State
of the Nation Address of the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki: Joint
Sitting of Parliament
9 February 2007
Madam Speaker of the
National Assembly;
Chairperson of the National Council of
Provinces;
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Deputy Chairperson of
the NCOP;
Deputy President of the Republic;
Honourable leaders of our
political parties and Honourable Members of Parliament;
Ministers and Deputy
Ministers;
Our esteemed Chief Justice and members of the Judiciary;
Heads
of our Security Services;
Governor of the Reserve Bank;
President Nelson
Mandela and Madame Graca Machel;
President F.W. de Klerk and Madame Elita de
Klerk;
Distinguished Premiers and Speakers of our Provinces;
Mayors and
leaders in our system of local government;
Our honoured traditional
leaders;
Heads of the state organs supporting our constitutional
democracy;
Directors-General and other leaders of the public service;
Your
Excellencies, Ambassadors and High Commissioners;
Distinguished guests,
friends and comrades;
People of South Africa:
When she died, we
knew that Mama Adelaide Tambo had been recently discharged from hospital. But
because we also knew that she had the tenacity of spirit and strength of will to
soldier on among the living, we had intended to welcome her and other members of
her family as our guests on this august occasion. But that was not to be.
Tomorrow we will pay her our last respects as we inter her remains. Thus she
will only be with us in spirit when in October this year, we celebrate the 90th
anniversary of the birth of her husband, the father of her children, her
companion, her comrade, and an eminent son of our people, Oliver Reginald Tambo.
Once more, we convey our condolences to the Tambo family.
However, I am indeed
very pleased to acknowledge in our midst this morning the Hon Albertina Luthuli,
daughter of our first Nobel Peace Laureate, Inkosi Albert Luthuli, whose tragic
death 40 years ago we commemorate this year, remembering the tragic day when it
was reported that he had been crushed by a speeding train in the cane-fields of
KwaDukuza. His death was as shocking and mysterious as his life was a lodestar
pointing us to the freedom we enjoy today.
I feel immensely
proud that democratic South Africa has had the sense and sensitivity to
acknowledge what Albert Luthuli and Oliver Tambo mean to our nation by naming
two of our National Orders after them - the Order of Luthuli, and the Order of
the Companions of O.R. Tambo. I also know of the great pride felt by those who
have been admitted into the ranks of the eminent National Orders.
I am also pleased to
welcome to the House the activists of the 1956 Women’s March and the 1976 Soweto
Uprising who are sitting in the President’s box, as well as the eminent patriots
from all our provinces, proposed by our Provincial Speakers to join the group of
important guests who have joined us today.
The government of
the people of South Africa on whose behalf I speak here today, as I have been
privileged to do in previous years, was formed in 2004, after the General
Elections of that year.
At its annual
January Lekgotla or Bosberaad last month, the National Cabinet that stands at
the pinnacle of the system of governance over which we are privileged to
preside, reflected on the fact that its meeting marked the mid-term of the life
of the government born of our last, 2004, elections.
Having understood
this, it was natural that we should put the question to ourselves – what
progress have we made in the quest to achieve the objectives to which we
honestly told the nation we were committed, as a result of which our people gave
us the overwhelming authority to govern our country from 2004 until the next
elections in 2009!
With your
indulgence, I would like to step further back, and recall what we said, in 2004,
as representatives of our people, in the presence of our friends from the rest
of the world, convened at our seat of government the Union Buildings in Tshwane
on Freedom Day, the 10th anniversary of our liberation, and participated in the
Inauguration of the President of the Republic, whom our Parliament had chosen,
respecting the will of the people democratically demonstrated during the 2004
elections.
On that occasion we
said in part:
“For too long our
country contained within it and represented much that is ugly and repulsive in
human society…
“It was a place in
which to be born black was to inherit a lifelong curse. It was a place in which
to be born white was to carry a permanent burden of fear and hidden rage…
“It was a place in
which squalor, the stench of poverty, the open sewers, the decaying rot, the
milling crowds of wretchedness, the unending images of a landscape strewn with
carelessly abandoned refuse, assumed an aspect that seemed necessary to enhance
the beauty of another world of tidy streets, and wooded lanes, and flowers’
blossoms offsetting the green and singing grass, and birds and houses fit for
kings and queens, and lyrical music, and love.
“It was a place in
which to live in some places was to invite others to prey on you or to condemn
oneself to prey on others, guaranteed neighbours who could not but fall victim
to alcohol and drug stupors that would dull the pain of living, who knew that
their lives would not be normal without murder in their midst, and rape and
brutal personal wars without a cause.
