State of the Municipality Address
BY EXECUTIVE MAYOR, CLR BOOI KOERAT
8 MARCH 2013
KOUGA CULTURAL CENTRE, HUMANSDORP
MADAM SPEAKER
MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE
COUNCILLORS
MAYORS OF NEIGHBOURING MUNICIPALITIES
MUNICIPAL MANAGER
DIRECTORS
OFFICIALS OF COUNCIL
THE RELIGIOUS FRATERNITY
BUSINESS
LADIES & GENTLEMEN
It is with a deep sense of gratitude that I stand before you today as the Executive Mayor of Kouga. Thank you for making the time to be here and for the active role you have played in our ongoing efforts to create a better life for the people of Kouga.
The past year has been eventful. I look forward to sharing with you our successes, the challenges we encountered and the lessons we learnt. I will also be giving you a brief overview of our plans for the year ahead.
Before we start on this journey, I would like to remind each one of us of the new vision we formulated, as a collective, last year:
“Kouga – a safe, equitable and harmonious home, with prosperous and sustainable livelihoods for all its people”.
My reason for emphasising our vision is that this is what we are working towards. It is the destination of the journey we started 19 years ago when our first democratic election was held.
I would like to encourage each one of you to keep this destination in mind as we reflect on the past and set our course for the year ahead.
The Constitution provides for a developmental model of local government. Local government is not just an important site for the delivery of services but is crucial for the economic and social development of people. Section 152 of the Constitution sets out the aims of local government as follows:
- to provide democratic and accountable government for local communities;
- to ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner;
- to promote social and economic development;
- to provide a safe and healthy environment;
- to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in the matters of local government.
This local government model is advanced, progressive and transformative.
Let us now look at where Kouga stands today in relation to our Key Performance Areas:
Good Governance and Public Participation
Madam Speaker,
It was Kofi Anan who said that “good governance is the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development”.
The quality of governance affects quality of service delivery and the legitimacy of the state. If local government is not accountable and responsive to its residents, people will lose trust in their local government and in the processes that regulate interaction.
We, collectively, have the power to change bad governance by bringing together all stakeholders to start a dialogue.
Our aspiration is have our own Governance Capacity Development Plan with specific targets and benchmarks such as:
- Improved financial management
- Coherent leadership
- Developed communication structures and strategies, and
- Budget tracking
We need to make good governance a focus area. Once we have done this, it will lead to resolving pertinent issues, both politically and administratively.
A year ago, at the Opening of Council in 2012, it was my honour to announce the appointment of our new Municipal Manager, Mr Sidney Fadi.
Today I have the pleasure of affirming that the following Directors have been appointed:
- Mrs Carleen Arends – Director: LED, Tourism and Creative Industries
- Ms Carlien Burger – Director: Finance
- Mrs Thobeka Tom – Director: Administration, Monitoring and Evaluation
- Mr Victor Felton – Director: Infrastructure, Planning and Development, and
- Mr Japie Jansen – Director Social Services
Our new directors took up their posts in August last year at a time that Mother Nature seemed intent on throwing everything she had at Kouga, from floods to fire.
It was sink or swim for our new team.
Today I can say with confidence that all five our new Directors have proven themselves to be strong swimmers indeed. They kept their heads above the water throughout these difficult first months.
One of our ongoing challenges, which is now in the capable hands of our new Director Administration, Monitoring and Evaluation, has been updating and finalising policies and by-laws. While some policies were workshopped and adopted by Council last year, this process must be fast-tracked.
Worth noting is that we are busy reviewing our Liquor Trading Hours by-law. The public participation process started last year. Our target is for the by-law to be promulgated before the end of June.
Another of our priorities this year will be strengthening our public participation platforms. Ward committees, in particular, are central to ensuring community involvement in the decisions we make.
Ward committees have been established in all 15 wards and training has been provided to members, yet our ward committee system is not yet effective. In order for us to turn around this situation, we expect the full cooperation of all roleplayers.
In this term we would like to see that we are legislatively compliant in this regard.
Ward Councillors, you are the chairpersons of the ward committees. It is your responsibility to draw up a schedule of meetings for the year and to submit the schedule to the Office of the Speaker. It is also your responsibility to ensure that your committee meets and that the minutes are submitted to the Office of the Speaker.
