OPEN LETTER FROM THE ANC NORTH WEST PROVINCIAL CHAIRPERSON THE NORTH WEST PROVINCE IS BETTER THAN WHAT IT WAS BEFORE 1994 13 April 2014 I recently was invited to media interview with the United Christian Democratic Party to talk about the twenty years of a democratic South Africa since the incorporation of Bophuthatswana to South Africa. Incomparable the modern democratic South Africa is to the apartheid Bophuthatswana Bantustan regime, it is inconceivable that there still exist a political party so regressive in approach, belief and character, which believes in apartheid. This party through their leader Mr Sipho Mfundisi, like his predecessor Lucas Mangope, who have family relations, painstakingly sought to justify and compare the apartheid-led Bophuthatswana regime with the democratic South Africa peoples government, led by the African National Congress, its Allies and the progressive mass based formations. To the majority of us, who grew under these despicable conditions and to our parents and fore-fathers, a though of even contrast of the two systems is scandalous and treasonous. Wake up and smell the coffee, Mr Mfundisi, the apartheid led Bophuthatswana was a failed system and which was utterly condemned by our people including the international community. This system has no place in the democratic South Africa. Despite the apartheid government propaganda that the bantustans were an answer to African demands for political rights, the black majority had strongly resisted the imposition of phony independence for puppet states and continued to demand full citizenship in a united South Africa. The Bophuthatswana independence was a myth that only existed to serve the master, the “white minority” elite at the expense of the African majority. To demonstrate their total rejection of bantustans, during the 1976 uprisings that began in Soweto, students in Bophuthatswana boycotted classes and burned down schools, government buildings and vehicles. On August 9, the students burned down the Legislative Assembly building to dramatize their rejection of bantustan independence. President Mangopes son was one of the students arrested during the uprisings. Africans rejected the fraud of bantustan independence. They saw it as an attempt to divide and disorganize the black majority in order to maintain white minority rule. They saw it as a way to organize society so that the white economy had access to a regulated labour pool. They saw it as part of apartheid South Africas image building, an attempt to convince the outside world that change was taking place. The puppet leaders of the bantustans play their part, insisting that they were doing away with apartheid. The African majority knew better, understood that the bantustans were themselves apartheid. They were not satisfied until they had equal access to the wealth of South Africa and full political rights in a unitary state, led by the African National Congress. South Africa held its first democratic non-racial election on 27 April 1994, leading to the ANC gaining majority vote and establishing government, headed by President, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. President Mandela said “We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. We succeeded to take our last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. We commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace. We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter in a covenant that we shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity – a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world”. President Mandela, Inauguration Speech, 10 May 1994. The ANC lived-up to this pledge as espoused by President Mandela. As a people, we cherish the fact that we live in a South Africa that is a much better place to live in than it was before 1994. As the ANC led government we have worked hard since 1994 to provide desired services to our people. Admittedly, it has not been easy due to the massive backlogs created by the legacy of apartheid, the Bophuthatswana Bantustan regime and many years of dispossession. Despite that, we believe that as we celebrate 20 years of freedom, the North West province has a good story to tell. We stand tall knowing that we have not disappointed our people. I will mention just a few achievements of the ANC-led government in North West, working together with our people. BUILD AND INCLUSIVE ECONOMY THAT CREATES JOBS Our economy accounts for 6,01% of the South African Economy (in terms of the current Rand (R) Value Of Goods and Services produced in the Province. The mainstay of our economy is mining which contributes averagely 39% to the Gross Domestic Product and provides jobs for a quarter of its workforce followed by agriculture. The mining sector has shown a steady growth since 2008. TOURISM Statistics South Africa indicates that in the last five calendar years from 2009, the international tourist arrivals figures increased by an average of 9, 6% per annum, creating a total of 38 754 jobs as at 31 December 2013 in the tourism, agro processing, manufacturing, green economy, retail, service and social economy sectors which is inclusive of youth, women and people with disabilities activities. Fifteen (15) new tourist products were established and the tourism investment value is now estimated at R10 billion, Tourism which contributes about 4% of the provincial GDP generated R2.2 billion during 2012. For the past five years, the province supported 1144 SMMEs, 81 cooperatives, 40 Economic development projects in municipalities and 28 capacity building and interventions. One hundred and eighty-three (183) SMMEs benefitted from first phase development, capacity building, Market access and exposure to industry. Women, youth and people with disability were beneficiaries in Seventy-three (73) economic development programmes. Madikwe Buy Back Centre in Moses Kotane Local Municipality and the Enterprise Information Centre in Ratlou Local Municipality were completed at a cost of R5, 2 million. R3.2 million is allocated for the construction of small industries within Dr Kenneth Kaunda District. The Madikwe Sisal Project which we spent R10, 5 million commenced production with 50 workers. The Hotel School Division student’s enrolment increased, and the Mafikeng Hotel School won the coveted productivity SA Gold Trophy award. We created 44 jobs through the Taung and Tlokwe Light Industrial Parks. Four Youth cooperatives were established at Naledi and Matlosana Municipalities at a cost of R 5m. 290 jobs are created through the 109 loan amounting to seventeen million, seven hundred and eighty seven thousand rand (R17,787m) allocated to SMME. AGRICULTURE Through our Food Security Strategy, Kgora, we assisted 50 families to move from destitute to a life above the breadline. Through the Springbokpan grain silo since 2012, we distributed a total of 161 mechanization packages to 716 qualifying smallholder farmers and planted over 31 854 hectares of grain crops. INFRASTUCTURE We created 26 000 jobs in the period 2009 to 2012/13 through infrastructure development. We created 41 659 jobs through the Community Works Programme. We paved 100 532, 94 kilometers of gravel roads during the 2012/2013, with more than 1500 people employed. We reduced the sanitation backlog by 12, 314 shared amongst our four (4) District Municipalities. 