State of the Province Address of the Premier of the Western Cape, Ebrahim Rasool

Speaker
Colleagues in Cabinet
Leader of the Opposition
Judge President and Members of the Judiciary
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Leaders of Political Parties
Leaders of the African National Congress
Honourable Members
Leaders of Local Government
Leaders of our Social Partners
Director-General and Heads of Department
Leaders of Faith and Leaders of Communities
Comrades and Friends
People of the Western Cape

University of Cape Town Vice-Chancellor and writer, Professor Njabulo Ndebele, in the inaugural King Moshoeshoe Memorial Lecture in 2006, reflected on an anxiety in the body politic of our nation as follows:

"A number of events have made me wonder whether we are faced with a new situation that may have arisen. An increasing number... of South Africans across the class, racial and cultural spectrum confess to feeling uncertain and vulnerable as never before since 1994."

Professor Ndebele echoes what President Thabo Mbeki sought to respond to last week in the State of the Nation Address when he said:

"...I am aware of the fact that many in our society are troubled by a deep sense of unease about where our country will be tomorrow."

Experience of life in the Western Cape, tells us that national anxieties are often heightened in our province, where the social fabric is more brittle and the politics more fractious.

The vulnerability and unease in the Western Cape has been fueled by:

• The sharp rise in inflation and interest rates;
• The consequent rise in the cost of food and transportation;
• The impact of drugs, gangs and crime on our sense of well-being;
• The debilitating consequences of climate change on our province in the form of droughts, floods and fires;
• The second electricity emergency;
• The fragility of racial, linguistic, and cultural identities as a ready source of strife in the Western Cape; and
• The fluid and conflictual nature of politics in the Western Cape.

Does the recognition of a sense of vulnerability and unease in the nation and in our Province make us pessimists, people without hope and leaders without a plan? Is there a need to despair?

For anyone of us to despair, to be hopeless and pessimistic is to ignore the memory of thousands of activists who rose under the banner of the United Democratic Front 25 years ago to confront apartheid and to confront it when it was at its most brutal. Members of UDF affiliates - CAHAC, ECC, CAYCO, Jews for Justice, ICY, UWCO, TEAM, CALL OF ISLAM, WCCA - and many others in the unions, AZAPO, SACOS and CAL faced imprisonment, torture, exile and death. But they never lost hope. They taught us that hope and faith are the key ingredients to overcoming onslaughts designed to destroy hope itself. Some of these activists are here today. We salute them and promise that all those things which cause unease and remain unfinished will be overcome through resolute and united effort - as the UDF taught us.

Last year we announced a process to honour our icons from every community, who through our troubled history bravely confronted injustice and advocated a South Africa that belongs to all. It is a project that will reach new levels during this 25th year of the historic founding of the mighty United Democratic Front. Among other things, we are pleased to note that the names of a number of Cape Town streets are soon to be named after heroes of our province.

A key part of government's programme is the Imbizo programme. During 2007, some 68 000 citizens attended various Izimbizo, strongly engaging government on critical matters affecting their lives. Mindful of the dangers of calling citizens to gatherings that have no consequence, we have developed a comprehensive system of follow-up. Today, in the gallery, we are proud to have Mr. Xolisile Kuza from Philippi, Mr Jethro Grootboom from Oudtshoorn, Mrs Elizabeth Bantom from Hanover Park, and Ms Miriam Nonthemba from Mbekweni who are but a few of the citizens who raised pressing questions at Izimbizo in various parts of the province. I want to assure those who had raised issues that we have listened to their concerns, and have developed comprehensive plans to address as many as we are able to.

In the same memorial lecture we referred to earlier, Professor Ndebele, describes the task of leadership required now:

"The leadership challenge is in being able to recognize that there is a new situation at hand, and that what needs to be done may involve applying unexpected solutions."

As if to respond to the challenge of 'applying unexpected solutions', President Mbeki last week exhorted our country and our nation as follows:

"...this we must also understand, that what we have to be about is - Business Unusual!"

