Honourable Speaker
Premier Rasool
Cabinet Colleagues
Honourable Members of the Legislature
Friends and Guests
Comrades

Mr Speaker, I rise to address this House not only because it is my first Budget speech in this portfolio entrusted upon me some 10 months ago, but also because this year is a special year in the history of our young democracy.

On June 16 we will celebrate 30 years of the Soweto uprising; and in August 50 years of the Women's March to the Union Building in protest against the Pass Laws. The commemoration of these events, which were key contributors to the downfall of the apartheid regime as well as the birth of our new democracy, gives us an opportunity to reflect on the enormous sacrifices made by the young people, women and many communities in this country to ensure that today we can enjoy what President Mbeki has called the "Age of Hope". The commemoration also enables us to reflect on what contribution we have made in whatever capacity we may be, to the realisation of the dream of the young people of 1976, the women who marched in 1956, as well as all those who sacrificed their lives so that we could become a proud, strong and united Nation.

We dedicate this year's Budget Speech to Dullah Omar, a humble servant of the people, whose entire life was dedicated to ensuring that the lives of those who perished in the struggle against apartheid were not lost in vain, and that the dreams of those who had come before him were kept alive and realised. He worked tirelessly to not only bring the apartheid regime down, but also build a strong foundation for our young democracy. Despite his failing health, he applied himself in an outstanding way as the Minister of Transport to issues of public transport and road safety. Paying tribute to him at the Dullah Omar Memorial Lecture Dinner at the 8th World conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, Minister of Transport, Jeff Radebe, said:

"One of the many legacies that Dullah Omar bequeathed to our country was an unswerving devotion to a people-centred vision of rights and responsibilities, enunciated through partnership and co-operation. Always a realist, he acknowledged the need for firm and fair prosecution of offences, but never believed that laws and regulations should replace the active commitment and hard work of citizens to make life and living better for all".

At the memorial meeting for Dullah Omar in 2004, the President said:

"We have an obligation to remain true to the goals Dullah Omar set himself while he lived. We owe it to him and others who dedicated themselves to serve the people of South Africa, ready to lay down their lives, to ensure that we eradicate poverty and underdevelopment, racism and sexism in our country, realise the renewal of Africa, and contribute to the construction of a new world order of equality among the peoples and a shared prosperity.

To achieve these objectives, we need the quiet courage of a Dullah Omar without seeking fame and acclaim. We need the steadfast attachment to principle of Dullah Omar, without expectation of personal reward. We require the unwavering focus on the interests and aspirations of the masses of the people of a Dullah Omar. We must cultivate the use of our minds and skills to advance the interests of the people rather than our selfish desires, as did Dullah Omar."

With the resources, both human and financial, at our disposal in my Department, I believe that we are in a unique position to contribute to the building the kind of society that Dullah Omar strove for in his lifetime - a non-racial, democratic and just society.We have the will to fight unemployment, poverty and underdevelopment, which are threats to the Age of Hope. We have the appetite to contribute to the construction of a new world order of equality among people and shared prosperity. And we have a plan: The Strategic Infrastructure Plan.

Honourable Speaker, as this house is already aware, my Department is responsible for the development of the Strategic Infrastructure Plan (SIP), which is one of the lead strategies in Ikapa Elihlumayo, the Growth and Development Strategy for the Province. The SIP is designed to ensure that all of the infrastructure necessary for the growth of the Province is identified and delivered in good time. It is also aimed at creating economies of scale through the alignment of priorities and infrastructure budgets of government departments, state-owned enterprises and agencies; and informing long-term investment by the government and private sector to stimulate and support social and economic development in the Province.

The first draft of the SIP was presented to Cabinet in July last year. Since then, extensive research has been undertaken to improve its depth and enrich its content. It is currently being taken through a consultative process with key role-players and stakeholders in both public and private sectors. It is our intention to publish and launch the SIP in July of this year.

While the SIP deals with a total of thirteen infrastructure sectors, from energy, to water, sanitation, transport, education, and many others, it has also identified five strategic thrusts, which should be given special attention. These thrusts are: efficient public transport system, effective and timeous asset management and maintenance, provision of basic sanitation to all, sustainable resources and training, education and research. Within these strategic thrusts are five integrated priorities, which are considered when evaluating projects: growing prosperity, expanding opportunities, attaining sustainability, building communities and improving well-being, and fostering creativity.

