Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Mahlangu-Nkabinde, hon Deputy Ministers, members of the NCOP and special delegates, I am privileged to take part in this very important debate, which speaks to the core of the mandate of the NCOP.
We initiated Provincial Week with the sole intention of ensuring that the NCOP continues to be informed by the perspectives of and issues facing local communities. We did this because we recognised that the NCOP can only succeed as an important institution of our democracy when its programmes and activities are fundamentally shaped by a perspective once shared by Prof Christina Murray when she said the NCOP should serve as:
... the primary expression of the democratic will of the people of South Africa to take government closer to the people.
Indeed, we established Provincial Week in order to ensure that we remained central to the issues facing our people in the provinces. Our role as the NCOP is to ensure that issues raised by provinces, particularly challenges in the nine provinces, also find expression in the government's response and programmes to move away from our divided past and build a prosperous South Africa.
Provincial Week was established in line with the provision of the Constitution that obligates the NCOP to ensure that provincial interests are taken into account in the national sphere of government. Provincial Week also serves as one of the mechanisms initiated by our Council in order to ensure that provincial delegates interact with provinces and report back on their activities in the NCOP with the aim of obtaining new mandates on issues to be placed on the national agenda.
Provincial Week provides a forum for the exchange and sharing of ideas and progress that has been made around service delivery issues and challenges that are confronting the provinces in fulfilling their mandates.
As our response to a call to build an activist Parliament, we revised Provincial Week with the intention of ensuring that it serves as a crucial forum for the NCOP and provinces to establish collaborative approaches in seeking solutions.
We must say without any fear of contradiction that since its inception Provincial Week has proved to be a success in giving provincial delegates to the NCOP information about the needs of the people in the provinces. It has enabled the NCOP to contribute to effective government by ensuring that provincial and local concerns are recognised in national policy-making.
In our last Provincial Week, which took place from 6 to 10 September 2010, permanent delegates, members of provincial legislatures and representatives of local government and other role-players engaged in a programme focusing on issues of common interest. In doing so they have also undertaken various site visits, facilitated public participation, conducted public hearings and held meetings with communities in poor and vulnerable rural areas.
The report we are tabling today clearly narrates the issues raised by provinces and the communities that were visited by various delegations. In many instances the report tells the story of a nation at work to create a better South Africa. It shows the commitment of our government to advancing the lives of our people and ensuring development in the areas where our people live. Our people spoke passionately about the projects initiated by government to ensure development in their communities.
Some communities spoke about the progress that our government is making in the delivery of services. They spoke about renovations that had been done in clinics, schools and other government buildings. They spoke about government assistance in agricultural projects and support to emerging farmers, agricultural co-operatives and indigent people.
If one reads the report of the South African Institute of Race Relations about this government's progress thus far, one sees it is immense. When you talk about water, housing, electricity and infrastructural development, you find this government has delivered so much that no other government in this country will ever surpass it. The government led by the ANC is really serious about service delivery.
The report is there for members to read. I read it last night and I've been reading it throughout. The statistics about service delivery in the country are very clear. If you challenge it, you will be ashamed to discover that the ANC government has, in fact, delivered very many projects in this country. No other government - I repeat, no other government - has done it before in this country. [Applause.]
In some instances our people spoke about the challenges they faced in their daily lives. They urged us to ensure that government, particularly municipalities, responded to the issues that continue to make their lives difficult. They spoke about projects that have not been completed, delays in payments to the contractors, a lack of roads, a lack of appropriate documentation to access government services, and so on.
We are not afraid to talk about these things here, because our main focus is where there are serious challenges in service delivery. Therefore, we stand here proud that we are raising these issues for us to continually address them, so that our people on the ground are satisfied with government service delivery.
When one analyses and considers the Provincial Week report, it is evident that the challenges and problems that provinces and municipalities, as well as communities, are faced with are transversal and not new. Most of such challenges and problems are overwhelming in the poor and vulnerable areas.
President Zuma, in his state of the nation address on 10 February 2011, referred to many of the issues and challenges mentioned in the report when he said, and I quote: While many South Africans celebrate the delivery of houses, electricity or water, there are yet many others who are still waiting.
The legacy of decades of apartheid underdevelopment and colonial oppression cannot be undone in only 17 years.
But we are forging ahead, determined to achieve our mission of building a better life for all.
When one looks at this, one is reminded of the continued persecution of the Nazis worldwide by the Jews all over the world. It really shows that the problem confronted by the Jews then really was serious - they were killed, maimed and so forth by the Nazi regime.
The kind of challenge we are faced with in regard to the destruction that apartheid caused in this country is almost similar in proportion, because apartheid really destroyed lives. Look at the human settlement patterns in this country and you will realise that the problem is far from over - we still have a lot of work to do. If you look at the economic balance of communities in this country you, will again realise that the problem is very far from over.
As the NCOP we are heeding the call of the President to ensure that programmes to respond to the challenges facing our people are developed. We were indeed humbled by the feedback given to the various delegations by our people and it is now time to ensure that all the issues that they raised are responded to and followed up by our Council. We are indeed happy with the presence of the various Ministries today, because this will certainly make our task easier.
Almost all provinces raised certain institutional and intergovernmental challenges, as well as challenges at the administrative level relating to matters such as conferral of mandates to the NCOP, participation of provinces in the NCOP and vice versa, liaison and interaction, video conferencing and co-ordination of programmes.
By us enhancing and improving communication between provinces and the NCOP and the appointment of provincial liaison officers, these challenges have to a large extent been resolved. However, the NCOP should allow provinces to enrich the national legislative process and prevent provinces from becoming parochial. This could sustain provincial governments as they carry out the major national responsibility of transforming in key areas.
In conclusion, we want to indicate that the report we are tabling today will be sent to the Leader of Government Business at the national level and to provinces to follow up. Some of the communities we visited are not only destitute but also desperate in their cry for a better life and there is a need to ensure that they too enjoy the fruits of our freedom. It is our task and duty to ensure that we do not fail them. We are doing this because it is our firm belief that the NCOP must serve as a beacon of hope to help these communities end their hardships. The NCOP must ensure that the theme of Provincial Week, "Working together to ensure faster improvement in the delivery of services and the living conditions of our people", becomes a reality.
It is imperative that programmes and strategies be facilitated, developed and implemented to ensure that the challenges and the plight of our communities, as well as provincial issues, are not only dealt with in our debates but also addressed. As the NCOP we have a constitutional duty to ensure that mechanisms are in place for the implementation of recommendations in the report and to monitor compliance therewith.
We want to appeal to the relevant Ministers, departments and provinces, as well as municipalities, to immediately respond to the issues raised in the report. They must engage at all levels and tap into all programmes and initiatives, including the programmes and initiatives announced by the President in his state of the nation address, to ensure that we respond to the issues raised by our people. I thank you, Chairperson. Thank you very much. [Applause.]