Premier Zamani Saul. Picture: Supplied
NORTHERN Cape Premier Dr Zamani Saul said 28,000 jobs had been lost during the third quarter of 2021 compared to the third quarter of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, while 70 percent of industries experienced a decline at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
During his State of the Province address in Upington on Thursday, Saul stated that the official youth unemployment rate was just above 37 percent in the Province.
“We must use job opportunities in provincial government to affirm young people. As at August 2021, provincial government employed 24,026 staff of which 6,000 are between the ages of 18 to 35 years.”
Saul committed to rooting out corruption and ensuring that senior public service managers fulfilled all criteria before they were appointed.
“The issue of stability in government at all levels is critical. Government has collaborated with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the Hawks, the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs and the South African Local Government Association to launch the local government anti-corruption forum, to deal with all corruption cases in municipalities.”
Saul added that Galeshewe Day Hospital would be converted into a fully-fledged state-of-the-art district hospital.
“The recently upgraded casualty unit will provide 24-hour access. A biometric patient management system has also been installed and will be rolled out to all health facilities. The system will shorten waiting times and improve patient management across the entire health system.”
He added that broadband facilities would be established at six wi-fi sites in Kimberley and Ritchie, with 10 additional sites planned for implementation this year.
“The roll-out of free public internet at libraries was greatly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but we are confident that the roll-out will reach the anticipated 225 sites by the end of this financial year. Furthermore, we will commence with procuring e-books during the 2022/23 financial year to fully digitise our libraries.”
Saul stated that government had established ongoing engagements with Sol Plaatje University and Orion Mine to provide procurement opportunities for local businesses.
“The Department of Economic Development and Tourism in the Northern Cape and the National Empowerment Fund had set aside R75 million to establish the Northern Cape Blended SMME Fund that would provide concessionary funding to local entrepreneurs.”
He added that the provincial Economic Reconstruction and Recovery plan would focus on addressing youth unemployment.
“Through the Presidential Youth Employment initiative, 7,690 assistants were appointed until the end of March 2021, costing R148.2 million to ensure that schools adhered to the Covid-19 regulations. A further 6,793 assistants were appointed until the end of March 2022, costing R141.8 million.
“An additional 3,172 assistants were appointed on a nine-months’ contract which came to an end in December, costing R11.1 million per month.
“A total of 753 early childhood development practitioners were appointed at public schools and community-based sites at a cost of R6.7 million. A total of 204 new community health workers (Covid brigades) were recruited by the Department of Health, costing R35.2 million.
“A total of R26.4 million was allocated to provide work opportunities to more than 2,000 unemployed people by the Department of Social Development.”
Saul said the social grants budget for the 2021/22 financial year in the Province was R5.6 billion.
“Social grants are government's biggest poverty alleviation programme with the number of social grant beneficiaries in the Province increasing from 289 216 in 2019 to 506 385 beneficiaries at the end of August 2021.”
He added that 100,000 food parcels and vouchers had been distributed to 70,000 households at a cost of R80 million.
Saul said security services would be in-sourced as from April, starting with smaller departments and later phased in.
“The Province does not have adequate resources to in-source more than 2,000 security guards at once. Security personnel that will be on the payroll of provincial government will be housed and managed from the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison.”
He stated that 45 percent of locally based suppliers had been paid R1.25 billion out of a total of R2.64 billion that was spent on the procurement of goods and services and construction works items.
“A total of 2,255 suppliers based in the Province benefited from provincial public procurement spent.”
Saul added that there was a decrease in the number of gender-based violence and femicide cases, where sexual offences, rapes and sexual assault had declined in the Province, according to the inter-ministerial team.
He indicated that the Kimberley and Upington airports, as well as the newly-built Greenpoint Library, would be renamed.
“We have commenced with the process of consulting and planning for the construction of the new state-of-the-art Galeshewe community library.”
He reported that human settlements would receive a R32.6 million boost to upgrade the service sites of informal settlements that had exceeded the planned targets.
“Year on year, we continue to expand and consolidate progress on all the planned housing programmes, such as the Lerato Park Integrated Development Project.”