To change the landscape of the Eastern Cape economy and make a meaningful contribution to the creation of jobs, there needs to be a radical shift from current ways of thinking.
This is according to Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle, who put forward a strong case for the need for the government to expropriate land for development.
He was speaking to a contingent of journalists on Friday ahead of his final state of the province address in Bhisho.
He said the migration of professionals, intellectuals and others to other provinces in search of better job opportunities would be stemmed only by investments in “greenfield” projects (where previously undeveloped sites are developed commercially).
The outward migration has a direct impact on Bhisho’s budget as the equitable share from the national Treasury is based on the population.
“We make the case that the measures put in place need to be of such a radical nature that there’s got to be deliberate investment decisions.
“This issue of industrialisation and the revival of industrial parks – yes, we need to find new avenues to make such deliberate investments to stem the flood of people from the Eastern Cape always leaving the province and going elsewhere.
“It’s only when we invest in greenfield investments to make new pathways for the development of the economy as a whole that we can achieve that,” Masualle said.
“We can talk about SMME development and support to our various tourism outlets but the crux of the matter remains there still remains a sea of people who leave the province for greener pastures.
“In that regard, we need a rethink countrywide.
“I referred to land. We have reached a point where continuing this way doesn’t work,” Masualle said.
He said the push for the government to re-industrialise some of the old factories would assist with boosting the economy. This, however, reinforced apartheid spatial planning.
“When we re-industrialise, it means deliberate actions and not only in those places that have been developed before.
“Because we tend to be driven by wanting to go to places where there is already some infrastructure.
“It does not take you out of that apartheid spatial plan that brought about this way that our economy has grown.
“The point is that to depart from that requires bold decisions – greenfield areas.
“In our province we speak of the wild coast special economic zone.
“It requires bold decisions to go into greenfield areas so as to recast the prospects of growing the economy instead of continuing in the same old way.”
But despite speaking passionately about this strategy to journalists, Masualle made no mention of it in his speech.
Instead, he used the time to reflect on the Bhisho administration’s past five years in office.
This, as he prepares to step down after the May 8 elections.
“Like athletes in a relay race, today marks the point at which the current administration, true to the dictates of our constitutional order, is getting ready to hand over the baton to the next,” he said.
He said he believed the government had succeeded in making a positive contribution towards bettering the lives of people. This, despite challenges such as a tight fiscal environment, a sluggish economy and long drought.
Speaking on the stalled broadband project, Masualle said the government was forg- ing ahead with the multibillion-rand connectivity project.
“Without broadband connectivity, we cannot participate in the fourth industrial revolution as envisioned in the National Development Plan.
“I am pleased to report that a settlement has been reached.
“We are proceeding with implementing broadband connectivity, beginning with our health and education facilities, which require connectivity to address challenges such as medico-legal claims, digitalisation of our records, skills development as well as lowering the cost of doing business in the province.”
On the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, Masualle said Bhisho was ready to mainstream it to the rest of the province. This would see general practitioners and pharmacy assistants stationed at clinics, he said.
Masualle's address was mostly rejected by opposition parties.
DA provincial leader Nqaba Bhanga said Masualle’s speech was an ANC eulogy.
“The premier's speech is a reflection of how the ANC has failed people. More than one million have lost jobs and many have given up looking for jobs,” Bhanga said.
“Under his leadership our children are in mud schools, they use pit toilets. They promised us they would eradicate mud schools but they have failed,” Bhanga said.
“We have a broken premier here who has broken our province – this is a good riddance and the DA is ready,” Bhanga said.
UDM MPL Thando Mpulu said Masualle's speech failed to introduce anything new.
“This was a motivational speech.”
Mpulu said he would have liked to hear more detail on tourism and jobs.
“The premier had accepted that he has dismally failed this past term,” Mpulu said.
COPE leader in the province Lievie Sharpley said the premier's address was the same as last year.
“We don't believe NHI is going to be implemented, due to finances and the medical battles we are facing.
“I would have thought they would touch on combating crime in the rural areas and also to have satellite stations there to combat that problem,” Sharpley said.
The EFF's Yazini Tetyana said the address was a waste of resources as the premier had only three months left in office and thus could not commit to anything.
“We must just wait until May 8 for the new administration to come in because Masualle was giving an account of the realities of the province and a false one at that.”