The fact that not all ward councillors have operational offices in their wards has impacted on our ability to move closer to communities. This will also be prioritised in the new financial year, especially in those areas where residents cannot necessarily afford the cost of travelling or effective communication with their nearest municipal office.
The municipality will also be strengthening its relationship with the Community Development Workers (CDWs), employed by the Department of Local Government. It is of concern that – almost two years after the election when our number of wards increased – the Department has still not appointed additional CDWs to attend to the seven wards which now do not have CDWs. This is a serious weakness in the CDW system and must be raised as a matter of urgency at the appropriate platforms.
Another positive development has been our very own community radio station, Kouga FM, which expects to be on air within the next few months. The municipality is hosting this incredible community initiative right here at the Kouga Cultural Centre and you are invited to have a look at the studio after today’s programme.
As the government sphere closest to the people, municipalities play an important role in assisting all spheres of government to communicate effectively with stakeholders. The successful “Bringing Legislature to the People” programme, hosted by the Bhisho Legislature in Humansdorp from 8 to 12 October 2012, demonstrated how eager residents are to have closer contact with government.
Despite the IGR Forum having been dormant, I would like to congratulate our directorates for cultivating stronger relationships with sector departments during the past year.
We can already see results such as the fixing of intersections along provincial roads running through our towns. The long-awaited building of the Jeffreys Bay high school and the relocation of Sea Vista Primary are also examples of what can be achieved when the municipality works closely with other spheres of government.
The Kouga Council, management and other sectors of government will furthermore be holding a joint Strategic Planning Workshop on 12 and 13 March. The workshop will serve as a platform to review our Integrated Development Plan (IDP). We will also be aligning our vision to ensure that it remains relevant to our desired outcomes.
Creating an environment conducive to productivity has been an ongoing focus of our Department Administration, Monitoring and Evaluation. There has been positive movement towards addressing our lack of office space and adequate storage facilities for important documents.
It was with regret that we had to give notice to the Jeffreys Bay Skiboat Club to vacate the municipal building they have been using as a clubhouse, but it had to be done as part of this process. The municipality has been paying exorbitant rent for office space while renting out our own property for next to nothing.
Likewise, municipal employees living in Council houses are in the process of vacating these buildings so that these premises can be used for municipal operations.
An internal weakness that is being addressed is our lack of a formal property management system. We are in the process of ensuring that all municipal properties are located and registered in the municipality’s name. We are grateful to the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) for their assistance in this regard.
Local Economic Development
Madam Speaker,
Facilitating economic growth and job creation has become an integral part of the mandate assigned to local government. It has also become a much-anticipated focus of our President’s annual State of the Nation Address.
The National Framework for Local Economic Development makes it clear that local government “does not create jobs”.
It goes on to point out that “local economic development is about creating a platform and environment to engage stakeholders in implementing strategies and programmes”.
A critical part of local government’s leadership role in the area of LED rests within its ability to draw other key stakeholders into the development process.
Effective and sustainable LED has been associated with the emergence of strong local partnerships, bringing together key stakeholders – from both public and private sectors – along with local community interest groups. Such local partnerships bring a range of diverse perspectives and insights to the definition of local strategic priorities, strengthen consensus and commitment, and can contribute to the successful implementation of local development strategies and plans.
Our priorities should be:
- Fostering opportunities for economic development to create innovative and sustainable local economic development opportunities;
- Identifying and creating opportunities to expand the economy in terms of new sources of jobs and economic activities for local communities.
In order to achieve these priorities, a dedicated LED, Tourism and Creative Industries Directorate has been established.
It is the mandate of the LED Unit to promote and support the identification and generation of LED projects, to oversee the selection of projects, to ensure the sourcing and allocation of funds, to assist beneficiaries with project implementation, to monitor and evaluate the impact of these projects in the communities and to develop recommendations for further enhancement and improvement.
The unit also has to ensure that there is a coordinated effort and will seek to leverage resources amongst key stakeholders where the delivery of LED initiatives is concerned.
While it is our smallest directorate, its achievements over the past year have been no less significant than those of our bigger directorates.
The development of SMMEs, including cooperatives, has been a priority.
The directorate worked closely with Bhisho during their “Bringing Legislature to the People” programme in Humansdorp in October last year. More than R2-million was spent by the Bhisho Legislature for services rendered by local businesses, including, accommodation, transport, cleansing and catering.
