Hon Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and hon members, today we are debating the report on the visit to the provinces. It is a very important report to inform the NCOP of what is happening in the provinces. It is evident that the state of service delivery throughout the Republic of South Africa is not of the required standard. Many reasons can be sought for why the existing situation prevails.
Our municipalities have a critical and immediate role to play in the welfare and development of all the people. Local government is both the most intimate sphere of government and the one that impacts most on the everyday lives of citizens.
We must strive for an open society which is founded on transparency, clean government and respect for the rule of law. In an open society the Constitution - which exists to guarantee our rights - sets out the responsibilities of government and citizens. It protects the ordinary people from abuse of power by those in government. It is respected and defended.
In an open society governments are accountable to the people who elected them. Those who are in power know that they have been elected to serve the people and the government. They know that if they fail to deliver adequately to the people they serve, they can be voted out of office just as easily as they were voted in.
An open-opportunity society is the vehicle through which people are empowered to live their lives, pursue their dreams, and develop their full potential. The DA believes that the role of local government is to provide every citizen with a minimum basic standard of quality services and resources with which to be able to do just that - a framework for choice.
To be successful one needs to realise that the key principles of providing good governance are: providing high-performance councillors, who do not fail because of cadre deployment, but are rather there on merit; councillors who avoid conflicts of interest and unproductive expenditure, such as expensive cars and functions; effective spending of available grants and funding, and not applying fraudulent practices; a fair and timely process for suspensions and dismissals, not redeployment of corrupt officials; providing a fair and rational indigency policy for the poor to ensure that the poor receive the money, not the local hyenas; and managing the supply chain well, with no contracts for politicians who enrich themselves.
In order to get the basic service delivery right you must: provide clean and potable water; improve sewerage and reduce water pollution; provide safe electricity - by paying for services and not by means of tampering; provide effective solid waste management; and manage housing developments, including fighting corrupt ways of allocating housing and nepotism.
To promote proper services and support to our people, solid co-operation and alignment amongst local government, provincial government and national government must be established.
I can only mention a few of the highlights of the visit to the Western Cape. The first was a visit to the Agricultural Research Council at Nietvoorbij. It's only for agriculture research and development. Nietvoorbij is currently working on fruit, crops, deciduous fruit, fynbos, wine and brandy, dried fruit and processed fruits. The institute is also responsible for the maintenance of gene banks, deciduous fruit, fynbos and vines, which are important national assets.
Funding remains a challenge as it is partially funded by external income and partially by parliamentary grant. Fifty per cent of the work of the institute relates to nutrition, food security and safety. The institute also assists in and facilitates obtaining resources for poor farmers.
Another very interesting visit was to the Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology. What is very important there is that 311 students are accommodated. They are from the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape and it is significant to note that the majority of the students come from families experiencing socioeconomic hardship. Two thirds of the students who excel in mathematics and science are rewarded with subsidies or grants and a total exemption from paying fees.
The question of backyard dwellers was also addressed. It is a national problem, but it has been decided to try to follow up on whether there was fairness in the allocation of subsidised houses; whether there were more affordable housing opportunities to ensure that people lived in well- located areas close to jobs, schools and transport; whether a better relationship between landlords and tenants could be facilitated; and the management of waiting lists.
Regarding safety and security, the Western Cape has a high occurrence of gangsterism. The following reasons for ongoing conflict were identified, namely old grudges between gangs, drug theft conflicts, influx of gangsters from neighbouring areas and orders from convicted drug lords.
Furthermore, the department of cultural affairs and sport is of the view that sports, arts and culture forums could play a major role in the upliftment of the quality of life in gang-infested areas. The strategy is to develop a set of cultural forums in which rural areas must explore the heritage and legacy of their community. Proposed initiatives include Easter festivals in many of the high-crime areas, mass participation in school sports and recreational activities, and opportunity development centres.
In conclusion, the Western Cape supports the report. I can assure you that it is doing everything within its powers and abilities to make the area a better one for living in for all people that we can support. That is the reason why so many people come to the Western Cape, namely to get a better living. Thank you.