Eastern Cape Premier Noxolo Kiviet and her Executive Council are leading the way in promoting sustainable service delivery, development and job creation in the province.

• Office of the Premier profile
• Social Needs Cluster
• Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development Cluster
• Justice Prevention Security Cluster

PROFILE

The Honourable Premier Ms Noxolo Kiviet

Leading the way
The Office of the Premier of the Eastern Cape strives to be a leader in excellence at the centre of a pro-poor provincial administration. It aims to build a thriving province that maximises its most valuable assets – its people, natural resources and industrial opportunities.

The Office of the Premier is an administrative structure that ensures responsible, integrated and sustainable service delivery to the Eastern Cape. It does this by providing strategic leadership, critical interventions and coordinated, effective provincial governance.

Under the political leadership of the Premier of the Eastern Cape, the director-general oversees the three essential functions of the department: administration, institution building and transformation, and policy and governance.

Values

• Honesty
• Integrity
• Humility
• Stewardship
• Respect
• Loyalty and discipline
• Diligence and dedication
• Service before self
• Collaboration and mutual support

CONTACT DETAILS
Provincial customer care
Tel: +27 40 609 6400
Fax: +27 40 609 6415
Email: communications@otp.ecprov.gov.za
Website: www.ecprov.gov.za

SOCIAL NEEDS CLUSTER

Social Needs Cluster fired up for 2010
The Eastern Cape Provincial Government has adopted a united front on delivery for 2010 and beyond. Strategically established clusters of related government departments are working together to ensure this.

The Social Needs Cluster comprises the departments of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture; Health; Education and Social Development, all working together to improve the lives of the people of the Eastern Cape.

Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture
At the advance front of provincial coordination and preparations for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ is the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, an integral part of the Social Needs Cluster.

Head of Department Bubele Mfenyana chairs a 2010 Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) that meets regularly to monitor progress of each and every government department that is working towards ensuring that a legacy is left through achieving 2010 deliverables. Many in the province have set their sights on developing and growing their businesses. Others look forward to the benefits of rapid service delivery with regards to, among others, health, security, sport and road infrastructure. But most can’t wait to feel the energy generated by the beautiful game and the many football icons that will move among us during the event from 11 June to 11 July 2010.

Until after 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, every Friday will be ‘2010 Day’ in the Eastern Cape. Residents are encouraged to wear colourcoordinated T-shirts or Bafana Bafana shirts. On the last Friday of every month during the national ‘365 Road to 2010’ period, roadshows are being staged at strategic points in NMB (Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch).

The province is proud that the multipurpose stadium in Nelson Mandela Bay is complete. It stands as an awe-inspiring feature of the city’s profile. Gelvandale Stadium and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), both in Nelson Mandela Bay, have been identified as training grounds for 2010. A contractor is also on site at the city’s Gelvandale Stadium which is being upgraded at a cost of R64.6-million. The stadium will seat 3 500. The stadium in Mthatha is being upgraded to seat 6 500 people.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Local Organising Committee has accepted a bid for two practice matches to be played at the Absa Stadium and Gompo Sports Complex in Buffalo City.

Eastern Cape Government is supplying six public viewing areas (PVAs) in the six district municipalities. The King Dalindyebo Sabata local authority, in the Mthatha area, is organising its own PVA. The other PVAs will be in Port St Johns, Grahamstown, Matatiele, Lady Grey, Cofimvaba and Buffalo City.

A ‘greening’ programme to minimise the impact the event will have on the environment is under way. Government is playing its part in making the 2010 event the greenest World Cup yet. The R7.5-million greening programme is being used to foster small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) development through the awarding of contracts for the work. Areas identified to benefit are: East London’s beachfront, Mdantsane and Duncan Village townships; Port Alfred’s tourist routes and township; Alexandria; Grahamstown’s Beaufort Street (the main access road); and Joza and Phumlati townships.

Work on transport plans are all but complete and work on important routes such as the R72 coastal road between East London and Port Elizabeth is under way. The training of volunteers linked to the safety programme is under way. Once the volunteers have graduated, they will be afforded practical exposure at big sports and other events leading up to the 2010 World Cup.

The South African Police Service’s (SAPS) preparations for the event are on course. For the past 45 months, the 2010 PCC has been 100% focused on making the Eastern Cape a proud 2010 host province. But this will not happen without the support of the Eastern Cape people. Yes, ke nako, Africa’s time has come. And together we can do more to make sure 2010 is the best-ever 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.