Kouga was recently blessed by the visit of the MEC for Agrarian and Land Reform, who handed over ten sewing machines and two brick-making machines to local cooperatives. The machines are valued at more than R1-million. Training will now be provided to these cooperatives so that their projects may become economically sustainable.
The Kouga Cooperatives Forum was launched in November 2012 to serve as the official link between government and local cooperatives.
Ensuring the sustainability of cooperatives will remain a focal area. This support will include training. The Cacadu District Municipality has also appointed a service provider to assist in the coordination and establishment of appropriate mechanisms to support the sustainability of cooperatives and to investigate business opportunities for this sector.
Upcoming programmes include training on the Cooperatives Incentive Scheme. The programme is a joint initiative of Kouga and the Department of Trade & Industry. Cooperatives will be assisted with applications for funding on site.
The LED, Tourism and Creative Industries directorate is also responsible for agricultural and rural development.
Highlights over the past year included visits by the provincial portfolio committee to four farms in the Gamtoos area that received funding for fencing, seedlings and diesel.
Kouga has further been assisting potential beneficiaries with their applications to the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform for farms.
The fishing industry has also received attention. It was recently announced by the Department of Social Development that the Oyster Bay Fishing Cooperative will be receiving funding of R1,4 million in April and R750 000 in October towards their project. Kouga and the Department of Fisheries are also organising workshops to establish fishermen’s forums in the area.
The municipality has also, through this and other directorates, been facilitating training opportunities for residents. I will be discussing these programmes in more detail as part of the skills development overview.
Tourism
Madam Speaker,
Tourism and Creative Industries requires a different approach to the normal municipal departments. Where other municipal departments deliver services themselves, with a vast amount of staff, for example, water and sanitation; or provide a service to departments in the municipality, for example, corporate services; Tourism and Creative Industries continually works in conjunction with communities and community structures to ensure success.
Tourism and Creative Industries has to have close links to these community representatives in order to grow tourism, sports, arts, culture and heritage within the Kouga.
Tourism is one of the main economic drivers of our region and we are committed to doing all we can to help grow this industry through this directorate. Sports, arts, culture, museums, beaches and heritage are all part of the tourism function.
Recent highlights have included the revival of the Kouga Local Tourism Organisation. The Kouga LTO is the umbrella body of all the visitor information centres in the region, as well as related sectors such as the Kouga Sports Council, Kouga Living Arts Council and Kouga Heritage Council.
The Kouga LTO was dormant for a while because, in the absence of a formal agreement with the visitor information centres, no support funding from the municipality was given to them.
However, in December 2012, Council adopted a motion to formalise the Kouga LTO and to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the organisation. We expect this process to be finalised by April, at which time the Kouga LTO will become fully functional.
We are especially proud of the Kouga Sports Council, which has been applauded by Province as the only Sports Council in the country which incorporates all areas of the municipality. It is our ideal to see all sporting codes register with the Sports Council.
The Kouga Living Arts Council has also been established. We would like to encourage more organisations and individuals who are interested in the performing and visual arts to join. Benefits include access to meetings such as that held by the National Lottery Fund in Humansdorp this week, aimed at artists interested in funding their art development programmes.
Each municipal area is further required to have a Heritage Council to ensure that our heritage, for example, buildings, cultures and stories, is documented, protected and archived. Kouga is in the process of establishing the Kouga Heritage Council. We request those who wish to be part of this organisation to contact our Tourism department.
Another tourism highlight has been the establishment of a fully functional Events Committee. All events organisers who want to host events in Kouga have to apply through this Committee. This is something new following the promulgation of the Events Safety and Security Act and it is important that all events organisers are made aware of it.
We would further like to congratulate our Tourism department on securing funding from the East Cape Parks and Tourism Agency for the development of a coastal route through Kouga which will link up with the Provincial Coastal Route. A brochure should be ready before the end of June 2013.
Institutional Development and Transformation
Madam Speaker,
We are very excited about the progress that has been made with regards to skills development, both internally and externally, through our Skills Development and Training section, as well as through individual directorates.
More than R900 000 was spent in 2012 on improving the skills base of the municipality through the skills levy from LGSeta. While the bulk of these courses were administrative in nature, we are pleased to announce that the focus will now be shifting to the training of artisans.
Kouga is one of the municipalities that will benefit from a new programme by LGSeta aimed at training artisans over the next three years to the amount of R2 322 500 000. Both municipal employees and members of the community will be able to participate. LGSeta is currently finalising the details.
