March 12, 2014
Speech by the Executive Deputy Mayor, Alderman Ian Neilson
Bursary Awards ceremony
Good afternoon, and a special welcome to our new bursary winners.
It is wonderful to be addressing you today, as you begin this part of your
academic journey.
I hope you are as pleased to become a part of this programme as we are
to have you.
As a City, we realise that it is only through improvements, innovation,
investing in our staff and skills developments that we can realise our
vision for Cape Town.
That vision begins with five pillars. These are the Opportunity City, the
Safe City, the Inclusive City, the Caring City and the Well-run City.
The first pillar, the Opportunity City, is demonstrated here today. It
encapsulates our commitment to building a City that offers opportunities
for all our citizens to live a life of value.
The core focus of the Opportunity City is to create an economic enabling
environment in which investment can grow and jobs can be created.
This means providing people with opportunities with which they can
develop. We realise our vision for an Opportunity City through such
projects as this, our external bursaries programme.
We know that there is no opportunity like an educational opportunity,
which brings with it the chance to improve our skills and develop new
ones.
Success is always borne of grabbing chances that come our way and
committing to making the most of them.
I must applaud you all for doing just that. When I look around, I feel
confident that each of you will become an asset to this City and that you
will take the work we do here, to new heights.
For those of you that are new to the City, today you commit to becoming
part of the best run metro in South Africa. This is not just my opinion, but
is agreed by a number of independent analysts.
We have received our 10th unqualified audit, a record for a Metro in South
Africa. We are delivering at an unprecedented rate to all our residents
with a particular focus on those that require the most help, we are
investing in infrastructure across the City and engaging with all
communities to address their needs, as far as we are able. We have
invested over R20 billion in infrastructure in this city over the past 5
years.
That said our ultimate vision for Cape Town is a long term one. We know
that, because of our unequal past and the unique circumstances of our
present, we have many challenges to overcome.
We must continue to use all our available resources to lay the groundwork
so that those that come after us inherit a City that has travelled a
significant way towards true diversity, delivery, redress and reconciliation.
Congratulations on your achievement. Thank you for committing to help
us make this great City, even greater.
Thank you very much