As a means of identifying projects to be included in the SIP, an evaluation model has been developed. This model is based on the triple bottom line (people, place and planet) principle to ensure alignment with the Provincial Spatial Development Framework (PSDF), and the Micro-economic Development Strategy (MEDS). It may be used to evaluate infrastructure projects to be undertaken by any agency, sphere of government or private sector.

Honourable Speaker, in my Department we firmly believe that through the SIP we shall not only contribute to Ikapa Elihlumayo, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, but also that in a very real way we shall contribute to the realization of the dreams of the young people of 1976 and in the present generation. Through the provision of safe and accessible public transport and infrastructure, and creation of opportunities for women in the delivery of infrastructure, we will contribute to the enhancement of freedom for women in line with the aspiration of the women who marched in 1956. By addressing the scourge of poverty and underdevelopment we will truly honour the memory of Dullar Omar.

I want to take this opportunity to thank those who directed the research, reviewed the material, and participated in our workshops. A special thanks goes to Jacqui Gooch in my Department who has led this process, as well as to Professor Francis Wilson and Dr Mamphela Ramphele for their wisdom and counsel.

I am pleased to announce that my Department has implemented far reaching initiatives around scarce skills in the engineering and built environment fields as we believe this is the key to unlocking economic growth through infrastructure. Another threat to this Age of Hope is the shortage of appropriate professional and technical skills in the engineering environment. South Africa has 14 900 professional engineers of which approximately 10% is being lured to other parts of the world! It therefore means that a major intervention is required to address this issue. A start has been made- In February of this year we launched with our late Minister Stella Sicgau the Masakh' iSizwe - Let's Build the Nation - Project at a Gala Dinner where we awarded 130 bursaries to students studying in the engineering and built environment scarce skills fields. This marks a drastic increase as compared to the annual average of 10 bursaries, which have been allocated by my Department in previous years. Indeed over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) period we will have awarded at least 250 bursaries at a cost of R21 million - a massive investment in addressing the critical shortage of scarce priority skills. At the same time we are continuing with our comprehensive approach to acquiring the necessary skills through the recruitment of foreign-based professionals, the appointment of retirees to provide mentoring support to young professionals and students, and constant lobbying of the Department of Public Service and Administration for the payment of a Scarce Skills Allowance. I believe this approval of this allowance is imminent. Through the Masakh' iSizwe Center my Department is linked to the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA), and particularly to the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) led by the Deputy President.

The first meeting of the Advisory Board of the Centre will be held at the end of this month, and I am honoured to announce that Dr Mamphela Ramphele has agreed to chair this body. Other confirmed members are Allyson Lawless, former President of South African Institute of Civil Engineers (SAICE), Vusi Khanyile Chief Executive Officer of Thebe Investments, and Professors Martin Hall, Arnold Schoonwinkel and Anthony Staak of University of Cape Town, University of Stellenbosch and Cape Peninsula University of Technology, respectively. As its name indicates, the vision of Masakh'iSizwe goes beyond the offer of bursaries to developing cadres of "Nation builders". Together with Higher Education Institutions in the Province, special attention will be given to the values and attitudes necessary for developing the economy, promoting social justice and sustaining the natural environment. This supplementary curriculum will involve service opportunities in communities trapped in the "second economy".

The Letshema campaign will be launched in my department in Construction Week, the first week of July, where we will be going with managers and the Masakh'iSizwe students, to help people in Project Consolidate areas with construction work. This will be a voluntary program where managers and students will be able to mix and share experiences with local rural dwellers and/or people staying in informal settlements.My Department has a dedicated team in the Human Resource Development component focusing on work-integrated learning. This team has been widely recognised for its work, having won the South African Association Consulting Engineers (SAACE) Award for Excellence in Cooperative Education for the past four years, and last year was one of the ten finalists for the Premier's Service Excellence Award. This team will be incorporated into the Masakh' iSizwe support unit.

Mr Speaker, shortly after my appointment as Minister in this portfolio I instituted a Change Management process in the Department, to strengthen leadership, management expertise, and performance management. In addition a DPSA approved team of service providers has been appointed to assist with enhancing performance management. This involves a detailed review of the job descriptions of all Senior Managers aligning these to the strategy of the Department. This process has started and will enhance the spirit of accountability and improve the synergy between prevailing skills and the requirements for the post. I am also pleased to record that the review of the business processes as part of this Change Management has resulted in a total review of the Departmental strategy and organisational structure to give effect to that strategy.