Nine of our municipal electricians have further been approved as mentors and will be helping to train municipal employees as electricians through MerSeta. We are already in discussion with MerSeta about the possibility of expanding this programme to communities.
On Monday this week we welcomed a special young woman to the municipality. Nosikhumbuzo Hem, from St Francis, was a recipient of one of our external bursaries three years ago. She will, for the next 18 months, be doing her practical training with us – at no cost to the municipality. She is the first young women who will work as a trainee plumber for the municipality. We wish her every success.
Hers is not the only success story of the past year. Other community skills development highlights have included:
- Council assisted 12 private students to attend the Nelson Mandela Bay Traffic College. We have already negotiated with the College that more private students from Kouga will be allowed into the course. Students cover their own costs, therefore, there is no cost to Council.
- Our Environmental Health section hosted a week-long educational tour for 43 Environmental Health students of the Nelson Mandela Metro University.
- Our Tourism section took 20 unemployed young people from Kouga to the National Tourism Careers Expo in East London. They were able to explore career opportunities in Tourism and submit their CVs to potential employers.
- Our LED section facilitated a job preparedness session for 30 young people.
- 20 matriculated youth from Humansdorp were trained in construction skills for 18 months and are now receiving a stipend from EPWP. A further eight are being trained in plumbing this month.
- Our LED section also facilitated a workshop on honeybush tea farming, presented by Stellenbosch University. There were 15 participants from Kruisfontein and KwaNomzamo, who will now participate in a pilot project to grow tea on their land. The university will mentor the emerging tea farmers and market the product.
- A further ten young people are receiving agricultural training at the Houtgerus Farm, through a programme of the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.
- A joint venture has been established between the municipality and the Jeffreys Bay Surf-ilfesaving Club to train local youth to become qualified lifeguards.
Basic Services and Infrastructure
Madam Speaker,
The delivery of basic services and infrastructure to communities remains the core function of the municipality. The two directorates directly involved in rendering these services are Infrastructure, Planning and Development (IPD) and Social Services.
The main objective of the IPD directorate is basic infrastructure planning, development and sustainable human settlements for the benefit of residents.
The challenge facing this directorate is how to deliver efficient, effective and sustainable services to all communities within the constraints imposed by financial and human resource limitations.
It has become increasingly difficult and important for municipalities to look for innovative, alternative and creative ways of delivering quality services over a short period of time while at the same time maintaining financially viable systems over the long term.
It is also of utmost importance to synchronise basic services, spatial planning, land-use and the provision of sustainable and affordable human settlements.
Challenges include:
- The development of sufficient and solid bulk infrastructure which will alleviate the pressure facing potential developers and the 14 000 homeless people of this municipality.
- The drafting of a new Spatial Development Framework which will incorporate the 15 municipal wards and address the urban edge, specifically relating to the provision of land for human settlements.
- Strategies to address and eradicate backlogs relating to storm water, sanitation, water, roads and electricity.
- Environmental authorisation challenges to implement critical projects relating to infrastructure, planning and human settlements.
- Determining the Coastal Setback Line and Development Setback in terms of the relevant legislation.
Various projects within the Directorate were successfully completed or are in the process of completion. These include:
- The completion of a 5Ml reservoir in Humansdorp
- The Jeffreys Bay sewerage plant upgrade, which should be in operation by June 2013
- The electrification of 153 sub-economic houses in KwaNomzamo
- The upgrading and completion of a 66/22 Kv transformer bay at the Jeffreys Bay main intake substation
- The rectification of 40 houses in KwaNomzamo, 317 in Vaaldam and 490 in Ocean View.
A total of 245 temporary job opportunities have been created thus far through capital projects implemented and the Extended Publics Work Programme (EPWP)
The following projects are planned for this year:
- The upgrading of 22Kv electrical lines from the Boskloof sub-station in Humansdorp to KwaNomzamo and Kruisfontein
- The construction of a 22Kv feeder bay in Ocean View
- The building of sustainable human settlements in Kruisfontein (391 units), Pellsrus (220 units) and Ocean View (1500 units)
- The formalization of Weston in terms of the Destitute Programme
- It is envisage to roll out the EPWP household contractor programme in all wards for 2013/2014
- We expect to spend almost R28-million on capital projects in the new financial year
The IPD Directorate is also very active in the district-wide infrastructure forums where our aim is to place our shortcomings and challenges in the correct context. This, in turn, will promote better communication and access to funds for adequate infrastructure development.
