Media Statement on the Public Announcement of Members of the Eastern Cape Planning Commission by Premier Noxolo Kiviet

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Media statement on the public announcement of members of the Eastern Cape Planning Commission by Premier Noxolo Kiviet

Programme Director

Members of the Executive Council

The Director-General

Special guests and partners

Head of Departments

Media Representatives

Welcome to this very important day, when we are launching our Provincial Planning Commission assigned to spearhead the development of our 2030 vision in collaboration with all our people in the province.

The Executive Council of the Eastern Cape took a decision to link the planning function to the Provincial Treasury resulting in creation of the provincial Ministry of Planning and Finance under MEC Phumulo Masualle. Subsequent to that announcement, the MEC presented in November 2011 a comprehensive report on the institutional structure for the planning commission. The report recommended amongst others the need to set up the planning infrastructure include the following aspects:

 The commission comprising 8 part-time members drawn from eminent persons that are familiar with the development challenges of the province;  Given the part-time nature of the commissioners, it was further recommended that administrative secretariat be appointed to support the operational requirements of the commission;  Technical support staff be appointed to enhance the research capacity within the planning commission; The commission share its corporate services function with the Provincial Treasury to ensure the efficient use of the personnel resources;  Resources be set aside from the budget to resource the functioning of the commission.

The MEC for Planning and Finance further recommended that the mandate of the Eastern Cape Planning Commission be:

 The drawing up of the long-term plan of the Province- Vision 2030. This takes into account the planning horizon of the country that the National Planning Commission has adopted. This time horizon takes into account the need, effort and resources required to implement projects that have fundamental impact on the lives of our people for generations to come.  Focus attention has been given to improving the infrastructure planning capacity of the state. Infrastructure investment must be seen as a catalyst to the transformation of the development landscape of our province. This implies that the provision of quality education and health has to be underpinned by investment and maintenance of the physical structures to ensure that these are modernized to a point where citizens have access to world class services.

 Spatial development planning is one of the pillars of transforming the patterns inherited from the apartheid past. We have not sufficiently dealt with the integration of our cities to a point where urban and rural spaces are not racially defined. Townships continue to grow in a manner that places the poor African households away from the centre of economic activity. This places an addition burden on the poor as it cost more to acquire services and transport to work. . It places further strain on municipal services and expenditure as transport is thus required to render services in the outlining areas. The 2030 plan must crystalize how these challenges will be addressed so that future generations are not burdened because of the legacy of apartheid.

In order to deal with these challenges, I have appointed the following eminent persons to guide the formulation of a plan that the people of this province will adopt as their generational transformation agenda up to 2030. Such a plan must articulate how the province will be transformed from being dominated by its Bantustan history, political and economic strangulation whose objective was to place our people at the periphery of development and supply of cheap labour to the mines. The generational transformation agenda will build on the foundation laid by the PGDP where services such electricity, water, schools, clinics, etc. were extended to the broader population of our province and the poor in particular.

The Planning Commission will be Chaired by the MEC for Provincial Planning and Finance, Mr Phumulo Masualle, who invariably will be a link between the Executive Council of the Eastern Cape and the Planning Commission.

Indeed it is my great pleasure to introduce to you these outstanding sons and daughters of the soil who will serve as Part-time Planning Commissioners for the Province of the Eastern - not in any order of preference:

1. The Deputy Chairperson of the Commission is Dr Lulu Gwagwa. She is a transformation and development expert who has vast experience gained in among others establishing the National Public Works Programme, pioneering the Emerging Constructors Programme as DDG of the Department of Public Works and in driving the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme assigned by Cabinet. She has served in numerous Commissions of Government that include the Delineation and Demarcation of Provincial Boundaries and the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Local Government Transformation besides various boards of business. She serves in the Gauteng Planning Advisory Council. Dr Gwagwa academically well-grounded with a Masters Degree in Town and Regional Planning from Natal University, an Msc and a Phd from London School of Economic and Political Sciences.

