Speech by the Premier of the Northern Cape Ms Hazel Jenkins, on the occasion of the Launch of the new Logo of the Emthanjeni Local Municipality on 15 October 2010

Programme Director

Honourable MEC’s present

Mayor of Emthanjeni, Mr. Kenneth Markman

Mayors

Councillors

Members of the community

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great pleasure and honour for me to celebrate with you the launch of the new logo and brand positioning for the Emthanjeni Municipality which will inevitably set this Municipality and its community on the road to a new, brighter and prosperous future.

The brand positioning that we are witnessing today, is extremely important in the life of any entity because it assists the organisation to assume a new and favourable identity to match the challenges in the 21st century.

Furthermore, the rejuvenation of the area will also serve as a catalyst for growth that will promote the socio- economic status of the area and create numerous job opportunities for the local people.

I wish to appreciatively acknowledge the foresight that you have displayed to restore the confidence and hope in Emthanjeni to its former glory days.

There is no doubt in my mind, that your laudable efforts will go a long way to boost the confidence, raise the morale of the citizens and speed up service delivery to all our people and improve the quality of their lives.

Programme Director, I understand that the municipality had no choice but to replace the old brand structure which comprised multiple identities with the De Aar Logo imposed on Hanover and Britstown. The confusing brand architecture definitely called for realignment and a unified municipal brand identity in line with the consolidation of the three towns into one municipality.

As a municipality that is committed, responsive and dedicated to serve the vast majority of its people, the new brand will distinguish you from other municipalities and allow for a harmonious relationship with the people that it serves.

It will also enable the citizens to clearly associate with it and know what services they should expect from it. This new positioning is also seen as a deliberate and strategic move to project Emthanjeni as a most favourable destination to live and conduct business in.

It is also hoped that this new image will positively influence certain perceptions and attract investors, tourists, traders, entrepreneurs and citizens to invest and live in this beautiful part of the province.

Programme Director, to attain the objectives of creating more jobs, decent work opportunities and sustainable livelihoods, it is important that we create the necessary positive environment and always display a distinct and unambiguous identity that is easily recognisable.

As a government we aim to work together with our people, and ensure that our actions are not only people –centred, but also people –driven.

As the ANC-led government, we constantly seek to connect with the people. We have improved the practice of listening to the people, understanding their concerns and practically taking up issues they have raised hence we are changing the image of the municipality.

Programme Director, I also know that after the brand assessment was done in the Emthanjeni area it clearly indicated that the Emthanjeni area has a poor destination image not supporting its economic, social, political and developmental goals. This poor result necessitated the repositioning of the brand to open up to larger markets.

The municipality shows great potential for repositioning that can be based on multi-sectoral economies. For too long Emthanjeni was positioned on an unbalanced manner, on a single sector i.e. the railways. It was a terrible mistake especially within a developing context to base their destinations on a single sector.

The tragic consequences of such an approach was severe and has led to mass unemployment, acute poverty, underdevelopment and a withdrawal of business and citizens from the area.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in order to advance the present phase in the history of our country and the region in particular, we need to ensure that we successfully implement the five key priorities namely the creation of more jobs, decent work and sustainable livelihoods, improving the quality of education and healthcare for all, promoting rural development and combating crime and corruption. We need to take forward the major task of building a developmental state.

This means that we must build a state that is democratic, people driven and people centred, and we must pursue a sustained development based on an inclusive growth path.

We must in the same spirit involve our people in all the affairs of the municipality to ensure that it enjoys credibility and further strengthen the delivery capacity of the municipality.

Programme Director, I am convinced that through our collective vision and courage and in repositioning the municipality brand, we are on the correct path to stimulate economic growth that will benefit the majority of our people.

I wish you all the success in your endeavours to create a new positive image for Emthanjeni Municipality which will once again create a vibrant and prosperous society that will immensely benefit all our people.

May the municipality grow from strength to strength in achieving its objectives which it has set for itself.

I thank you

Ndiyabulela