|
Statement on Cabinet Meeting, 26 October 2006 Cabinet
met in Cape Town yesterday. We are pleased to announce that Cabinet has
approved the settlement reached with the Richtersveld community regarding a land
dispute between that community and Alexkor Limited. This community, like many
others, had suffered an injustice when they were forcefully removed from their
land to make way for diamond mining. In terms of this settlement, the state will
facilitate an extraordinary reparation payment of R190 million to the community.
The Minister of Public Enterprises will sign the agreement with the community
shortly, which will include safeguards to ensure that the money is used in a way
that meets the long-term needs of the community. The meeting was briefed
about South Africa's election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations
(UN) Security Council. The government feels greatly privileged and honoured by
this election, accepts this great responsibility with humility and gratitude,
and commits itself to serving the peoples of Africa, the South and the world at
large. In doing so, we will be guided by our commitment to multi-lateralism
as the best way to meeting the challenges of peace, security, global stability
and development. South Africa will work with the African Union and other regional
organisations in an effort to achieve peace and stability in the continent and
in all regions of the world. We will also continue to work with all members of
the United Nations General Assembly for the reform of the United Nations system,
including the expansion of the Security Council. Cabinet approved the proposal
to create six Regional Electricity Distributors (REDs) which will be established
as public entities under the auspices of the Electricity Distribution Industry
(EDI) Holdings (Ltd). These entities will be accountable to the Ministry of Minerals
and Energy. The next steps will include the drafting of legislation and business
plan for the establishment of the REDs. Cabinet received a report on preparations
for the Presidential elections due to take place in the Democratic Republic of
Congo on Sunday, 29 October 2006. South Africans are advised that your observers
will again be part of an international observer mission to help see that the elections
are free and fair. Our government would like to express its full support for the
people of the DRC and hope that they will, once again, turn out in large numbers
to exercise their democratic right to elect a leader of their choice. The
meeting was briefed about the Extraordinary SADC Heads of State Summit which took
place in Johannesburg at the beginning of the week. All the member states committed
themselves to doing all that is necessary to achieve the noble goal of integrating
our economies for the benefit of current and future generations. The International
Relations, Peace and Security (IRPS) cluster will develop a communication campaign
to inform South Africans about the implications and benefits of this all important
initiative. Cabinet approved a Road Infrastructure Strategic Framework
for South Africa. This framework provides a basis for the upgrade of our road
infrastructure, including the identification of priority corridors, and articulates
the roles and responsibilities of the different spheres of government in the construction
and maintenance of our roads. The meeting received a report on the FIFA
Kick-off Workshop which took place in Cape Town over the past couple of days,
which was attended by the President, Deputy President and by several Cabinet Ministers.
Cabinet would like to reassure all South Africans that preparations are
not only on track but are also at an advanced stage, and that South Africa will
be ready to host the first African FIFA World Cup, come rain or shine. The
budget allocation of R15 Billion for the 2010 FIFA World Cup effort, as announced
by the Minister Finance yesterday, must inspire all of us to focus our attention
on implementation, implementation, implementation. When the final whistle is blown
at the end of the 2010 World Cup Finals, South Africa will never be the same again.
We will have better roads, better sports fields, better public transport, better
security for all citizens, better soccer players, and most importantly, a proud
and united South Africa, because we would have done it, together. A South Africa,
in which all the soccer fans who would have attended the World Cup, would want
to come back as tourists to experience our fauna and flora. All South Africans
must do their very best to make sure that we make every African in the world and
every citizen of the world, proud of this nation and continent, for hosting what
must and will be one of the most successful World Cup finals ever. This is possible.