Health
With the focus firmly on the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, Health MEC Phumulo Masualle said preparations were ‘at an advanced stage’.

A Provincial Outbreak Control and Response Intervention Plan has been developed based on the comprehensive Communicable Disease Outbreaks and Control framework. The plan had been shared with host city Nelson Mandela Bay, which will host eight games. Hospitals in the host city are being renovated for the event, in line with match requirements.

However, in addition to the World Cup, Masualle said the ‘core business’ of the department was ‘to provide quality healthcare… at primary, secondary and tertiary level’. He said the district health system was the ‘main vehicle in improved and accelerated delivery of primary healthcare’ and government’s task was therefore to strengthen districts.

The provincial department and local authorities manage the primary healthcare programme, the objective being ‘to consolidate the healthcare programme under one authority’.

In its fight against HIV and Aids, government is at the forefront of mobilising communities and leadership, especially around the issues of awareness, prevention, voluntary counselling and testing, treatment and care. Further, it is strengthening the information, education and communication (IEC) campaign.

Another major focus is maternal health and peri-natal morbidity and mortality, with the department committed to continuing implementation of the Saving Mothers, Saving Babies Project. ‘We are focusing on the clinical performance of our health facilities to ensure that we respond and implement the 10 key recommendations of the National Confidential Enquiries Report on Maternal Deaths in the country,’ said Masualle.

With regard to emergency medical services (EMS), additional bases are being established and the existing control centres in Port Elizabeth, East London and Queenstown upgraded and re-equipped. In addition, more emergency-care practitioners are being appointed and the department has developed an approved disaster-management policy and strategy ‘to mitigate all potential disasters before, during and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™’.

To ensure drugs are available at all material times at hospitals and clinics, plans are in place to ensure the 2008 turnaround plan continues to improve the way pharmaceutical depots at Port Elizabeth and Mthatha function, capacity is strengthened by recruiting and training additional staff and a public-private partnership implemented to manage the supply chain for pharmaceuticals.

A total of R1.2-billion was allocated for physical infrastructure revitalisation at health facilities in the province. A human resource plan is also being implemented that will provide ‘major improvements’, ensuring, among other things, adequate numbers of workers at all levels of the healthcare system, and the recruitment and filling of vacant posts. Also, detailed norms on the levels of health professionals per population ratio are also being provided. The plan also includes reopening nurse-training colleges.

Education
The ‘fundamental objective’ of the Department of Education is ‘to ensure that learners are taught, assessed and succeed towards full citizenship’, said Education MEC Mahlubandile Qwase, outlining the principles underpinning the strategy for the service delivery improvement plan. ‘Education as a sector is central to the improvement of the lives of our people. The more we improve teaching and learning in our education institutions, the more we will improve illiteracy, poverty and unemployment.’

To achieve this, the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) from Grade R to 12 is being implemented. The NCS ensures ‘the transformation of teaching, learning and assessment throughout the entire schooling system’. The training of educators is a priority ‘to increase their knowledge base’ with more than R34-million allocated for the professional development of curriculum advisors and teachers in the general education and training (GET) and further education and training (FET) bands. Lesson plans are being developed ‘as a measure to standardise and reduce teacher workload’.

Another significant development is that learners now write the General Education Certificate thatl allows them either to pursue the FET avenue or continue with the general education stream. Maths, Science and Technology Education (MSTE) is another priority. An MSTE academy is being established to provide training and development for teachers in order to encourage them to become maths and science educators.

In addition to improving the attendance at school of children from poor communities in rural areas and townships:

• A Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Department of Transport will improve the scholar-transport programme. As many as 114 374 learners are currently transported every day at a cost of R256-million.
• The National School Nutrition Programme is being extended, with R486-million set aside to cater for more than a million children at primary schools.
• The number of no-fee schools is being increased, resulting in nearly 1.7 million learners (or 81.6% of the total number) not paying fees.
• A review of the delivery model for stationery and textbooks is being conducted in line with the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act.
• Computer equipment is being provided to 240 schools for teaching and learning and to 1 115 schools for administrative purposes.
• A total of 258 of the 316 schools under construction are being completed. This includes the 12 model schools of excellence being built in rural and township areas. Also, the eradication of mud schools is to be fast-tracked. Early childhood development is a priority.

As a strategy for increasing access to Adult Basic Education and Training (Abet), the number of centres has been increased from 297 to 333 and the number of supervisors and educators from 4 835 to 6 735. MEC Qwase stressed that the importance of FET colleges could not be overemphasised in the implementation of the human resource strategy. He said all eight colleges in the province had been established and recapitalised ‘to strengthen skillsdevelopment programmes’.