Honourable Speaker, in the last financial year my Department received approximately R1.7billion and today I can announced that the management and implementation capacity have improved so much that we were able to spend nearly all the budget. Only 1.3% of the budget remained unspent.

We have been allocated R2.064 billion for the 2006/07 Financial Year to ensure that we can deliver and maintain critical economic infrastructure. This represents a share of 11.2 percent of the Provincial budget, and a 20.6 percent increase as compared to the original budget for 2005/06.

By far the largest share, namely 57.5 percent or R1.187 billion, of the funds available to my Department is allocated to Roads Infrastructure. Investment in Provincial road infrastructure directly supports the government's program for accelerated and shared growth. This provision for road infrastructure is funding earmarked by the Provincial Treasury to ensure that spending on road infrastructure over the MTEF will be held at above R1 billion per annum. The allocation for Public Transport at R208 million represents a negative growth as compared to the original budget for 2005/06. The budget allocation, however, rises steadily over the medium term. 2006/07 is to be a year of consolidation for public transport during which time public transport operational and infrastructure plans will be finalised to better inform budgeting for future years. The remainder of the budget is allocated to traffic management (R203 million), Community Based Programs (R68 million) and Administration (R67 million)

Mr Speaker, a bird's eye view of the challenges signals an estimated 1.6million daily trips to work in the Province. 36% of trips are made by public transport, ie a total of 574,000 trips. Challenges include the proper planning, coordination and implementation of an integrated public transport system that is safe and reliable. Now much has been said about this over the past few years and the next three years will have to be focused on the realisation of these objectives. As a demonstration of our eagerness and preparedness to play our role as the Premier has directed that we do in this regard, I would like to share some of the initiatives that my Department will be driving.

The Department has been steadily working on a programme for improving public transport for all people in the Province, but with a very specific focus on especially the metropolitan area. This is the Public Transport Improvement Programme (PTIP). The PTIP consists of four key pillars, namely Mode and Operations, Policy and Institutional Aspects, Land Use and Sustainability, and Perception and Awareness. Once all these elements are improved, we will have achieved our vision of an accessible, affordable, sustainable, safe and equitable system. A critical element of the plan is the restructuring of subsidised services within the City of Cape Town to take account of all the road based public transport modes i.e. bus and taxi, with linkages to the rail network. All bus and taxi services that are currently being have been restructured so as to focus on key development and mobility corridors e.g. the Klipfontein Corridor, Main Road, Koeberg Corridor, Wetton-Lansdowne Corridor, Modderdam Road, etc. The Department intends to tender the first contract package, which will be the Klipfontein Corridor package, during the second half of 2006.

To support specific economic sectors such as call centres and BPO's, the services will be operating for at least 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, with increased services during the off-peak times than are currently operated by Golden Arrow Bus Services. Although there is a focus on the metropolitan area, the Department is not forgetting the rest of the Province. A conceptual design has been developed for an intervention in the George area, in line with the PSDF's focus of an area in the Province for further development. The George mobility strategy focuses on the provision of a subsidised, scheduled service in the George Municipal area, with a focus on the Sandkraal and York Street. Sandkraal road is to be upgraded to improve pedestrian and cycle spaces and to provide dedicated public transport lanes. Initial talks have also begun with the National Department of Transport to source further subsidy funding for these services. A further mobility strategy is in its infant stages for the Mosselbay area. The PSDF also highlights Saldanha Bay as an area for growth in the Western Cape. During the 2006/07 financial year, the Public Transport branch will be developing a Mobility Strategy concept for the West Coast area, with the focus on the Saldanha bay region.

The problems at the Provincial Operating Licence board has been well documented and it includes poor management, no proper tracking of decisions taken and lack of alignment between compliance of operators, recommendations by the City and the impact of permit allocations on routes. In an effort to turn around the operation of the Provincial Operating Licence Board we will be launching a drastic intervention in the next few months. A new board with a new operational strategy will be announced end of May. Thus the focus will not only be on the appointments but more importantly to the systems and phases in decision-making of the Board in a transparent and accountable manner. We will be implementing the first phase of a Shared Service Centre, the first in the Western Cape. New businesses processes, new application procedures, linkage with SARS compliance of all operators, pre-qualification process all make for improved service delivery and implementation of the Batho Pele principles. A significant change will also be the separation of process between the taxi approvals and that of tourist operators.