“It was a place in
which to live in other neighbourhoods was to enjoy safety and security because
to be safe was to be protected by high walls, electrified fences, guard dogs,
police patrols and military regiments ready to defend those who were our
masters, with guns and tanks and aircraft that would rain death on those who
would disturb the peace of the masters…
“We have gathered
here today, on Freedom Day, because in time, our people, together with the
billions of human beings across the globe, who are our comrades-in-arms and whom
our distinguished guests represent, decided to say – an end to all that! …
“We are greatly
encouraged that our General Elections of a fortnight ago confirmed the
determination of all our people, regardless of race, colour and ethnicity, to
work together to build a South Africa defined by a common dream…
“None of the great
social problems we have to solve is capable of resolution outside the context of
the creation of jobs and the alleviation and eradication of poverty. This
relates to everything, from the improvement of the health of our people, to
reducing the levels of crime, raising the levels of literacy and numeracy, and
opening the doors of learning and culture to all…
“We pledge to all the
heroes and heroines who sacrificed for our freedom, as well as to you, our
friends from the rest of the world, that we will never betray the trust you
bestowed on us when you helped to give us the possibility to transform South
Africa into a democratic, peaceful, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous
country, committed to the noble vision of human solidarity.
“The work to create
that South Africa has begun. That work will continue during our Second Decade of
Freedom.”
Fifty years before,
as they prepared to convene the Congress of the People, which adopted the
Freedom Charter, the patriots of the day had said, “Let us speak together, all
of us together – African and European, Indian and Coloured … all the people of
South Africa …Let us speak together of freedom. And of the happiness that can
come to men and women if they live in a land that is free”.
We must today renew
our pledge, to speak together of freedom, to act in partnership to realise the
happiness for all that should come with liberty, to work together to build a
South Africa defined by a common dream, to say, together, in action – enough of
everything that made our country to contain within it and represent much that is
ugly and repulsive in human society!
We must continue to
respond to the perspective we spoke of as the present government began its term
of office, fully conscious that “none of the great social problems we have to
solve is capable of resolution outside the context of the creation of jobs and
the alleviation and eradication of poverty”, and therefore that “the struggle to
eradicate poverty has been and will continue to be a central part of the
national effort to build the new South Africa”.
Responding to the
imperative to move forward as quickly as possible to build the South Africa
defined by a common dream, our government committed itself, working with all
South Africans, to implement detailed programmes intended:
* to raise the rate
of investment in the First Economy;
* to reduce the cost of doing business in
our country;
* to promote the growth of the small and medium business
sector;
* to speed up the process of skills development;
* to improve our
export performance, focussing on services and manufactured goods;
* to
increase spending on scientific research and development;
* to implement
detailed programmes to respond to the challenges of the Second Economy;
* to
implement programmes to ensure broad-based black economic empowerment;
* to
continue with programmes to build a social security net to meet the objectives
of poverty alleviation;
* to expand access to such services as water,
electricity and sanitation;
* to improve the health profile of the nation as
a whole;
* to intensify the housing programme;
* to implement additional
measures to open wider the doors of learning and of culture;
* to improve the
safety and security of all citizens and communities;
* to ensure that the
public sector discharges its responsibilities as a critical player in the
growth, reconstruction and development of our country;
* to accelerate the
process of renewal of the African continent; and
* increasingly to contribute
to the resolution of major questions facing peoples of the world.
Madame Speaker and
Chairperson;
I am happy to report
that with regard to each of these commitments, government remains hard at work
to ensure that the nation’s objectives are met.
At an average of
over 4,5%, the rate of growth of our economy over the past two and half years
has been at its highest since we attained our democracy in 1994. Investment in
the economy, by both the public and private sectors has been increasing at about
11%, with overall public sector infrastructure spending increasing by an annual
average of 15,8%. Today, fixed investment as a percentage of Gross Domestic
Product – at about 18,4% – is at its highest since 1991.
The number of
employed people has been increasing at about half-a-million a year in the past 3
years.
We have seen steady
progress in the advancement of Black people in the economy. From owning just
over 3% of the market capitalisation of the JSE in 2004, this has increased to
close on to 5%; and the proportion of Blacks in top management has grown from
24% of the total to 27%. Yet we must remain concerned that these figures are
still woefully low.
The advances in the
economy have thrown up major challenges for all of us. The massive and sustained
increase in consumer demand reflects a healthy growth in levels of prosperity
across the population; and the major infrastructure projects that we are
embarking on demand massive input of supplies and machinery.
