Construction takes place at the Women's Monument in Tshwane
In starting her budget speech, Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development Nandi Mayathula-Khoza, reminded the Gauteng provincial legislature that South Africa celebrates a number of milestones in the coming budget year.
“This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Charter and we are reminded of the call by the Congress of the People that ‘the people shall govern’ — and we are indeed governing. We also commemorate the 39th anniversary of the June 16 1976 uprising, and we salute the heroes and heroine young leaders who contributed to the democracy and freedom we enjoy today, including the fact that indeed ‘the doors of culture and learning have been opened for all’,” she said.
The government, over the past 12 months has visited and engaged with citizens from all corners and sectors of Gauteng. They spoke about their admiration for those who fought and died for freedom and the need to preserve their memory and serve our people with honour. Government’s response was to listen and it has turned around service delivery and infrastructure development in honour of many unsung heroes and heroines of our struggle for freedom and democracy.
In June 2014 Gauteng Premier David Makhura handed over the completed state-of-the-art June 16 Memorial Acre and Youth Institute to the people of Soweto. During this financial year, the premier will hand over another completed memorial, the Boipatong Memorial Acre and Youth Centre, to the people of the Southern Corridor in Sedibeng.
This handover has been delayed by the department’s intervention on non-payment of local subcontractors by the main contractor and on the commitment to ensure establishment of the local brick making project that will supply us with bricks for construction of infrastructure in the province.
In the continued spirit of celebrating the Freedom Charter this year, the Gauteng government will complete the Kagiso Memorial Acre and Sports Facility as well as the Women’s Living Heritage Monument in Tshwane, which is designed and built by business women of Gauteng. This project is aimed at celebrating late and living heroines of our struggle for emancipation of people of South Africa in general and women in particular and it delivers the socioeconomic empowerment of today’s women.