
• Maintaining and building roads to enable economic development in key areas, such as the Johannesburg International Airport and City Deep surrounds, targeted areas for industrial development such as Wadeville/Alrode and for tourism such as those around the Cradle of Humankind in Mogale City.
• Conducting Arrive Alive and other road safety campaigns, with peaks during the festive season and Easter.

Environmental management

In a province such as Gauteng, which is urbanized and densely populated, the human footprint of development needs to be managed to ensure that the resource base on which livelihoods depend is not utilized beyond its capacity to be regenerated.

The important role that environmental management plays in the province – and indeed the country at large – was well demonstrated with the successful hosting of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Gauteng during August and September 2002.

The summit provided a platform to re-evaluate our approach to development and put in place measures to turn back from socially, economically and financially unsustainable practices, including in the areas of traffic control, waste management, greening and ‘clean’ and renewable energy sources.

There has been significant development amongst key stakeholders, the public at large and amongst learners, through the use of learning materials in schools, in understanding the necessity of managing the impacts of development and converting to the best sustainable development practices.

Highlights include:

• The development of strategies and plans for waste management and pollution abatement
• The establishment of a multi-stakeholder forum to deal with the negative human health and environmental impacts resulting from mining activity
• The planning and implementation of cutting edge management of health care risk waste improving worker health and safety, reducing the risk of needle stick injuries and reducing and safely disposing of the waste stream
• Providing state of the environment reporting
• The development of cutting edge administrative guidelines, policies and spatially mapped decision support tools to authorize development
• The hosting of WSSD and implementation of the "Greening the WSSD" Global Environmental Facility funded programme
• Initiating a pilot project for the conversation of government vehicles to cleaner technology.

A number of regulations, policies and administrative guidelines have also been introduced in line with national legislation and policy.

Safety and security

At the birth of our democracy, political violence was an ever-present threat. Yet this declined rapidly as a result of the legitimacy of the new government and the political processes which brought it into power. While over 1000 people died as a result of political violence in 1993, violent events declined from 361 in 1994 to 100 in 1995. At the same time, peaceful protests increased from 49 in 1994 to 137 in 1995, indicating a strengthening of the culture of democracy in society.

However, soon on the horizon and reaching greater and greater prominence and seriousness over the period has been the increase of other forms of crime – increasingly violent crime as well as social crime.

This has been a national challenge. However, by the end of the period, crime had stabilised and promises to continue the crack-down bear fruit, as the extensive measures to improve policing and attack the roots of crime.

Taxi and train violence, political related crimes, organised crime, the use of illegal firearms and sexual assault crimes have all stabilised or come down.

The provincial government has worked with the SA Police Services (SAPS) to improve visible policing and focus more on crime combating. The ongoing process of recruitment and training of new members on new policing methods and community principles, as well as the building of community-police relations, have boosted this approached.

The provincial Safety and Liaison department was also instrumental in the establishment of three Metro Police forces to address law and traffic law enforcement, deal with petty crimes and increase visibility.

Some of the key areas of work of the provincial department include:

Building community-police relations

The advent of democracy in South Africa ushered in the concept of community policing and Community Policy Forums (CPF’s). These structures brought together the police and representatives of different sections of communities to discuss crime related problems and measures of crime prevention. Their duty has been to communicate and solve problems and, most importantly, they have to ensure police accountability, transparency and the effectiveness of crime reduction operations.

Prevention of violence, neglect and abuse of women and children

Boosted by new legislation including the new Maintenance Act, the Termination of Pregnancy Act and Domestic Violence Act, 1998, government has been increasingly able to tackle the violation of the rights of women and children.

The Gauteng Department of Safety and Liaison, in partnership with the Departments of Health and Social Services and Population Development and the private sector, has been establishing trauma centres and victim empowerment rooms.

The training of police officers, forensic nurses and other role players has also been prioritised to ensure that victims of domestic violence and other sexual offences are assisted in a more humane and sensitive way and drastically to improve successful prosecutions.

The province has also pioneered the concept of one-stop victim support centres at Natalspruit and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospitals as well as in communities such as Alexandra. The province is building a flagship one-stop centre in Braamfontein, called Ikhaya le Themba.

School crime prevention

To support broader government efforts to foster a culture of teaching and learning, various safer schools projects designed to create safe, disciplined, weapon- and drug-free schools have been implemented. These include Adopt-A-Cop programmes and Tiisa Thuto that have helped shape the attitudes, knowledge and behaviour of young people and assisted in building a trustworthy relationship between school stakeholders, particularly learners and the SAPS.

Youth crime prevention

Concerted efforts have been made to deal with youth related crimes throughout the province. Programmes have been implemented to ensure that young people are protected as both perpetrators and victims. Results achieved include increased youth leadership, improved relations between young people and law enforcement agencies, youth diversion and rehabilitation and increased awareness of the dangers of risk-taking behaviour such as substance abuse.

Sport, recreation, arts and culture

The provincial government has made important inroads in addressing socio-economic imbalances and backlogs in sport, recreation, arts, culture, heritage resources and libraries.