But our
international trade balance shows that we have not succeeded in building the
capacity to produce the consumer and capital goods that our country needs. While
household debt has increased broadly at the same rate as growth in income, the
fact that South Africans are saving less means that we have to depend on savings
from other nations. The continuing occasional volatility of our currency has
also not boded well for our export industries.
Over the past three
years, the economy has created some one-and-half million jobs. It is encouraging
that in the year March 2005 to March 2006 alone, 300 000 of the jobs created
were in the formal sector outside of agriculture, representing a growth rate of
about 4%.
A small part of
these are the permanent job opportunities created through the Expanded Public
Works Programme. But there is no question that this programme can and must be
ratcheted upwards quite significantly. There is also no question that we can do
much better to create self-employment through small and micro-enterprises. And
given that a large majority of the unemployed are youth, we can do much better
in terms of such interventions as the National Youth Service and the development
of young entrepreneurs.
It is a matter of
pride that, in line with our commitment to build a caring society, we have since
2004 improved service provision and other aspects of the social wage. While
beneficiaries of social grants numbered about 8 million in 2004, today 11
million poor South Africans have access to these grants. It is encouraging that
the rates of increase in uptake have, in the recent period, been within
manageable ranges, as the programmes reach maturity. This will ensure
sustainability, and employment of more government resources to provide economic
services to create more jobs and business opportunities.
The housing
programme has seen close to 300 000 new subsidies allocated in the past two
years. However, as we sought to improve quality and develop plans for those who
are being missed by the public and private sector programmes currently under
way, the pace of roll-out has been much slower than we expected. We must act to
change this situation.
As Honourable
members are aware, we have over the past few years developed and started
implementing various programmes aimed at improving passenger transport. These
include the taxi recapitalisation programme and provincial initiatives such as
the Moloto Rail Corridor in Mpumalanga around which feasibility work has
started, the Klipfontein Corridor in Cape Town and the Gautrain project with its
linkages to the rest of the public transport system.
These and many other
initiatives form part of a comprehensive passenger transport strategy, combining
both road and rail. We will attend to the urgent implementation of these
programmes to improve the quality of life of especially the working people.
Access to
electricity, water and sanitation has improved. By 2005, South Africa had
already achieved the Millennium Development Goal in respect of basic water
supply, with improvement of access from 59% in 1994 to 83% in 2006. According to
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), South Africa is one of the few
countries that spend less on military budgets than on water and sanitation. In
the words of the UNDP Human Development Report of 2006:
“… South Africa has
demonstrated how the human right to water can serve as a mechanism for
empowerment and a guide to policy… Rights-based water reform has enabled it to
expand access and overcome the legacy of racial inequality inherited from
apartheid, partly through rights-based entitlements”. (pp62/63)
We should indeed
celebrate this great achievement. But it is a fact that 8 million people are
still without potable water. Many more are without electricity and sanitation.
We are proud that within one year, we have been able to reduce the backlog
in the eradication of the bucket system in established settlements by almost
half. We are on course to put an end to this dehumanising system in these areas
by the end of this year.
We will continue to
confront these challenges so as to erase in our country that which is ugly and
repulsive so that together we can speak of freedom and the happiness that comes
with liberty.
An examination of
education and skills acquisition shows improvement of quite a high base by 2004,
though at a slow pace. This applies to literacy levels, gross school enrolment
and tertiary participation rates. The fluctuating Matric pass rates do indicate
that much more needs to be done to stabilise the system and ensure steady
improvement. At the same time, the number of Matric students who pass
Mathematics at the higher grade is only slightly better than in 1995. We also
continue to show weaknesses in implementing the Adult Basic Education programme.
While the land
restitution programme has resulted in more settlements in the recent period, we
still need to put in extra effort in dealing with remaining cases, many of which
are much more complex. On the other hand, very little progress has been made in
terms of land redistribution. We will undertake a careful review of the
inhibiting factors so that this programme is urgently speeded up.
All these economic
and social programmes form part of our strategies to reduce and eradicate the
poverty that continues to afflict many of our people. The work done during the
course of last year, by women through the South African Women in Dialogue
working with various government departments, including a visit to countries such
as Tunisia and Chile where great progress has been made in dealing with poverty,
does point to some defects in our systems in this regard. From the experience of
this delegation it is clear that we must among other things:
* Define clearly the
poverty matrix of our country;
* Develop a proper database of households
living in poverty;
* Identify and implement specific interventions relevant
to these households;
* Monitor progress in these households as the programmes
take effect in graduating them out of poverty;
* In this context, address all
indigence, especially the high numbers of women so affected;
* Co-ordinate
and align all anti-poverty programmes to maximise impact and avoid wastage and
duplication; and,
* Accelerate the training of Family Social Workers at
professional and auxiliary levels to ensure that identified households are
properly supported and monitored.