In a strange way, when the ANC assumed leadership in the Province for the first time in 2004, we were forced to 'apply unexpected solutions' and to do 'Business Unusual'. We had to deliver while transforming the state. We had to look to the future while healing the past. We had to affirm diverse identities while uniting in a Home for All. We had to grow the economy and share its benefits.

As a government we were not daunted, hence we proclaimed:

"I stand before you today as the first Western Cape Premier from the African National Congress. I do so with a deep sense of history, responsibility, and humility. I do so with the steady determination of my party to build a better life for all, standing on our principles of non-racism, non-sexism, unity and democracy. I stand here conscious of the mandate to honour the People's Contract to create work and fight poverty."

Today, four years later we are ready to be measured against the manifesto that the ANC stood for: A People's Contract to Create Work and Fight Poverty.

In the spirit of 'applying unexpected solutions' we launched the vision of a united, socially cohesive Western Cape striving towards making our province a Home for All. Every citizen; White, African, Coloured and Indian; men and women; people of all faiths, languages and orientation; people of diverse cultures, need to belong in this province and proclaim it Home!

The confidence that comes from belonging, and being different, yet part of the whole, needs to be complemented by sharing in the opportunities this Province has to offer. Our vision of the Western Cape being a Home for All was, therefore, underpinned by a Growth and Development Strategy founded on iKapa Elihlumayo - growing and sharing the Cape.

While knowing what the outcomes of our vision and strategy would be and aware of our undertakings in the ANC Manifesto of 2004, the last four years have been about turning policy into practice and having the instruments of delivery. We have not been afraid of adopting best practice models of evidence-based governance so that we could be held responsible for our implementation.

There is no doubt that by implementing the 2004 ANC Manifesto, and updating them now with the policy resolutions of the Polokwane Conference, the Western Cape is making significant progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Despite our optimism, this government has had to remain absolutely focused in the face of many challenges. Some of these challenges are minor and emerge from the perpetual belief that pressure on the Western Cape Government will make it collapse, while others are deeply embedded in the real constraints of our country and Province.

Our continued economic growth is challenged by the constraints caused by skills shortages and the energy emergency. We have started our response to both, and feel optimistic that our interventions are yielding results, albeit slowly at the level of skills development.

The Western Cape Government's ability to act truly in the character of a developmental state is constrained by an Intergovernmental Fiscal Framework that increasingly defines Provinces as agents of social services delivery and not vital entities that can give regional and practical relevance to national economic policy.

At the same time competitive rather than co-operative relations between local and provincial government, based on narrowly defined jurisdictions will constrain the potential of the Western Cape and not create planning, financial and implementation synergies, as can be seen in public transport.

In a province where social cohesion is fragile, where backlogs - particularly in housing - are severe, and where resources are declining while the population has increased by 16% over six years, there remains the potential for social discontent and protests. The basic causes are genuine, but the constraints too are real. Social discontent - whether in housing or crime - is not a tiger that must be mounted by the politically or ideologically motivated. We must find ways to register social discontent within the very wide ambit provided by the constitution, without violating the rule of law, and always cogniscant of the need to contribute to sustainable solutions. This government is always open to engagement because we do not have a monopoly on wisdom.

Despite all of these, there are many fine achievements to be measured against the ANC's undertakings in the Manifesto 2004. These achievements constitute the scoreboard that shines through the sound and fury of everyday politics. This is the scoreboard that consolidates the ANC's legacy in four short years of governance in the Western Cape. This is the scoreboard which is the platform for accelerated delivery signaled in the resolutions of the ANC's 52nd National Conference.

Four years ago, the average growth in the Western Cape's Gross Domestic Product was 3.9%. Today it stands at 5.8% having averaged over 5% for the entire four years under our watch.

Over the last four years, with Wesgro, our social partners, and our sector-specific vehicles, the Western Cape welcomed 270 investment projects to our province, valued at R6.4 billion and creating 61 746 jobs in our Province.

