The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa: Mr Kgalema Motlanthe

The Minister of Health: Mr Aaron Motsoaledi

The Minister of Public Works: Mrs Lindiwe Mahlangu-Nkabinde

The Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform: Mr Gugile Nkwinti

The Minister of water and Environmental affairs: Mrs Edna Molewa

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry: Mrs Elizabeth Thabethe

Members of the Executive Council of the Northern Cape Provincial Government

The Chairperson of SALGA, Northern Cape: Mr Willie Johnson

The Executive Mayor of the Pixley Ka Seme District Minucipality: Mr John Lolwana

The Mayor of the Renosterberg Municipality: Mr Arthwell Kwinana

Municipal Councillors

Government Officials, including the Director-Generals of the relevant Government Departments

Members of the Community

Representatives of Faith Based Organisations

Representatives of Youth Formations

Heads of the Business Community

Members of the Media Fraternity

Invited Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen


Mr Deputy President, the visit by your goodself and your eminent team of Ministers and senior officials occurs at a somewhat appropriate time – for only a few days ago the National Planning Commission in the Presidency made available to the Nation its Diagnostic Report on South Africa, which incorporates the following matters:

Human Conditions; Material Conditions; Nation Building; The Economy; and Institutions and Governance

Therefore, Mr Deputy President, the substantive aspect of my input is underpinned by the express premise that this administration’s tenure is, by and at large, informed by our sincere and collective desire to primarily serve the needs and the legitimate interests and expectations of the people of the Northern Cape.

Government, being mindful of the various challenges that still persist and taking into account that centuries of apartheid underdevelopment and colonial oppression cannot be addressed in over a decade and a half, adopted the following key priorities to position our country on a developmental trajectory, namely:

Education; Health; Rural development and agrarian reform; The fight against crime and corruption; and Creating decent work

Education and skills development is an important priority area which this government has paid particular attention to.

Teacher training, especially in Mathematics and Science, will continue apace and special attention is being accorded to the training of principals, particularly those in underperforming schools.

Access to higher education for children of the poor will be expanded and includes the conversion of loans into bursaries for qualifying final year students. Students in further education and training colleges who qualify for financial aid will be exempted from paying fees.

It is a well-known fact that the establishment of a university in our province is a long-standing and fervent wish of the people of the Northern Cape.

Whilst we have been able to offer our young people university study opportunities over the past few years, this had to be under the auspices of and in partnership with other tertiary institutions. More work was needed in order to ensure that the province moves closer to having a fully–fledged university with its own identity with course content that is fresh and unique and not just inherited from other institutions.

The Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Blade Nzimande, in his Budget Vote Speech on 25 March 2010 made the following commitment:

“Work towards the establishment of universities in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape will continue this financial year. We are appointing two task teams, with representatives from these provinces, to explore appropriate university models for the needs of these provinces and come up with concrete proposals and timelines. Professor Cheryl de la Rey and Professor Thandwa Mthembu have confirmed their availability to chair these teams and will interact on key issues.”

The Executive Council, in its resolve to expedite the establishment of the University, has appointed a Provincial Task Team to make substantive input to its national counterpart.

Mr Deputy President, as you may be aware; our country is bidding to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Radio Telescope which is located in Carnavon in our province.

The Northern Cape Province successfully delivered on its commitment to build the Karoo Array Telescope, also known as the KAT7. This telescope consists of seven dishes which are connected.

Besides enhancing our capacity for innovation, this project of national significance has already provided 800 job opportunities in our province and will create roughly a further 100 jobs in 2011.

The South African SKA Project Office, also known as South African SKA Project Office (SASPO), has also commenced with the developments towards the building of the MeerKAT, which will consist of 64 dishes on completion.

The project engineers and scientists are already working on the design of the MeerKAT dishes, which will be aligned to those that are likely to be used in the SKA.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup by South Africa was an incredible experience and had a major and positive impact on our nation and the continent at large.

