First District Growth and Development Summit Held in George

The summit is a crucial part of government's plans to tackle poverty and create jobs. It will be hosted by the Eden District Municipality from 09H00 to 17H00 at the King George Protea Hotel in George - and is open to the media. The summit will be opened by the District Executive Mayor, Councillor Rudi Laws, and will be addressed by the following guest speakers:

• MEC for Local Government and Housing, Mr Richard Dyantyi, who will talk on "Integrated Development Planning, a Development Instrument"
• MEC for Economic Development and Environment Planning, Ms Tasneem Essop who will present a paper on "Spatial Planning with regard to the environment and the economy"
• Rector of Nelson Mandela Metro University ; Prof E Van Biljon who will present a paper on "the importance of Higher Education institutions in Eden "

Provincial Minister of Environment, Planning and Economic Development, Tasneem Essop says:

"The Eden District Growth and Development Summit will be a historic event, especially in the context of the region's recent flood disaster. It is clear that we should be emerging from this summit with a long term sustaintable Growth and Development plan co-owned by all four social partners; labour, business, civil society and with strong inter-governmental co-operation, in order to ensure that the economy of Eden diversifies and builds a strong foundation to acheive the growth targets of between seven to eight percent for the Western Cape Province.

"After the City of Cape Town, the Eden District is the second highest contributor to our Provincial economy and this summit will have to address this critical role. It will also have to address the different challenges of unemployment, poverty and the gap between rich and poor, as well as the low levels of skills so that we make inroads into the second economy. The Provincial Government has played a supporting role with the District and the municipalities in the district so that we can emerge from this summit with tangible outcomes."

BACKGROUND:

The Provincial Government has long recognised the need for a growth and development plan which will help to boost economic growth and thus reduce the levels of poverty and unemployment. With this is mind, Premier Ebrahim Rasool initiated in 2003 a Provincial Growth and Development Summit with government's social partners - business, labour and civil society - to chart a way forward for the Western Cape and the vision of 'A Home for All' in the province. As a result, the Western Cape government has released a draft Provincial Growth and Development Strategy document entitled " iKapa Elihlumayo " ( meaning "grow and share the Cape" in isiXhosa).

Closely linked to this provincial strategy are several District Summits which will eventually inform the final iKapa Elihlumayo document. Business, labour, local government structures and civil society will participate in these District Summits, which will take place across the province over the next few months. The District Summits are meant to ensure that the South African government's plans for economic growth and its fight against poverty and unemployment is taken to the ground, discussed and implemented.

Government recognises that it plays a key role in shaping the developmental state which is best suited to helping all South Africans benefit from the freedoms gained in 1994. Investment by the state is thus a critical element as we strive to achieve higher growth rates as it guides private investment decisions and facilitates social and economic spin-offs. Yet Provincial Government cannot do the task alone. National and local spheres of government, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the private sector, non-governmental role players, citizens, development stakeholders and other social partners such as business and labour play a critical role in creating a developmental government in the Western Cape .

The main objectives of the Summit will be:

• To develop common understanding of growth and development.
• To develop the role of government as a key roleplayer in development.
• To develop consensus with regard to intergovernmental relations.
• To ascertain the capacity as well as develop networks between organisations.
• To identify projects which will make a contribution to a growth figure of 6 to 8% in the local economy.
• To put in place a Post Summit process which will ensure that the goals of the Summit are attained.
• To determine the impact of the recent flood damage on the region' infrastructure.
• To promote the idea of seamless government and service delivery.

A press conference will be held as follows:

Date: Friday 24 November 2006
Time: 12H30
Place: Lounge Area, King George Protea Hotel

For further information please contact:

1. Mr Kelvin Vollenhoven, Communications Officer, Eden District Municipality
   Email: kelvin@edendm.co.za
   Cell: 083 629 3402
   Tel: 044 803 1402
2. Ms Lynnette Johns, Spokesperson, Provincial Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism
   Cell: 083 3100 113
3. Mr Vusi Tshoe, Spokesperson, Provincial Ministry of Local Government and Housing
   Cell: 083 581 5265