Anniversary review

13 June 2000

On the occasion of the anniversary of the inauguration of South Africa’s second democratically elected government and the Parliamentary Debate on The Presidency, the following information has been gathered from Departments and is being issued for reference purposes.

Enquiries
JK Netshitenzhe
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Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)

Notes on implementation of Government's programmes

Governance & Administration: Capacity to accelerate change

• Restructured Cabinet system including Committees and FOSAD clusters for integrated delivery
• Progress towards streamlining and aligning government’s planning, policy and implementation cycles
• President’s Forum with Premiers has identified strategic areas of joint intervention and is improving co-operative governance
• Established Scorpions and started operations
• Redeployment of senior management (DGs) in public service
• Change in management of SAMDI for training purposes

Dealing with crime

• Scorpions and integrated approach - examples are JHB where the special unit dealing with vehicle hijackings has increased rate of convictions from less than 10% to about 50%; in East London taxi violence is reduced from 400 cases a year to zero in the first 4 months of 2000.
• The ongoing crackdown focussing on high crime areas (25% of policing areas responsible for 50% of the crime) and visible policing have qualitatively improved safety of citizens
• This approach, which entails co-operation between Scorpions, SAPS and intelligence agencies, has broken the back of the urban terror network in the Western Cape

Social Sector

• Water: end of 1998, 3-million people gained access since 1994; by end March 2000 it was 5,447m - Mid-2000 it will be past 5,5m
• Electricity: end of 1998 2,3-million households connected since 1994; end of 1999 2,8-million connected - Mid-2000 expected to reach 3m
• Telephones: end of 1998, 1,5-million installed since 1994; by end of 1999 1,9-million installed - Mid-2000 expected to reach 2m. The aim is that by April 2001, 75% of households have access to a telephone
• Housing: end of 1998, 650 000 built or under construction under the subsidy scheme, by Feb 2000 993,328 - by Mid-2000 this will have passed the 1-million mark
• Schools nutrition: continues at 5-million being served
• A new Five-Year Strategic Plan of Action has been adopted; and the SA National AIDS Council formed to oversee its implementation
• See table

Economic matters and job creation

• Support to SMMEs has expanded access to loans and government contracts in agriculture and other economic areas but, as DTI has indicated, there are many weaknesses which are being addressed
• Job-creation (economic fundamentals in place, Jobs Summit decisions being implemented - PWP, tourism, review of labour legislation, etc)
• International Investment Council having its first meeting in June, shortly after the World Economic Forum meets in Durban;
• Consultative meetings between President and business and trade unions have started and will help improve investment in productive activity
• Taxi Recapitalisation - the National Land Transport Transition Bill, now in its final parliamentary stage, will accelerate the transformation of public transport including the taxi industry.

International

• The President’s visits to the UK, USA and Europe have advanced a government/private sector initiative to develop conditions for a major programme of capital and technology transfer from industrialised countries to Africa;
• South Africa has been playing an active role within SADC ;
• As Chair of the Commonwealth and NAM, and in the South Summit, South Africa has been playing a strong part in putting the needs of Africa and the developing world more firmly and higher on the international agenda - subject to confirmation from the G8, the President will be doing this also at the G8 summit in Tokyo in July.

Social sector

                        
Notes:

• The italicised figures are for the specified year, the figures in bold the cumulative totals up to and including the year concerned - the figures received from departments were in some cases annual and others cumulative
• The table is based on figures supplied by departments
• Some of the rounded figures are derived from graphical representations (e.g bar charts)
• Some of the most recent figures received were up to the end of 1999, others up to a month in 2000 as indicated

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