2500 rain water tanks were distributed to areas with less average rainfall. 56 boreholes were constructed to assist municipalities to access clean water. We are constructing the Dinokana Water Supply Phase 2 at Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality to the value of twenty one million, four hundred and sixty eight rand and seventy four cents (R 21, 468, 289, 74); the Mafikeng South Regional Water Supply Scheme to the value of twenty-one million, eight hundred and one thousands and two hundred and thirty seven rand (R21 801 237) and the Setlagole Bulk Water to the value of R22 000 000. IMPROVE AND EXPAND EDUCATION AND TRAINING The percentage of Matric pass rate increased from 60% in 1994 to 73% in 2012. Grade 12 pass rate increased from 50% in 1997 to 79,5% in 2012 and in 2013 to 87.2%. The number of grade R learners in public schools increased from 24 926 to 47 761. The numbers of schools with grade R increased from 743 to 918. We funded 1351 of the 1447 Early Child Development (ECD) centres and created 12469 jobs. We increased subsidy per child per day in schools from R12 to R15. 1402 schools benefits from the no-fee-school programme with a total of 674 752 learners. 31 228 learners are transported to schools through learner transport. Over R15 million is spent on the provision of the multimedia resources to 100 schools adding to 500 secondary schools in order to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science. We have 70 full service schools catering for learners with special needs. We constructed libraries in Ipeleng (Tlokwe), Mphebatho (Moretele), Dryharts Container Library (Taung), Dithakwaneng (Naledi), Lebaleng (Maquassie Hills), Rebecca Nkoe Thulo (Matlosana), letsopa (Tswaing), Mogwase (Moses Kotane) and Pudimoe (Greater Taung). We introduced the Mobile library service to extended library services to communities which are far from existing service points. We introduced toy library service in support of the early learning development (ECD). We gave bursaries to 1, 035 young people through the Provincial Bursary Programmes to the tune of R49, 488 million during the period 2009/10. ENSURE QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR ALL We implemented the first phase of the National Health Insurance, and the Primary Health Care (PHC) Re-engineering. We have an increased overall life expectancy from 57 years in 2009 to 60 years in 2011. We decreased the under 5 mortality rate (U5MR) from 56 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2009, to 42 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2011. We decreased the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) from 40 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2009, to 30 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2011. The maternal mortality ratio is reduced from 189/100 000 live births to 181/100 000 live births. We established 16 maternity waiting homes (MCWH) at a cost of over R4 million and established four milks bank at Potchefstroom, Joe Morolong, Mahikeng and Job Shimakana Tabane Hospital. We procured 10 ambulances and converted them into well-equipped Obstetric ambulances for transportation of pregnant women at a cost of R5.9 million. We recorded a decrease in mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV from 8.5% in 2008, to 2.7% in 2013. We increased our caregivers from 5 330 active caregivers appointed in 2009 to 6 439 in 2013. The number patients, aged 0-4 years, which acquired HIV between 2006 and 2011 has declined by 50%. Over R1,2 billion was spent on the hospital revitalization projects to ensure quality health care at Moses Kotane, Joe Morolong Memorial (Vryburg), Swartruggens and Brits hospitals, with Bophelong Psychiatric Hospital under construction in Mahikeng, to the value of R482 million. We completed seventeen (17) clinics and seven (7) Community Health Centres since 2009. Ten (10) Primary Health Care Facilities received essential upgrade from 2011 to 2013. We increased our emergency medical rescue vehicles from forty (40) to one hundred and thirty (130). We increased the number of medical doctor trainees from 10 in 2009 to 110 in 2003 and we sent 180 trainees to Cuba. ENSURE DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS AND SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETLEMENTS More than 73 146 households benefitted from our human settlements programme since 2009/10. 16 703 jobs were created through the Community Works Programme. EXPAND COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL SECURITY FOR ALL We created 26 300 jobs through our social development programmes. We fund 309 Home Community Based Care (HCBC) and 65 Drop-in centers. We support 244 186 105 844 orphaned and vulnerable children with their livelihood and provide food parcels and school uniform to more than 301 473 children. Out of the 15 469 households benefiting from our poverty alleviation programme, we funded 88 cooperatives/projects and 1054 young people who are linked to the National Youth Service (NYS). Through our partnership with the social sector, for the past five years, we created 53 420 job. In the next five years, the ANC will work harder to further improve the quality of life of people. We want every household to have water, electricity, access to decent schools, hospitals or clinics and recreational facilities. We want to build a growing provincial economy which creates jobs. We want to see all spheres of government functioning efficiently and effectively, serving people with care and dignity. We cannot do all this alone as the ANC, we need your support as the people of South Africa in general and North West in particular to work with us. Together we move South Africa forward. SUPRA MAHUMAPELO ANC NORTH WEST PROVINCIAL CHAIRPERSON
Posted on: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 15:04:42 +0000
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