Cultural activities, both traditional and modern, create meaning for people and embody the identity and values of a country. They can communicate both the country’s heritage as well as the idea of what it means to be a South African in the 21^st century. This is essential for nation building, particularly due to the impact of globalisation on national identity.

Public events spearheaded by the provincial government to mark commemorative days such as Human Rights Day, Workers Day, Freedom Day, National Youth Day, National Women’s Day and Heritage Day have contributed to this process. People from diverse backgrounds are embracing the events and a sense of patriotism and nation building has emerged.

Since 1999, the provincial government has embarked on four legacy projects in the areas of dance, choral music, jazz and craft. These have focused on the promotion and development of local artists showcasing their talents at regional events and culminating in the annual Arts Alive/Heritage month in September every year.

Among the monuments and memorials established to honour our past heroes are included the Sharpeville memorial that was unveiled in March 2002, the Thokoza reconciliation monument unveiled in December 1999 and the Oliver Tambo exhibition that was unveiled on 21 June 2000.

Challenges ahead

Going forward, the challenges of the provincial government in building sustainable communities include:

Housing

• Keeping pace with increasing migration and urbanisation
• Ensuring that all our citizens have access to ?adequate water and sanitation by 2006

Transport

• Putting congestion management and the promotion of public transport higher on the agenda
• Reducing the distances travelled between home and work
• Reducing the use of private and petrochemical-based transport

Environment

• Ensuring the more efficient usage of non-renewable resources such as water and energy
• Enabling and supporting both industries and households to embrace cleaner production methods and technology
• Promoting public transport in order to reduce use of fossil fuels

Safety and security

• Promoting social regeneration through campaigns such as moral regeneration and life-skills programmes for youth
• Increasing the scale of many positive initiatives such as diversion and victim empowerment programmes, school safety and victim support centres.

8. Quality health care for all

Improving the quality of social services, including education and health care, and extending access to these services to all, has been a primary focus of the provincial government over the first decade of democracy. The result has been a massive expansion in health care and education and significant improvements in service delivery levels for the people of the province.

Health care

Achieving a healthy population is the product of numerous factors, including healthy living, adequate nutrition and access to decent water and sanitation services. Here we focus on the role of the provincial Department of Health in providing health care and safeguarding the health of our population over the past ten years.

Health prior to 1994

Prior to 1994, the South African health system was based on apartheid policies and characterized by racial and geographic disparities, fragmentation and duplication. The approach was centred around hospitals, with lip service paid to primary health care.

Quality health care for all

The provincial government’s starting point in addressing the legacy of apartheid was to shift from a curative and hospital-based system towards the development of a district health system. This entailed a primary health care approach providing equal access to all. Today firm foundations have been laid in establishing an equitable and quality health system for all

At the outset of democracy, government promised free health care for children and pregnant mothers. This move significantly improved access to health services and showed our commitment to health care. But it also placed significant strain on health care institutions.

Over the past ten years the provincial government has been working steadily to improve the health status of the population, providing better quality health services and achieving value for money through the provision of effective and efficient services.

Improved health status

The central focus in improving the health status of the population has been on maternal and child health, communicable diseases, HIV/AIDS, chronic diseases, trauma and violence, and the promotion of mental well-being and services for the disabled. Some of the achievements in this regard include:

• Reducing the incidence of diarrhoea among children under five years of age from 204 per 1000 population in 1998 to 59.4 in 2002
• Increasing immunisation coverage among children younger than one year of age from 54% in 1994 to 72% in 1998 and 79% in 2002
• Immunising 94% of children against polio by 2002
• Decreasing early pregnancies related deaths from about 12% in 1998 to 8% for the period 1999 to 2001
• Decreasing the incidence of measles, malaria, viral hepatitis and meningococcal meningitis.

To provide better quality health services, hospitals and clinics have been revitalised and new ones built. The full range of primary health care services is now provided in all municipalities and emergency services have improved and more ambulances have been provided.

As a testimony to increased accessibility of health care services, the number of visits to Gauteng primary health care facilities increased from 1.65 million in 1994 to about 10.4 million in 2002.

Today, there are 28 provincial hospitals with a total of 13 882 beds. Of these, 2 493 are in specialized hospitals for psychiatric care, rehabilitation and infectious diseases. In 2002, these hospitals admitted 720 664 patients and delivered 117 670 babies. Every year about 200 000 operations are performed and four million outpatient visits are made to hospitals. The new Sebokeng Hospital will be ready for occupation by March 2004.

Folateng

In 2002, the provincial government launched the first of a network of private wards named Folateng in public hospitals in Gauteng. The first Folateng ward was opened at Johannesburg Hospital and now has an 80% occupancy rate. Folateng wards at Helen Joseph Hospital, with 40 beds, and Pretoria West Hospital, with 47 beds, were opened in June 2003. A 32-bed Folateng ward at Sebokeng Hospital is being renovated and is scheduled for occupation by February 2004.

Better patient care

Significant efforts have been made to improve patient care. A Patient Charter was drawn up, systems of redress are in place and, to motivate staff, the Khanyisa Award for Service Excellence was introduced in 1998. More than 6 700 wheelchairs have been provided since 1997 and 95% of our health facilities are accessible to people with disabilities.