Though a challenging period where we have again experienced violence in this industry with so much potential, the Western Cape was able to successfully convert more than 95% of taxi permits to operating licences. This was only possible because we were able to get the support of the democratically elected Western Cape Taxi Council behind this process. On the 01st July 2006 the Taxi Recapitalisation program will be starting in order to address the safety requirements of the industry. Any new vehicles to be purchased and licensed will then have to comply with the new safety regulations. A voluntarily process will also commence of those wanting to exit the industry and scrapping of the older dangerous vehicles on our roads.

Honourable Speaker, a safe and secure Public Transport system is vital if we are to provide the best possible service to our Communities. Our people deserve a better way to travel, they deserve to know that they will not be caught in the cross-fire between warring minibus taxi groups, they deserve to be secure in the knowledge that Government is doing all it can to make the environment safe. To this end we will be launching and rolling out our safety and compliance strategy during within the next three months.

Honourable Speaker, the President mentioned the need to be ready to host FIFA World Cup 2010. Public Transport plays a key role in this regard and the operational plans for the metropolitan area needs to be rolled out to support this event.

The Premier indicated that the World Cup 2010 event is both a catalyst and a milestone for investment in infrastructure; it is also the milestone by which the improved public transport system has to be in place. Now that Green Point Stadium has been announced to be the main match venue, it is imperative that the entire precinct linking the station with the stadium is upgraded.

Improved walkways, with places to stop and rest along the way, increased lighting with safer and greener walkways. A public transport distribution service is required within the City centre and one is included in the operational contracts, however the services will be increased to meet the demand in 2010. In addition to the public transport requirements within the City centre, the Cape Town International Airport domestic terminal is to be upgraded to cater for the increased number of visitors to Cape Town. The Department will be involved in upgrading the airport interchange on the N2 and providing dedicated public transport lanes along the N2 towards the CBD for public transport vehicles.

Furthermore, although Athlone Stadium is no longer a match venue, it will still be used at least as a training venue, during the WC2010. The rollout of the first contracted services along Klipfontein Corridor will support this.

Honourable Speaker, I have already indicated that the allocation for road infrastructure has been earmarked and is to be held at above R1 billion annually for the MTEF period. This will go a long way toward enabling us to address key corridors, which are critical for the movement of freight within the Province and between our Province and other provinces and countries to support economic growth. In the City of Cape Town, planning has already started for the improvements to the interchanges linking the N1 corridor and the Port of Cape Town. The Koeberg and Lower Church Street interchanges, as well as Marine Drive are all receiving attention as part of improving access to the Port and generally reducing the cost of doing business. This is a collaborative effort between my Department, the City of Cape Town, and the National Port Authority. The access to the Port of Saldanha is also due to be improved. More freight corridors will be identified as part of the Provincial Freight Logistics strategy.

The allocation received for road infrastructure will also go some way to enable us to arrest further growth in the maintenance backlog, which is currently of the order of R2.4 billion. We are making steady progress in addressing critical links in the Provincial network through rehabilitation, reconstruction and resealing. We have recently completed the following projects:

• Rehabilitation of Main Road 201 between Paarl and the N1
• Rehabilitation of the N7 between Piketberg and Citrusdal
• Viljoenshoop Road
• Hemel-en-Aarde Intersection
• Rehabilitation of sections of the N1 and N2

For the current Financial Year, the following are Flagship projects on which we are focusing:

• The rehabilitation of the second phase of the N1
• The rehabilitation of the N2, Construction of BMT lanes and upgrading of the Airport Interchange
• The upgrading of the Gansbaai-Bredasdorp gravel road to a surfaced standard (Phases I & II)
• The construction of the Potsdam Interchange on the N7
• The reconstruction of Trunk Road 2 - Somerset West to Sir Lowry's Pass
• Reconstruction of the road from Wellington to Hermon
• Rehabilitation of Trunk Road 1/ Section 1: George - Outeniqua Pass
• Upgrade to surfaced standard or Main Road 538 between Elandsbaai and Lambertsbaai

Honourable Speaker, my Department is also busy with the planning, design and construction of 39 projects with a value of more than R10 million each. Our network stretches over the whole Western Cape and reaches the most remote areas where poverty and hardship is devastating. I have given my staff a very clear signal to start improving access to the remote rural areas and the upgrading of the Marcuskraal road, Algeria road, Wupperthal road, Hemel-en Aarde road and Bereaville (Genadendal) roads to a surfaced standard are already in the pipeline for this financial year.