In order to improve organisational efficiency and effectiveness, two ‘strategic levers to turn around the performance of the education system as a whole’ have been adopted. The first is the improvement of learner outcomes and achievement through the Learner Attainment and Improvement Strategy and the second is the Audit Intervention Plan to improve audit outcomes. ‘The challenge remains to manage the available resources more effectively and efficiently,’ said Qwase.

Social Development
Social Development MEC Nonkosi Mvana stressed that an integrated approach within clusters was the only way to address the social ills of the Eastern Cape, and that one department could never do it on its own.

A programme focusing on the creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods sees the continuation of the Youth Development Programme, with 420 Masupa-Tsela Youth Pioneers being currently trained. The curriculum focuses on South Africa and social transformation, Masupa-Tsela principles and values, participatory action research, sustainable development and project-management processes and skills.

MEC Mvana said that women development and gender mainstreaming sought to establish and develop integrated women co-operatives, with a bias towards poverty nodal points. R20-million is being spent on the development of 40 new co-operatives and R4.7-million on strengthening existing ones, with an additional R5-million for 10 projects in deep rural areas. An estimated 1 000 households are benefitting from these projects.

Community-development projects ‘make an enormous contribution to the lives of people, especially in rural areas,’ said the MEC.

To assist with the viability and capacity for effective project management, a programme in conjunction with Fort Hare University is in place. The programme also sees 1 475 people with disabilities receiving skills training and ‘linked to open labour market and business ventures’. MEC Mvana said the second programme, Rural Development, Food Security and Land Reform, sees the cluster working closely with Government’s Grey Junior and High schools in Port Elizabeth.

She said there was ‘considerable scope for aligning the work done in the department’s povertyeradication unit… with the rural-development strategy’. Insofar as food security is concerned, R57.2-million was provided by the department during the 2009/10 financial year to fund 48 new projects and 36 existing ones in poverty pockets in rural areas.

Strengthening the education, skills and human resource base – the third programme – focuses on early childhood development. The department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Education to train and provide equipment for the early childhood development (ECD) centres that it funds.

The fourth programme focuses on HIV and Aids and improving the health profile of the province. An estimated 30 690 orphans and vulnerable children are benefitting. They receive psychosocial support and material assistance. Financial support to 114 Home Community Based Care centres is being strenghtened – four of which are being piloted as multipurpose centres that will provide integrated services such as ECD, care for older people and youth development.

As far as intensifying the fight against crime and corruption is concerned, top of the agenda is to appoint 98 probation service practitioners and child- and youth-care workers for existing residential care centres.

The sixth programme focuses on building cohesive, caring and sustainable communities. It sees the piloting of projects in Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City. Children on the street are identified and either reunited with their families of placed in shelters.

The campaign against substance abuse and rehabilitation programmes received additional funding. Also, R6.9-million for victim empowerment is providing support for existing outreach centres, two counselling centres, 38 communitybased centres and 13 safe homes. The number of services centres for the elderly is being increased from 171 to 204. ‘The acid test of our success will be the extent to which we are able to extricate our people from abject poverty and absolute deprivation over the next five years,’ said MEC Mvana.

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT CLUSTER

Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development Cluster

Government departments working in isolation have long been a challenge in the Eastern Cape. Now a more focused ‘cluster’ approach is being heralded as the answer to achieving coordination and integration that paves the way for improved service delivery.

Economic growth and infrastructure development in the Eastern Cape is governed by a cluster that comprises the departments of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs;Agriculture and Rural Development; Housing; Public Works; Roads and Transport. Related public entities responsible for implementation include the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), the Eastern Cape Tourism Board (ECTB) and the Accelerated Sustainable Growth Initiative (AsgiSA EC) and Eastern Cape Parks.

The Eastern Cape is the only province in South Africa to boast two industrial development zones (IDZs). One is in East London and the other is at Coega, 20km away from Port Elizabeth. The recently completed deep-water Port of Ngqura, adjacent to Coega, saw its first ship dock in October 2009. Collectively, the IDZs offer investment opportunities unmatched by any other government initiative in the province.