A survey conducted by CIET in May 2003 shows that 95% of Gauteng residents have access to health care services. An impressive 82% of users in the past year were satisfied with our services on their last visit.

The HIV/Aids pandemic has become an increasingly critical challenge over the past decade. This is addressed elsewhere in the report, but suffice it to say that the health care system has excelled in responding speedily and effectively by ensuring that every woman in the province has access to the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Programme for HIV/ AIDS and the implementation of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for survivors of sexual assault.

Challenges ahead

Critical in addressing the heath status of our people is addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic, environmental factors such as poor air quality and food security and enabling and encouraging healthy lifestyles. This will require an increased focus on prevention in the next period – not only to prevent HIV/AIDS – but also to related factors such nutrition, health literacy, accident prevention on our roads, the reduction of violence and addressing substance abuse.

One of the particular challenges that we face in Gauteng is the wide burden of disease that places significant challenges on our health system. The next period will need to see the introduction of affordable and equitable staff establishments and service re-organisation to ensure improved health status and affordability across the province.

Also important will be the consolidation of the primary health care system, realignment of district health systems and conversion of all Gauteng’s tertiary hospitals into worldwide centres of excellence. Our tertiary hospitals already have centres of excellence in key areas such as HIV/AIDS research, oncology, ophthalmology, neurophysiology and surgery, spinal surgery, renal and telesurgery and wound and trauma treatment, including hand surgery.

The provision of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) will be a particular challenge for our health care system although it ?undoubtedly will help improve the status of those affected by HIV/Aids, prolong life, reduce the number of AIDS orphans, and reduce overloading at our hospitals.

Critical to address these challenges are adequate human resources, good laboratory services, effective information systems, competent service providers in all categories, efficient management systems and an effective communication and community mobilisation strategy.

9. Building quality public schooling

Education and training is vital in providing people with the means to pursue productive and active lives. In today’s knowledge-intensive world, the significance of education has become increasingly obvious.

Apartheid’s racial education system was an important instrument in perpetuating inequality oppression and discrimination. It was a gross denial of human rights, as the students of 1976 showed. The resulting underdevelopment of human resources has been a significant obstacle to improved economic growth in the post-apartheid South Africa.

Since 1994, education has therefore been one of the key areas of transformation for the democratically elected government in building a new society.

What did we inherit in 1994?

The democratic government inherited a dismal situation in education in 1994. These figures give us some indication of the problem:

• In 1994, 40% of the adult population could not read or write. By 1996, this figure had been reduced to 20%
• In 1994, only about 40% of Black students passed matric
• In 1995, 64% of learners were enrolled in primary schools and 36% in secondary schools
• In 1995, the ratio of pupil to instruction areas ranged from 22:1 in some parts of Johannesburg and 45:1 in Vanderbijlpark
• In 1996, only 20% of adult Africans had a matric
• In 1993, there was such a poor culture of learning and teaching that 11 million pupil days were forfeited in 16 000 instances of disruption at schools.

Addressing the legacy

It was clear that a number of bold and decisive policy and programme initiatives were needed to undo the considerable harm caused by the apartheid education system. Over the years government have done just that. Steps were taken to unify the various racially defined education departments that existed under apartheid, to improve the school curriculum and matriculation results, to create a culture of learning and teaching and to introduce innovations such as computers in schools and life skills.

Some of our key programmes have included focus on the following areas:

Equitable funding mechanisms

The mechanism for funding schools was transformed in April 2000. Communities were ranked according to their socio-economic profiles and the budget was distributed along equitable lines.

Schools for focused learning

The year 2001 saw the introduction of Schools for Focused Learning that committed the department to further addressing the imbalances of the past and promoting the principles of democracy. These schools focus on different specialised areas including mathematics, science and technology.

Rural schools

In 2003 the provincial government introduced scholar transport for learners from rural schools. To improve the quality of teaching and learning, a plan was also implemented to consolidate rural schools and provide boarding opportunities for learners.

Inclusive education

Steps have been taken to ensure that there are no barriers to entry into the education system for children with disabilities and special needs. The provincial government is implementing the national White Paper on inclusion, giving the same opportunities to children with special needs and as far as possible, mainstreaming their education.

Matric Results

Numerous programmes have been introduced to improve matriculation results. These include targeting the worst schools through the Senior Secondary Intervention Programme, Education Action Zones and Role Model Intervention Programmes. The interventions have had impressive results, far exceeding targets. The matric pass rate improved from 57,05% in 1999 to 82% in 2003.

Office of Standards in Education

A new Office for Standards was established in 1999 to monitor education standards across the province and benchmark organizational performance and learner achievement levels. Whole School Evaluation and quality assessment have become an integral part of the education department’s routine functions and its quest to ensure quality in education.

Governance in education

In 2003, school governing bodies were operational in every school in Gauteng and will operate for the next three years. To support school governing bodies, SGB representatives receive training.

School resources

Significant resources have been devoted to building schools and improving services such as electricity and telephones at schools. Attention has also been paid to increasing teacher numbers and quality. The learner to educator ratio for the entire public education system has, since 1999, been stabilised at 34:1. The ratio for secondary schools is 30:1 and primary schools 35:1.

