6 December 2007
Honourable Premier;
Speaker and Deputy Speaker;
Members of the Executive Council;
Members of the House,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for the opportunity to present the 2006/2007 Annual Report of the Office of the Premier.
The annual report presents a snapshot of the work done in one year in pursuit of our long term vision to reduce unemployment, poverty and underdevelopment.
The Office of the Premier has achieved considerable success in the year under review and the unqualified audit by the Auditor General, the fourth since the 2003/04 financial year, is evidence of this.
We have taken note of matters raised by the Standing Committee of Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Oversight Committee on the Office of the Premier and the Legislature (OCPOL) and, as the committees may have already heard from the Director General, the office will attend to the relevant issues. We have taken note of requested reports and these will be complied with where feasible or necessary.
The 2006/07 financial year will be remembered for the strides taken to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, build the skills base and to coordinate and integrate planning to improve service delivery.
The perspective on building Gauteng as a Globally Competitive City Region was introduced during the year under review. Engagements with various stakeholders were undertaken and the perspective was well received.
Speaker, the Soccerex convention, which was awarded to us in the year under review, was held last month and was an overwhelming success. The convention attracted representatives from more 100 countries and was double in size compared to the one held in Dubai in 2006. It was a big boost for our economy and our efforts to position our province in the global community. Its overwhelming success has certainly helped in marketing our province internationally as a place capable of hosting major events.
Our readiness to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup Work was highlighted by the excellent manner in which this event was organised and managed. The absence of major incidents has provided assurance that we are capable of ensuring high standards of safety and security to visitors in our province. The challenge is how these translate to more security plans for Gauteng residents.
We now have to work with extra effort to meet all the deadlines for the upgrading of stadia, broadband connectivity, public transport - including improved access to our airports, the introduction of intelligent transport systems and the provision of improved passenger information and road signage.
The OCPOL report has raised what the committee considers to be delays on some of the GCR projects namely urban observatory, review of the Gauteng Development Agencies, benchmarking of the City Region, economic Footprint of the City Region and the provincial Nepad Framework.
It is possible that the report may have been written prior to the briefing by the Premier to Chairpersons of committees. It would appear too that some of the issues relate to the period beyond the financial year ended March 2007.
The house should bear in mind that we launched the perspective on the GCR here in the house in August last year. This was followed by the adoption of the road map by the PCF in November 2006.
The work required for this is extensive and research was conducted:
It is also important to remember that we are pursuing the GCR strategy from a developmental perspective, not as a quick fix, to increase our ability to effectively confront our socio-economic ills such as unemployment, underdevelopment and poverty and to increase Gauteng's contribution to the national economy.
Speaker, the clearest commitment of our government to stimulating economic growth and reducing underdevelopment, was seen in the launch of construction of the Gautrain rail link and the 20 priority township upgrading programme.
We also supported the development of Growth and Development Strategies in each metro and district in the province. These will be aligned with and further strengthen the implementation of the provincial Growth and Development Strategy.
The construction of the Guatrain has allowed us to bring critical skills in engineering back into the country and in job creation. It may please the house to note that the tunnel boring machine, which will allow the project to move faster, has arrived and will be commissioned at a public event next Thursday.
The launch of 20 priority township upgrading programme, marked our determination to decisively break the back of apartheid planning and underdevelopment and continue to transform our townships into vibrant, dynamic and sustainable communities where people live with decent social amenities and access to economic opportunities.
Our primary aim is to change the lives of our people for the better by beautifying our townships, providing decent schools, clinics, sport and recreational facilities, lighting, storm water drains, MPCCs, libraries, taxi and bus ranks. We want to ensure that all roads in these townships are tarred by 2009 and that each area has a vibrant commercial and transport hub.
Our commitment to make Gauteng a better place to live has highlighted the need for improved governance and institutional interventions to improve service delivery.
In line with a similar initiative at a national level, we have undertaken a review on building the capacity and organisation of the state to determine the gaps and means to enhance capacity. The study highlighted, among other things, the need to strengthen our capacity to analyse and respond to the changing social, economic and political environment and the importance of innovation and strengthening our knowledge base, including in the area of social services delivery.
We have developed an integrated Human Resources Strategy for the provincial government to position the Gauteng government as an employer of choice and attract, develop and retain quality human resources.
Speaker, these initiatives will help us to build the capacity and skills required if we are to comprehensively respond to the issues giving rise to concern by SCOPA and OCPOL. Plans that the department has put in place; to deal with Information systems, asset management and skills in monitoring and evaluation; will in the long run become sustainable if we succeed in implementing the HR strategy for the province.
We have continued to pursue our strategic objective of promoting public participation and direct interactive communication with communities.
Through the Imbizo outreach programme, we reached 34 communities in our province where Members for the Executive Council listened and responded to the concerns of our people.
We also launched the Economic Opportunities Roadshow aimed at improving the lives of the poor by giving people better access to information, opportunities and services which they can use to more effectively participate in and benefit from the economy.
We would like to thank all the people of Gauteng for working together with this government to bring about the realisation of their aspirations. I also thank the Mayors and all municipalities for their contributions in making Gauteng a successful city region that is internationally recognised.
We also thank the members of SCOPA and OCPOL for the vital oversight role they exercise over the department. The Office of the Premier is committed to continuing to drive the Gauteng government's agenda of stimulating economic growth, creating jobs and addressing the social needs of the people of our province.
As we have come to the end of the year, it is appropriate to wish all of you a happy, peaceful and festive summer holidays. To our Christian members, have a Merry Christmas.
To all of us let us remember to spread the message of safety in our homes, no violence to our women and children and use condoms to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Thank you.