The positive effect of governing in clusters is gathering momentum. A critical dimension of collaboration between the departments of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs, and Agriculture and Rural Development is the promotion of agro-industry to support sustainable economic development. ‘This requires the broadening and deepening of primary agricultural production in order to create a base for sustainable agro-processing,’ said the MEC for Economic Development and Environmental Affairs, Mcebisi Jonas, announcing a number of potential high-impact priority programmes had been identified. These include:

• Enhancing meat and food-processing capacity with 1 000 commercial livestock units bought through the AsgiSA Eastern Cape (EC) programme, and conducting a due diligence study on the Mthatha meatprocessing plant.
  
• Establishing storage and packing facilities – the development of 20 000 hectares by AsgiSA EC for the production of grain and fruit creates the opportunity to add value and install storage facilities and packing sheds.
  
• Expansion of the forestry and timber industry, removing bottlenecks with regard to the issuing of forestry licences.
  
• Addressing key infrastructure concerns, such as the expansion of the Port of East London, by ‘collective lobbying’.

Significant for economic growth in the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo districts – marketed as the Wild Coast tourism route – is the cluster’s drafting of guidelines for the development and management of the area. The pristine, agriculturally rich and scenically beautiful Wild Coast offers a host of investment opportunities. Regulatory functions, which include completing the consultative process with the National Liquor Authority on the policy for licensing and regulating liquor trading during the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, is a priority. Total compliance is ensured with those holding liquor and gambling licences, and with the conditions set down in environmental impact assessments.

Agriculture and Rural Development
The new Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is another significant role-player in the Economic Development and Infrastructure Cluster. It will be formally launched in the first quarter of 2010. A process is already under way to establish a provincial Rural Development Fund that will most likely phase out the Eastern Cape Rural Finance Corporation. The functions of the latter will be integrated into the work of the new entity.

In a brief overview of the agricultural sector, the department’s MEC, Mbulelo Sogoni, said food-security programmes had been successful, making a huge impact on recipient households. Goals are in place to expand and complete the policy initiatives of the last five years ‘while we incrementally integrate the rural component into the work of the department’.

Learning from the success of the department’s Green Revolution initiative and ‘its overwhelming support among the farming communities’, MEC Sogoni said the key elements of this strategy are being retained, with the budget being used to provide more dipping tanks, tractors, fencing for crops and livestock and irrigation infrastructure.

Public Works
Infrastructure development is key to achieving economic growth, and the Department of Public Works (DPW), which will eventually incorporate roads, forms part of this cluster. The use and maintenance of government-owned buildings is governed by the DPW. There are both provincial and national public works departments.

A key deliverable is fast-tracking entry and meaningful participation of black people in the industries of property ownership, development and construction. Provincial Public Works MEC Pemmy Majodina said that, in line with the national programme to transform the property industry, the department is implementing the Property Incubator Programme (PIP), which is developing emerging property-owners, property brokering and facilities managers’.

The cluster is enforcing ownership and partnerships in the industry through its lease portfolio, and is now finalising recruitment of the first intake for the PIP. The cluster continues with the Contractor Incubator Programme, through which contractors are developed for the construction industry. While progress was being made, MEC Majodina said support systems for contractors participating in the programme were being strengthened.

Artisans and professionals continue to graduate through the Accelerated Professional and Trade Competencies Development Programme, which saw 122 trainee artisans recruited in 2009.

Phase 2 of the iconic Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) sees the introduction of the wage incentive to encourage and motivate departments, municipalities and public bodies that are performing well in meeting their targets to continue to do so. ‘With the global economic crunch, the EPWP is hailed as the most appropriate programme to cushion especially the poor,’ said MEC Majodina.

Renewed focus has also been given to the National Youth Service (NYS) programme to expand it beyond the Accelerated Professional and Trade Competencies Development Programme. Planning is being done to reassess the accommodation needs of government for the next three years. These plans take into account the new alignment of areas of responsibility. The process of transferring the Department of Roads to Public Works from the Department of Transport and Roads is under way.

Roads
Particular attention is being paid to rural development, so that communities become connected to the main road network. The limited mobility and accessibility entrenches the isolation and marginalisation of the majority of the Eastern Cape’s people from the mainstream economy. Several major road projects continue:

• Building three bridges on the R72 that allow for wider lanes, with construction also started on the Fonteinskloof to Nanaga section. This project will be completed in 2011
  
• The detailed design for the Wild Coast Meander between Coffee Bay and Zithulele • Design of the section between Bhisho and Komga on the R63, with construction starting in 2010
  
• Completion of designs for the R61 between Magusheni and Mzamba The governments ‘yellow fleet’ is being replaced, with a substantial recapitalisation over the next 10 years. Various mechanical workshops are being upgraded.