2. Mr David Christian Powels is a Managing Director of Volkswagen South Africa, a chartered Accountant with extensive business leadership experience in automobile manufacturing in South Africa, Brazil and Germany. He has served as President of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa for three year and currently serves in the Boards of Nelson Mandela Bay Chamber of Commerce, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University as well as a Technical Advisory Committee member for the MEC.

3. Professor Nomfundo Peggy Luswazi is the Director of the Centre for Rural Development of the Walter Sisulu University that has mobilised resources across the world for sustainable rural development. She is an activist for social justice with passion for education, transformation and development that co- founded, among others, the German Anti-Apartheid Movement while studying and working in Germany and the Centre for Rural Development while serving as first women Registrar of Walter Sisulu University. Professor Luswazi obtained her qualification from the University of Fort Hare and University of Berlin in Germany.

4. Ms Nomkhita Mona is the Chief Executive Office of Uitenhage and Despatch Development Initiative driving all round development of the district. She has vast experience business development, local economic development and in labour relations. She has served as Chief Executive Officer for various organizations that include the Eastern Cape Tourism Board, Inkezo Land Company that facilitated the transfer of 78 000ha of land in the Sugar Industry. Among her accolades are Vice President of the Nelson Mandela Bay Chamber of Commerce and Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism. Has possess an MBA from Rhodes University and Masters in Labour Relations from University of Port Elizabeth.

5. Ms Onwaba Mehlomakhulu is a young lioness who as product of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University where she obtained her qualification in Quantity Survey. She has worked as quantity surveyor, administrator, project manager for a number of reputable companies that include PHP Billiton, Eskom, Pilansburg Platinum Mine. Currently she works for a multi-billion rand Venetia Underground Mine Project.

6. Professor Derrick Swartz is the Vice Chancellor of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University who has established himself as a transformation expert of higher education. His passion for development has inspired him to spearhead the role of Universities in the development of higher education and in economic development. He has served in numerous commissions and think-tanks that include the Presidential Review Commission that dealt with Public Sector Reforms, Higher Education South Africa where he Chairs the Transformation Strategy Group, as well as Lilieleaf Trust. He obtained his qualification from the University of Western Cape and Essex University in England.

7. Mr Nhlanganiso Dladla is an expert in education, training, rural development and local economic development who serves as Coordinator of Ilima Community Economies Programme. Ilima is an inter-institutional partnership programme of National and Provincial Government, NGOs and community organisations that drives agri-based cooperatives focusing of food security and economic development. He brings vast experience of serving as Dean of the Faculty of Management Development and Commerce, Director of Distance Learning project of Fort Hare, Advisory committee member for Ministers Bengu, Asmal and Nzimande of Education and Minister Nkwinti of Rural Development. Mr Dladla has a B Com degree in Accounting and Economics from University of Botswana and Swaziland, MBA from Bentley and EdM from Harvard Universities in USA.

8. Professor Lizo Ebdel Mazwai is the Chairman of the Board of the Medical Research Council of South Africa. He is a strategist and a campaigner for better health care service delivery who has assumed numerous strategic positions in many reputable and specialist institutions in South Africa. These include being Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences at Walter Sisulu University, Professor of Surgery and Chief Specialist in the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital and served as member Health Professions Council of South African, American Biographical Institute and National geographical Society. He has numerous fellowship awards, has delivered numerous national and international conference papers and published extensively.

I have confidence that these eminent persons with massive knowledge and commitment to the development of the Province are capable of producing a plan that will take the Eastern Cape out of poverty and underdevelopment to be one of the mainstream players in the socio-economic development landscape of South Africa. They will be building on a foundation build over 18 years of freedom and democracy and the recent multi-billion rand commitments for massive infrastructure development.

I thank you all.

Premier Noxolo Kiviet (MPL)

Province of the Eastern Cape

Date: 26 April 2012