Through the 2010 FIFA World Cup Legacy Projects, the province received an amount of R97 million to assist with the following World Cup Legacy Projects:

PROJECT ALLOCATED BUDGET
Upgrading of the A.R. Abass stadium R 14, 5 million
Upgrading of the Northern Cape theatre R 7 million
Renovation of sport facilities at 50 schools R 30 million
Upgrading of the GWK stadium R 13, 5 million
Provision of public viewing areas to municipalities R 18, 5 million
Development of sport facilities in the John Taolo Gaetsewe and Pixley ka Seme District R 14 million
GRAND TOTAL R 97 million

It has created further opportunities for the training of sport administrators, referees and coaches so as to improve participation in sport. As a result, we have thus far managed to train over 113 coaches and administrators. The legacy project will further encourage grassroots development and enhance participation in sport played at schools.

The province will be hosting two major international events consistent with our distinct reputation as a destination of extreme sports.

These events, Ladies and Gentlemen, are the International Maloof Money Cup Skateboarding Championships and the Bloodhound Project, which will be an attempt to break the current world land-speed record.

The International Maloof Money Cup Skateboarding Championships will be held in Kimberley during September 2011. This is the first time that this championship will be held outside the United States of America (USA) and we will ensure the successful hosting of this international championship. The province has already commenced with a campaign to promote skateboarding in the province.

The Bloodhound Project is an attempt to set a new World Land Speed Record and its main intention is to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by building a car capable of reaching 1600 kilometres per hour.

Hosting the Bloodhound project in June 2012 will not only impact on local economies but will also draw national and international attention, incorporating tourism, infrastructure development, community upliftment, skills transfer and overall economic development for the Northern Cape Province. This project will also play an integral part in the positioning of the Northern Cape Province as the extreme sports and recreation destination of the world.

Mr Deputy President, the quality of health services provided by the Department of Health is also a top priority for the Northern Cape Provincial Government in order to improve health services across the length and breadth of our vast province.

In spite of steady progress being made with regard to health services, enormous challenges still remain, for example the chronic shortage of ambulances. We are engaging with all role-players and decision-makers to strengthen the provision of health services to our people.

Be that as it may, we are pleased to advise that, in order to provide much needed health care services to our communities the clinics in Groot Mier, Riemvasmaak and Mapoteng have been completed and are now operational. The clinics in Novalspond and Boitshoko will open early in July 2011.

Additional clinics have also been opened in Hondeklipbaai in the Namakwa District and Olifantshoek and Jan Witbooi in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District. An upgrade of the Casualty and Records Sections at Galeshewe Day Hospital commenced in 2010 and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2011. This will allow for a 24 hour service to be provided to the community. Through this step, government will significantly extend access to primary health care services to the people of Greater Kimberley.

The construction of the new hospitals in Upington and De Aar are proceeding as announced in my State of the Province Address last year. With the initial work in the latter case being concluded, we will soon see the walls rising and once more, much needed jobs will be created for the benefit of our people.

On the human development front, the Department of Health has shown a marked improvement in boosting its human resources with the appointment of medical personnel, professional nurses, environmental health practitioners and dental assistants who have all been placed at facilities to step up the care against HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases. Of the appointed nursing staff 59 were graduates from the Henrietta Stockdale nursing college.

There has also been an official undertaking by the Minister of Health to deploy medical experts comprising gynecologists, specialists, midwives, etc. to all five districts in July this year.

In terms of training medical personnel we are, in partnership with Cuba, benefitting from a comprehensive programme where 36 students are being trained to acquire the necessary qualifications to serve our people, especially in remote and rural areas.

However, there are still other categories of employees that are classified as scarce skills that remain vacant. Thus the current vacancy rate in the department remains unacceptably high. Numerous bursary opportunities are available in the Department of Health and the Premier’s Bursary Fund.

Moreover, we are pleased to report that the Northern Cape has made tremendous progress in the HIV Testing Campaign. To date, 3914 new patients have been enrolled on ART with the testing rate currently standing at 96 percent. A total of 10 655 new patients will require ART in the new financial year. The provincial prevalence estimate among pregnant women is showing signs of stabilisation as shown in the marginal increase by 1 percent in 2009, in comparison to 16.2 percent in 2008.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our government is taking active steps in the fight against crime and corruption which remains one of the top priorities for the province.