Gauteng Online

In one of its most ambitious projects, the provincial government committed itself to ensure that, by 2006, every public school in Gauteng would have a computer laboratory with 25 computers with personal emails addresses for learners. After a yearlong pilot, tenders were awarded to seven local and international companies who are rolling out the programme. By the end of the 2003/4 financial year, computer laboratories, each with 25 computers, will be functioning in 1100 schools across the province. The initiative is also making e-learning in Gauteng schools a reality and will help prepare the province’s young people to drive the province’s knowledge economy in the future.

Improving maths, science and technology

The number of black students with matric exemptions in maths and science remain too low. To address this, the provincial government introduced a Maths, Science and Technology Strategy focusing on both teachers and learners. In 2003, the Sci-bona Science edutainment centre at the Newtown cultural precinct will be opened. All students will be funded to visit the centre, which will include outreach programmes to schools. The Gauteng Online project is also expected to boost interest and greater knowledge and understanding in these areas.

Early childhood development

Inequitable access to education under apartheid also affected early childhood education. A relatively small number of schools attached to the previous white department of education received high levels of government support compared to other population groups. The Gauteng education department had to withdraw support to such schools to release resources for all population groups. In 2002, the Department started introducing a new Grade R or reception year to all schools.

Challenges ahead

Challenges for Gauteng’s school system include increasing the number of black and girl learners with matric exemptions in maths and science, accommodating the increasing number of learners who migrate with their parents to our province and improving representivity in the teaching profession. Over two thirds of educators are women, but only 38% of principals and 32% of deputy principals are women.

Increased attention also needs to be paid to early childhood development to address the fact that only 25% of children up to six years of age in Gauteng are attending an ECD site. Those not attending are most likely to be the poorest of the poor and vulnerable to health and other social risks. Around 60% of ECD sites are home-based sites.

Ensuring the responsiveness of the Further Education and Training and Higher Education Institutions to the skills needs of our growing economy will be a further challenge. Partnerships such as those between Pretoria Technikon and the Automotive Industry Development Centre to develop skills for motorcar manufacture will need to be replicated in increasing areas of our economy.

10. Promoting good governance

The foundation for effective service delivery and creating a better life for all the people rests with having a strong, people-centred developmental state.

The provincial government set good governance as one of its key priorities in 1999 and committed itself to:

• the transformation of local government
• the reorganisation of the public service to meet more effectively the priorities of service delivery and to foster the ethic of Batho Pele
• prudent and effective use of government resources
• public accountability.

Important progress has been made on all these fronts, with public service transformation, service delivery improvements, communication and public participation, sound intergovernmental relations and prudent management of public finances enjoying top priority.

What did we inherit in 1994?

The Gauteng Provincial Government as it is known today, did not exist in 1994. Different departments inherited a number of different administrations which had been divided along racial lines. The head offices of most of these departments had been in Pretoria and the composition of the civil service was predominantly White. A culture of service delivery to the people of the province was virtually non-existent.

Many services, especially in African townships, faced collapse as a result of years of illegitimate and inefficient local government and unworkable policies. There were high levels of non-payment of rent and service charges, as a result of earlier boycotts against illegitimate councils as part of the struggle against apartheid.

Transforming the public service

Over the decade, steady progress has been made in organisational transformation and rebuilding the public service in Gauteng. Today the Gauteng Provincial Government, while still young, has systems and centres of excellence in place which compare with the best among modern governments across the world and the private sector. While challenges remain in improving service delivery levels, the public service in Gauteng has balanced people-centred governance with efficiency and pioneering innovation.

Prudent financial management

The provincial government has devoted considerable resources to improving financial management through training and systems development. This has paid off. In 2003, all provincial government departments received unqualified audits and we are leading the country in compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

Zero tolerance for fraud and corruption

All departments have anti-fraud corruption strategies and structures in place, as does the provincial government as a whole. Aspects of the strategy include an anti-corruption hotline, a vigorous and energetic Internal Audit Service and a public awareness campaign encouraging public servants and members of the public to blow the whistle on corruption.

The provincial government’s zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption is demonstrated by the manner in which offenders are brought to book and fired from the public service including in hospitals and the housing and social service departments.

Public accountability

To ensure that the personal interests of public representatives do not unduly influence their decisions, the Gauteng Provincial Legislature appointed an Integrity Commissioner with the responsibility of registering members’ private interests and monitoring the ethical conduct of members of the legislature. This is an important step to ensure that the actions and decisions of our elected public representatives are seen to be serving, not their individual interests, but those of society as a whole.

Representivity and public service transformation

Guided by our commitment to eradicate discrimination in the workplace as well as to ensure representivity in terms of race, gender and disability, the provincial government embarked on a process to transform and restructure state institutions to reflect the character and demographics of Gauteng.

Through an assertive programme of affirmative action, the provincial government continues to place more and more Black people in senior positions within the public service. Our commitment to the empowerment of women is evidenced by the fact that the province has the highest representation of women in senior government positions. Women make up 71% of the provincial public service and 25.4% of senior management.

Provincial departments have also been restructured to improve service delivery and productivity. This has generally been done taking into account the province’s objective of ensuring stable labour relations. The latest restructuring agreement was implemented in partnership with the trade unions.

