Address By Gauteng MEC For Finance And Economic Affairs, Paul Mashatile, On The Occasion Of The Launch Of Induna Tippers, 05 October 2007
Programme Director;
The Chairman of SPG; Mr. Mzolisi Diliza;
The Managing Director for Freight and Logistics at Unitrans, Mr. Steve Ford;
The CEO of the Gautrain, Mr. Jack Van der Merwe;
Members of the Bombela Consortium;
Honoured guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the management and staff of SPG for reaching this important milestone today, which is the launch of Induna Tippers.
We are indeed honoured to share this historic moment with you.
The launch of Induna Tippers is a culmination of a long and laborious process whose purpose was to ensure that one of our country’s major infrastructure projects, Gautrain, delivers true empowerment to those who were denied meaningful participation in the economy.
Those who witnessed the formation of SPG and followed the tough negotiations for financial close, will agree that; we have indeed come a long way.
We have cleared many hurdles not only to ensure that Gautrain becomes a reality but also to ensure that we facilitate meaningful participation by historically disadvantaged individuals in this major project.
When the road appeared long, winding and endless, we refused to succumb. Driven only by the desire to build a better country for all, we preserved.
That we have converged here today is a fitting tribute to the vision and dedication of those men and women who believe in getting things done, in seeking lasting solutions to problems and who dare to think beyond the ordinary.
Today’s launch marks a decisive step forward for Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment. As from today and as a result of the launch of Induna Tippers, SPG will become an active partner in the operations of the Gautrain project.
No longer will SPG become only an equity partner in the Gautrain project, but most importantly it will become an integral part of operations that will lead to the success of this major and strategic project.
Induna Tippers, will be an ideal vehicle for skills transfers and will put SPG on a proper footing to be involved in similar projects in other parts of our country and in the continent.
This in our view is an important pillar of sustainable broad based black economic empowerment.
This gathering is therefore in honour of those among us who believe that broad based black economic empowerment should, correctly so, be at the center of our ongoing effort to transform and grow our economy.
Programme Director; during the planning stage of the Gautrain project we made the point that when this project is fully in place; Gauteng will never be the same!
This we said conscious of the reality that; Gautrain will not only radically transform our transport and strategic economic infrastructure but also it will contribute massively to our objective of expanding participation in the mainstream economy.
The milestone that SPG has achieved today strengthens our resolve to move with even greater determination towards the strategic goal of building an economy whose benefits are shared by all.
This milestone strengthens our resolve to ensure that broad based black economic empowerment becomes a reality in our province and in our country.
To us broad based black economic empowerment is an important intervention aimed at increasing substantially the number of black people, women, the youth and people with disabilities who take part and benefit from the economic mainstream.
BBBEE is that important bridge that allows people to move from the first to the second economy thus building an integrated economy. It is an important element of our overall effort to reverse the legacy of many years of economic exclusion of the majority of our people.
We wish to reiterate that BBEE is an economic imperative in our country and has long seized to be a nice to have.
As government we have committed ourselves to use all resources at our disposal to facilitate BBBEE. As we have said before we will continue to use government spend to ensure that BBBEE is entrenched in our society.
To give practical meaning to our commitment to BBBEE we have set ourselves targets which include that; by 2009, 70% of all government procurement will be done through BBBEE companies.
As we pursue these important targets we will not reward but punish fronting.
We will continue to encourage our people to become meaningful participants, especially on the operational side, of any BBBEE transaction.
As the provincial government we have established support mechanisms and institutions, such as the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, to assist emerging entrepreneurs to take advantage of opportunities available in our economy
We trust that entrepreneurs in our province will use and benefit from the support mechanisms and institutions we have created.
However we wish to caution, Programme Director, that government interventions alone will not adequately address the massive challenge of expanding participation in the economy.
By promoting BBBEE, it is not our intention as government to build a cadre of entrepreneurs that depend only on government contracts.
What is needed is joint action by both government and the private sector to ensure that together we propel as many of our people as possible into the economic mainstream.
In this regard, we wish to urge the private sector both locally and internationally to embrace BBBEE. We take this opportunity to applaud those in the private sector who have embraced BBBEE.
In particular with regard to Induna Tippers we are encouraged by the involvement of Unitrans in this venture.
Going forward, we will continue to look up to the private sector to support efforts aimed at promoting shared economic growth. This requires active and visible support to BBBEE initiatives.
Once more, congratulations to SPG on the launch of Induna Tippers. May this investment yield pleasant results to all involved. Most importantly may this investment pave the way for other similar ventures.
I thank you.