An amount of R 574.2 million has been earmarked for maintenance. The saying: "Prevention is better than cure" is absolutely applicable to our situation in the Western Cape. To reseal a road costs at least 9 times less than rehabilitation at a later stage. Approximately 348 km of roads will be resealed during this financial year. For the same reason we consider regravelling of our unsurfaced roads as the second highest priority and we will be regravelling approximately 660 km of roads.

The 3 District Engineer's Offices in Paarl, Ceres and Oudtshoorn are responsible for the maintenance of our trunk and main roads, whilst the 5 District Municipalities act as agents on our behalf for the maintenance of the divisional and minor roads. A total amount of R230 million will be transferred to the District Municipalities.

Over and above the R2.064 billion allocated to my Department for economic infrastructure, a further R279 million and R325 million has been made available this financial year for education and health infrastructure, respectively. With effect from 1 April 2005, the funding for infrastructure for the departments of Education and Health is no longer reflected on the budget of this department but on the budgets of the two respective departments. My department continues to be responsible for the construction and maintenance of provincial building infrastructure. I am pleased to announce that service delivery agreements have been signed between my Department and the Departments of Education and Health respectively. Although implementation of these service delivery agreements has not been without challenge I am satisfied that the working relationship between the three departments is satisfactory.

Honourable Speaker, during the past the year my Department, specifically Public Works, successfully executed construction and maintenance projects at health care facilities throughout the Western Cape Province.

Some of the facilities where construction and renovations occurred during the past financial year are the following:

• Lentegeur Hospital Phases 1, 2 and 3
• Gugulethu AIDS clinic
• Worcester Regional Hospital Trauma unit
• Clanwilliam Place of Safety
• Brewelskloof Hospital Upgrade kitchen & office block
• Bishop Lavis CHC - Renovations
• Groote Schuur Hospital Repair various roofs
• Mowbray Maternity Hospital Electrical installation
• Swartland Hospital Repairs & Renovate B/rm, Admin

Honourable Speaker, both Mr Strachan and Carlisle for years raised concerns around the problems in the construction of Valkenberg Admission ward and the Western Cape Nursing College. Today it is my pleasure to inform this House that the construction of these two sites has been completed and handed over to the health department. The construction and upgrading of the following hospitals under the Hospital Revitalisation Programme is progressing well:

• The revitalization of the George Regional Hospital has been completed
• Worcester Regional Hospital Revitalisation worth R124.4 million and scheduled to be completed in March 2007. The new Trauma Unit of the hospital has already been handed over to the Department of Health, and the rest of the project is progressing
• Vredenburg Regional Hospital Phase One has been virtually completed, and planning has commenced on Phase Two
• The tender for the upgrading and extension of Paarl Hospital has been awarded to the value of R227 million and the construction is about to commence on this major infrastructure project.
• The Planning of Khayelitsha District Hospital has commenced, and a suitable site has been identified
• The planning stage of the Mitchell's Plain District Hospital will also commence during this year.

Other health infrastructure projects, which have either been completed or are on the verge of being completed, include the following:

• Valkenberg Admission Ward completed
• Elsies River Clinic completed
• Eeste River Workshop and Stores completed
• Joster Pharmacy and administration Block completed
• Western Cape Nursing College completed
• 400 Maintenance projects completed
• Mowbray Maternity Hospital to be completed September 2006
• Philippi Clinic completed to be completed September 2006.

Mr Speaker, during the past year my department promised to accelerate infrastructure delivery under the social sector and I am proud to announce that this promise has been fulfilled and I report as follows:

The opening of Doors of Learning was achieved as 16 new schools, one school hostel and about 40 additional classrooms were built. In addition we provided decent sanitation and water supply to schools in the rural areas, thereby impacting positively on the lives of the township and rural poor. The 16 new schools opened added more than 22 000 classroom spaces for the Western Cape Learners.