Four years ago 48% of those who procured from our government were Historically Disadvantaged companies and individuals, but they only shared in 18% of the Rand value of the procurement spend. Today, 58% are historically disadvantaged, but, in just over one year, they shared a Rand Value of R1.6 billion out of a total of R2.7 billion, or 59.2% across all departments.

In a provincial economy whose backbone is the SMME's not much was done to assist them historically. In the last four years we assisted 38 121 SMME's (of which 80% are historically disadvantaged), spending R56m in financial and mentoring support through the iKapa-ABSA fund. These, and the 4 355 tourism SMME's and 6 267 entrepreneurs were beneficiaries of our support infrastructure like the RED Doors, die Plek Plan, and the 1 000 x 1 000 interventions.

The sum total of our growth, investment and SMME interventions mean that we have since 2003 created 135 000 sustainable jobs in the Western Cape based on the preliminary 2007 Labour Force Survey results. As an example of how this growth in jobs occurred I can point to the growth in construction and the BPO/Call Centre industries. The Province's BPO/Call Centre industries today employ 20 000 people compared to 8 000 four years ago.

Four years ago 18 549 work opportunities were created through the Expanded Public Works Programme. By December 2007, this number had increased to 118 000, exceeding our target towards the national requirement of one million EPWP jobs pronounced in the 2004 ANC Manifesto.

Four years ago infrastructure-led growth was an idea. Today:

• R252.1 million was realised through the careful release of our property assets and investing it in health and education infrastructure;
• R2.8 billion was invested in improving and extending the Province's road infrastructure, realising 104 623 km of road, including the widening of the N2, the Koeberg Interchange, etc;
• R184 million was spent on upgrading taxi ranks, public transport routes, paths for bicycles and pedestrians and disability access;
• We are also able to point to the early signs of investment in the Public Transport First policy through the investment in the BMT lanes and in the renewal of rail.

Mindful that the Western Cape economy will stagnate or take-off on the basis of our ability to develop relevant skills and human resources, we took a set of decisions four years ago to make rapid progress on meeting the quantitative challenges in education as a platform to overcome the persistent qualitative challenges.

Consequently, today, four years later, we can report that:

• a revolution is occurring in Early Childhood Development: whereas four years ago there were 568 ECD sites, catering for 56 033 children and subsidized at R4 per child per day, we can today say that we subsidise 70 309 children at R7,50 per day in 841 ECD sites;
• in the last four years we have constructed 42 new schools in the Province, increased the number of teachers from 29 715 to 31 619, and declared 654 schools "no fee schools" benefitting 343 439 learners. 55 schools are Maths and Science Focus Schools while 44 focus on other specialist skills. All high schools are equipped with computer laboratories.
• Over the last four years the Western Cape invested R227m on the recapitalization of Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges. Whereas four years ago 48 000 students were enrolled, today 60 000 students are learning vocational skills useful to the Province, with access to government bursaries and interest-free loans.
• Our agreements with the universities also mean that on identification of scarce skills through the Masakh'isizwe programme, the Western Cape invests in the enrolment of promising matric students in Engineering and the built environment. Already the first graduates are coming through and being employed by the Provincial Government.

In the last four years in the Western Cape, 263 land restitution projects meant that 578 469 ha of land was transferred to Historically Disadvantaged people and communities. Not only was land transferred, but comprehensive agricultural infrastructure, support and development to the value of R135.4 million was made available to at least 20 000 beneficiaries in agriculture. In the last while, we have also deployed resources and employed staff in the districts to assist evicted farmworkers where violation of their labour and human rights occur.

Over the last four years we improved our capacity to spend a housing budget that grew from about R500 million to over R1 billion.

Expenditure over four years have realized:

• 45 114 houses;
• 53 877 serviced sites;
• 37 334 emergency accommodations; and
• The first tranche of rental stock in the N2 Gateway.

We can also report that in terms of basic services:

• 99% of citizens in formal settlements have proper sanitation;
• 90% of citizens in informal settlements have sanitation;
• 98.9% of citizens have access to piped water;
• 92% of citizens in formal settlements have access to electricity; and
• 66.5% of citizens in informal settlements have access to electricity.