Quality service delivery

The delivery of timeous quality services, and meeting the expectations of citizens, is an important part of the Batho Pele principles. Many departments have in place service delivery improvement measures, as well as quality assurance programmes. Some departments, as well as the province as a whole, have service excellence awards to incentivise good performance. In 2003, a uniform performance management system was introduced in the province, prioritising quality service delivery.

Shared services

To significantly increase the province’s capacity to delivery services in an efficient and effective manner, the provincial government established the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC) as an independent department with its own budget. The GSSC provides transversal human resource, financial, audit, information technology and procurement services to provincial departments. One of its key challenges for the future is expanding e-governance services including government-to-government and government-to-people services in Gauteng.

Multipurpose Community Centres

Another initiative to improve service delivery is the establishment of one-stop centres in the form of Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCC). These are one-stop integrated community development and service centres where local, provincial and national departments, as well as other service providers, offer services in a co-ordinated manner.

By the end of 2003, ten MPCCs had been established in Gauteng, in Mamelodi, Soshanguve, Tsakane, Tembisa, Daveyton, Sebokeng, Mohlakeng, Diepsloot, Soweto and Zithobeni.

Communication and public participation

Access to information is critical in enabling all citizens, particularly the poor and marginalized, to use their rights and to entrench a people-centred, participatory democracy.

The task of eradicating poverty and joblessness in our country requires the active participation of all people. Much as it is important for government to bring all its citizens on board in the transformation process, it is equally necessary that civil society plays an active role in the reconstruction and development of society.

The Gauteng government has embarked on a vigorous programme to communicate effectively with our people about key priorities and challenges for the provincial government. The focus has also been on broadening people’s access to information they can use improve access to services and to work together with government in bringing about change for the better in their own lives and in the province as a whole.

Two-way communication, interaction and dialogue have given ordinary Gauteng residents and sectors of civil society an opportunity to voice their concerns and suggestions and give government constant feedback on the implementation of government programmes. Dialogues involving the business sector, trade unions, religious leaders, academics, parastatals, the media, women and other sectors have taken place. The provincial government’s "Lets Talk" programme to speak and listen to ordinary residents throughout the province in the form of Roving Executive Council meetings and Imbizo has demonstrated a firm commitment to the principles of accountability, transparency and people-centred governance. Since 1999, over 100 such interactive public meetings involving the Premier and Members of the Executive Council have been held.

Local government

The provincial government is responsible for monitoring municipalities, identifying shortfalls and if necessary determining support and intervention strategies. Active support has been provided in the development of local government including capacity building and for ward committees, councillors and municipal officials. The Municipal Institutional Support Centre (MISC) has been instrumental in improving the viability of municipalities and giving them support in areas such as budgeting, financial control, billing systems and revenue collection.

To promote democracy and accountability, the province assisted in establishing 432 ward committees. This has resulted in better communication, participation and contribution by communities towards the objectives and priorities of municipalities.

For the past three years, municipalities have been drawing up Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) that have served as valuable planning tools to facilitate prioritisation and participation of communities in planning. The province continues to support municipalities in improving the quality of IDPs.

One of our earlier challenges was addressing non-payment for services by township communities as well as rates boycotts by affluent communities such as Sandton. Today payment levels are significantly higher but debt levels due to non-payment remain a serious challenge for local government. The total debt owed for Gauteng is R12 billion.

Challenges ahead

As public services to the people are improved, expectations increase. The challenge is to continue to innovate and build excellence in service delivery to the people of the province.

Key challenges facing provincial government are to:

• Improve integration and coordination within and across the various spheres of government
• Match service delivery within the context of increasing awareness of consumer rights and increasingly demanding service users
• Build performance management and monitoring and evaluation systems into governance activities to ensure value for money

Key challenges facing local government are to:

• Balance the strategic intent to shift an increasing amount of responsibility and accountability for service delivery to the sphere of local government against relatively high levels of financial indebtedness (of selected municipalities) and difficulties associated with services payment
• Ensure adequate personnel capacity and skills, especially in the fields of strategic and financial planning
• Put in place adequate systems and infrastructure, particularly in the area of billing systems.

11. Promoting human rights for all

Building a better life for our people involves paying special attention to certain groups within our society, including the most vulnerable. These include women, children, young people, people with disability and people affected by HIV/Aids. While these groups benefit from the range of government programmes already outlined, the provincial government has also developed special programmes targeted at these groups and aimed at effecting their rights.

Women

The key challenge facing women is gender inequality. This has manifested itself in a number of areas of life such as a parental preference to invest in the education of males, access to employment and productive assets as well as exposure to violence and abuse. Recognising that this state of affairs runs contrary to one of the cornerstones of our democracy i.e. non-sexism, the provincial government has put in place a number of initiatives to address the problem.

Some of the critical areas where women and girls suffer additional disadvantage compared to their male counterparts include unemployment and poverty, domestic violence, discrimination, lack of access to resources, infrastructure and skills and the impact of the AIDS/HIV epidemic.

In 2001 1,16 million women between the ages of 15 and 64 were employed in the province compared to 1,59 million men. This translates into an unemployment rate of 32,5% for women and 24,8% for men. Among women of childbearing age, the HIV prevalence was estimated at 25,2%. In addition, women bear a disproportionate burden in caring for those who are ill as a result of Aids.