I was however concerned that the mandate of my department is only the construction of the school infrastructure itself. After numerous meetings between Minister Dugmore, and myself we have decided to broaden the mandate so that it also can include the upgrading of the school grounds and playing fields to a particular standard. The budgetary implication of this will soon be finalised.

Furthermore, in order to retain the momentum of accelerated infrastructure delivery with regard to school infrastructure, the Department, in collaboration with the Department of Education, intends to complete another seventeen schools by August 2007, namely:

• Highbury SS (to be completed June 2006)
• Du Noon SS (June 2006)
• Samora Machel Weltevreden PS (July 2006)
• Wallacedene PS (June 2006)
• Kuyasa Primary School (May 2007)
• Smutsville Primary School (May 2007)
• Nomzamo Primary School (June 2007)
• Table View Primary School (June 2007)
• Khayelitsha & N2 Gateway 3 Primary Schools (August 2007)
• Khayelitsha & N2 Gateway 3 Secondary Schools (August 2007)
• Brackenfell Secondary School (August 2007)
• Khayamandi Secondary School (August 2007)
• Vredendal Primary School (August 2007)
• Zwelihle Primary School (August 2007)

A special thank you to my colleague, Min Dugmore, for being sensitive to the needs of EPWP in maintenance of school. Through this Saamstaan initiative we will be rolling out maintenance work benefiting 2000 labourers.

With regard to General Building projects, the following are some of the successful projects completed:

• Emergency Medical Management Centre completed at Tygerberg Hospital
• Head Office accommodation for ten Departments completed
• Kuilsriver EMDC and CEI completed
• Kuilsriver Sport School Phase 1 completed
• FET Centre for Agriculture completed
• Elsenburg Hostel completed
• 9000 day-to-day maintenance projects completed
• 552 scheduled maintenance projects completed

The following major projects are planned for completion this financial year:

• Beaufort West Traffic Center and Ambulance Station
• Cape Town: New office accommodation for Public Transport and Community Safety
• Stellenbosch: FET Center at Elsenberg for Agriculture
• Stellenbosch: Helderfontein Veterinary Laboratories for Agriculture
• Stellenbosch: Elsenburg Block D Administration offices for Agriculture
• Cape Town: Gene Louw upgrading of offices for Community Safety

Speaker, I am particularly proud of our building infrastructure achievements this year as it not only illustrates my department's ability to deliver, but more importantly it demonstrates a clear commitment to contribute in a meaningful way to the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of Government (ASGISA). In the process we are able to assist our client departments with improved service delivery, but we are also contributing to infrastructure-lead growth that accelerates job creation, thereby making the Millennium Goal of halving poverty by 2014 more realistic and achievable.

The Branch Public Works are continuously implementing the Broad based black economic empowerment strategy through its adherence to the Department Preferential Procurement Implementation Plan in the awarding of tenders and in the appointment of professional service providers in the built sector hence in this financial year as at February 2005:

• 63% of all professional services procured have been from PDI professional service providers to a total amount of R 47 791 825
• 81% of all tenders awarded to contractors were awarded to PDI Contractor enterprises to the value of R 256 126 647
• 47% of all tenders awarded to contractors were awarded to enterprises with Women Equity to the total value of R 148 408 462.

Thus Public Works have implemented National and Provincial Government policy with regard to Black Economic Empowerment to the fullest and have yielded positive results with regard to the transformation of the built sector within the Western Province.

A special focus will be given to both Women- and Youth in Construction. Over the next three months seminars and workshops will take place with departments and municipalities dealing with infrastructure delivery, and a Women in Construction Conference will take place in August 2006, where the new policy for the Western Cape will be adopted.

The Department, in accordance with the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS), as well as the Strategic Infrastructure Plan (SIP), has a key responsibility to utilise the Provincial property portfolio in a manner that optimises the unlocking of the economic and social benefits of the portfolio. We therefore strive to strategically use provincial properties as a catalyst to guide development, drive transformation and instil confidence, in especially under-developed areas, to redress imbalances of the past and to promote economic activities.

To this end the Department embarked on a process to ennoble and/or dispose of properties of strategic value to act as a catalyst for significant private sector investment in infrastructure development, with its resultant contribution to job creation and povrty alleviation.

