Chairperson, let me say good evening to the House. It's been a long day for the NCOP, so we are not going to keep you too long. Hon MECs that are here, members of the NCOP, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa enjoins all of us to work together to -
Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights ...
As the current global economic downturn continues to grind, large numbers of our people find themselves without work, without an income and with their human dignity and self-worth beginning to erode. Ordinary men and women find it extremely difficult to provide for their households, yet the Constitution calls upon us to -
Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person.
Our focus is to create work opportunities that are labour intensive and with a high multiplier effect on poverty reduction. We seek to contribute to halving poverty by 2014. However, this we cannot do alone. We need to work together and better to do more with all spheres of government and other social partners.
We have to eradicate poverty, fight unemployment and deliver on ensuring a more inclusive growth path. Under our collective stewardship, we must further refine our strategies to cushion our people from the effects of the current global economic downturn. Ours, hon members, is to traverse these difficult times with total commitment and a clear sense of shared destiny.
For us to succeed, we need to tap into our diverse collective wisdom and rely on our human spirit of conquering, despite the odds. We need a more united and cohesive nation, well positioned to seize the opportunities that will arise when the global economy enters an upswing.
These are not ordinary times and they require extraordinary measures. It cannot be business as usual. As a result, we are adopting a paradigm that focuses on the following: ensuring an efficient client service to all organs of state; reduction in turnaround time and service provision, and improved productivity and cost-efficiency. Our objective is to position public works as a catalyst for a more inclusive growth and development agenda. We have put mechanisms in place to ensure an effective interface and exchange of ideas with the public through the Talk to Minister Initiative.
During the elections and through our manifesto, which now constitutes our electoral mandate, we said that unemployment is unacceptably high among our people, especially amongst African women, rural persons and the youth.
We further said:
Inequality has persisted and increased in our society ... The rural areas remain divided between well-developed commercial farming areas, peri- urbarn and impoverished communal areas. The benefits of economic growth have not been ... equitably shared.
We need a paradigm shift to bring about a sense of urgency in service delivery and a more co-ordinated approach to interventions. A fundamental pillar of this new sense of urgency is in service delivery and is effective through co-operation between all spheres of government and social partners. At Public Works, we are in the process of engaging all provincial public works departments and MECs in order to identify opportunities for programme collaboration, especially on the Expanded Public Works Programme. Strengthening of the Minmec needs to be undertaken with speed in order to meet the demands of a massification of the Expanded Public Works Programme, as articulated through the electoral mandate.
Whilst our spheres of government are distinctive, interdependent and interrelated, the Constitution enjoins all of us to secure the wellbeing of the people of the Republic. This requires a high level of co-operation and a common desire to lift our people from the scourge of poverty, unemployment, crime and marginalisation. This is our historic mission, a mission we must fulfil; we dare not fail.
According to the Constitution, this House represents provincial interests in the national sphere of government. In addition to the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, allocations, most of the funds are needed to reach our policy objectives to the provincial and local spheres. For example, for this financial year alone, the maintenance and repairs allocation for municipalities amounts to roughly R11 billion. The maintenance of infrastructure allocation for provinces amounts to roughly R6,5 billion. The national allocation for maintenance of infrastructure amounts to R1,9 billion.
These figures illustrate that the larger allocation from the budget goes to provinces and municipalities. Therefore, the NCOP must ensure proper oversight over where these allocations improve the lives of the people. We have entered a phase where accountability is a critical element of all our endeavours, where we have to account for our actions or nonactions. I invite the NCOP to exercise its oversight role over this department with rigour and constructively.
The creation of decent work opportunities will be the primary focus of all our programmes. In our fight against unemployment and poverty we will create 500 000 jobs before the end of December 2009. This will be a solid foundation for reaching the target of four and a half million labour- intensive jobs over the electoral mandate period. We will discharge this responsibility fully conscious that ours is about the restoration of human dignity, comfort and ensuring a sense of economic liberation for the majority of South Africans. In the words of the Freedom Charter -
... we pledge ourselves to strive together, sparing neither strength nor courage...
... until we achieve a more inclusive growth, shared development and a reduction in inequality. This requires a collective approach that insists on putting people first in service delivery.
The department is very serious about reaching the policy objectives of this mandated period. It has started the process of rearranging itself so that it can improve its services to all organs of state and turnaround time in service provision. To improve productivity and cost-efficiency, our turnaround strategy wants to ensure that we are more responsive to the needs of this developmental state. We invite this House and it's select committee to do rigorous oversight over how we give effect to the mandate assigned to us. Together we will do more for a better future for our people. Thank you. [Applause.]