The state of the provinces 2013

After President Jacob Zumas state of the nation address, the nine provinces had their turn. This is what they had to say
Gauteng
Premier Nomvula Mokonyane promised a massive job boost. In her state of the province address this week, she said 196 000 job opportunities will be created through the expanded Public Works programme which created 151 000 opportunities last year. We have assisted more than 5 500 young people through arranging internships in the public and private sector, she said. Also, government had lled 5 241 vacancies. Major investments will be made to reconstruct and rehabilitate roads. Billions will also be spent on infrastructure, including new train coaches, and Eskom over the next ve years. Mokonyane said a health system turnaround has been implemented to focus on key hospitals.

North West
The province will spend R200 million xing, maintaining and rehabilitating poor roads this year, Premier Thandi Modise promised. In her provincial address, she said she had added another 15 roads to the 10 economic road arteries identied by President Jacob Zuma in need of revamping. With more than half of the 24 municipalities failing to submit books for auditing by the Auditor-General last year, Modise said that a turnaround strategy had been developed to change the state of municipalities. Merit will be the determining factor when appointments are made to help improve on audit reports. Modise said the poaching of rhino which increased from 21 in 2011 to 77 last year was being treated as a priority crime. Nomvula Mokonyane

Western Cape
Delivering her provincial address, Premier Helen Zille pointed out the National Development Plan was the rst national plan that all major parties agreed on. According to Zille, 76% of the provinces annual budget was spent on creating opportunities for poor communities through education, health services, housing and social development programmes. She said the Saldanha Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) was key to the development of an oil-and-gas servicing hub. It is estimated an eight-week stay by an oil rig is worth R200 million and 2 000 job opportunities. The IDZ will signicantly increase the capacity of the (Saldanha) port to receive many more rigs that create thousands of new jobs. Thandi Modise Helen Zille

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Eighty percent of Gauteng residents live in formal housing Ninety-eight percent of households have access to running water Of Gautengs 1.2 million HIV-positive residents, 900 000 are on antiretroviral treatment R13 billion committed for capital projects over the next three years R127 million raised from the jobs fund

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Households with access to basic electricity: 826 000 Households with access to water: 914 000 A backlog of 140 000 households are without tap water. This will end in March next year More than R1.2 billion will be spent on 15 230 new housing units Six mud schools have been replaced with proper brick-and-mortar schools, and more renovations are expected

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Development Bank of SA granted R64 million to assist the provinces work and skills programme. This will support 3 000 work opportunities in three years Households with access to piped water: 99% Households with electricity: 93% Households with toilet facilities: 97% Across the province, 48 236 top structures and a total of 37 780 sites were serviced

Dumisane Lubisi

Sabelo Ndlangisa

West Cape News, Francis Hweshe

Free State
Premier Ace Magashules state of the province address only made mention of one new project a solar park in the southern part of the province to be started this year, but theres hope for job creation when the Goldelds region including Welkom is explored for further mining potential. Municipalities will continue with a project to phase out VIP toilets and pit latrines. The rst digital planetarium at Naval Hill in Bloemfontein will be built. Education is priority, while a focus on health will include management of HIV/Aids, mental health, neonatal and childhood emergencies. A rst provincial crime prevention summit will be held later this month to address the root causes of crimes. Ace Magashule

Limpopo
The focus of Limpopos state of the province address was economic development, with Premier Cassel Mathale announcing the establishment of two special economic zones. The rst, in Musina, will focus on logistics and the beneciation of coal in the north. The second will seek to explore possibilities in the platinum group of metals value chain, to be based under the jurisdiction of the Greater Tubatse Municipality, in the northeast. There is currently a feasibility study under way with support from Anglo Platinum, which seeks to establish a hydrogen fuel cell industry in the province. Mathale also announced the formation of the Limpopo Economic Development Agency. In years to come, the agency should operate like the Industrial Development Corporation.