A number of key elements and policy shifts are envisaged:
- The development of a National Water Investment Framework (NWIF) and strategy arising out of the Infrastructure Plan announced by President Jacob Zuma of which we, as Kouga, are part.
- The transformation of industries to build a green economy, coupled with the creation of new labour-absorbing industries to mitigate impacts on the environment.
- The development of a National Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Strategy to address key concerns and constraints.
- Ramping up the exploitation of groundwater resources and intensifying projects on water recycling, as well as desalination.
- Sourcing of funds for water demand management to help save water.
- Reducing the number of catchment management agencies from 19 to 9 and investigating the restructuring of water boards.
As a developing municipality, we must ensure a balance between growth, social development and environmental sustainability.
Madam Speaker,
The other main service-delivery directorate of the municipality is Social Services. As the directorate responsible for disaster management, fire and emergency services, 2012 was the year in which staff was called on to shine.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Social Services and IPD staff for the many long and hard hours they put in during 2012 to manage the many natural disasters that plagued our area. We are proud of the manner in which you handled some of the toughest times Kouga has known.
Service highlights of our Fire department during 2012 included:
- Standardising 186 fire hydrants in Humansdorp, Oyster Bay, Cape St Francis and St Francis Bay at a cost of more than R1-million
- The refurbishment of a fire-fighting vehicle by staff themselves at a cost of R65 000
Our Fire department is currently busy refurbishing a second vehicle, to be used to fight bush fires. The department received 136 call-outs to fight bush, veld and rubbish fires during 2012. These accounted for the majority of call-outs.
It was with great disappointment that we had to delay building a fire station at Hankey. Land was identified, the plans were approved and the project was put out to tender. The tendered amount was, however, more than what Cacadu had made available. Consequently, the fire station will now have to be built in phases.
Kouga’s Fire department is centralised in Humansdorp, with satellite stations in Hankey, St Francis Bay and Jeffreys Bay. Our goal is to have fully-fledged stations in all three towns. Upgrades are already being made to St Francis Bay and we are looking at expanding the space available to the satellite station in Jeffreys Bay.
A priority for this year is to finalise and adopt our Disaster Management Plan. It is also important that an updated ward-based risk assessment plan be done, so that towns can be categorised and the minimum standard of service delivery can be determined for all communities at risk.
The Cleansing and Parks section of our Social Services directorate continues to provide a weekly refuse collection programme throughout Kouga, despite limited resources.
Their Parks and Open Spaces programme focuses on the beautification of Kouga and benefited from new grass-cutting equipment, valued at R100 000, during the 2012/13 budget year. The programme will be expanded during the last quarter of this financial year.
There is also a good working relationship between Council and the organisation called “Dorp van Drome”, whose main objective is to beautify the area. A service level agreement is being developed that will see the two parties work even more closely together.
We would like to thank “Dorp van Drome” for this innovative programme, which has the potential to benefit Kouga as a whole.
Kouga operates five caravan parks and resorts. The major challenge is to stay competitive in the market. This services delivery programme remains in contestation with other programmes as it is not a key basic function of the municipality. It has, therefore, become necessary for Kouga to re-consider the role of Council in the management of caravan parks and resorts.
The Cleansing and Parks section is also responsible for the area’s cemeteries. A key challenge here is that there is no more available space in the cemeteries of wards 4 and 5 (Humansdorp), ward 9 (Hankey) and ward 10 (Patensie).
Council has availed R300 000 in this financial year to embark on the environmental assessment programme for the establishment of new cemeteries in these areas. We trust that this initiative will bring dignity and comfort to our people as it will allow them to bury their loved ones in close proximity.
In addition to their daily operations, the municipality’s Environmental Health section achieved the following successes over the past year:
- Equipment was acquired and a team appointed to clear overgrown, privately-owned plots. The programme was rolled out in December 2012.
- The section embarked on a programme of registering and ensuring that all businesses within the municipal area are in possession of a valid business licence. The programme also aims to ensure that all food premises meet the general hygiene requirements and that food sold to the public is fit for human consumption. The programme started in November 2012.
- Environmental Health officers are also responsible for monitoring the quality of drinking water and ensuring that it is fit for human consumption. Water samples are collected at 32 sampling points and analysed. Corrective action is taken when the need arises. The results of these samples are also submitted to the Blue Drop programme.