This will ensure the
systematic linkage of beneficiaries of social assistance to municipal services
and work opportunities, continuously focused on the task to ensure that as many
of our people as possible graduate out of dependence on social grants and enter
the labour market. In the meantime, we will continue to explore new initiatives
which will progressively improve the social wage.
A critical leg of
these social interventions should be the intensification of joint efforts among
all South Africans to improve social cohesion.
In this year of the
60th anniversary of the Doctors Pact of leaders of African and Indian
communities (AB Xuma, GM Naicker and Yusuf Dadoo), the 30th anniversary of the
murder of Steve Biko and the 20th anniversary of the visit to Dakar by Afrikaner
intellectuals to meet the ANC, the issue of our variety of identities and the
overarching sense of belonging to South Africa needs to be better canvassed
across society, in a manner that strengthens our unity as a nation. Further, on
this the 30th anniversary of the banning of The World and The Weekend World
newspapers, we are duty-bound to ask the question - have we all fully
internalised our responsibility in building social cohesion and promoting a
common sense of belonging, reinforcing the glue that holds our nation together!
In other words,
measures required to improve social cohesion cannot be undertaken by government
alone. We must together as South Africans speak of freedom from want and from
moral decay, and work to attain the happiness that comes with it.
Madame Speaker and
Chairperson;
I am certain that we
shall all agree that working together to achieve the happiness that comes with
freedom applies equally to the challenge of dealing with crime. In the 1994 RDP
White Paper we said:
“Promoting peace and
security will involve all people. It will build on and expand the national drive
for peace and combat the endemic violence faced by communities…with special
attention to the various forms of violence to which women are subjected…
“Peace and political
stability are also central to the government’s efforts to create an enabling
environment to encourage investment…Decisive action will be taken to eradicate
lawlessness, drug trafficking, gun running, crime and especially the abuse of
women and children.”
Certainly, we cannot
erase that which is ugly and repulsive and claim the happiness that comes with
freedom if communities live in fear, closeted behind walls and barbed wire, ever
anxious in their houses, on the streets and on our roads, unable freely to enjoy
our public spaces. Obviously, we must continue and further intensify the
struggle against crime.
While we have
already surpassed that targeted figure of 152 000 police officers employed in
the South African Police Service, and while we have improved the training
programme, we recognise the fact that the impact of this is not yet high enough
for everybody to feel a better sense of safety and security. While we have
reduced the incidence of most contact crimes, the annual reduction rate with
regard to such categories as robbery, assault and murder is still below the
7-10% that we had targeted. And the abuse of women and children continues at an
unacceptable level.
The increase in the
incidence of particular crimes during the security workers’ strike should have
brought home to all of us the fact that the security industry cannot be handled
simply as a private affair of the private sector. Quite clearly the regulatory
system that we have in place is inadequate. This applies to such issues as wage
levels, personnel vetting systems, enforcement of guidelines on cash-delivery
vehicles, and so on.
This is a matter
that we shall review during the course of the year, so that, in addition to
improving the work of the police, we can together with the private security
industry create an environment in which the security expectations of the public,
in which huge resources are expended, are actually met.
We will also
continue to put more effort into improving the functioning of our courts, to
increase the rate of reduction in case backlogs. And we will ensure that
decisions to expand the Correctional Services infrastructure, improve the
management of Border Control as well as the immigration and documentation
services, among others, are implemented.
Many of the
weaknesses in improving services to the population derive in part from
inadequate capacity and systems to monitor implementation. As such, in the
period leading up to 2009, the issue of the organisation and capacity of the
state will remain high on our agenda.
What has emerged,
among others, as a critical area for strategic intervention is the content of
training that public servants receive in various institutions and the role of
the SA Management Development Institute (SAMDI) which in actual fact should be
the major service provider including in the mass induction of public servants.
Compliance levels
within departments, in relation to public service and finance management
legislation, have been somewhat mixed. Obviously this cannot be allowed to
continue, even if we take into account the correct observation that auditing
requirements at national and provincial levels have become more stringent. In
this regard, the application of the performance agreement system particularly
for senior management is crucial.
Programmes to
improve the capacity of our local government system continue apace. Immediately
after the March 2006 local government elections, induction programmes were
conducted, taking into account that 62% of the mayors are new.
What is of concern,
though, is that in many of these municipalities, many vacancies remain or have
emerged in senior management and the professions. For instance, in September
last year, 27% of municipalities did not have municipal managers; in the
Northwest Province, the vacancy rate at senior management level was over 50%;
and in Mpumalanga only 1% of senior managers had concluded Key Performance
Agreements.