Four years ago, the HIV prevalence in the Western Cape was 15.4%. Today it shows an improvement at 15.1% following the combination of intensive preventative programmes and the roll out of ARV treatment to 59 sites in the Province with the number of patients under treatment reaching 33 559 in 2007.

Further progress is indicated by the decrease in child malnutrition: in 2001, 5.9 children per 1 000 suffered from malnutrition. By 2006 this was reduced to 3.2 children per 1 000.

Despite many challenges in the Public Health sector, we can report that we have a District Health System that now copes with 13 million patient contacts a year.

Four years ago 460 453 people were on the Social Security System. Today 831 093 pensioners, people with disabilities, and children benefit to the value of R406 million. The most dramatic intervention was that in four years we increased the registration of children for the Child Support Grant from 290 000 to 470 678.

Additional to this, in four years we increased the number of children benefitting from the School Nutrition Programme from 152 839 in 2004 to 204 000 today.

Crime remains an emotional issue, and every crime that occurs in this Province is a crime too many. We cannot comfort victims of crime with cold statistics about our efforts in the fight against crime. But in a Parliament such as this, we need empirical evidence to understand the nature of crime, the impact of interventions, and the effectiveness of our strategy.

Four years ago we had 171 police service points (stations and satellites) while today we have increased them by 15 to a total of 186 police service points. They are equitably spread to cover the areas most affected by crime. Whereas in 2002 we had 14 569 police officers, today we have increased that to 20 028 while at the same time making drastic shifts towards improved representivity in the SAPS management echelon.

Four years ago there were two Child Protection Units whereas today there are 13 units dealing with child protection, family violence and sexual offences. Four years ago we had 3 000 Bambanani volunteers. Today there are 8 000, with 1 500 transferred to paid jobs as police reservists. Today we have 188 neighbourhood structures, 126 farm watches, and in Mitchell's Plain alone we have 142 Street Committees.

This emerging mighty partnership has over four years resulted in:

• doubling our ability to make drug related arrests (22 127 cases to 42 067);
• decreasing contact crime by 38 360 cases or 28%;
• decreasing contact crime over the Festive Season by 42% through a Bambanani volunteer partnership;
• a total of 891 highflyers arrested using the POCA legislation;
• increasing the percentage of police investigations going to court from 20.9% to 48%; and
• arresting 379 narcotic highflyers, closing 354 drug outlets, and investigating 83 cases in terms of Asset Forfeiture legislation.

Having tried to show empirically what progress has been made since we undertook to create work and fight poverty, there can be no denying that an enormous amount of work still waits. We still have a housing backlog of 400 000, we still have an unemployment rate of 26%, we still have families ravaged by Tik, we still have a skills deficit, we still need an overhaul of public transport,?and so we can go on.

Yet, every government has a five year term to bring relief in the short term and lay the foundation for long term solutions. In this regard, we will do our work in the context of the 24 Apex Priorities announced by President Mbeki, and in fulfillment of our obligations in the ANC Manifesto 2004.

Much of our term has been about managing the impact of climate change in the Western Cape, with erratic weather patterns wreaking havoc and government having to declare areas in Eden, the Overberg, the West Coast and the Karoo Disaster Areas. In all we have had to repair infrastructure in such areas with finances exceeding R1 billion. Fortunately we have sought not simply to repair, but to renew and modernize such infrastructure. However, the immediate challenge facing us is to secure an energy supply and ensure energy efficiency for the people of the Western Cape.

The current National Energy Emergency is having a severe impact on the Western Cape, both for the economy and residents. However, unlike other Provinces the Western Cape has already experienced loadshedding during 2006. This has certainly placed us in a better position to respond effectively as a collective to the National Energy Plan.

