In 2006, South Africa remembers and celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Soweto youth uprisings in 1976, and the 50th anniversary of the 1956 march by women on the Union Building where they made known their intention that women shall not carry passes.

In his State of the Province Address on 10 February 2006, Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool says that in 2006 "we call to mind those who led us in the uprisings of 1976 and opened the path for the most heroic youth struggles against apartheid. These are people we have to thank for our freedom and the democracy we enjoy. Leading up to June 16th, this government, together with the Western Cape Youth Commission, will work with youth structures to ensure that the lessons of selfless, courageous, patriotic, and untemptable youth will forever be enshrined in the hearts of emerging generations in the Western Cape."

"We call to mind the 1956 march by women on the Union Building. In the lead up to 9 August this year we shall honour them by commemorating 50 years of women's courage, leadership and equality in the struggle for a better life."

The Premier also says that the best way to celebrate and commemorate the struggles of women and youth, and to thank them, is to prioritise delivery to them this year. Similar to its 100 Day campaign, Easter deliveries, and Krismisbox campaign, the Provincial Government of the Western Cape has undertaken the following Siyabulela ('thank you') deliveries by August 2006:

1. Community Safety
• Increase closures of Tik factories by at least 15%.
• Establish a further five Victim Support Rooms at police stations and deploy 400 women counsellors to support women who have suffered abuse, violence and rape.
2. Finance and Tourism
• Double the number of youth entrepreneurs in the tourism industry from 350 to 700.
• Ensure that the proportion of women procuring from government will increase significantly across departments.
3. Transport and Public Works
• Recruit, train and employ 1000 unemployed youth for trade and entrepreneurial learnerships, and ring-fence projects and contracts for the most successful amongst them.
• Reserve 60% of road maintenance EPWP jobs for women.
• Upgrade Mowbray Maternity Hospital to the value of R20m.
4. Health
• Recruit, train and deploy 4 876 HIV and AIDS peer educators, working with NGOs in communities and classrooms, guiding and counselling young people on the prevention of disease and the adoption of healthy lifestyles.
• Want 24 508 women between the ages of 30 and 59 to report to their nearest primary health facility for a pap smear as the key action in preventing cervical cancer
5. Social Development:
• Recruit 1000 community-based fieldworkers to support substance abusers after their first phase of rehabilitation to prevent as much as possible the chances of relapse.
• Increase the substance abuse budget by 40% to a total of R32m.
• Recruit 500 women from Langa, Nyanga, Athlone, Gugulethu and Mitchell's Plain into the Afro-chic garment industry - an action for which R2m has been budgeted.
6. Economic Development, Environment and Planning:
• Set aside R2m to support 60 sustainable youth enterprises, R4m for women's enterprises, and R3m for natural resource management and sustainable livelihood programmes aimed at both youth and women.
• Ensure the coordination of Apex, Mafiso, Umsobomvu and Khula in the Western Cape to support youth and women entrepreneurs better.
7. Agriculture:
• Convene 50 camps for 10 500 youth for training in climate change, pollution, bio-diversity and soil erosion.
• Make available 25 bursaries and 40 learnerships for scarce skills in the agricultural sector - for both youth and women.
8. Education:
• Implement the No Fee Schools system at deserving schools to ensure greater access to education and to provide R25m as bursary loans for access to vocational training in FET Colleges.
• Train 900 ECD practitioners, mostly women, to drive the PGWC's campaign to get children learning from an earlier age.
9. Local Government and Housing:
• Roll out local Youth Units in each of the five District Councils and Metro.
• Recruit 200 youth for learnerships in Disaster Management.
• Within the general Councillor training programmes, strengthen the 50% entry of women into local government with special leadership development training programmes and the recruitment of women in senior management in councils.
10. Cultural Affairs and Sport:
• Co-ordinate the celebrations and commemorations of the 50th Anniversary of the Women's March and the 30th Anniversary of June 16th.
• Prepare for the first time a Sports School for the Western Cape in Kuils River.

These deliverables are more signs of commitment from the Provincial Government to create a better life for all in the Western Cape. It is an invitation to all PGWC partners, civil society, labour and business to help move the Western Cape and South Africa from the threshold of prosperity to the Age of Prosperity.