We continue to
respond to these challenges and will undertake all necessary tasks, informed by
our Five Year Local Government Strategic Agenda, which includes hands-on
assistance to municipalities by national and provincial structures, the
deployment of skilled personnel including professional volunteers from the
public, and strengthening the Ward Committees – 80% of which have been
established across the country.
The programme to
align planning instruments across the spheres of government (that is, the
National Spatial Development Perspective, Provincial Growth and Development
Strategies and Integrated Development Plans) is continuing, with pilot projects
for complete alignment being run in 13 of our districts and metros. These pilot
projects should be completed by the end of this year.
It is a matter of
proud record that over half of the districts and metros have held their Growth
and Development Summits, and the rest intend to complete this process by the end
of February. This will lay the basis for co-operation among all social partners
in speeding up local economic development.
Honourable Members;
I would like to take
advantage of this occasion to express my gratitude to Deputy President Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka for the inspiring leadership she has given to the implementation
of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (AsgiSA), working with the
Ministers and Premiers who constitute the Task Team, concretely addressing very
specific issues that need to be done to ensure higher rates of investment and
labour-absorption, as well as matters pertaining to skills development and the
efficiency of the state system. We highly appreciate the contribution of all
Members of the Executive and our public service managers, across the three
spheres of government, in leading this process and in implementing the
government programme as a whole. This is central to our efforts to erase that
which is ugly and repulsive in our society so that we can speak of freedom and
the happiness that comes with liberty.
In this regard, in
order further to speed up the implementation of AsgiSA, over and above the
multi-year programmes announced in the recent past, government will this year:
* complete the
process of reviewing the country’s experience in the articulation among such
macro-economic indicators as the Exchange Rate, inflation and interest rates, so
as to put in place measures that will facilitate the growth of industries which
produce tradables for both the domestic and export markets, and have the
potential to absorb large pools of semi-skilled workers;
* in line with the
National Industrial Policy Framework which has now been completed, we will:
o intensify
implementation of customised sector measures to facilitate investments in
Business Process Outsourcing, tourism, bio-fuels and chemicals, and finalise
practical programmes for forestry and paper, clothing and textiles, metals and
engineering;
o develop an
overarching strategy to prioritise key interventions in mining and mineral
beneficiation, agriculture and agro-processing, the white goods sector, creative
industries, community and social services and pharmaceuticals. This must include
a determined drive to increase our national capacity to produce capital goods.
With regard to mineral beneficiation for instance, we will set up a State
Diamond Trader that will purchase 10% of diamonds from local producers and sell
them to local cutters and producers. We are happy that DeBeers has agreed to
assist free of charge with management, technical skills and asset provision for
a period of three years;
o develop programmes
to facilitate investments in sectors along the supply chain for our
infrastructure programmes, including capital goods in ICT, transport and energy:
with regard to energy, we will also expedite our work to ensure greater reliance
on nuclear power generation, natural gas and the various forms of renewable
sources of energy. With regard to communications, I am pleased to announce that
the Department of Communications together with the mobile telephone companies
and Telkom are finalising plans to address call termination rates this year for
the benefit of all consumers. In addition, Telkom will apply a special low rate
for international bandwidth to 10 development call centres each employing 1000
persons, as part of the effort to expand the BPO sector. These centres will be
established in areas identified by government. The special rate will be directly
comparable to those for the same service and capacity per month offered in any
of the comparable countries.
* We will also take
a variety of steps to improve competition in the economy, among others to lower
the cost of doing business and promote investment, including practical
introduction of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) system, developing
high-speed national and international broadband capacity, finalising the plan to
improve the capacity of the rail and port operators, and strengthening the
effectiveness of our competition authorities.
The progress we have
made with regard to the recapitalisation of Further Education and Training (FET)
Colleges has created the possibility for us significantly to expand the number
of available artisans. Starting this year, resources will be allocated to
provide financial assistance to trainees in need, who enter these institutions.
At the same time, we shall urgently resolve the issue of responsibilities
between the national and provincial spheres in the management of the FET system.
We do hope that our efforts to promote this area of opportunity will help send
the message especially to our young people, that artisan skills are as critical
for economic growth as other levels of qualification.
After intense
interaction between government and leaders of our universities, agreement has
been reached and decisions taken on the resources required to ensure that the
skills in short supply are provided.
In this regard, we
wish to commend the role played by the Joint Initiative on Skills Acquisition
(JIPSA), which brings together government, business, labour, training institutes
and others.