As a province, we will continue to intensify our fight against crime and corruption. Fighting crime requires will, intensity, creativity and unity. The mass mobilisation of liquor traders, traditional leaders, women, youth and religious leaders need to be prioritised to ensure a united front against crime.

The rebuilding of acceptable societal values and norms cannot be over-emphasised. We need to rebuild the social and moral fibre of our society to do away with crime. A long-term sustainable approach in dealing with substance abuse and the violent nature of crime in our province has been prioritised for the next financial year. Members of the community are encouraged to join the Community Policing Forums in their respective areas in our collective and united offensive against crime. Remember, the fight against crime is not only the responsibility of the police and other law enforcement agencies. It is therefore our intention to provide support and resources to Community Policing Forums to function with maximum efficiency.

Ladies and Gentlemen, despite the significant progress being made over the last 17 years, people living in rural areas continue to face the harshest conditions of poverty, lack of access to land and basic services.

As government, we are committed to a comprehensive and clear rural development strategy linked to land and agrarian reform, improvement of the conditions of farm workers and farm-dwellers and build the potential for rural sustainable livelihoods.

In this regard, government will, amongst others:

• Intensify the land reform programme to ensure that more land is in the hands of the rural poor and will provide them with technical skills and financial resources to productively use the land to create sustainable livelihoods and decent work in rural areas.

• Review the appropriateness of the existing land redistribution programme, introduce measures aimed at speeding up the pace of land reform and redistribution and promote land ownership by South Africans.


The Gatlhose community lost 49 000 hectares of their land and now the community in the different locations have opted for a combination of financial compensation, alternative land for agricultural purposes, housing development and development of infrastructure like schools and clinics. Out of 1018 households, 638 opted for financial compensation and 380 have opted for resettlement.

An amount of 35 million rand was paid to 638 households who opted for financial compensation while an amount of 59.5 million rand was put aside for land purchase of 17 000 hectares which will be the full and the final award for the resolution of the Gatlhose claim.

The Northern Cape Province has developed its Rural Development Strategy to fast-track rural development and improved sustainable livelihoods for communities.

The approach to rural development in the Northern Cape reaffirms the importance of getting co-operative governance right and harnessing the energies of other social partners through a provincial team of stakeholders and development coalitions both at district and local levels.

Significant strides have been made in improving the social conditions of the people of Riemvasmaak which is the first Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) pilot site in the province. The pilot project entails, amongst other tasks, the building of houses, provision of potable water, electricity and the upgrading of roads and community infrastructure.

In the current financial year, government will expand the Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) to other rural areas such as Heuningsvlei in John Taolo Gaetsewe District, Schmidtsdrift in Pixley ka Seme District as well as all resettled communities in the province. The rationale for the expansion of the programme is largely informed by many years of deprivation suffered by communities who lost their land due to draconian land laws pursued by the apartheid junta prior to the liberation of our country.

Agriculture remains one of the core sectors of the provincial economy which has enormous opportunities. The Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) has been one of the key programmes which is aimed at supporting agricultural production throughout the value chain specifically targeting historically disadvantaged farmers. CASP funding for 2011/2012 is at a tune of R42, 403, 000 - benefiting 3500 farmers. Projects are currently at various stages of implementation and are scheduled for completion by the end of the financial year. 205 Temporary jobs were created thus far, from various phases of implementation and 638 farmers have received training on various production, marketing and business management aspects.

In the current financial year, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Department will spend R42.7 million on CASP. The major projects identified are Heuningsvlei as a CRDP node at a cost of R 10 million; Kaboeb in Onseepkans will receive R 3.4 million and Waterdal in De Aar will receive R 3.8 million which will be spent mostly on reviving the ostrich projects in Pixley ka Seme.