Transport
As far as public transport is concerned, the Mthatha Airport is getting a complete facelift to ensure more accessibility. The roll-out of the Africa350 Best project continues with the distribution of 7 500 bicycles. The ‘Back to Rail’ drive, with its flagship Kei Rail project, has created jobs and alleviated poverty. This clearly shows that government has taken the right decision by investing in this project.

Rail infrastructure in the Eastern Cape is currently underutilised, putting more pressure on the roads, and the department’s 10-Year Rail Plan ensures better use of all modes of transport for conveyance of goods. As part of freight management, the Mthatha weighbridge is being upgraded and another is being constructed at Queenstown.

As far as traffic management is concerned, the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ is a major area of focus. Future demands include:

• Keeping in place the Arrive Alive team, in partnership with the South African Police Service and municipalities, until 2010. (There was a 30 percent decline in road accidents in the 2008 festive season)
  
• Increasing the number of traffic officers on the roads, with 160 trainee officers at the Nelson Mandela Bay Traffic College Rural agricultural development.
  
• Providing a refresher course for all traffic officers so that they are ‘ready to face the challenges of 2010 and beyond’
  
• Embarking on a social-marketing strategy ahead of 2010 ‘to beef up the 100 Campaigns in Mass Communication and Arrive Alive’ Transport

MEC Ghishma Barry said that the rollout of the licensing function at the South African Post Office continues. Forty additional offices were opened in 2008 and plans are now at an advanced stage to add an additional 30. The Expanded Public Works Programme/Community-Based Transport Programme has made an immense contribution to job creation, skills development and poverty alleviation. As such, the MEC said the Household Contractor Programme sees an additional 4 000 people trained in life and technical skills to add to the 1 033 already trained.

Some 7 000 more people are being employed to do weekly roadside maintenance work such as bush-clearing and grass-cutting.

A second leg of the intervention, the Road Ranger Programme, which is aimed at keeping livestock off the road, sees an additional 240 people employed while the short-term employment initiative will see people repair airstrips in local authorities, many of which are in a state of disrepair. Government is maintaining 12 airstrips and, with other road-related infrastructure projects, that create a thousand jobs.

Housing
‘It has to dawn on us that the provision of shelter alone… will not make any significant impact on poverty. The same applies to the provision of telecommunication facilities, electricity or water – as long as these services reach a community and household singly and there is a significant time lag before the next service arrives, people will remain in a precarious state of poverty and struggle for survival,’ said Eastern Cape Housing MEC Nombulelo Mabandla. It was this principle, she explained, that lay behind the change in the national department’s name from Housing to Human Settlements.

The focus now is ‘not just about housing provision but working towards integrating all the relevant services at strategic-development and project-planning level to ensure the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in both urban and rural areas’.

MEC Mabandla assumed office at a time when people were demanding answers regarding conditional grant money that had been returned to National Treasury. She pledged that this would never be repeated. ‘I have sought to establish the true reasons behind the occurrence… and simultaneously ensure that the systems and strategies are in place to prevent it reccurring. There cannot be an acceptable excuse.’

There is acceleration of rural housing development and a province-wide verification study of the nature and extent of housing demand and supply has been completed. The study revealed among other things that:

• Rural households largely remain poor and dependent on social grants, therefore qualifying for housing subsidies. Service delivery approaches that look for costrecovery will therefore remain inappropriate ‘for some time’.
  
• People see the inadequacy of rural housing, not in terms of the physical per formance of traditional dwellings, but in the absence of basic services to make life complete’.
  
• Land-use management in rural areas remains the prerogative of traditional leaders and ‘clear and smooth cooperation between traditional institutions and rural municipalities on land use, determination of housing needs, beneficiary management, project planning, implementation and monitoring’ is lacking.

MEC Mabandla said a comprehensive Provincial Rural Housing Policy and Implementation Strategy was being finalised to explore mechanisms to ensure that rural housing demand was responded to in a systematic and sustainable way. Provincial government is facilitating a ‘strong partnership’ between traditional leadership structures and municipalities.

With regard to the eradication of informal settlements, a key priority programme, the Duncan Village Redevelopment Initiative and Zanemvula pilot projects remain a high priority ‘as part of an endeavour to make a remarkable dent on the huge housing backlog in these areas (20% of the conditional grant is set aside for these areas)’. In addition, MEC Mabandla said the Human Sciences Research Council is conducting a province-wide study to verify the magnitude, socioeconomic profile and trends of informal settlements and backyard shacks to allow for appropriate interventions.

