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10 YEAR CELEBRATION OF DEMOCRACY
When the ruling African National Congress (ANC) assumed governance back in 1994 a collective vow was taken to implement programmes that meets the objectives of freedom through the improvement of standards of living and quality life for all the people within a peaceful and stable society.
Then the ANC led Limpopo government implemented massive programmes that included providing access to clean running water to millions of people, access to electricity to millions of households, constructing health facilities closer to where people live and provide primary health care to the needy, stimulate the provincial economic growth by over 6 % in the previous financial years. The government also restored land ownership to thousands of the people who were dispossessed and dislodged by the erstwhile notorious apartheid regime, they provided thousands of classrooms to our learners and by so doing inculcated the culture of teaching and learning.
“ Other programmes included the resounding landmarks alluded to the above were achieved within budgetary constraints and limited resources. We had no alternative route but to commit to hard choices’ says the Premier of Limpopo Dr Ngoako Ramathlodi.
“ On 14th April 2004, for the third consecutive time in our proud history, all of us will stand tall and proud that we have achieved a peaceful transition in our common home," remarked Dr Ramathlodi.
The ANC government has integrated and equalized grants for people with disabilities and the senior citizens after assuming political power in 1994. Some of our senior citizens, particularly Africans were receiving a mere R300 once every second month. Currently all citizens are receiving R740 per month irrespective of race color or creed.
Currently, Limpopo is providing child support to a total of 539 010 beneficiaries and this figure is expected to increase to 600 000 by the end of March 2004. During March to June 2003 our government distributed food parcels to 51 876 deserving household. An additional amount of R61 million has been allocated for food distributions to a further 62 431 vulnerable households.
As at the end of the year 2003 our government has built 120 759 housing units for qualifying beneficiaries. Of outmost importance is that this delivery record surpasses what and its surrogates in the name of Homeland governments have done over a period of 46 years of misrule. We have proudly introduced a “People´s Housing Programme’ wherein we provide housing to people within their traditional homesteads.
The ANC continues to say that it is therefore no longer a prerequisite that a separate piece of land has to be availed and proclaimed before houses are built for the people. And successfully, the ANC has done away with twi-light, urban enclaves in the rural communities.
Regarding the educations systems in the province the ANC says’ The province has consistently improved on matric results. Limpopo has achieved 6,6 % average increment rate over the past 10 years while last year we have recorded well over 70% matric pass rate. Of primary importance, is the fact that Limpopo has emerged as the surprise capital of South Africa´s scientific future, accounting for almost a third of all higher-grade passes for Maths and Science by black learners last year. During 2003 on a national average, 36% and 39% of students who passed maths and science respectively were from Limpopo’.
Limpopo government is committed to make the road and transport systems contribute towards economic growth and saved the lives of millions of the people as they travel from one point to another.
The ANC alluded that in partnerships with business and members of the public operations such as hakela hekela, thari ya tsela, juggernaut and many others helped a great deal in curbing the road carnage which were experienced in previous years.
The vehicle identification system, the upgrading and building of traffic control centre multimodal facilities, let alone the provincial of non motorized transport such as animal drawn carts and bicycles saw the transport system improving remarkably and catering for the needy sectors of the society.
In bringing services closer to the people the ANC handed over the control stations such as Mankweng, Dzanani and Vuwani, Giyani and Phalalato the local municipalities.
The provincial government has spent an amount of R11.2 million on subsiding bus operations and a further R79.2 million was contributed by the National Department of Transport as transfer payment.
The government in collaboration with University of Pretoria managed not openly to make Mapungubwe unscripted on the list of World Heritage Sites but also to ensure that historic treasures including the golden Rhinoceros are brought back to their rightful place, Limpopo.
It is through this government that the public is witnessing quite a number of tremendous improvements in sports and recreation, particularly in the historically marginalized sector of our communities. The indigenous games such as diketo, morabaraba.
The government has tarred a total of 712 kilometers of strategic roads during the periods under review. We have also launched Gundo Lashu that stands for “our victory’ in Tshivenda for roads construction and maintenance programme. The Gundo Lashu project specializes in labour-intensive construction and maintenance methods and is capable of creating approximately 100 jobs for every one million rand allocated for capital expenditure investment.
When the new government took over in 1994 there was a classroom backlog of 35 000. It was not possible for a province like Limpopo to radically deal with this frightening figure in creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning. The backlog is ever increasing because of the demand in new schools in the newly established settlements and squatter camps. At least a total 0f 246 clinics located within distance for and impressive delivery record brings to 447 a total number of formally primary health care service points in the province.
And six comprehensive and fully-fledged hospitals during the period under review and the total number of hospitals now stands at 44 hospitals which are spread throughout the entire province.
A conscious decision to create and maintain an enabling environment conducive for sustained economic growth was taken and saw the national average growth rate of 6%, R24 billion capital injection in the mining sector and creating of quality jobs.
The ANC provincial government presides over a budget worth R18 billion for Limpopo´s population of 5.3 million people. The ANC says that by the end of March 2004, Limpopo would have met its obligations and will pay the debt of close to R700 million.
Today more than 70% of South Africans have access to electricity compared to 30% in 1996 and more than 80% of South Africans have access to clean running water.
Written by Mr Selby Makgotho, member of the ANC on 23rd March 2004