In response to a call from President Thabo Mbeki, the Government of the Western Cape met with Mayors, Eskom and the Energy Risk Management Committee on Wednesday. The agreements reached amongst others were as follows:

• A target of 500 MW savings to be achieved in the Western Cape which will almost offset the need for loadshedding;
• All municipalities will convene Special Council meetings within the next two weeks to provide concrete plans as to how they will contribute to the targeted savings; and
• All partners will aggressively implement both the short and medium term energy savings interventions which include achieving the following targets:


- Roll-out of 2 million compact fluorescent lights achieving 63 MW savings;
- Extension of geyser load management systems (e.g. ripple control) and incentives achieving a total 101 MW saving (48 MW for non-metro municipalities and 53 MW for the Metro);
- Building retrofitting achieving 55 MW savings;
- Roll-out of Solar Water Geysers achieving a target of 20 MW savings; and
- Consumer Energy Savings interventions set to achieve a target of 100 MW savings.

Furthermore a comprehensive communication plan will be rolled out throughout the Province to promote awareness on energy savings as well as to keep the citizens and key stakeholders informed about planned loadshedding to ensure predictability.

We believe that this difficult time also brings with it opportunities for the Province. After the 2006 event the Western Cape secured the building of critical infrastructure like the Open Cycle Gas Turbine in Atlantis in Mossel Bay with a generation capacity of 1050 MW in total. A second Nuclear Power Station in this Province is also being considered. The Western Cape Government is aggressively promoting the use of Renewable Energy as a critical component of the Energy Mix as it will not only assist with the current energy problems but is also a critical priority within our Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. The following initiatives amongst others, to promote Renewable Energy are being implemented:

• The roll-out of 1 000 solar water geysers in Hessequa, Nyanga and Elsies River;
• Drafting of a Sustainable Energy Act with the financial support of the British High Commission;
• Retrofitting of provincial government buildings with solar water heaters and energy from solar photo-voltaics; and
• Establishing a Renewable Energy Sector cluster and a Training Academy.

As citizens of the Western Cape, we need to translate our actions now into a long term lifestyle and behavioural change. We are poised to truly build an energy efficient economy in the Western Cape.

Today there are only 847 days to kick-off of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and we are making good progress. Together with the Host City of Cape Town and our national partners in the 2010 Organising Committee, we are well on track for that game to be played in Cape Town on 11 June 2010. While the official Opening Match featuring Bafana Bafana will be played in Johannesburg, Cape Town will host a match as well.

On the Infrastructure side, the Green Point stadium is on track to be completed by the 15 December 2009. The tender for the operator and naming rights is about to be published, and we have received extensive interest from local and foreign operators.

Tenders are being issued for the upgrade of the Cape Town Central Station, not only for the benefit of our longsuffering commuters, but also for our 2010 guests. We are doing all we can to support our SARCC colleagues to deliver the rail connection between the upgraded Cape Town International Airport and the Central Cape Town Station - by 2010.

The expansion of the Cape Town International Convention Centre in partnership with the national Department of Public Works is in the planning phase.

Extensive planning has been carried out on transport for the event, on the public viewing areas and in preparation to entice the world's top teams to base themselves in the Western Cape during the tournament. This means benefits beyond the City - in tourism and hospitality, in the construction and craft sectors, in catering and transport? We will need all the accommodation we can find beyond the five star hotels and the luxury guesthouses. We will partner with universities and school hostels to accommodate the fans.

Detailed planning for emergency services and disaster management, for safety and security are reaching advanced stages as we prepare to submit plans to FIFA in June. Working together with the muncipalities and national government, with volunteers and the private sector, we are thoroughly delighted with the enthusiasm and commitment shown across the board.

The public transport system remains the backbone of the Province's Strategic Infrastructure Plan. We are using World Cup 2010 as a catalyst to leverage partnerships and resources, and to advance timetables.

Rail is a critical part of the public transport plan. The SA Rail Commuters Corporation and the City of Cape Town are driving a project that will link the airport to the main rail system. Construction is scheduled to commence early 2009 and represents a R1 billion investment in the Western Cape. As part of the overall revitalization of the railways, the province will benefit from the purchasing and refurbishment of trains and the investment in security on trains and at stations.