With regard to housing assistance for vulnerable groups, partnerships are being fostered with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to assist with information, while a dedicated programme targeting the needs of military veterans will be intensified. While the government is not in the business of ‘rectifying defective houses’ resulting from substandard and shoddy workmanship, the national department has decided to intervene ‘to restore people’s dignity’. This programme is being intensified with the department ‘improving its on-site construction monitoring capability for early detection of shoddy workmanship’. The other areas of focus include:

• The acquisition of at least seven parcels of land in urban areas ‘to ensure community integration and socioeconomic sustainability of housing development’
  
• Working with strategic partners to ensure the speedy release of communal land for rural housing
  
• Pursuing the social housing programme to achieve ‘urban restructuring and integration of communities through medium-density housing’
  
• Reviewing the Emerging Contractor Development and Support Policy, and targeting emerging contractors for projects worth no less than R100-million
  
• Exploring the use of alternative technologies to meet the backlogs
  
• Revising provincial housing norms to improve the quality of houses

 

JUSTICE PREVENTION SECURITY CLUSTER

Leaving a legacy of safer environments
Intensifying the fight against crime and corruption is one of provincial government’s strategic priorities now and for the next five years. The Eastern Cape Justice Prevention Security Cluster has been established to ensure this is achieved.

The Eastern Cape is committed to hosting an ‘incident-free’ 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ that will leave a lasting legacy not only for the province but South Africa and the continent. The provincial government’s Justice Prevention Security Cluster will work closely with the national government departments of Justice, Correctional Services and the SA Police Service (SAPS).

An integrated task team has been established consisting of all law-enforcement agencies, led by the South African Police Service and provincial traffic authorities. To support law-enforcement agencies at the six public viewing areas during 2010 within each district, some 500 safety volunteers are being recruited to assist with crowd control and ‘general customer care’.

The cluster also works closely with the privatesecurity industry after owners and employees have been vetted by the National Intelligence Agency to ensure compliance of these companies with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority. Safety MEC Ghishma Barry said top of the agenda this year is the creation of a modernised criminal justice system based on ‘efficiency and effectiveness that would contribute drastically to the reduction of the levels of crime in our country’.

To achieve this, a vigorous oversight programme over the SAPS is in place across the Eastern Cape. As part of the programme to fight crime:

• As many as 990 constables and 994 Public Service Act personnel are being enlisted by the province
  
• Vehicles costing more than R116-million are being purchased
  
• SAPS infrastructure improvements amounting to more than R148-million are being carried out at police stations at several places including Bethelsdorp, Mount Road, Hankey, Lusikisiki, Dutywa, Jansenville and Libode as well as the 10111 centres in Port Elizabeth, East London and Mthatha

As far as its oversight role is concerned, MEC Barry said the department is being more vigorous than ever before so as to improve the accountability of the provincial commissioner and SAPS to the people of the Eastern Cape. ‘Service-delivery evaluations are being carried out at 98 police stations in the province. Further, quarterly meetings are being held with the SAPS provincial management and the department will also promote community police relations,’ she said.

Strengthening community police structures through active participation in street and village committees – with special emphasis on rural safety, youth and reducing violence against women and children – is a focal point of crime prevention and mass mobilisation strategies. In addition, considerable attention is being paid to human trafficking. Mass public campaigns are being launched in schools and communities.

The department is also ensuring law-enforcement agencies are trained to deal with human trafficking and to respond promptly to crisis and calamity calls. ‘All our efforts must contribute to moral regeneration in our communities. We therefore call upon religious formations, traditional leaders and people of the province… to join us as we move towards a crime-free society especially ahead of 2010 and beyond,’ said MEC Barry. Initiatives include:

• The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between provincial and national departments pledging commitment to fight against crime in specific sectors
  
• The hosting of a 2010 Safety and Security Summit to ensure coordinating the fight against crime
  
• Assisting 28 local municipalities develop crime-prevention strategies in partnership with all stakeholders
  
• Continuing support for community policing forums so that they ‘continue to lead the fight against crime in our communities’
  
• The launch of an effective Safer Schools Programme together with the Department of Education that ‘ensure that each learner is taught in an environment that allows for optimal growth, free from violence and substance abuse

A Cross-Border Summit is planned for February 2010 focusing on stock theft and illegal goods. ‘We are making a clarion call to all our communities to join us in the fight against crime so that together we can achieve a better life for all particularly our people in the rural area’, said MEC Barry.