Eastern Cape
Speaking during her fth state of the province address in Bhisho, Eastern Cape, on Friday last week, Premier Noxolo Kiviet said the Ngqura Transhipment Hub project in Port Elizabeth had already seen R3.49 billion spent on basic port infrastructure. East London harbour is being upgraded at a cost of R2.3 billion. At the Mthatha Airport, R465 million had been allocated to upgrade the airport and runway. For the Nkosi Dalibhunga Mandela Legacy Bridge and road, which connects former president Nelson Mandelas birthplace of Mvezo to the N2, R59.3 million of the R123 million budget has been spent. A feasibility study was completed for the Umzimvubu Multipurpose Water Resource Development. Cassel Mathale

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

R60 million committed to establish a vehicledistribution centre as part of the Durban, Free State and Gauteng development corridor Rural transportation for schools boosted by the purchase of 16 buses, including those modied for wheelchair-bound children To help schools improve performance in the Annual National Assessment, 313 teacher assistants have been hired There are 200 mobile science laboratories Construction of the state-of-the-art Mangaung District Hospital will start in November

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Two agricultural colleges will be reopened this year to build agricultural skills Because De Beers is opening a new diamond mine, 1 000 jobs are in the pipeline The building of a new town in Lephalale is under way, with bulk infrastructure worth millions already installed All single-sex hostels are being converted into family units

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

A turnaround plan in education saw the province reaching a 61.1% pass rate for matrics last year The national school nutrition programme is beneting 692 643 pupils Health facilities that are competent in providing antiretroviral treatments to HIV-positive patients now number 780, up from 85 in 2009

Noxolo Kiviet

Cathy Dlodlo

The transformation of the economy into a green one will start in April

Sipho Masondo

Households with electricity are up from 603 000 in 2009 to 1.2 million Youth unemployment remains high, at 29.8%

Lubabalo Ngcukana

Mpumalanga
In his provincial address, Premier David Mabuza said government would move faster to speed up job creation and deal with the stubborn challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality . The province has partnered with mining companies to rehabilitate old mines to make land available for farming. Government will provide a market for emerging farmers and will fast-track land reform. Government has also intervened to improve education from early childhood onwards. The province has started a process to establish a maths and science academy. To curb corruption, no public servants will be permitted to do business with government.

KwaZulu-Natal
Premier Zweli Mkhize says government will use massive infrastructure development to create jobs. The extension of the port of Durban has a R100 billion budget. Four regional airelds are being revamped, while high-speed passenger rail links between Durban and Pietermaritzburg will be introduced. Several bulk-water supply projects, including dam construction, valued at R2.1 billion are under way. The province is also gearing itself to go green. At Richards Bay, the Industrial Development Zone has secured infrastructure investment of around R3.5 billion in addition to the R1.2 billion Tata Steel manufacturing plant. A new R450 million logistic supply park for the automotive industry will be built in the South Durban Basin. David Mabuza Zweli Mkhize

Northern Cape
Grizelda Cjiekella, the acting premier, delivered her second state of the province address in Kimberley on Friday. She said provincial government inherited a bank overdraft of R357.7 million, but in January 2013 the bank balance was positive, at R558.6 million. Despite an education crisis in 2012, when schools were closed down by protesters, matric results still improved from 68% in 2011 to 74% in 2012. Provincial government is planning to build 3 506 new RDP houses and x 200 poorly built ones. Rail investment has the potential to create up to 16 000 jobs in the province and R2.2 billion will be spent on roads.

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Between 2010 and 2012, 36 000 jobs were created R5 billion will be spent on a railway line for the Majuba Power Station The school nutrition feeding scheme benets 873 957 children A target of 500 000 has been set for male medical circumcisions per year The Masibuyele Emasimini project, which aims to encourage farming, has reached 76 890 households

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Households with access to electricity: 76.7% HIV-positive residents on antiretroviral treatment: 550 000 Jobs created through the provinces expanded public works programme: 89 455 Totally unproductive hectares of land given back to communities through land claims: 108 960 Hectares of land under communal control: 3.3 million

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

The process to build a new university is at an advanced stage The worlds largest manganese plant and mine, in the province, will tackle poverty and related issues The Sishen-Saldanha rail investment has the potential to create up to 16 000 jobs Government is also planning to establish infrastructure for solar parks and one will be created in Upington with an estimated cost of R150 billion

Grizelda Cjiekella

Sizwe sama Yende

Paddy Harper

R80.58 million allocated to support smallholders and black commercial farmers

Cathy Dlodlo