Health care

• The estimated maternal mortality ratio is 112 per 100 000 live births. The major direct causes of death are hypertension in pregnancy, obstetric haemorrhage, early pregnancy related deaths (abortion and ectopic pregnancy), pregnancy-related sepsis, embolism, and acute collapse. More recently, indirect causes of deaths have been primarily due to the impact of HIV/AIDS.
• Extensive services are provided to women, enabling effective reproductive rights, including the prevention of teenage pregnancies
• Programmes to prevent the transmission of HIV/Aids from mothers to children have been rolled out to all health institutions
• We have extensive programmes for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and the support of those infected and affected, particularly home care, where the burden falls disproportionately on women.

Education

• A range of programmes including special schools has been put in place to ensure that girl learners are able to reach their full potential and contribute to a better society
• There are now virtually equal numbers of girl and boy learners, including those that write matric and write maths and science at matric level
• The provincial government has implemented programmes with an extensive focus on human rights education, life skills and HIV/AIDS awareness, where issues of gender are high on the agenda
• Programmes have been put in place to improve maths, science and technology education for girl children, including the planned establishment of the Oprah Winfrey School for Girls
• A R2 million bursary scheme is aimed at learners from disadvantaged communities, with a particular focus on girl learners
• The Gauteng Online project is being implemented to ensure that every public school learner in Gauteng, rich or poor, male or female, has access to the Internet and email at school.
• The Bofenyi project in education is aimed at developing women managers, teachers and other education officials.

Prevention of violence against women

• A comprehensive and integrated strategy to prevent violence and abuse of women and children is being implemented
• Across Gauteng 26 designated medico-legal centres for survivors of violence have been set up. These offer multi-disciplinary services, including post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) services for victims of sexual assault
• Steps have been taken to prevent violence against women including introducing CCTV cameras in the Johannesburg CBD and working with local government to improve women’s safety, including the environmental design and lighting in communities
• Anti-retroviral drugs for rape survivors have been introduced
• Prevention and advocacy programmes are run to empower women and change abusive behaviour among men.
• 93 victim empowerment rooms attached to police stations have been set up throughout the province. These enable women and children to be assisted in a confidential and sensitive manner.

Social services

Attention will be focused on the following:

• Provision of social grants to the elderly, persons with disabilities, foster parents and the child support grants
• Improved access to social grants
• Provision of funds to NGO’s to service women in need through projects such as victim empowerment, women’s shelters etc
• The establishment of development centres throughout the province

Economic empowerment

• The province has initiated a number of infrastructural programmes that aim both to create jobs and build or maintain valuable community infrastructure such as clinics and schools. These programmes, including the Zivuseni project, target the most disadvantaged members of our communities, particularly women
• Programmes to support women housing contractors, professionals and housing developers are in place. During the 2001/2002 financial year, women-owned construction companies approved projects to the value of R40 million for implementation. The provincial government will continue to dedicate 10% of its capital budget for allocation to women contractors.
• Women have access to housing subsidies and title deeds to land. Women head over 50% of households benefiting from housing subsidies.
• Programmes such as Gaumac help empower and support women entrepreneurs.

Women participation

Women are participating in a number of forums within civil society including:

• In school governing bodies as parents, teachers and learners
• In community policing forums
• As volunteers at police stations and trauma centres in supporting victims of violence
• As members of the provincial legislature and councillors representing their communities
• In the partnership against HIV/AIDS as volunteers spreading the message of prevention and providers of home based care; and
• In the Letsema campaign to work in partnership with government to transform our country.

Regarding women employees within provincial government the GPG has made good progress:

• 70% of employees are women
• Over 30% of the Executive Council are women and over 30% of the heads of departments are women
• About 30% of local government councillors are women.

Children

On 16 June 1995, South Africa’s then year-old democratic government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In so doing it committed South Africa to implementing the principle of "First Call for Children" in terms of which the needs of children are considered paramount in all government programmes services and development strategies.

On 1 November 1996, the Gauteng Programme of Action for Children (GPAC) was launched as an arm of the National Programme of Action for Children (NPA). Today about 100 NGO’s and representatives from different spheres of government sit on GPAC.

GPAC has succeeded in promoting integrated programmes for children and increasing the resource allocation to children. Some GPAC activities have included:

• Putting in place the child protection and treatment protocol which is being extensively used to promote improved and integrated services to abused children
• Establishing the Child Participation process which has highlighted children’s perceptions of their rights and the environment that they find themselves in
• Commenting on and engaging civil society on the Children’s Bill
• Coordinating and presenting Children’s Festivals to commemorate National Children’s Day in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Almost the entire focus of our education department is on children. Other key programmes of the province which focus on children include school and pre-school feeding, child immunisation, child grants, support to early childhood development and support for children in conflict with the law or who are victims of abuse and violence.

As at June 2002:

• 181 864 children were benefiting from child support grants
• 9 287 children were benefiting from foster care grants
• 4973 children with disabilities were benefiting from care-dependency grants.

