Kwa-Mncane 21 November 2000
Minister of Public Works, Stella Sigcau,
Premier Lionel Mtshali,
Reverend Celani Mtetwa,
Mr Marshall Gwala,
Inkosi VA Ngcobo
Amakhosi,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We meet today to launch yet another initiative as part of our comprehensive programme of confronting poverty and under-development and improve the quality of life of all our people.
We do so with a firm resolve that the ravaging effects of poverty, particularly amongst black women and youth in the rural and urban areas, must become the thing of the past.
Programmes such as the one that we are launching here today, bear testimony to our commitment to put words into actions and bequeath our communities with facilities and resources to improve their quality of life.
In order to respond to the needs of the people, we have to work in partnership with communities as well as the private sector. This programme is a good example of working together.
Unless as South Africans, we all dedicate ourselves to the eradication of poverty and under-development, our good intentions to make South Africa a better place for all will never be realised.
Poverty manifests itself in many ways and affects our people differently. Some of these manifestations of poverty are unemployment, hunger, illiteracy, crime, lack of infrastructure and lack of access to basic social services including clean drinking water, electricity, health amenities and education.
The universally accepted key element of poverty is that poverty denudes one of self-esteem and dignity. We therefore have a responsibility to fight this disease of poverty that afflicts millions of our people.
As a democratic country founded on the sanctity of intrinsic human value and worthy of government and all the concerned people of South Africa, we should work together to eliminate economic disparities and social inequalities. Programmes such as the Community Based Public Works Programme are an important element in our fight against poverty.
These Projects that are being launched here today are part of a comprehensive integrated programme initiated by government in 1994 as a national response to both urban and rural poverty, underdevelopment and unemployment in our country.
Today the programme has become synonymous with job creation, infrastructure development and economic stimulation in many areas. This also forms a fundamental aspect of the Integrated Rural Development strategy, which is a holistic approach to problems of rural poverty.
Our focus on rural development is in line with our stated position that for transformation to be successful we must improve the conditions of the poorest of the poor in our society.
The projects that we are launching today seeks to alter the rural landscape by developing increased delivery of infrastructure in these areas. In these process, we have to involve communities and make them an active part of their own economic development and social prosperity.
To date, more than R1.2 billion has been invested into the programme. In addition, more than 43 000 jobs and 2500 community assets have been created thereby impacting positively on the lives of millions of poor people particularly women, youth and the disabled.
In the calendar year of 2000, the Department of Public Works has implemented no less than 1450 community driven projects with a total budget of R1 billion. Many are either complete or nearing completion. These projects are implemented in over 20 District Council's in the provinces of Free State, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Province and NorthWest.
In launching these projects here today, we reaffirm our commitment as government to speed up change towards poverty eradication and improvement of the quality of life for all.
Between April and October 2000, projects in the form of assets and infrastructure worth R46 million, creating employment for 5 525 people have been handed over to various communities.
As part of this process, we have gathered here today to launch 5 projects at the KwaMncane cluster of the Indlovu Regional Council which will obviously create critically important jobs.
Some of the projects that have already been established are Nxamalala Community Garden, KwaMgwagwa Community Garden, KwaShange Poultry Houses, KwaMncane Market Stalls and the KwaMncane Taxi Rank.
A total of R27,4 million was allocated by the National Department of Public Works, through the Community Based Public Works Programme to the Indlovu Regional Council under which the KwaMncane cluster falls, in the past two financial years.
These projects are not ends in themselves, but should be seen as part of broader programme that is meant to impact positively on the lives of the communities.
We therefore call on all our people in these areas to ensure smooth implementation and themselves to take responsibility for maintenance and operation of these facilities on an ongoing basis.
National Department of Public Works will announce 93 tenders with a total value of 703 million on 24 November for the repair and maintenance of state buildings in the country. Again, we call on all black and other emerging contractors to seize such government opportunities to empower themselves and their communities.
Once again I am very happy to be here today with you to launch these important projects and I wish you all the best.
Thank you