As the Honourable
Members know, we have also significantly increased the number of non-fee paying
schools.
In carrying out this
infrastructure and other programmes we will be informed by our commitment to
ensure that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is the best ever. We wish in this regard to
congratulate our Local Organising Committee (LOC) and other partners for the
sterling work they are doing.
Quite clearly, in
order to ensure that all South Africans enjoy the happiness that comes with a
growing economy, these and other measures will need to be accompanied by an
intensified programme to address challenges in the Second Economy. Because of
this, during the course of this year, we will among other things:
* take further
practical action to improve access to micro-finance including the reach of the
Apex Fund (SAMAF) and the agricultural micro-credit fund (MAFISA);
* ensure
the proper functioning of the Small Enterprises Development Agency, SEDA;
*
process the Companies Bill, adopted for public comment by Cabinet last
Wednesday, as part of the battery of measures to reduce the regulatory burden on
small, medium and micro-enterprises and to empower minority shareholders and
employees;
* having surpassed the 10 000 target we set ourselves, we will
increase the number of young people engaged in the National Youth Service by at
least 20 000 through 18 of our departments which have already developed plans in
this regard, enrol 30 000 young volunteers in community development initiatives,
and employ 5 000 young people as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme in
the maintenance of government buildings;
* intensify efforts to integrate
youth development into the mainstream of government work, including a youth
co-operatives programme, and the ongoing efforts to link unemployed graduates
with employment opportunities – and in this regard we wish to thank the many
companies, public and private, big and small, which have responded in a splendid
and practical manner to this initiative; and,
* start implementing the
Communal Land Rights Act in order to improve economic utilisation of communal
land, while at the same time expanding assistance such as irrigation, seeds and
implements to small and co-operative farmers.
Honourable Members;
The economic
programmes to which we have referred form part of the concerted drive in which
all of South Africa should engage in order to reduce the levels of poverty and
inequality in our society. For us it is not a mere cliché to assert that the
success of our democracy should and will be measured by the concrete steps we
take to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable in our society.
In order to improve
on the social programmes that we have implemented over the years, we aim this
year to complete the work already started to reform our system of social
security so that phased implementation can start as early as possible. A
critical part of this reform will be the task of repairing a defect identified
in the 2002 Report of the Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive System of
Social Security in South Africa. This is that the contributory earnings-related
pillar of our social security system is missing or unreliable for large numbers
of working people. The principle guiding this approach is that, over and above
social assistance provided through the government budget, we need to explore the
introduction of an earnings-related contributory social security system that is
informed by the principle of social solidarity.
This will mean that
all South Africans will enjoy membership of a common, administratively efficient
social insurance system, while those earning higher incomes will be able to
continue contributing to private retirement and insurance schemes. In the
discussions thus far conducted within government, consensus is emerging that
elements of this system would need to include:
* continuation of
the minimum benefits contained in our social grants system with the benefits
paid through a modern administrative system;
* a wage subsidy for low-wage
employees, possibly directed at first entrants into the job market, especially
young people; and
* a social security tax to finance basic retirement
savings, death, disability and unemployment benefits.
The Minister of
Finance will further elaborate on these issues in the Budget Speech. What we
should underline though is that in finishing the new social security
dispensation, government will undertake a comprehensive process of consultation
with all social partners both individually and through NEDLAC.
In addition, we have
also started examining measures to reach vulnerable children over the age of 14
years.
Our programme in the social sector for this year will also
include:
* speeding up of the construction of low-cost housing which will
require the urgent establishment of a Special Purpose Vehicle to handle
finances, piloting of the Land Use Management Bill and ensuring that the
remaining elements of the much-delayed agreement with the private sector on
low-cost housing are finalised;
* speeding up the implementation of the taxi
recapitalisation project, implementing detailed plans for passenger rail and
road transport including the Bus Rapid Transit System in the Metros and
recapitalisation of Metrorail: and in this regard, let me take this opportunity
to emphasise that government and our partners in SANTACO will not be bullied
into abandoning the taxi recapitalisation project, and any attempts to undermine
public order in pursuit of selfish interests will be dealt with
accordingly;
* expanding access to Early Childhood Development both as part
of the programme to improve the general education system and as part of the
Expanded Public Works Programme;
* expanding training and employment of
nurses and social workers as well as auxiliaries, increasing the number of
training institutions, improving the quality of training, and instituting a
bursary system;
* continuing with the implementation of the remuneration
dispensation for medical professionals, and providing additional resources
further to improve the remuneration levels of teachers;
* ensuring the
implementation, without further delay, of measures to reduce the cost of
medicines; and
* continuing work to address especially the various
non-natural causes of death in our society as well as lifestyle diseases,
malaria, the various strains of TB, road accidents and violent crime.
