June 26, 2006
By Anish Abraham
THE provincial legislature has approved a R118-million budget for the Office of the Premier, which lists one of its main aims as turning Gauteng into a globally competitive city-region.
Much work had been done to make the province as inclusive as possible, Premier Mbhazima Shilowa told members of the Gauteng Legislature in downtown Johannesburg on 23 June.
This included providing social support to the elderly, quality education and an improving economy to benefit the youth and engaging with women through organising dialogues.
He added that professionals, academics, businesspeople and potential entrepreneurs had also acknowledged "the unprecedented growth" in the province and the opportunities it affords for all.
Members of the executive council had outlined key priorities to ensure that the province takes advantage of the progress already made and to build on it, taking it closer to its long-term 2014 vision, he said.
Pointing to the recently launched Gauteng Business Barometer, Shilowa said it was a good indicator of how well the province had performed over the past few years.
He said all three spheres of government would have to work closely to ensure that emphasis is placed on those sectors best capable of propelling Gauteng forward as it implements its Growth and Development Strategy and the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa, or Asgisa.
"However, a key priority remains the stimulation of investment in the productive sector of the economy and a shift away from a reliance on consumer spending to drive growth," he said.
Globally competitive region
Shilowa said that the province, in partnership with local governments, had adopted a common perspective in consolidating the status of Gauteng as a globally competitive city-region.
Johannesburg had a significant role to play in this development, as the financial hub of the province. The City has a comprehensive strategy to complement the global city perspective: according to Johannesburg's executive mayor Amos Masondo the 2006/7 budget, the City's growth and development strategy and the five-year integrated development plan are in line with the province's efforts to create a globally competitive city-region.
Municipalities had agreed that they had to ensure integrated and co-ordinated planning in an effort to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014, as well as to best implement longer-term planning towards 2030.
"Based on this common vision, local and provincial governments in Gauteng have agreed that we now need to move from conceptualisation to implementation," Shilowa said.
The province, together with metro and district mayors, have since held discussions with business, trade unions, academics, women and youth- and faith-based organisations, amongst others, to promote the concept, he said.
The participation of all interested parties would be vital to the success of the initiative, to ensure that the province's global competitiveness was a responsibility for all.
Areas that have been identified for improved co-operation and alignment include safety and security, transport infrastructure and authorities, sustainable human settlements, investment and tourism promotion, environmental sustainability and infrastructure provision.
"Following this process of engagement with our social partners, we are aiming to launch the initiative involving a joint sitting of this house together with local government and civil society representatives," he said.
However, conscious steps were needed to counter the tendency of other global city-regions towards urbanisation of poverty, growing inequality, dysfunctional families and other societal ills, he added.
2010 Soccer World Cup
With regards to the looming 2010 Soccer World Cup, Shilowa said government would have to ensure that necessary infrastructure was in place, while issues such as policing, health care and emergency services and having appropriate Information Communication Technology infrastructure had to be addressed.
He said that the 2010 event was beyond just soccer, as arriving football fans would need places to stay, eat and be entertained. For example, establishments like bed and breakfasts had to ensure the national tourism authority had graded them, he said.
"We must also use the opportunity to showcase the Gauteng city-region to the world. We want them [fans] to be so impressed with us, that they return as ordinary tourists or even investors," Shilowa remarked.
Johannesburg is set to play a key role in the 2010 event, with the opening and closing events mooted for Soccer City – the FNB Stadium in Nasrec.
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