Children in Gauteng who access state residential care receive much improved services while there has been a concerted effort to place children in foster care. The number of foster care grants provided by the province has increased over the decade. Child care friendly initiatives have led to five places of safety being upgraded and the rebuilding of Van Ryn Place of Safety.

The Walter Sisulu Child and Youth Centre was established in 1997 as the first Secure Care Centre for youth in conflict with the law. The centre caters for 60 boys in secure care, 120 children in the place of safety and 60 babies and toddlers. The centre also serves the purpose of accommodating other community activities on a regular basis and has become the benchmark for the establishment of similar centres in the country.

The provincial government has paid particular attention to children in conflict with the law. It has worked with the Department of Justice and Correctional Services to remove children from prisons and put them in places of safety as well as in diversion programmes. Today 80% of children who come into conflict with the law are supported outside of the prison environment.

The Department of Social Services and Population development offers intermediary services for children in all courts within Gauteng. There are two specialized Sexual Offences Courts for children, in Soweto, and Pretoria.

A partnership was formed between the SA Police Services and the Gauteng departments of Safety and Liaison and Social Services and Population Development to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Ongoing raids on hotels in certain areas are part of a collaborative effort to clamp down on those who harbour children involved in child prostitution. Children found in these places are placed in alternative care where special programmes and training is offered for rehabilitation and re-integration into society.

Challenges

Despite the very real achievements that have been made in improving the lives of children over the past 10 years, additional challenges remain to be addressed.

Almost half of Gauteng children (48%) live in poor households, with an equal proportion of girls and boys being affected. The youngest age group (0-5 years) has the largest proportion of children in poverty (51%), while 48% of children 6-12 years and 46% of children 13-17 years live below the poverty line.

Adult and child poverty, brought about by a mix of causes, will lead to a range of negative outcomes for children and also reduces the province’s ability to improve the achievement of children’s rights.

The increase in the Infant Mortality Rate – partly due to the AIDS/HIV pandemic – is another area in which the provincial government will have to put additional effort to reverse the deteriorating trend.

The fight against child abuse will continue as conditions of economic impoverishment and moral decline persist.

Improving the future of the youth

The youth represent the future of the country. They also played a vital role in liberating the country from the tyranny of apartheid. Today, some have become successful young role models but still too many of the foot soldiers of South Africa’s democratic revolution continue to face unemployment and poverty. Without hope in the future, too many young people engage in high-risk behaviour including substance abuse, unsafe sex and crime.

In response to these challenges, the provincial government has engaged in a number of initiatives to improve the situation of the youth in the province and bring them into the mainstream of the economy and society. Youth programmes on crime prevention, HIV/AIDS prevention and teen parenthood, education and skills and jobs have been conducted.

Crime prevention

Youth crime prevention is one of the priorities of the provincial government’s social crime prevention strategy. Projects targeted at youth include:

• Schools-based crime prevention such as the Tiisa Thuto project
• Prevention of youth violence, gangs and substance abuse in areas such as Sophiatown
• Initiatives for youth in conflict with the law such as the Khulisa Make It Better Programme in Katlehong.

Health and HIV/AIDS

The provincial government has extensive programmes on life skills, sexuality and reproductive health, including the prevention of teenage pregnancy. There are also programs that focus on domestic violence, sexual abuse and assault at schools. Extensive HIV/Aids awareness activities are aimed at young people and also form a part of the programmes on commemorative days and at sporting events.

The province has seen a decline in the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the under-20 age group and the epidemic has stabilised in the 20 to 24 age group.

Skills development and employment creation

Special programmes targeting youth in poor communities have been initiated. These focus on mathematics, science and technology, economics and management science. Workshops for youth leadership are also held. The province facilitates and organizes sport leadership and administration courses for educators and co-ordinates farm school sport, and youth and cultural activities.

The Blue IQ projects have sought to develop and support programmes to skill young people, particularly in the automobile industry. In addition, as part of the Alexandra Urban Renewal Project, the Gauteng government worked with the Department of Labour and the Umsobomvu Fund to create 500 learnerships in the hospitality industry. The participants were deployed during the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

The Blue IQ projects also aim to create the economic infrastructure to enable significant job creation and income generating opportunities for youth in our province.

The Gauteng Provincial Government itself employs more than 50 000 people between the ages of 16 to 39 yrs. About 6,6% of the total number of senior management positions is occupied by young people, with the bulk of these positions at director level.

The provincial government runs a number of infrastructure and poverty alleviation projects such as Zivuseni, which aims to create short-term job opportunities. These projects also target youth for recruitment.

Sport and recreation

In addition to facilities targeted at youth, young people extensively use recreation and sporting facilities. Youth are also key participants in sports and cultural events such as the Masakhane Games and Arts Alive.

Social Services

The provincial government supports a number of projects and programmes focusing on youth in distress and youth in conflict with the law. These include programmes focusing on substance abuse and rehabilitation.

Promoting the rights of people with disability

The Constitution guarantees the rights of people with disabilities to be treated equally and enjoy the same rights as all citizens, as it gives overall protection and guarantees fundamental human rights for all.

According to the 2001 census results, three percent of the Gauteng population consists of people with disabilities.