In this regard,
government commits itself to intensify the campaign against HIV and AIDS and to
improve its implementation of all elements of the comprehensive approach such as
prevention, home-based care and treatment. We shall ensure that the partnerships
built over the years are strengthened, and that our improved national
comprehensive strategy against AIDS and sexually transmitted infections is
finalised as soon as possible.
This year we shall
complete concrete plans on implementation of the final stages of our programmes
to meet the targets for universal access to water in 2008, sanitation in 2010
and electricity in 2012. We shall also finalise the strategy and programmes to
address matters of social cohesion, including the comprehensive and integrated
anti-poverty strategy we have mentioned, as well as address issues pertaining to
national unity, value systems and identity.
All these efforts,
Madame Speaker and Chairperson, must go hand in hand with a sustained drive to
improve community safety and security. In this regard, government will ensure
that the decisions already taken about strengthening our fight against crime are
effectively implemented. The challenge that we face in addressing this issue has
little to do with policies.
Rather, what is
required is effective organisation, mobilisation and leadership of the mass of
law-enforcement, intelligence and corrections officers, and functionaries of the
justice system. The overwhelming majority of these public servants have proven
over and over again in actual practice that they are prepared to put their lives
on the line and to sacrifice even the little quality time they could have with
their families, in defence of our freedom and our security.
In addition to the
many ongoing programmes that we have been implementing, government will this
year:
* continue to improve the remuneration and working conditions of the
police, and start the process of further expanding the personnel of the South
African Police Service to bring their total number to over 180 000 within three
years, and ensure optimal utilisation of the electronic monitoring and
evaluation system that has just been introduced;
* bring to full capacity the
forensic laboratories which have been equipped with the latest technology, and
ensure the optimum utilisation of the finger-print database – indeed, many of
the recent successes in solving serious crime incidents have been facilitated by
these systems;
* bring the operations of the Department of Home Affairs to
full capacity, by filling vacant posts, improving systems and implementing other
recommendations of the Task Team that has been working with the Minister to
improve the work of this vital institution;
* implement the recommendations
of the Khampepe Commission on the mandate and operations of the Directorate of
Special Operations (Scorpions);
* start the process of further modernising
the systems of the South African Revenue Services, especially in respect of
border control, and improve the work of the inter-departmental co-ordinating
structures in this regard;
* intensify intelligence work with regard to
organised crime, building on the successes that have been achieved in the last
few months in dealing with cash-in-transit heists, drug trafficking and poaching
of game and abalone;
* utilise to maximum effect the new technology that has
been provided to the justice system and generally improve management of the
courts and the prosecution service, in order massively to reduce case
backlogs;
* finalise remaining elements of measures to transform the
judiciary and improve its functioning, in consultation with this eminent
institution of our democracy;
* implement the programmes decided upon to
build more corrections facilities and realise the objectives of the White Paper
on Corrections;
* continue with the processes further to capacitate our
intelligence agencies, and ensure that at all times they operate within the
framework of our Constitution and laws; and
* improve our analysis of crime
trends to improve our performance with regard both to crime prevention and crime
combating. In this regard, we must respond to the cold reality that, as in other
countries, the overwhelming majority of violent crimes against the person occur
in the most socio-economically deprived areas of our country and require strong
and sustained community interventions focused on crime prevention.
As we have already
said, these and other measures will succeed only if we build an enduring
partnership in actual practice within our communities and between the
communities and the police, to make life more and more difficult for the
criminals.
In this regard, we
are heartened by the resolve shown by leaders of the business and religious
communities further to strengthen such partnerships on the ground, and to give
of their time and resources to strengthen the fight against crime. Government
will play its part to ensure that these partnerships actually work, and that we
all act together to discharge the responsibility to protect our citizens.
I should mention in
this regard that the Ministry of Safety and Security and the Police Service are
working on proposals further to improve the functioning and effectiveness of the
vitally important Community Police Forums.
Madame Speaker and
Chairperson;
Further to improve
its service to the people, government should optimise its capacity and
organisational efficiency. To achieve these objectives, we will during the
course of this year:
* strengthen
monitoring and evaluation capacity across all the spheres, including training of
managers responsible for the implementation of this system;
* complete,
within the next 18 months, legislation on a single public service and relevant
norms and standards, remuneration policy and matters pertaining to medical aid
and pensions;
* intensify outreach and awareness on issues of national
spatial development, while increasing the number of municipalities involved in
the harmonisation of planning instruments across the three spheres;
* conduct
capacity assessments and implement interventions in Provincial Departments
responsible for local government, as well as the Offices of the Premiers, while
continuing to improve the capacity of our national departments;
* while
intensifying the public sector and national anti-corruption campaign, complete
by the end of the year the process further to improve the effectiveness of our
anti-corruption strategies for all spheres of government;
* roll out the
Batho Pele campaign at local government level, intensify outreach activities
including izimbizo and set up more Multi-Purpose Community Centres beyond the 90
currently operational; and,
* further capacitate and provide more support to
the institution of traditional leadership.