The meeting noted and supported the proposed Dispensing Fee structure for
Pharmacies as proposed by the Medicine Pricing Committee. The Ministry of Health
will communicate the relevant details in the next week. Cabinet received
a progress report on the initiative led by the Deputy President to revive and
strengthen the Partnership Against HIV/AIDS. A series of meetings were held with
a number of organisations, including the National Association of People Living
with Aids (NAPWA) and Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), to discuss the challenges
that the country faces in the fight against the pandemic and other opportunistic
diseases such tuberculosis (TB). Cabinet welcomed the fact that significant progress
was made in this regard as parties agreed that the only way we can defeat the
pandemic is through co-operation. Further, Cabinet resolved that in addition
to dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we must not lose sight of the other health
challenges facing the country such as TB and other opportunistic diseases. In
this regard, the Department of Health will engage with role-players to coordinate
other efforts to deal with the latest strain of drug-resistant TB and other opportunistic
diseases. A South African National Aids Council (SANAC) workshop will be
held on 31 October 2006 to discuss ways to make the body stronger, more effective
and more representative of all stakeholders. Cabinet approved the composition
of the InterMinisterial Committee (IMC) on HIV/AIDS. Its members will be the Deputy
President (Chairperson) and the following Ministers: Health; Social Development;
Agriculture and Land Affairs; Education; Provincial and Local Government; The
Presidency; Public Service and Administration; Labour; Arts and Culture; Transport;
Correctional Services; Minerals and Energy; Foreign Affairs; and Public Works;
and GCIS. The IMC will be supported by a technical committee of Directors-General
of the respective departments. Cabinet noted with deep concern, the incidents
of violence in our schools which have led to injury and death of learners. These
incidents, coupled with the violent crimes that are being committed by bloodthirsty
criminals in our streets, are totally unacceptable and highlight the need for
a collective effort by all South Africans to declare war on crime. The tragic
killing of an infant during an armed robbery in Johannesburg is a clear indication
that these criminals do not value life. The meeting expressed its condolences
with families who have lost their loved ones at the hands of these criminals.
However, the best tribute we can pay to those who have lost their lives, and their
loved ones, is to intensify the fight against crime. Our police services are working
with communities and schools to ensure that our schools become safer. Government
is and will continue to take the fight to the criminals who must be made to feel
that crime does not pay. Government accepts that fighting crime is the
primary responsibility of the Police Service and that all the ordinary citizens
can do is to support the police. Measures continue to be put in place to increase
the capacity of the police to fight crime. These measures include the strengthening
of our crime intelligence capabilities, increasing the number of police officers
and transforming the justice system. However, no police services or efforts will
succeed without the involvement of our communities and all sectors of our society.
The police cannot win this war alone. Participation in and strengthening of Community
Policing Forums (CPFs) must become second nature to all of us. We take this opportunity
to pay tribute to all those South Africans who have participated in the CPFs for
many years and continue to do so. The meeting expressed its full support
for the steps announced by the Council of Education Ministers to address violence
in our schools. These measures include the encouragement of schools to set up
Safety Committees, increased security in schools, the convening of a National
Consultative Forum on school safety, and the formulation of guidelines on random
drug testing within constitutional parameters. Once again, school violence cannot
be left to the educators and the police alone. Parents and communities in general,
must work with our educators and school governing bodies to ensure that we attend
not just to the incidents of violence, but to the causes and circumstances that
lead our learners to resort to violence as a solution to resolve conflict. Government
welcomes the recent call by church leaders for social mobilisation in the fight
against violent crime. Cabinet noted the reported attacks and killing of
Somalis in some provinces. These attacks have fuelled perceptions of xenophobia
by our citizens. Government condemns any attack on any person, including foreigners,
on South African soil, irrespective of reason or motive. Our freedom was built,
among other things, on the back of many South Africans living in exile in many
countries around the world where we were welcomed with open arms. This government
will not tolerate attacks on any citizens of the world. The meeting noted that
investigations were still on-going to establish other factors, other than xenophobia,
that could be contributing to these senseless attacks. Cabinet was briefed
on the accident at Tautona Mine. The meeting expressed its concern at the increasing
number of accidents in the industry, particularly in the gold mining sector. Cabinet
wishes to convey its condolences to the families and friends who lost their loved
ones in this latest incident. The Minister of Minerals and Energy will
engage with the industry to see what further steps need to be taken to prevent
the loss of life. A report was given on the occupation of farmland in KwaZulu-Natal
by a group of individuals who are demanding integration into the SANDF. Cabinet
expressed serious concern about this development and noted that the Minister of
Defence will be meeting relevant parties to attend to this matter on an urgent
basis. A report was given on preparations for the 16 Days of Activism for
No Violence against Women and Children. Women leaders from the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region and beyond will be participating in the launch
in Limpopo on 25 November 2006. Government calls on all members of the public
to take part in the campaign and to help build the partnership to "Act Against
Abuse". The long-term goal of this campaign is to change mindsets and attitudes
towards women and children, and to ensure that we treat all our women and all
our children with dignity, love and respect, every single day of the year. The
following Bills were approved: - Medical Schemes Amendment Bill approved
for public comment
- The Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Bill for
public comment and submission to Parliament in 2007
- The South African
Airways Bill for submission to Parliament. In 2004, Cabinet approved the separation
of the South African Airways (SAA) from Transnet to become a separate state-owned
enterprise. This bill will create the legal instrument for the transfer of the
entire shareholding of the Shareholding of Transnet to Government.
Enquiries:
Themba Maseko
Cell: 083 645 0810 Issued by: Government Communications
(GCIS)
26 October 2006 | 
