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Presentation to Strategic Workshop
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Road and Public Works

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EASTERN  CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

PRESENTATION TO THE STRATEGY WORKSHOP

BY THE MEC FOR ROAD AND PUBLIC  WORKS

30 SEPTEMBER 1999 - 01 OCTOBER 1999



Chairperson
 Senior Managers and the entire Management
 Our Invited Guests
 Participants in this Workshop

INTRODUCTION

Im extremely privileged to welcome all of you to this important strategy workshop of our department. It is very significant in many 
respects. We are gathered here in the aftermath of yet another historic moment for the people of our country and this province in 
particular. In their millions, the people have voted into office their second democratically elected government. In so doing a clear and 
unambiguous mandate has so been conferred on the government of the day. This can be summarised as over- arching, integrated sustainable and 
accelerated change.

This workshop in a sense becomes very critical in that it affords all of us an opportunity to take stock and seriously look at our 
contribution as servants of the people towards the successful implementation of the mandate of this government.

Thirdly, it is very significant to me personally, because it is for the first time since I joined this ministry that I interact with such a 
representative body of this department. It provides a perfect scenario in which to communicate what I regard to be the key issues for all 
of us as we grapple with our part in the larger mandate of government.

Lastly, this workshop is following on the footsteps of a similar exercise conducted by the Executive Council of this province in this in 
which collectively Exec appreciated the challenges of the provincial government and the necessary responses thereto. I therefore take this 
opportunity to invite all of you to actively participate in the deliberations that will follow without fear and/ or prejudices of any kind. 
This workshop may only be served well by a frank and candid appraisal of the situation.

CURRENT PROVINCIAL REALITIES

The last five years of the government of national unity has seen very heroic attempts at reversing the legacy of apartheid. It is common 
knowledge that as this province we have benefited the most from the secter of poverty and underdevelopment that apartheid bequeathed to our 
generation.

* Grinding poverty continues to be the defining feature for many households in the province particularly in the rural areas,
* Access to adequate basic infrastructure like roads network, electricity, water and sanitation remain a privilege only to be enjoyed in 
the urban centres,
* In the circumstances, exploiting the provinces comparative advantages with the view to stimulating economic growth remain a pipe dream,
* Our province is littered with thousands of otherwise economically active individuals who are unemployed and whose number is on a gradual 
increase as many are retrenched on a daily basis from the major sectors of our national economy,
* That which the President refers to as, "The Two Nations" finds expression in more ways than one here in our province.

These are the challenges that the peoples government is mandated to redress. These are the issues that we have made a firm commitment to 
redressing with increased speed in the five years of this government.

LOCATING THE DEPT OF ROADS AND PUBLIC WORKS

Our department is located firmly in the centre of this huge transformational struggle. Our mandate as the department can be shortened as 
follows:

* Creating, maintaining and continually upgrading the provincial roads network infrastructure.
* Developing policy for and implementing infrastructure delivery,
* Providing and managing accommodation needs for line function departments, including the construction and maintenance of all state owned 
properties,
* Taking a lead in the transformation of the construction industry.
* Participating and promoting the values underpinning the community based public works programme.

These tasks are central to any strategy for the economic growth of this province that we have all characterised as predominantly rural, 
poverty stricken and underdeveloped. At the centre of the call from both the President and the Premier for integrated, sustainable rural 
development strategy is our department. This workshop therefore provides us with a wonderful opportunity to sharpen our contribution 
towards this clarion call.

OUR READINESS AS A DEPARTMENT

From the onset, I must declare my unhappiness at the manner in which currently the department is positioned with respect to the task at 
hand. Frankly speaking, it leaves much to be desired. This department has over a considerable time degenerated into a polecat in the entire 
have significantly contributed to this untenable situation.

Unity of Purpose

It strikes me all the time and I often wonder whether as the department we have or we ever had any common shared vision and mission. 
Arising out of a series of interactions with almost all the manager in this department that I have had, there is a sense that there is 
convergence or commonality on levels of management people are content in their own cubicles hopefully in the circumstances was long 
sacrificed.

Indecisive Leadership

Over a period of time, this chronic ailment allowed to paralyse the entire running of this departmental apparatus with the result that no 
one respects authority here anymore. There are so many examples of maladministration that have put this department in a myriad of 
embarrassing situation. Currently, in a month there are as many judgements against us in the various courts to the extent that even 
inexperienced lawyers are having a field day when it comes to cases involving this department. In some of these cases as I speak we are now 
being filed for contempt of court.

TRANFORMATION

The last five years of the government of national unity saw a number of injunctions in the public service that were intended to transform 
the ethos within that sector. The very recent of those was the white paper on public sector transformation and in particular here the much 
acclaimed Batho Pele Campaign. These are yet to find expression in this department. Visibly these are some point departmental structures to 
supervise programs of transformation within departments had to be created but ours never lasted any longer. The result was that a major 
campaign of government was literally sabotaged.

Obviously during this term of office, these matters and many more perhaps I have not cited cannot and will not be tolerated. During my term 
of office in this department, I certainly demand of all you a different approach altogether, a different style of leadership and 
management. In the words of the Premier of this Province, "A breath of fresh air must fill the corridors of power. This must be about 
efficient and effective governance. It must herald decisiveness and quick-witted leadership. Both administrators and politicians in this 
province have to adopt this new style."

In conclusion I want to restate that as from 01/07/99, a new public sector regulatory framework was put into effect. The impact of this 
development is that it places greater responsibility on the executing authority for the overall accountability and the proper functioning 
of the department. An almost similar piece of legislation in content when in comes to financial accountability will be authority, Im not 
only responsible for policy direction but also reserves a direct influence in the implementation of that policy.

Talking about policy, I may also make reference to the whole notion of outsourcing certain government operations. This indeed is policy of 
the government but it is not to be applied arbitrary. No logic exists in outsourcing that which you have internal capacity already to 
perform. The tragedy about this matter, is that government is contractually bound to paying individuals whose work is outsourced and I 
regard this as a distorting the very policy. There can be no justification for this. Managers must manage and workers must work and those 
cant do their job must be disciplined.

This department is notorious for its poor record of labour relations. This I find totally unacceptable. It has to come to an end. There can 
be no justification in us talking about a caring society when we cannot care for those in the employ of government. Im making reference to 
the many people that for the rest of their adult life, have exhausted their energies in the trenches and various other stations working for 
this department who are meted out a very shabby treatment on retirement. These practices must surely come to an end.

Im extending to all of you an invitation to join this effort, an effort aimed at reclaiming or claiming a status for all of us as a 
respected department. In this regard we need dedication and commitment and more specifically we nee a new cadre of the public sector. The 
terrain may look the same but the challenges have completely changed. The government is emphasising integrated service delivery which has 
as a prerequisite integrated planning, intra and interdepartmental cooperation, as well as intergovernmental cooperation. All these demand 
a new approach and a commitment to learning new methods of work. It would be absolutely criminal on my part if I were not to bring to the 
fore the appalling work ethic that has come to establish itself within the department. To the extent, public perception out there about 
ourselves is highly negative. Out of this workshop, we must outline a clear programme of remedial action to address these issues.

Many of our branches if not all do not have a clear program wherein they focus their energies in a given time frame. It is the absence of 
these programs that give rise to the confusion that is now apparent. This workshop must serve as a basis for departure away from this 
vicious circle.

I have the confidence that this is no task insurmountable. There only has to be a beginning and I believe it has to be today.

Thank you.



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