A few examples of these are the following:

• The Somerset/City Hospital site, where a draft development framework for the site has been approved by the Provicial Cabinet. This site has enormous potential for mixed use develpment, and links in very closely with the development plans for the region, given its proximity to the planned 2010 Wrold Cup stadium in Green Point. The proposed development plans also includes plans for a significantly upgraded Somerset Hospital on the site. The rezoning preocess for these properties is currently underway



• The old Conradie Hospital Site in Pinelands has been disposed of during the year. The contract was concluded with a BBBEE company who will develop the site as a mixed-use development, incorporating the principles of Sustainable Human Settlements. An amount of R80 million was offered and well as a further R10 million once the necessary rezoning has been approved.



• Various individual erven has been disposed in George "The Bult" after the redundant school property was redeveloped and properties were sold at market value



• A property transaction between the City of Cape Town, the Provincial Government and Media 24 has also been finalised during the current year. This consolidation and re-subdivision of properties will enable the City to dispose there site next to CONVENCO, Media 24 to develop new head quarters and the Provincial Government to dispose their site for development. It is estimated that the redevelopment of this site alone will result in an infrastructure investment of more than R1 billion over the next few years.

The National Department of Public Works has recently published the Government Immovable Asset Management Bill. This act will provide for both national and provincial governments to improve the management of their immovable assets. This bill will give the provincial department who acts as custodian of the Provincial Property Portfolio more power to ensure that users of Provincial properties use these properties optimally.

• No increases in licence fees for 2006/07
• Conversion to secure number plates to reduce vehicle crime, enhance law enforcement and to ensure that unregistered vehicles can easily be detected on our roads
• Reducing motor vehicle licence debt by implementing more stringent measures to identify debtors and to effectively deal with the recovery of these debts
• The implementation of legislative and other measures to effectively deal with the cross-border registration and licensing of motor vehicles where Western Cape vehicles license in other provinces with a lower licence fee structure
• Through our own Compliance and Monitoring Unit identify and address fraudulently activities in relation to the testing of driver fitness and vehicle roadworthiness.
• Introduction of an electronic driving licence booking system to better coordinate the allocation of appointments in an endeavour to address the currently long waiting list to obtain a learner's or driving licence appointment. At the same time any fraudulent activity between examiner and person taking the test will be detected.

Honorable Speaker, the Government Motor Transport trading entity, as a strategic business unit, we will continue to deliver cost effective motor fleet services.

The following new initiatives will be introduced shortly to ensure that fleet costs are contained and accommodated within departmental budgets:

• The Vehicle tracking project will be finalised and implemented across the total fleet. It will therefore be a facility that will be managed within the Management Bureau aimed to maximise operational efficiency and to act on panic alarms in which case the action will contribute to safety and security for drivers of State Owned vehicles. Furthermore, movement of vehicles will be closely monitored to ensure that only authorised trips are permitted, alleged misuse reported by the public is tracked and followed-up as well as recovery of stolen or hi-jacked units is performed thus contributing to a cost effective one-stop service



• Focussed management reports will be supplied to clients via a Management Bureau that will be launched within the next month to serve as a single point of entry. The service will later be rolled out on a 24/365/7 basis. Manual and sometimes incorrect and delayed log reporting will be replaced with electronic activity reports on an online basis. These services will be offered as part of GMT's commitment in building up expertise within a Provincial Transport environment to promote full service delivery on a national level in collaboration with external partners.



• The present GMT billing process will be supported with up to date financial data to ensure that expenditure trends and cash flow projections can be done accurately. This will promote improved accountability



• Risk modelling and reporting will be rolled out to pro-actively highlight driver behaviour and other risk areas for departmental follow-up



• Vehicle re-engineering will be researched to curb unnecessary capital cost spending and to ensure a fleet that meets all user requirements



• The sophisticated electronic fleet management and other related systems developed by Government Motor Transport will be enhanced further and fully utilised to the benefit of all client departments



• The expertise, capabilities and systems of GMT will be made available to other organs of State to prevent unnecessary and duplicated development cost.



• The available resources will be further developed into a dynamic organisation that will be responsible to play an active role in support of the Shared Growth Battle Plan already announced by the Premier earlier this year. Existing processes and resources would have to be reshaped to ensure better value for money on a sustainable basis.

One of the key thrusts of the ASGISA strategy, in bridging the gap between the first and second economy, is to increase the Expanded Public Works Programme targets for our nation, to assist in halving poverty by 2014.