As part of the continued investment in our road networks, the following are priority projects:

• Phase 1 of the Koeberg Interchange will be completed;
• The N2 Corridor will continue to expand its provision of public transport priority lanes;
• The Airport Access Interchange will be upgraded;
• By mid-2009 the Klipfontein and Lansdowne Corridors will be at an advanced stage; and
• The labour-intensive Gansbaai Road has renewed impetus following the visit of President Mbeki.

The Western Cape is poised for significant economic investment and its knock-on effect on growth and jobs:

• the upgrade of the airport is an exciting response to the numbers of airlines who now came directly to Cape Town, from diverse destinations, now bringing 1,7 million foreign visitors a year;
• the conclusion, finally, of Wesgro's agreement with Dreamworld, and the City's commitment of its R30 million to the infrastructure, means that by the end of 2009 The Cape Town Film Studios can be in business;
• the R4 million Call Centre Training facility in the old CRIC building in Athlone, will strengthen even further our ability to corner investment in the BPO/Call Centre Industry; and
• the possibilities of continued stimulation of our economy through the strategic and prudent release of state land.

Continuing the major interventions of the last four years to improve access and enhance quality in education the following initiatives will be intensified:

• 2 400 ECD teachers, currently under training, will be deployed across the province;
• 6 000 new learners will be phased into Grade R classes with their per capita subsidy increasing to R8 per learner;
• 10 new schools will be built in the next year and 92 additional classrooms added to existing schools with 160 schools earmarked for maintenance and repair;
• Continuing the trend of increasing the number of teachers, provision has been made for 747 new teacher posts;
• R1,93m is available for 107 bursaries for education students who choose to teach Maths and Science;
• To improve school safety, 60 high risk schools will have CCTV cameras installed by mid-April 2008 and 50 safety resource officers are already being deployed to these schools;
• The expansion of our efforts to recapitalize FET Colleges as the basis for vocational training to meet the skills requirements of the province; and
• This year will see the implementation of the mass literacy campaign to reach a further 2 500 adults.

In the face of the known challenges on housing, we will continue to increase budgets, push forward with all existing projects and strengthen all partnerships to ensure that we deliver on human settlements. Some of our priorities include:

• Blueberry Hill in Blue Downs: - With ABSA and Standard Bank we are delivering 3 000 gap houses;
• Kleinmond: - 600 energy-efficient homes to be delivered in a prime location;
• In Steenberg and Bothasig we have five social housing projects in the planning phase;
• In Bitou 3 000 mixed income houses are being constructed according to the principles of Breaking New Ground;
• Dido Valley: - creating integrated settlements for emergency housing, restitution beneficiaries and gap housing in Simon's Town; and
• The completion of major projects like the N2 Gateway and the 9 000 Erven in Wallacedene.

These are the further contributions by this Provincial Government in the last lap of this term. They are meant to continue laying the foundations for the iKapa Growth and Development Strategy which will be gazetted today. They are further building blocks towards a better life that for many can be realized in the medium to long term. However there are thousands of citizens in some of the most impoverished and depressed areas, of which we have identified the 21 most extreme cases, where urgent and immediate relief is required as a signal that we care, that we know their conditions, and that we are acting. We want to unveil an immediate set of measures to bring such relief in these 21 areas.

The provincial government's Social Transformation Programme is a unique initiative that aims to accelerate development and social cohesion through dynamic partnerships and focused service delivery. It has already begun to establish its roots and the presence in this house of leaders of various intermediary structures established jointly by government and communities, is testimony to the partnerships painstakingly being formed.

This programme, which compels government departments to work as a single unit, has been singled out by President Mbeki as one that is worthy of emulation in other parts of the country.

We are obligated to the thousands of people in these 21 areas where we listened to them in izimbizo that we must respond. Today, on behalf of government I say to them that we have heard you. Today we put together some foundations that will give hope that tomorrow will be better than today.

The community, organized under the umbrella of the intermediary structure, in co-operation with government, will ensure the following package of specific deliveries in each of the 21 Priority Areas.