In addition, funds from this amount will benefit about 4000 farmers. Among the major projects to be implemented are the revitalization of Warrenton as a rural town; Heuningsvlei bulk water system with co-funding from the Department of Water Affairs and reviving the ostrich projects of small-holder farmers in Pixley ka Seme. It is expected that approximately 450 jobs will be created through various CASP interventions in the current financial year.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the implementation of the two major projects under the Illima-Letsema programme, namely, the Rooibos Tea processing facility and the revitalisation of the Vaalharts irrigation scheme will continue.

These two are anchor projects for Illima-Letsema and forms a significant component of job creation initiatives.

The manufacturing of the pasteurising equipment of the Rooibos Tea facility has been completed. Installation of the equipment commenced in January 2011 and they were completed and tested during the month of February 2011. I am pleased to announce that the facility is now fully operational.

It is a generally acknowledged fact that the youth of our country are the valued possession of our nation.

Without them there can be no future and to this end we have launched an intensified campaign on the National Youth Service and Expanded Public Works Programme in order to facilitate the creation of job opportunities for young people. We must also address the needs of the aged and disabled, uplift disadvantaged sectors such as women and youth, and improve the lives of our people in rural communities and informal settlements.

The provincial government has also launched the sanitary towels campaign in Heuningsvlei in the John Gaetsewe District which is primarily aimed to restore the dignity and self esteem of our girl children and women. Through the launch of the sanitary towel campaign we are complementing and consolidating various efforts to protect and promote the interests of the girl child.

Mr Deputy President, drug and alcohol abuse is taking on rampant proportions in the province.

To counter this problem and to provide specialist rehabilitation services to mostly our youth, caught in the grip of drug and alcohol abuse the Department of Social Services, in collaboration with service providers, is arranging a private-public partnership for the establishment of an inpatient treatment centre.

The Department of Social Development is rolling out its Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Campaign to the Namakwa, John Taole Gaetsewe and Francis Baard regions, focusing on pregnant women, tavern owners and women of child bearing age; thus creating a society that takes responsibility for the welfare of its people, especially the most vulnerable.

As part of our efforts to enable young people in conflict with the law not to re-offend, and to prevent young people to commit crimes, the Department of Social Development is, for the current financial year, spending an amount of R77 million for crime prevention initiatives.

Our government remains committed in its quest to build cohesive and sustainable human settlements and improve the quality of household life. We remain committed to the creation of integrated sustainable human settlements.

For the current financial year the province received a conditional grant allocation of R273 million for housing. I am particularly pleased to announce that due to the province’s good performance, an additional R174 million was received in February 2011 from underperforming provinces, for the implementation of human settlement projects. In demonstrating government’s commitment to the citizens of the Northern Cape, the province, as at 31 January 2011, delivered a total of 2 974 houses and serviced 646 sites in various areas throughout the province to improve the quality of life of our citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have made significant progress on the Massive Priority Projects and these are as follows:

Pampierstad 1450 project: Phase 1 of internal infrastructure which includes water, sanitation and streets is 90 percent complete. The construction of 100 top structures has commenced and it will be completed before 31 March 2011.

Upington 915 project: The construction of top structures is 97 percent complete and all 915 top structures are expected to be completed before 31 March 2011.

Ouboks 2220 project: 330 houses are completed and 500 houses are still under construction.

Leratopark (5000 mixed development units) project: The construction of an access road is completed. Project to install 800 internal services which include water, sanitation and streets has commenced. Tender for the construction of 200 houses will go out as soon as the services are completed.

Kuruman 4500 (mixed development) project: The feasibility study has been completed. The town planning and survey will commence in 2011.

To promote home ownership, the department has fast tracked the transfer of 2310 properties in various areas in the province to beneficiaries. They are now proud title deed holders to their properties.

The Human Settlement delivery process has also created 1372 jobs, thus reducing unemployment and poverty within the province.

We are determined to address our housing shortage in a vigorous manner, acting together with the private sector and the communities in need of shelter.

In terms of housing opportunities we would like all Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses to be fitted with a solar geyser at minimal cost to residents from this year onwards in order to improve the quality of life of our citizens.

The provincial government is also targeting a process of retro-fitting RDP houses that have already been built. Our target is to retro-fit at least 10 000 units per annum at minimal or no cost to residents.