The province needs to rise to this challenge and we are currently building dedicated capacity within the Department of Transport and Public Works to co-ordinate the growth of the Expanded Public Works Programme throughout our Provincial Departments and Local Government. Although we have exceeded our annual Expanded Public Works Programme target of 25000 work opportunities per annum for this year, and my Department has contributed over a quarter of these work opportunities, we can still improve on this. For the 2006/07 financial year the target is set at 40 000 work opportunities.

This year the department will lead the development of the Provincial Expanded Public Works Programme strategy that will outline how Expanded Public Works Programme will contribute to halving poverty in the Province by 2014. We will work with all of the Sector Departments, Department of Local Government and Housing and local municipalities to arrive not only at the increased targets, but also at how we, in the words of President Mbeki on State of Nation Address, 03 February 2006 will ensure that "resources for the Public Works programme will be pooled to ensure maximum impact".

While I shall not pre-empt this strategy, I do believe that improved and increased provincial Expanded Public Works Programme can reach ? of the unemployed people of the Western Cape by 2014, that is 300 000 people at 37500 jobs per year. As part of this strategy, we will be initiating the development of a comprehensive unemployed database in the province so that we may target the most needy for those work opportunities and track the impact on their progress out of poverty. We will also be focusing on the development of survivalist small businesses through a "Stepping Stones" type initiative that builds the capacity of those businesses through training, ring fenced contracts and partnerships with Financial Institutions for much needed support.

One of the key programmes in skilling our youth is the Learnership 1000 programme that aims to provide opportunities for unemployed youth in the Western Cape to enable them to engage more effectively with the labour market, either through improved opportunities for employment or markets for SMEs. This is in line with the human and skills development strategies of provincial and national government as well as the Western Cape Spatial Development Framework. The emphasis on the learnerships in the built environment speaks to the primary skills development objectives of ASGISA. These opportunities are provided for through an intergovernmental initiative, with the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works as the lead department in partnership with other provincial departments and local government. All provincial departments and local governments have indicated their willingness to partner this programme. We have also received excellent cooperation from the relevant national and provincial SETAs, as well as the FET colleges and Western Cape Education Department.

Over 30 000 applications were received for these limited positions, mostly from unemployed matriculants. This shows the hunger our youth have for advancement and further learning opportunities. We are in the middle of selecting the final applications and will emphasize those who are committed to building strong commitments in other areas.

The Learnership 1000 programme will be launched as part of the youth activities in June 2006.

In conclusion, we should never lose sight of the aim of all the programs on which I have reported, namely, to transform the daily lives of ordinary people trapped in the second economy. Behind the statistics are real people who are benefiting from our construction procurement processes, from the EPWP projects, from Masakh'iSizwe, from the Adult Basic Education and Further Education and Training programs being run by my Department.

I think of people like Edward du Plessis who was a gardener and could not read or write eight years ago. Today he is a Senior Foreman at Leeuwenhof, a position which involves administration work. A year ago Stoffel Mouries of Robertson was struggling to find work, he is now running a healthy business because he was awarded a sub-contract to lay stormwater drains for the town's public works committee.

Shireen Williamson is a single mother of two girls who used to live in Hinds Park informal settlement and now lives in Mitchell's Plain. She has also managed to purchase a second hand bakkie, which she herself repaired. She uses this bakkie to transport goods for a Spaza shop which runs from her home. She was able to start her own business from the wage earned from participation in a Saamstaan school maintenance project.

Angelina who has had previous employment was chosen to work on a road maintenance program. After gaining experience and new skills in road construction she now runs her own small construction company. With the assistance of the community social facilitator, she is now project managing the same project that she started working on. Mabel Ngcongolo is now able to pay the school fees for her children after a short period working as a construction worker on a road-building project.

I want to thank you as members of the legislature for your collective wisdom, and a special thanks to the Standing Committee, led by mr Strachan, for the many contributions in shaping a better infrastructure and transport strategy for the Western Cape. I now want to give a special thanks to my department led by the HOD, Thami Manyati, and his management (all of you) for your ability to embrace change and your willingness to be part of new management processes introduced the last few months. Without you, this budget is not possible.

Let us not forget that it was not for faceless masses that Dullah Omar dedicated his life. He struggled to rid the country of a racially oppressive and economically exploitative system so that all people in South Africa, and that includes you and I, could enjoy equal rights and where all could share in the Country's wealth.

THANK YOU