Unity in advancing radical transformation

Vie w

IT IS always necessary to locate our current work as government within the continuum of the long road to South African freedom, building our country and uniting our people.

This year is one of historic anniversaries. Prominent among these is the centenary of the birth of OR Tambo – an outstanding leader and unifier of our people who for over 30 years kept our liberation movement, spread all over the world and in our country, alive and united.

May I also recognise the birth centenary of a great son of Kwazulunatal, Henry Nxumalo, the preeminent journalist of his day and the assistant editor of Drum magazine who hailed from Mvutshini, Kwaxolo on the South Coast.

May I also recognise the 70th anniversary of the Three Doctors Pact signed byab Xuma, GM Naicker and YM Dadoo of the ANC, Natal Indian Congress and Transvaal Indian Congress, respectively. That agreement formed the basis of unity in action and the framework for the Congress Alliance.

Seventy years ago this year, we laid to rest ANC Youth League general president Muziwakhe Anton Lembede at the youthful age of 33.

Comrade Lembede left us a great lesson eloquently captured in the words of our leader of government business paraphrasing a Chinese proverb: “Learn as if you will live forever, work as if you will die tomorrow.”

Another life taken too early and cruelly was that of Steven Bantu Biko, 40 years ago this year – an activist who worked to free us from mental slavery.

We honour and are inspired by the memory of the heroes of South African freedom as we grapple with the transformation challenges that confront our nation.

The Department of Public Works is a key terrain for radical economic transformation. The department delivers new social infrastructure such as schools, clinics and hospitals, maintains existing facilities, manages a significant lease portfolio and co-ordinates reporting on the Expanded Public Works Programme in the province.

In addition, public works is increasingly at the cutting edge of our broader strategic infrastructure planning and technical capacity building. Infrastructure investments have a strategic value in advancing radical economic transformation. Astute planning, monitoring and evaluation are key to advancing this agenda.

We are encouraged by the continued commitment by provincial departments, as well as key stakeholders such as Eskom, Transnet, Water and Sanitation, Umgeni Water and the Provincial Planning Commission serving on the provincial infrastructure work group.

The public works function is a shared responsibility between province and national. The provincial executive council has mandated public works to lead and co-ordinate infrastructure programmes in the province through the infrastructure delivery management system.

In 2012 the provincial executive council resolved that the department be the “implementing agent of choice” for all public sector infrastructure development in the province. We need to evaluate our collective progress as a provincial government in implementing this.

Arising from the electoral mandate we are driven to advance radical socioeconomic transformation by which “we mean fundamental change in the structure, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership, management and control of the economy in favour of all South Africans, especially the poor, the majority of whom are African and female, as defined by the governing party, which makes policy for the democratic government.”

We also take our cue on strategic orientation and alignment from the resolutions of the 53rd national conference of the ANC, namely “to transform the structure of the economy through industrialisation, B-BBEE, addressing the basic needs of our people, including women and youth, strengthening and expanding the role of the state and the role of state owned enterprises”.

“The national infrastructure plan is an opportunity to change the structure of the economy, apartheid spatial distortions, support beneficiation…”

The budget tabled for 2017/18 is R1.5 billion.

• Pillay is KZN MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works. This is an edited extract of his budget speech on Friday.