Mr Deputy President, local government is where every citizen has direct and frequent contact with government. The provincial government will continuously engage municipalities, in terms of their positioning, to be effective and responsive to expedite the service delivery needs of our people.

In our quest to foster and maintain higher standards of basic service delivery to our people, we have identified certain municipalities for urgent assistance in financial terms. To this end fifteen municipalities from across the province have been allocated funds ranging from R600 000 to R 800 000.

We must also restore the confidence of our people in the local sphere of government as the primary expression of the developmental state by doing the following:

• Engaging municipalities to meet the basic service needs of communities by improving performance and professionalism

• Improving provincial policy oversight and support

• Strengthening partnerships between local government, communities and civil society.


These objectives have been identified as the key drivers in order to rebuild and improve the basic requirements for a functional, efficient and accountable developmental local government system.

The provision of bulk infrastructure on a province-wide basis remains a challenge and the necessary engagements are being undertaken to find lasting solutions.

The Local Government Turn-Around Strategy has assisted in ensuring that some municipalities in the province have shown improvement in rendering services to their respective communities. We have also seen the improvement of sector departments in terms of “hands on” support to municipalities.

As a result of this process, the province is currently third in the country in meeting the target of providing household access to basic services to our people. As of now, in percentage terms, citizens of the Northern Cape have access to basic services as follows:

Water (92%); Sanitation (69%); Refuse removal (64%); and Electricity (81%)

Ladies and Gentlemen, an Operation Clean Audit Coordinating Committee has been established under the Chairpersonship of the Director-General and it includes the office of the Auditor-General.

Through Operation Clean Audit we would ensure that by 2014, all 32 municipalities in our province will have achieved clean audits of their Annual Financial Statements. To this end, we are working closely with municipalities in ensuring that we strengthen and instill good financial governance on a province-wide basis. This will indeed go a long way in restoring people's confidence in the sphere that matters most and that, ladies and gentlemen, is our local system of government. To this end, Kara Hais municipality will be a pilot site for the roll out of a new municipal finance system.



Mr Deputy President, as you may respectfully be aware, energy is a major catalyst for social and economic development and as such the Northern Cape is strategically poised to play a leading role in the green economy given the province’s endless access to sunshine and wind.

In accordance with our strategic positioning, it is incumbent on the province to play a leading role in the initiatives regarding the proposed Solar Park Corridor and its associated processes. Gauging from the extremely successful Investors conference we hosted in 2010, we are definitely on course to create more jobs in the energy sector.

The Solar Park, which will be based in Upington, will, to a large extent, change the economic landscape of the province, from over-reliance on agriculture and mining to other sectors such as manufacturing and the supply of solar related parts and components.

The environmental sector is critical in our drive and vision for a prosperous province, and as a rapidly emerging sector, it holds a huge potential for job creation as has already been proven through some of the projects.

In addition, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism signed a cooperation agreement with the Diamond and Jewellery Company of Armenia to establish a diamond cutting and polishing factory provide training and employment opportunities.

In January 2011, the Kimberley International Diamond and Jewellery Academy opened for its first intake of 48 students who intend to pursue a career in the diamond industry. The training will focus on diamond cutting and polishing and will run for a period of one year equipping students with an accredited diamond beneficiation qualification. The academy will be officially launched in the new financial year.

Regarding the tourism industry, the province is set to make a significant contribution to its economic growth and development as we have deliberately decided to further develop a number of tourist routes and support no less than 15 festivals and events across the province in an effort to attract more tourists to the province.

In partnership with the hunting sector, the Northern Cape Province will host the 7th International Wildlife Ranching Symposium scheduled for October 2011. The main aim of the symposium is to bring academics from across the globe to chart the way in the field of biodiversity conservation as well as preservation of our indigenous fauna and flora.

Mr Deputy President, massive infrastructural development projects have been undertaken through intensified labour absorbing methods to create jobs for our people.

