Parliamentary Caucus

Speech by Minister Nomvula Mokonyane during the debate on the State of the Nation Address

16 February 2016

• In the State of the Nation Address, Cde President Zuma alluded to the realities of Climate Change that has created an unprecedented high drought levels in South Africa and the world over.

• As a nation, together we have to deal with the drought conditions as a war waged against our people and the resources.

• In response to the situation, as said, an Inter-Ministerial Committee has been hard at work working in partnership with the private sector and research institutions.

• The following are the scientific and factual reality of water availability to date

  • Dam capacity nationally we stand at 53.9%

  • In the past we were abstracting 9% of ground water and now we have doubled to 18% of the current water mix.

  • 125 bore-holes have refurbished and brought back into operation.

  • 211 new boreholes are being drilled and are still to be equipped.

  • 219 new boreholes are now operational,

  • 1575 boreholes still require d to supplement existing surface water.

• As alluded to in the State of the Nation Address, augmentation schemes are under implementation:

  • Clanwilliam Dam Raising here in the Western Cape;

  • Mzimvubu in the Eastern Cape;

  • Nwamitwa and Tzaneen Dam raising in Limpopo;

  • Hazelmere Dam Raising in KZN;

  • Lesotho Highlands Water Project 2 that will not only supply water to Gauteng, but supply other provinces as well;

  • The total increase in capacity through augmentation will be equivalent to 54% of the Vaal Dam.

  • A total of 95 Water tankers have been dispatched as part of bringing relief to Communities

  • The impacts of the drought have affected the country and five (5) provinces have since been declared as drought related disaster areas. Drought relief efforts include motorised water tankers, borehole drilling and rehabilitation as well as the improvement of dysfunctional infrastructure.

  • Additional water transfers from the Tugela River to the Goedetrouw Dam; and from the Uthongathi River transferred to the Hazelmere Dam; are taking place continuously. Water is also still being released from the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme into the Caledon River to supplement the water supply to Mangaung. Government, working in partnership with civil society, will ensure that all communities have access to water

SANITATION

• We have eradicated all buckets in 5 provinces. We are currently working in the remaining 4 provinces. Those 4 provinces have about 18 000 buckets that still need to be eradicated with the majority in the Free State province.

• I can safely say that by the end of this financial year all buckets would be eradicated in three of those provinces i.e. North west, Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape.

• In the Free state we would have installed all top structures with only connection to bulk pipes remaining. This would be due to the roll out of bulk infrastructure that is being installed.

OPERATION HYDRATE

• The current natural severe drought phenomenon should not be used for political point scoring. 

• Opposition parties should take a leaf from the unprecedented humanitarian support we have witnessed from civil society; South Africans from all walks of life, school children, private sector and community based organisations, have come forward and distributed drinking water to areas that are severely affected by drought.

• These include amongst others, Operation Hydrate and Gift of the Givers supported by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Proudly South African. This is social cohesion and nation building in action, notwithstanding the adversity.

  Handing over the results of the 2015 KwaZulu-Natal Citizen Satisfaction Survey (CSS) to the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Pali Lehohla said high quality statistics are an invaluable conduit of trust amongst citizen and between nations

  HEALTH AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• Life expectancy of South Africans for both males and females has significantly improved and is currently 62 years across genders, which is an increase of eight and a half years since 2005.

• The HIV policy turnaround in 2009 led to a massive rollout of HIV testing and treatment for 3.2 million people living with the virus.

• Social grants to over 16 million, the government is in the process of finalising proposals for the creation of comprehensive social security system

• Established nine functional Provincial Food Distribution Centres (PFDC) and 140 Community Nutrition Development Centres (CNDC) in all provinces. Over 331 281 people are accessing food annually.

EDUCATION

• Intensified the support for Technical Schools through the Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) Conditional Grant during the 2016 MTEF period.

• An allocation of R1.1 billion was made available for all provinces through the grant for the MTEF period.

• The strengthening of the Technical Schools is playing a key role in achieving the goals of the National Development Plan (NDP) of producing 30 000 artisans annually.

• As part of the Shova Kalula Bicycle Programme, 3000 bicycles were procured and distributed to provinces in the 2014/15 financial year and in the 2015/16 financial year the Department will distribute 3500 bicycles.

• Government provides transport for over 370 000 (71.85 %) learners annually

• Government has responded to the no-fee increase for higher learning, by making available R2.3 billion shortfall. Additional amount of R4.5 billion has been made available for student’s historic debt benefitting over 71 000 students under NSFAS from 2013-15 who were owing institutions.

HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AND EPWP

• 16 Million people having now access to a home.

• Subsidised government housing sector have now reached the milestone of having provided four million (4m) households with housing opportunities, since 1994. This includes fully subsidised stand-alone houses, serviced stands, Community Residential Units, social and rental units.

• Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality through the provision of technical capacity and funding to fast track housing delivery will be implemented over three years

• 2000 housing units are to be yielded through the implementation of the Zanemvula project.

• As recently as October 2015, we conducted a hand-over with President Zuma here in kwaLanga; Cape Town, of the N2 Gateway Integrated Housing Project. This project has delivered 14, 000 homes to our people and we continue to count as we move towards the 20, 000 target set by this government.

• Today, the people of Khayelitsha Sites C and B have access to a dignified sanitation solution as a pilot project of the national government to mitigate the neglect meted upon them by the City of Cape Town which refuses to deliver adequate services to black townships and the poor.

• We will continue on this path of delivery as a sign of our commitment to changing the lives of our people and delivering a better life for all through-out our country including here in the Western Cape.

  AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM

• The Agri-Parks programme increased participation of smallholder farmers in the agricultural value chain from the initial 27 districts to all 44 districts.

• Government is supported over 43 000 smallholder farmers during 2015, in  KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. In the process we created 12 537 jobs.

• Government will support 25 000 farmers with a focus on commodities such as grain, fruit and vegetable and red meat during the 2016/17 financial year. Over the next three years, the programme will generate over 100 000 jobs.

• The livestock improvement schemes Kaonafatso Ya Dikgomo and Poultry Improvement scheme support 5 000 cattle farmers and 2 000 poultry farmers.  We plan to increase the number of beneficiaries to 12 000 farmers in 2016/17.

  INFRASTRUCTURE

• Refurbishment of the existing repair facilities and develop a ship repair facility. We will invest R320 million in the ports of Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Saldanha Bay.

• A road map for the proclamation of new small harbours in the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Kwazulu Natal has been developed.

• Capital and maintenance projects have been identified in the 12 proclaimed harbours through Spatial Economic Development Frameworks.

• R13.2 billion for developing the Saldanha Bay as an oil and gas hub.

• Some of the major water projects will be done in the Western Cape, these include:

• Citrusdal Waste Water Treatment Works in the West Coast District Municipality;

• Paarl Bulk Sewer in the Cape Winelands District Municipality;

• These projects will support nearly 60 000 beneficiaries demonstrating that the ANC government works in all provinces because SA belongs to all who live in it.

• Energy and water related skills programmes in which 300 learners have been targeted. Training at a cost of R2.8 million is taking place at Lephalale, as part of the Medupi Leadership Initiative.

• Rail Manufacturing Factory will compromise of 65% local content, 80% local employees in five years and 65000 direct and indirect jobs over 20 years.

• Moloto Road project, with preliminary designs underway and 10 000 jobs to be created.

  CONCLUDING REMARKS:

• Much as the main opposition party pretend to be so holy as to rival the pope. The reality reveals the opposite.

• For an example, Patricia De Lille, whilst leader of the Independent Democrats (ID), illegally instructed Swellendam Council to invest R 6mllion in Quadrix, a company that ran the finances of the ID. Till today she has never explained her role in this matter nor has the DA ever called her to account on it.

• As we speak, she is busy selling prime public open spaces in Clifton to friends of hers by-passing legal council processes and again, the DA shows no signs of action

• The very same De Lille is forcing the building of houses on land zoned for agriculture in Phillippi in contravention of the zoning plan for the city. The BIG QUESTION is, why is she doing this for the developers when it affects food security for the city?

• In regard to the extentions to the convention centre: The City of Cape Town and the province have covered up the irregularities in the appointment of the architects for the extension of the Convention Centre. THE FRAUD CONTINUES: The firm that did the bid specifications was awarded the very same tender.

• Whilst we as the ANC are proud to have fought for a democracy where all may freely express themselves without fear of retribution or arrest, we have also exposed that those who opposed change, who admire Botha, Verwoerd and other monsters of apartheid, who killed our children on the Cape Flats in the Trojan Horse Massacre and who believe that black people in this country are monkeys, have all found a home in the Democratic Alliance and are found there en-masse.

• They are caught up in apartheid nostalgia and refuse to accept that 11 million South Africans voted for the ANC as led by Jacob Zuma to lead South Africa and together with them, to move South Africa forward.

  SOUTH AFRICA IS A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE!

  Let us continue to conserve water and think about the UNSERVED.

  Thank you team SA

  Dankie Ngiyabonga!!