• The first Fifa Centre of Hope in Africa will identify a site for a five-a-side pitch and a Life Skills Education Centre as a 2010 legacy for Khayelitsha.
• A Khayelitsha Festival, similar to the annual Soweto Festival, to bring together a range of community-based services.
• The building of a new hospital will commence this year.
• The establishment of a creative economic precinct.
• The construction of the Cape Town Film Studios will finally commence.
• Youth will benefit from the Access the Cape Programme aimed at developing tourism entrepeneurs.

• A brand new hospital will be constructed from this year.
• Wards at Lentegeur will immediately be utilized to relieve the pressure of GF Jooste
• A drug rehabilitation centre will be constructed to serve Mitchell's Plain
• A multi-disciplinary team will be deployed to the area, using the Prevention of Organised Crime Act to close drug houses

• GF Jooste will extend it's drug abuse rehabilitation facility
• A Community Garden was launched yesterday
• A creative economic precinct will be developed.
• A job-creating waste recycling programme will be launched.
• Support for bursaries and skills development.

• Refurbishing the old Siyakatala Place of Safety into a maximum security detention centre for awaiting trial youth.
• Provincial Road Traffic Management Coordinating Committee pilot project in Paarl to ensure road efficiency.
• The building of the Wellington Community Health Clinic has been completed and will now be fully staffed and equipped.
• A new Forensic Pathology laboratory will be commissioned on the premises of the former Paarl East Day Hospital.
• Support for the economic potential of the area.

• substantial drought relief support to 534 households at a cost of R20 million.
• 29 agricultural projects at a cost of R5,159 million.
• A residential substance abuse treatment centre to service the Karoo.
• Consolidation of existing initiatives like the traffic centre, the hydroponics project and the tourism gateway.

• The upgrade of the Philippi stadium will be the catalyst for the upgrade of the Kosovo informal settlement as a legacy of World Cup 2010.
• The Philippi railway station will be upgraded.
• The establishment of a waste recycling programme that will create employment
• A multi-disciplinary team that will apply the Prevention of Organised Crime Act to close drug houses
• The opening of a school in Samora Machel

• A creative economic precinct will be developed
• A multi-disciplinary team that will apply the Prevention of Organised Crime Act to close drug houses
• Solar water geysers will be rolled out in this area
• The RED Door initiative will be rolled out to this area

• The Ebenezer Road will be completed at a cost of R5 million
• The X-ray facility in Vredendal will be upgraded
• Six agricultural projects that focus on food security at a cost of R1,09 million

• Eyona Economic Precinct will be developed.
• A security co-operative to ensure safety at schools
• A Mobile Red Door to develop entrepeneurship
• Ongoing recruitment of EPWP candidates

• 5 agricultural projects to the value of R469 000
• Establishment of an Agri-business cooperative.
• Opening Swellendam community health centre to also serve Theewaterskloof
• A new ambulance station to be established in Caledon.
• Development of a pediatric wing and the integration of the hospital.

• Youth will benefit from the Access the Cape Programme amied at developing tourism entrepreneurs
• Efforts to roll out the national Ke Mojo programme will be intensified in the fight against substance abuse
• The establishment of a waste recycling programme that will create employment
• A multi-disciplinary team that will apply the Prevention of Organised Crime Act to close drug houses

• The establishment of a waste recycling programme that will create employment.
• A creative economic precinct will be established
• Ongoing direction of economic investment to Saldanha Bay
• Drug rehabilitation beds to be located in the area

• Leadership and conflict resolution training
• Further expansion of the Sultan Bahu Drug Rehabilitation Centre to deal with the fight against substance abuse
• The establishment of a Thu' Song centre at a school in the area.
• A construction cooperative will be initiated.