As government, we will continue to support sectors with a high potential for growth and job opportunities. The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) Phase 2 started on 01 April 2009 and targets to create 4, 5 million work opportunities in 5 years. We have signed a protocol document with the Minister of Public Works, in which we committed the province to contribute 106, 193 work opportunities towards the 4,5 million for the country over this five year period.

Mr Deputy President, Ladies and Gentlemen, although progress has been made on the key priorities of government, we are concerned that poverty and unemployment persists despite our recent economic gains.

The provincial government under the disciplined custodianship of the ruling party will not allow poverty and underdevelopment to persist.

Part of our contribution to tackling poverty will be achieved through the implementation of the Anti-Poverty/Balelapa programme which was launched in the province last year. This campaign entails the profiling of the most deprived households to identify their specific needs so that they are assisted to access government services and development opportunities.

The profiling of households through the Balelapa/War on Poverty programme has commenced in all the districts through support from the Sector Education Training Authorities (SETAs). A total of 26 124 households will be profiled, providing the Northern Cape Provincial Government with a comprehensive database at household level to enable government to direct services to where they are most needed.

As part of addressing the identified developmental needs of our people this province adopted Operation Pula Nala, which is aimed at ensuring growth, development and improved service delivery in the province.

Operation Pula Nala, in essence, endeavors to expedite our township revitalisation and rural development initiatives. Operation Pula Nala, both as a concept and a working instrument, is about creating the necessary conditions for improving the quality of life for all our people in the Northern Cape. Development and the work associated therewith must be balanced and coherent, thus Operation Pula Nala will examine the extent of development in our townships and rural areas in an effort to tilt the scale to address major service delivery and related backlogs.

In the South African context and in the Northern Cape in particular, positive endeavours by government provide the basis for an effective service delivery machinery, thereby advancing human, economic and infrastructure development within our province.

Operation Pula Nala will under the auspices of this particular provincial government, create the conditions necessary for the improvement of the quality of life for all the people in our beloved province.

Since the local government elections of 2006, Government has consistently funded a number of key projects in communities to change them for the better. These projects range from: eradicating the bucket toilet system; paving and tarring of streets; upgrading of community sanitation systems; replacement of water supply pipes; supply of bulk water services; and construction of houses and multipurpose community centers.

Mr Deputy President, the towns of Phillipstown, Petrusville and Vanderkloof comprise the Renosterberg Local Municipality. Of the three towns, we unanimously decided that Phillipstown be specifically subjected to scrutiny and attention by the delegation led by your goodself.

Prior to specific attention being accorded to Phillipstown by the Mayor, we hereby afford the Deputy President a composite overview of the Renosterberg Municipal area from a Provincial Government perspective.

In May 2010 the National Minister for Social Development, Ms. Edna Molewa, together with myself, as the Premier, and the MEC for Social Development, Mr. Alvin Botes, launched the project known as “Balelapa Household Profiling”; ‘Balelapa’ being the Setswana term for ‘my family’. The Balelapa Household Profiling was an extension of the “War on Poverty” programme which aimed to ensure that poor and vulnerable households are provided with an integrated basket of services and development support, including access to education, nutrition, basic services and economic empowerment opportunities. The Balelapa Household Profiling programme is not a sample, but is for all households.

Households were visited in the Renosterberg Municipality by a team of professionals and volunteer community workers to interview the households using a structured questionnaire to identify their specific needs, so that access to government services and the provision of safety nets could be accelerated.

The Renosterberg report is based upon fieldwork undertaken during November 2009 for the ‘War on Poverty Project’, and during August 2010 for the ‘Balelapa Project’. Overall 1.479 households were surveyed from three geographic areas, namely:

Petrusville (689 households; 2,331 persons); Phillipstown (601 households; 1,849 persons); and
Vanderkloof (189 households; 390 persons)

Ladies and Gentlemen, the main findings are as follows:

• The average household size was 3.13 and the majority of household heads were males, except in Phillipstown, that has more female-headed households. Two child-headed households were located in Petrusville.