Improving governance
also means having a sound statistical database about social dynamics within our
nation. In this regard, two major surveys will be undertaken in 2007. As of two
days ago 6 000 field workers from Statistics South Africa have gone out across
our country to collect information on 280 000 households chosen to participate
in a Community Survey, which will give government as accurate as possible a
snapshot of the circumstances of citizens in every part of the country.
In October another
30 000 individuals in 8 000 households will be selected to participate in South
Africa's first national panel study, the National Income Dynamics Study. These
30 000 individuals will be tracked over time, to further our understanding of
such issues such as migration, labour market transitions, inter-generational
mobility and household formation and dissolution. I wish to take this
opportunity to call on all those selected to cooperate fully in these important
undertakings.
Madame Speaker and
Chairperson:
Among the greatest
achievements of the peoples of Africa in the past two-and-half years has been
the restoration of peace in the Great Lakes Region. We are proud, as South
Africans, of the role that our people have played in helping to bring this about
– from the young men and women in our National Defence Force to employees of
public and private institutions who gave of their time to ensure that the
African dream finds practical realisation in the homeland of Patrice Lumumba.
We will continue to
work with the sister people of the DRC, as well as Burundi, the Comoros and
Sudan in particular to ensure that the condition of peace and stability thus far
attained translates without pause into concerted action for economic
reconstruction and social development.
However, while we
are fully justified in celebrating the achievements that Africa has made in her
endeavour to achieve peace and development, we cannot underplay the challenges
that we face in dealing with the remaining areas of conflict, particularly the
general peace process in Sudan, including the situation in Darfur, Côte d’Ivoire
and Somalia.
Our government will
respond appropriately and as our capacity permits, to the call of the African
Union for assistance to the people and government of Somalia. Critical in this
regard, are the initiatives under way to ensure that the protagonists within
Somalia interact with one another to find a solution that is inclusive and
practicable, based on the need to achieve national reconciliation.
This year the
African Peer Review Forum will complete its review of our country. I wish to
take this opportunity to thank our legislators, government Ministers and
departments, our civil society organisations and society at large for the
contribution they made to an exercise that was as challenging as it was unique
for our young democracy. We will also take the necessary steps to implement the
required programme of action that will emerge as a result of the peer review
process.
Similarly, we will
continue to work with the rest of our continent and our development partners to
speed up the implementation of the NEPAD programmes.
Just over a month
ago, South Africa started its tour of duty as a non-permanent member of the
United Nations Security Council. We hereby wish to pledge, on behalf of the
people of South Africa, that we will, in this most esteemed of multilateral
bodies, do everything necessary further to contribute to international peace and
security.
In this regard we
will also continue to engage the leaders of the peoples of Palestine, Israel,
Iraq, Iran and other countries in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.
We shall also
continue to strengthen our relations with other countries on the continent, our
partners in India, Brazil and the People’s Republic of China, other countries of
the South, as well as Japan, Europe and North America.
One of the critical
questions that we shall pursue in this regard is the speedy resumption of the
Doha Development Round of WTO negotiations. We are convinced that solutions to
the logjams currently being experienced can be found, and that it is in the
long-term interest of developed and developing countries alike that these talks
should reach fruition.
Madame Speaker,
Chairperson and Honourable Members;
Since the popular
mandate of 2004, we have made welcome progress in further changing South Africa
for the better. We should not and do not underplay the many difficulties we
still confront.
But the message that
our collective experience communicates to all of us is that, working together,
we can and shall succeed in meeting the common objective we have set ourselves
as a nation - to build a better life for all, in a country that no longer
contains within it and represent much that is ugly and repulsive in human
society.
We should today,
even more confidently, speak together of freedom. We should dare to act in
concert to pursue the “happiness that can come to men and women if they live in
a land that is free”.
We are not there
yet. But no one, except ourselves, shall ensure that this dream is realised. And
so, let us roll up our sleeves and get down to work, fully understanding that
the task to build the South Africa for which we yearn is a common responsibility
we all share.
Thank you.
Issued by: The
Presidency
9 February 2007