• The Leipoldville to Lamberts Bay road will be upgraded at a cost of R40m and dedicated to the late Maria Barnabas better knows as Aunty Bakkie, who passionately fought for the construction of this road, in partnership with the Roll Road committee
• The initiation of a Rooibos Agri Processing Cooperative

• The Youth section at the De Novo Treatment Centre will be upgraded to provide a more holistic treatment programme for youth involved in drug abuse
• Youth will benefit from the Access the Cape Programme aimed at developing tourism entrepreneurs
• The Eerste River Hospital will be expanded to provide the surrounding communities with a casualty department

• Students from Witzenberg will benefit from the R400 000 tourism bursary fund
• Youth will benefit from the Access the Cape Programme aimed at developing tourism entrepreneurs
• R2,376 million will be allocated to 10 projects for the purpose of food security, land lease and ALRA

• A multi-disciplinary team that will apply the Prevention of Organised Crime Act to close drug houses
• EPWP job recruitment with a focus on the youth
• Leadership and conflict resolution training

• The establishment of a creative precinct to regularize and formalize trading in Nyanga
• The distribution of solar water geysers
• Leadership and conflict resolution training
• Memorialising the history of struggle in the area

• Establishment of a construction cooperative
• A creative economic precinct will be established to facilitate participation by disadvantaged communities in the economy
• A drug rehabilitation intervention in the area
• Tourism Bursary Fund
• 6 agricultural projects at a cost of R1,7 million will be launched

• a RED Door facility will be commissioned
• In Steenberg a social housing project for gap housing will be launched

• Tourism Bursary Fund
• EIA currently under consideration for projects that encompass water supply, tourism, and housing

In addition to these specific packages of delivery to each of the 21 areas, we can further undertake that:

• 6 areas on the Cape Flats will benefit from the construction of Transport Shared Services Centre near Vangate Mall. R40 million will be used to source suppliers, contractors and 800 workers.
• Five new victim support rooms at police stations will be established for abused women and children.
• One hundred military veterans and ex-combatants will be recruited and integrated into Bambanani structures.

Today we can also declare that every one of the 21 Areas will be the areas from which we will recruit for employment:

• 50 000 EPWP workers;
• 3 000 trainees for Call Centre jobs;
• 5 000 Bambanani volunteers for crime prevention; and
• 750 school safety volunteers

Today we can also announce that the 21 Areas will benefit from:

• Social auxillary workers that will assist such communities to fight the various pathologies they face;
• The roll-out of 2 400 Early Childhood Development Workers;
• The recruitment of promising students for the Masakh'isizwe Leadership 1000 scholarships;
• The roll-out of Easter Sports Festivals in each one of the 21 Areas to get youth involved in sport;
• The deployment of an additional 1 000 home-based carers to car for he fail and the sick; and
• Patrols at 160 schools in the 21 Areas where we need to prevent youth crime
• A drive to identify and register males between the ages of 59 and 64 to respond urgently to the President's declaration that the pensionable age will be equalized at age 60, particularly in the 21 areas.

Specifically to combat the effect of high food prices, R13 miliion is set aside to help the unemployed in some areas to build sidewalks and minor roads. We are also increasing by R5 million the school nutrition budget so that more children can benefit from a meal at school.

We can only hope that these immediate interventions will signal that we are all in partnership in the fight against hunger, poverty, unemployment, crime and drugs. We must hold each others hands and face our challenges together.

In concluding this 2008 State of the Province Address, I must remind you that this year sees one of the great sons of South Africa and the world turn 90. I speak of Nelson Mandela, former President and citizen of the Western Cape for 27 years against his will. As we go towards July 18th, his birthday, the Western Cape Government will find a way to immortalize his legacy in the Cape, a legacy of fearless sacrifice, of great resilience, of compassionate wisdom, and enduring purpose and optimism.

As we navigate our challenges, our minds cast to Nelson Mandela to learn from him what he would want us to do in the face of our challenges. I cannot but think that when Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote his epic poem Ulysses, his closing stanza might have anticipated Nelson Mandela. Ulysses in his old age advises:

"Come, my friends,

'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

This is the indomitable spirit of Nelson Mandela:

"...strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield".

In this the Cape of Storms, where we have our fair share of challenges, we are here to make a difference, to build a Home for All, to grow and share the Fairest Cape, and in doing so to declare ourselves:

"...strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."