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ANC Media Summit
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Premier's Office

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EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
 SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE EASTERN CAPE PREMIER, REV M STOFILE, AT AN
 ANC MEDIA SUMMIT ON FOUR YEARS OF GOVERNANCE IN THE EASTERN CAPE -
 1 SEPTEMBER 1998

1. INTRODUCTION

In May 1994 when we took over the reigns of a country ravaged by apartheid we knew that we

were faced with a mammoth task and immense challenges to ensure that our people participated in decision making, received basic needs, had 
jobs, benefited from transformed institutions and

development of our society in social, political and economic terms. The details and extent of the task at hand dawned as we started to 
address these challenges. A serious organisation and government like ours could not gloss over the issues and only address the issues in 
general terms but had to go to the people and discuss how to ensure that in every corner and creek of our country, provinces, villages, 
cities, townships and informal settlements the people can feel the change. This had to be done with the scarce resources at our disposal 
and through a civil service that itself needed to be transformed.

The Province of the Eastern Cape united its people through a vision and a mission that were

captured in eight practical pillars with measurable objectives:-

* Job Creation
* Investment in people
* Meeting the basic needs
* Sustainable use of natural resources
* Rural development
* Redistribution of income
* Crime prevention
* Transform the public sector so as to create an efficient and effective civil service.

Each provincial department had to ensure that in its plans and programmes it addressed these eight pillars of growth and development.

2. SUCCESSES

Major successes have been scored in meeting the basic needs of the people. This has happened

more so in addressing the rural/urban development. If one looks at infrastructural and service delivery institutions built in rural areas 
this glaring support for rural areas cannot be missed. The electrification, provision of water, new clinics, additional classrooms, new 
outpatient departments, sanitation, renovation in magistrates' courts and police stations, etc., are all evidence of a government that 
takes rural development seriously. Arts centres have sprouted in villages that
 apartheid never even knew were in existence, e.g. Tombo Village in Port St Johns and Sokapase in Ngqamakwe. Ninety-three (93) rural 
clinics were built in this Province and this is the highest number for the whole country. Over 90% of schools built were in rural areas 
with 80% of contracts awarded to emerging contractors with more than two thousand jobs created. The Community Based Public Works Programme 
has been pivotal in creating a number of jobs. The rapid impact programme in Agriculture has assisted small farmers. These programmes 
impact positively on rural women and children. With water and electricity at their doorstep these previously disadvantaged sectors of our 
communities have their hands, heads and legs freed to deal with other essential matters. They also have more time at their disposal to be 
engaged in other creative activities.

Accelerated vaccination programmes against TB, polio and measles has led to healthier communities. The primary school nutrition programme 
has reduced hunger, improved nutrition and enhanced learning amongst pupils. The disabled have benefited from wheelchairs, hearing aids and 
"buggies." Previously discriminated Black women have access to termination of pregnancy which they were previously denied. One shudders to 
think how many of the hygienic 3 861 terminated pregnancies would have resulted in death, infertility and morbidity if we still were under 
the oppressive system of apartheid.

Strides have been taken in addressing the ills of a previously fragmented civil service. The major

issues raised in the audit conducted by the Ncholo team of 1996 have been addressed. It was not easy to unify the previous administration 
and attain single financial and personnel management systems, a single data base for beneficiaries of social security, a single transport 
information system, etc. This is beginning to simplify administration and gear us for the ultimate - an efficient and effective public 
service prepared to put the people first at all times. A concerted effort through a special project has rid the service of ghosts.

There was a time when we thought that to be able to pay social security beneficiaries on a monthly basis we needed to privatise the payout 
system. However, with resolve and determination we managed to do that with the present civil servants. Even though fraud is not eliminated 
it has been reduced.

Investment in people has been accelerated through bursary schemes and in-service training of serving officials.

Low levels of crime in the Province have been acknowledged in various quarters. There is marked reduction in taxi violence and also the 
deaths in the Qumbu - Tsolo areas have been drastically reduced. Development programmes are now coming up in those areas. We are, though, 
concerned with the new violence that has erupted in the Port St John's area.

The Province is known as the second leading province in the number of legislation passed since 1994. We are, however, not satisfied with 
the pace and could have done better.

3. CONSTRAINTS FACED

Many challenges are still facing us and constrain progress.

3.1 Backlogs

The financial resources are known to be scarce and we acknowledge that. The extent of backlogs in this Province is however such that the 
allocated funds in terms of the FFC formula are not enough to maintain services, let alone address the backlogs. We acknowledge that we 
have to be efficient and economic in the use of the scarce resources, but even with those efforts the funds are just not enough. We still 
insist that a "Marshall Plan" is required to deal with the devastation and destruction of apartheid whilst a normal budgetary allocation 
could be used separately to address service delivery.

3.2 Unemployment

The rate of unemployment is above the conservative figure of 45%. The economic climate globally and nationally has the harshest effect in 
an already depressed local economy of the Eastern Cape.

3.3 Fraud & Corruption

Despite the fact that we have tried our best to rid the civil service of this scourge we have not got on top of it yet. Various preventive 
measures have been tried and more are being developed. Some battles are won but the war is not over and won yet. It has to be remembered 
that this Province invented or founded the Heath Commission because of the realisation that fraud from the previous administrations had 
spilled over to the present. Some people today claim that Judge Heath discovered the corruption.

3.4 Parastatals' mismanagement

The mismanagement of parastatals, be they agricultural, transport or economic development,
 constrained development and production in the Province. Steps were taken to dissolve some and to restructure others. This has not been an 
easy process and has been riddled with pot-holes and
 landmines. Some of the restructured parastatals are showing significant signs of recovery. However, legal battles are still raging with 
some former employees.

3.5 Supernumerary Civil Servants

Much as we have succeeded in realigning and restructuring departments there is still a big challenge to ensure that the supernumerary 
personnel do not swell the ranks of the unemployed. On the other hand this is a challenge to ensure that these officers are gainfully 
employed or given skills that they can utilise when they voluntarily leave the service.

CONCLUSION

I have tried to be frank and open with the assessment of where we are as a government and also to indicate that there can never be easy 
victories in the path of totally transforming our society. The ANC-led government has never deluded itself that the road would be easy. It 
was not a smooth and

friendly journey to overthrow apartheid. Pockets of resistance are going to be found in various remnants of the apartheid octopus. It is 
for us to show the came commitment and resilience that ensured our victory in ridding society of an evil system when defending the gains of 
our revolution

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