• The households are largely comprised of nuclear family members (74.1%) i.e. the family group consisting of only a father and a mother and their children, whilst another 25.5% of household members were part of the extended family. Only 0.4% of the profiled persons were not related to the head of the household.

• On average 19.5% of persons aged 16 years and older had no schooling.

• Forty four (44) children (5.2%) of a compulsory school going age (7 – 15 years) are not attending school. There is even an age and gender distribution of children not attending school.

• The majority of children walk to school and for most of them it takes less than 30 minutes.

• The need for education services was expressed by 14.6% of respondents and the main education need was for school uniforms, followed by ABET and school feeding schemes.

• 46.1% of the household members had skills of which cooking/catering, baking and sewing were the most common.

• Only 2.1% of households were engaged in a type of small business and the most common type was selling food. Of those households that required assistance with regards to their small business, the majority needed assistance in applying for funding (58.0%) and with the development of business plans (51.9%).

• Overall 26.2% of persons aged 16 years and older worked. However, the main type of employment was of a temporary nature. Assistance with learnerships was a need expressed by 1.3% of profiled persons.

• 34.7% of unemployed persons had given up on seeking work, whilst 67.8% would like to seek employment, 45.5% were interested in starting a business and 34.9% would like to volunteer to help in a programme without pay. Unemployment insurance was the most important need from the Dept of Labour.

• The majority of households (35.7%) had no income earned through work, business, farming, etc., implying that there was a high dependency on social grants. Consequently, 5.9% of household members indicated that they were eligible, but not receiving, grants. Grants in the form of social relief were the most pressing need, followed by disability grants.

• 11.2% of persons had a disability, of which sight disability was the most common. Compensation for occupational injuries and/or diseases was the most important identified labour service need. Health services were required by 15.6% of the profiled respondents, of which the major need was for a medical check-up.

• Most persons had official identification documents in the form of either ID documents or birth certificates. However, 149 persons had no identification and in another 3 cases it was unclear whether they had such documentation. Overall, 126 of profiled persons needed assistance from the Department of Home Affairs mainly with identity documents.

• 8.8% participated in social clubs, associations and organisations; and 35.5% agreed or strongly agreed that they had the ability to influence the decisions of the organisation.

• 51.7% of households lived in brick homes and another 25.6% in RDP houses. Shacks were occupied by 18.4% of households. Only 23.9% hold title deeds to their dwellings. Housing and shelter as a need was articulated by 10.1% of respondents.

• 281 households used communal water sources, 306 households did not have electricity, 242 households did not have a toilet and 193 households were without a refuse collection service.

• Free basic water services were available to 62.8% of households and free basic electricity to 46.2% of households. However, without basic services, a free basic service is impossible.

• The services of the Dept of Social Development were needed by 2.6% of the profiled persons and the main need was for substance abuse programmes and counseling/support services.



Through a referral system built into the Balelapa Household Profiling Project, the different spheres of government will continue to address the needs of our people.

With the implementation of various developmental initiatives by the provincial government, we certainly will make a decisive shift to meaningful socio-economic transformation in the Northern Cape. To this end, we will set in motion a very deliberate programme that will inevitably ensure that the benefits of our political liberation are shared amongst the entire province’s people. We cannot and will not fail them in our collective goal to overcome poverty.

To this end, the Northern Cape Provincial Government will strive to engage every role player in our provincial economy as it is our sincere hope that we leave a lasting legacy for our people, thereby drastically altering the recent course of history.

In conclusion, Mr Deputy President, in spite of our political and related gains, we have much, much more work ahead of us. The Ruling party cannot do it alone, and upon reflection, the following excerpt from the Diagnostic Report on South Africa by the National Planning Commission is quite pertinent:

“The continued social and economic exclusion of millions of South Africans, reflected in high levels of poverty and inequality, is our biggest challenge. In our view, these high levels of poverty and inequality have a historical basis in apartheid and are driven principally by the fact that too few people work and that the quality of education for many black people remains poor. Central to addressing these challenges sustainably over time is our ability to create jobs for more people and to improve the quality of education, especially for poor black people.”

We have no option both as a province and a country but to forge ahead!

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