Thank you, Chairperson of the NCOP, His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Africa Mr Jacob Zuma, Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon premiers, hon members of this House, as well as special delegates, Salga representatives, the esteemed delegation from Nigeria, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Not only was the address by the President, Mr Jacob Zuma, to this House this afternoon inspiring but it has also set the tone for the elected public representatives in all three spheres of government to strive harder and more diligently in a co-ordinated manner to find common solutions for the everyday challenges our people face, especially the poor and the marginalised sectors of our communities.
As Premier of the Northern Cape province, representing the Northern Cape and not the ANC in this regard, I can safely say that we are committed, as a provincial government, to ensuring that the principle of "Working together, we can do more" is tangibly realised on a daily basis.
Ladies and gentlemen, the government of the Northern Cape province, like so many provinces in this country, is faced with many challenges and issues, like poverty, housing, job creation, health care, water, sanitation, etc. We will fashion and develop our programmes in accordance with your words of inspiration, Mr President, so that the people of the province will, indeed, acknowledge that the three spheres of government, collectively, are both caring and compassionate about their plight.
In addition, the accountability of elected public representatives has to be raised to a level where progress in uplifting the quality of life of our citizens is regularly evaluated and monitored. In this regard, the government of the Northern Cape endeavours to do its utmost to improve the social and economic wellbeing of our people.
In terms of improving governance, the Northern Cape province launched Operation Clean Audit 2014 two weeks ago. Operation Clean Audit 2014 will hold mayors, councillors, municipal managers, MECs and all provincial departments, as well as the office of the premier, accountable for delivering on the mandate we have been given by the electorate. Ladies and gentlemen, the Northern Cape is ready to be subjected to the principles of accountability and transparency, as well as to responding to the challenges facing our citizens. As leaders, we have a duty to step to the fore and provide principled leadership to remove the scourges of poverty, underdevelopment, deepening inequality and challenges of service delivery in our province, as well as in our country.
As the executive of the Northern Cape, we are encouraging all role-players to actively play their part in building and consolidating a democratic and developmental province within the context of the developmental agenda. We are pledging our unconditional support to the Office of the President, as well as all Ministries and national departments, to ensure that we reach out, together, to better the conditions of the lives of all our people, to work tirelessly to turn the tide against HIV/Aids, and to support those infected and affected by these illnesses and epidemics amongst our citizens.
Emulating your example, Mr President, of tackling the multitude of challenges ahead with commitment and sincerity and in a co-ordinated manner, we will be able to impact positively on people's lives, address their needs and deliver on our mandate. Let us not be distracted by the negativity displayed by some of the speakers here this afternoon.
Ons ken almal die spreekwoord van le blikke, en ek weet wat hulle doen. [Tussenwerpsels.] [We all know the idiomatic expression about empty vessels, and I know what they are doing. [Interjections.]]
Let us rather focus on the positives and focus our energies on our priority areas to serve all our people in a diligent and dignified manner, and to eradicate the persisting inequalities and injustices. I thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
The PREMIER OF THE NORTH WEST (Ms M Modiselle:): Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, His Excellency Mr President, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, hon premiers, representatives of Salga, members of the NCOP, our fellow Nigerian brothers, esteemed ladies and gentlemen, I greet you. Thank you, Chairperson, for this opportunity.
One of the greatest artists that our country has ever produced, and a social activist who used art to protest against apartheid and narrate the story of the harsh conditions that our people endured under apartheid, Gerard Sekoto, once wrote, "Take your road and travel along." The address by the President is clearly indicating that the road that our society has travelled remains one of the most fulfilling in our journey to ensuring a better life for all the people of South Africa. We are, however, conscious of the fact that our long walk to total freedom is still at its beginning and that the destination seems very far; yet we remain resolute and even more determined to take the road and travel along in order to address the legacy of apartheid and change the lives of our people for the better.
We are encouraged by the President's assertion of our historic vision of an inclusive society, a South Africa that belongs to all of us, a nation united in its diversity, and a people working together for the greater good for all.
Hon President, in your state of the nation address on 3 June this year, you clearly committed our government to ensuring that, for as long as our people suffer and endure any form of hardship, we shall not dare falter. Indeed, in the North West we remain committed to our agenda to change the lives of our people for the better.
We want to reassure the President that the North West will remain serious about advancing the lives of the people by doing the following: creating decent work and sustainable livelihoods; ensuring that education remains at the centre of our efforts to break the generational cycle of poverty and underdevelopment engulfing our people; reducing inequalities in our health system and ensuring that our people have access to quality health care; channelling our efforts to improve the lives and conditions of people living in the rural parts of our country; and finally, ensuring that our people are safe in their homes and streets and that government resources are used for their intended purposes. In implementing these priorities, we have identified the most vulnerable sectors of our society, namely women, children, youth, people with disabilities and rural communities. We want to reassure the President that in the North West we remain firm in our commitment to improve the quality of life of these sectors.
We owe it to ourselves and future generations to create a caring society in which human dignity and life are respected and positive values are upheld. As an expression of this commitment we will continue to promote responsible citizenship, nation-building and patriotism through the above initiatives.
Through these programmes, we will pursue our goal of promoting high ethical standards in both government and society, as part of our determination to entrench responsible conduct and stewardship of public resources. We have also prioritised the fight against corruption and abuse of state resources. We will spare no effort to deal decisively with laziness in the Public Service and ensure that those who continue to dip their hands into the public coffers for their own individual benefit face the might of the law. [Applause.]
Hon President, I am pleased to inform this House that the North West Provincial Government is, according to available data, leading the country with regard to complying with anticorruption measures. This was confirmed last year by the Public Service Commission during the anticorruption summit in Durban. Still, we can't rest on our laurels.
The North West Provincial Government continues to call on all citizens to become the eyes and ears of government in the fight against corruption. Corruption is the enemy of the poor, because resources that were meant for them are diverted to the pockets of the corrupt individuals. The government believes that to defeat the scourge of corruption we need all hands on deck.
In pursuit of good governance, clean administration and quality service delivery, we have committed ourselves to implementing training programmes that promote a culture of ethics of service delivery in the Public Service and offer a viable career path for individual growth and to broaden our provincial skills base.
The advancement of the lives of our people is also centred on our commitment to the principles of a developmental state that cares for the poor and the disadvantaged. In this regard, we have prioritised the provision of basic services to our people, especially the poor.
The North West province remains committed to ensuring that rural development is a central pillar in our struggle against unemployment, poverty and inequality. We have put in place various programmes to deal decisively with the high levels of rural poverty which inhibit the growth of our economy and undermine efforts to ensure that growth is equitably shared.
Hon President, in your state of the nation address, you clearly articulated our government's approach to human settlement, arguing that it is about transforming our cities and towns, as well as building cohesive, sustainable and caring communities with closer access to work and social amenities, including sports and recreation facilities. We are aware that building sustainable communities and livelihoods requires government to establish comprehensive local economic and social development programmes. We have tasked our economic sector and our local government spheres to ensure that these areas are integrated in our efforts to provide decent housing to our people. I thank you. [Applause.]