Kouga’s Library section celebrated the following success during the past year:
- Library Week and National Book Week were used as platforms to promote a culture of reading and writing
- The mini library for the blind at the Humansdorp Library continues to grow in popularity. The service is available in the three main languages of Kouga.
- A library was opened in Sewende Laan, Humansdorp
- Equipment, including computers and DVD players, were acquired for Kouga libraries through the Provincial Library Service and Cacadu District Municipality Grant
Our Solid Waste and Environmental Management section must be applauded for ensuring that Dolphin Beach received Blue Flag status for the ninth consecutive year in 2012.
A disabled-friendly ramp and deck were also opened at Dolphin Beach, just ahead of the summer season. Environmental management and water safety awareness programmes were introduced at some of our local schools as part of our education process.
The municipality is now busy piloting the Cape St Francis beach for full Blue Flag status.
In June 2012 a joint venture was established between the municipality and the newly-established Jeffreys Bay Surf-lifesaving Club to train local youth to become qualified lifeguards.
Twelve local youngsters qualified through this programme during 2012 and were employed during the December holidays by the municipality. A squad of 17 local youngsters are already training for 2013.
Traffic law enforcement over the past year received a boost when the department was joined by 12 trainees.
Operations at the Driving Licence Testing Centres at Humansdorp and Hankey will also be moving up a gear. Six driving licence examiners will be trained to enable the centre to deal with the growing demand. Two E-Natis terminals will be installed – one in Hankey and one in Humansdorp – to speed up services.
Stray animals have been an ongoing challenge despite by-laws being in place to prevent this. The Law Enforcement section of the municipality is striving to establish a pound to address the problem of stray animals.
The Special Programmes Unit currently resident in the Social Services Directorate. In addition to hosting programmes for the youth and women during 2012, the unit re-established the Kouga HIV/Aids Council.
The revival of the Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) Forum will help to give impetus to our Special Programmes Unit which, during 2012, organised several successful campaigns, including a massive HIV/Aids awareness drive during December.
Financial Viability and Management
Madam Speaker,
Kouga received a qualified opinion from the Office of the Auditor-General for 2011/2012. This is a welcome improvement on the disclaimer we received for the previous financial year. It is also in line with the target we set ourselves last year.
Our goal remains to receive an unqualified audit for the current financial year.
Internal auditing is functioning and an internal audit plan has been developed. The Audit Committee is expected to be fully functional before the end of this financial year.
While compliance is important, I would like to caution officials not to mistake compliance for the municipality’s end goal or ultimate destination. Yes, correct procedures must be followed at all times, but remember that they are only a means of reaching our destination, and not the destination itself.
The Kouga Council recently adopted its adjustment budget. Our projections for 2012/2013 have proven fairly accurate, necessitating only a slight upward adjustment due to increases in grants received. We are also pleased that we have been able to maintain a monthly collection rate of 90%, but efforts must be increased to achieve a rate of 95%.
We are already busy drafting the budget for the new financial year. We will be compiling a zero-based and realistic budget, aligned to the IDP.
The municipality’s financial position continues to improve and we continue to implement our financial turnaround strategy.
Spatial and Environmental Rationale
Madam Speaker,
This Key Performance Area really cuts across all operations of the municipality.
I would, however, like to use it as a platform to emphasise the increasingly important role Kouga is playing in generating the energy South Africa requires to achieve its developmental goals.
We celebrated the groundbreaking of the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm in February. Next week we will be turning the sod of a second wind farm, this one at Oyster Bay.
Meanwhile, plans for the proposed nuclear power station at Thyspunt are also progressing rapidly. The Minister of Energy will be in Kouga next week, both for the sod-turning of the wind farm and to engage with communities about nuclear power.
Kouga is fast establishing itself as the “energy capital of South Africa”. We look forward to the opportunities this will present to our area and communities.
Conclusion
Madam Speaker,
I would like to conclude our session today with two quotes from one of South Africa’s greatest leaders – a man who, himself, used the metaphor of a journey to describe his “long walk to freedom”.
It was former president Nelson Mandela who pointed out that the challenge of any great and worthwhile journey is that “after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb”.
But I take comfort – and I invite you to do so as well – in his firm assertion that a tough task “always seems impossible until it is done”.
Let us walk this road to our destination together. And let us show all those who doubt, that the impossible is indeed possible – because THIS is Kouga.
I thank you.
