Today I have the special pleasure of being part of a celebration that is especially close to my heart. Many of you here today will not know this, but I was born within walking distance from where we are today.
Every visit here brings back special memories.
Having grown up in this area, I know first hand the deprivation caused by apartheid and the former corrupt homeland leaders in this province. Many had to travel huge distances to find jobs creating unhealthy situations here at home, because healthy breadwinners had to leave to find work. Since our first democratic election in 1994, government, together with its partners in the private sector, in Non-Governmental Organisations and in communities has been working hard to correct the imbalances. We have seen massive programmes for housing, electrification, school-feeding schemes and water supply getting under way. With regards to health services, much restructuring had to take place because in the past the hospitals catered mainly for a minority of South Africa's population.