The provincial government has a programme of action for people with disabilities including the following:

• Preventing disability, and intervening early to detect disability, especially in children
• Empowering people with disabilities through skills and employment and supporting them through the social security net
• Making sure that all government services are accessible to people with disabilities
• Providing services such as wheel chairs and hearing aids to people with disabilities; and
• Protecting and promoting the rights of people with disabilities

Some of the key interventions undertaken in line with this programme include:

• The provision of disability grants to people with disabilities and care givers of children with disabilities
• Provision of sheltered employment and homes for the severely disabled
• Support to non-governmental organisations to run programmes to support people with disabilities
• Provision of assistive devises including wheel chairs, hearing aids and spectacles through the public health system and through schools
• Support to schools of children with disabilities while at the same time introducing inclusive education for children with disabilities and support for educators to ensure this
• Prevention of disability through road safety, immunisation and early intervention and detection through pre-schools and schools
• Ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to all our services through, for example, ensuring barrier free access to our health services, pay points and other public buildings
• Commemoration of our International Day for People with Disabilities to raise awareness about the rights of people with disabilities.

As at December 2002, 69 517 beneficiaries in Gauteng were receiving the disability grant and 4 937 parents were receiving the care dependency grant for children with severe disability. The growth in the number of beneficiaries from April 2001 to April 2002 was 15% for disability grants and 40% for the care dependency grants.

To increase accessibility, government undertook renovations on 36 government owned and 13 leased buildings to make them accessible to people with disabilities. About 90% of health facilities and 15 hospitals and 12 victim support centres are accessible to people with disabilities.

Responding to HIV/AIDS

The first decade of democracy was also the period in which the HIV/AIDS epidemic began to have a serious effect on the fabric of our society and our economy.

A 2003 Medical Research Council (MRC) report suggests that 16% of the Gauteng population is infected. This means that approximately 1,4 million people in the province are living with HIV/AIDS. Of these, close to 97 000 have AIDS.

Some of the features of our society resulting from the epidemic now include:

• An increase in the number of orphans and the growing phenomenon of child headed households
• Family structures increasingly consist of the young and the old
• Increasing pressure is being placed on women as traditional caregivers. The HIV/AIDS incidence is also greater amongst women
• An increased demand on health services, impacting on the ability to provide for and manage other diseases
• A diversion of household funds towards treating and transporting the sick and burying the dead resulting in fewer resources for other family needs such as education and clothing
• An exacerbation of skills shortages due to the increased mortality rate of the economically active population
• The double impact of increased dependency levels on the state, with a shrinkage of the tax base due to decreased economic growth and the number of economically active people. Adults between 25 and 40 years now have the highest infection rates – an estimated 25% of workforce is HIV positive.

In summary, the impact of HIV/AIDS is to create a higher level of dependency on the state for basic goods and services. At the same time the epidemic reduces the productive capability of the population and indeed the economy that creates the means with which such needs can be met.

Initiatives to address the impact of HIV/AIDS

Against this backdrop the Gauteng government has aggressively implemented a number of initiatives to address the negative impact of the epidemic. These are led by the Premier’s Committee on Aids and the intersectoral Gauteng AIDS Council and co-ordinated by an Interdepartmental Aids Unit.

The Department of Health is a key partner in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. One of its priorities has been the prevention of new infections and helping people avoid contracting HIV/AIDS in future by advising them on changing sexual behaviour. Some of the initiatives the Department has put in place to address the impact of the epidemic include:

• Vast expansion of services to reduce Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) in 2002
• Ensuring coverage in Gauteng for HIV positive pregnant women by the end of the current financial year
• Antenatal clinics providing the PMTCT programme
• Providing Anti Retroviral (ARV) prophylaxis in the service provided for survivors of sexual assault in all 26 specialised clinics and in hospitals where necessary.

Each of the departments in the GPG has assumed a number of responsibilities as part of the Gauteng AIDS plan. A summary of the responsibilities taken on is shown below according to departments assuming those responsibilities.

Other support programmes addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS on families include:

• Bereavement counselling
• Training of unemployed youth to be placed in community-based HIV and AIDS projects
• HIV/AIDS awareness, partnerships with NGO’s, CBO’s and faith based organizations
• Income support services focusing on addressing the economic impact of HIV/AIDS
• Child support grants
• Foster care grants with an estimated 20 000 children in foster care
• Care dependency grants for children with profound disabilities, estimated at about 8018
• Social relief to families in distress while awaiting grant payments to become available
• Food security programmes
• School uniform project to clothe identified vulnerable children in the province.

Outcomes of HIV/AIDS initiatives

HIV/AIDS initiatives are collectively starting to have the desired impact in terms of stabilizing and eventually reversing the epidemic:

• Based on the 2002 HIV antenatal sero-prevalence survey, a rate of 31.6% was computed, only 1.8% above the rate for 2001
• Infection rates are stabilizing, albeit at high levels, leading to the prediction that the AIDS epidemic will peak in 2010
• Approximately 373 000 children were in receipt of child support grants as of 10 June 2003
• There is improved community acceptance and support as indicated by 80% of people saying they were willing to care for a relative with AIDS
• Well-developed Inter-Sectoral AIDS programmes have been launched, as reflected in the ‘Partnership against AIDS’ involving all departments and civil soc