Members of the Executive Council present here today,
The Director General,
Heads of Departments,
Executive and Senior Management,
Members of the Media gathered here today, and those joining us through various media
platforms,
Bagaetsho dumelang,
Programme Director, we are gathered here today on the second installment of our quarterly engagements with members of the media but critically to report to the people of this province on the work we continue to carry out in addressing challenges afflicting our communities as well as the plans and commitments we have initiated to change their lives for the better.
Bagaetsho, today we meet on a sombre mood following the passing of the former Executive Mayor of Madibeng Local Municipality, Jostine Mothibe who tragically died in a horrific car accident this past weekend.
We also take this opportunity to pay homage to our struggle veteran, Gerson Moagi from Gopane village near Zeerust.
Ntate Moagi who passed away at the age of eighty-one was one of the first combatants of Luthuli Detachment and left the country with Kgosi Ramotshere Molioa in the 1960’s after the latter was forced into exile by the then apartheid government.
May their souls rest in peace.
Programme Director, as the Provincial Executive Council we take this opportunity to congratulate the people of Botswana and President Duma Boko and the entire leadership following the country’s elections.
The people of North West and Botswana share deep historical and cultural ties which span over decades and we believe that the outcome of this democratic exercise will cement and strengthen economic ties between our province and the people of Botswana for mutual benefit.
Bagaetsho, we started the 7th Administration on a positive note following our recent engagement with the Auditor General, Tsakani Maluleke in Klerksdorp.
The 2023/24 audit cycle which ended on 31 March 2024 serves as a glimmer of hope when compared to previous financial years.
This is because a total of nine (9) departments received unqualified audit outcomes with two receiving clean audits and only one department receiving a qualified audit opinion with reduced qualification paragraphs.
This foundation has eased our transition as we managed to finalize and table the 2024/2025 Provincial Budget by focusing primarily on the immediate task of rolling out key service delivery programmes as well as job creation.
Similarly audit outcomes in Municipalities continue to demonstrate signs of improvement as some have been able to move out of the negative audit category.
Of the twenty-two (22) municipalities, twenty-one (21) submitted Annual Financial Statements for the 22/23 financial year with an exception of Ditsobotla Local Municipality.
Three (3) municipalities, namely; Dr Kenneth Kaunda, City of Matlosana and Moses Kotane obtained unqualified opinions in 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years.
Progress was also registered in Moretele Local Municipality which moved from Qualified to Unqualified, Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality from Adverse to Qualified and lastly Kgetleng-Rivier Local Municipality from Disclaimer to Qualified Audit outcomes.
All these efforts are as a consequence of the Financial Recovery Plans that we have initiated through the deployment of Provincial Executive Representatives in line with National Treasury Guidelines, as we believe that it is important for these municipalities to adopt sustainable and funded budgets to meet the developmental needs of our residents.
The stabilization of these municipalities has enabled us to focus our energies on rolling- out various water and sanitation projects at a cost of over sixty-six million rand benefiting over forty-one thousand residents.
Through our Bi-Weekly Thuntsha-Lerole initiative we officially opened a ninety-seven-million-rand bulk sewer and water reticulation project at Rekgaratllile township near Stella in Naledi Local Municipality.
Similar projects are being implemented while some have been completed in Moretele, Kgetleng, Ramotshere Moiloa, Mahikeng, Matlosana, Tswaing, Greater Taung and Kagisamo-Molopo Local Municipalities and in total twenty-nine water projects are being rolled out across the province.
Ladies and Gentlemen, unemployment is a cause for concern in our province, hovering around fifty-four percent. Moreover, more than half of the province’s population are suffering from severe hunger.
In response to the latter, the provincial government has initiated food distribution programmes to assist families in need.
Through the Presidential Stimulus Package for the 2024/2025 period, R48m has been allocated to the province targeting 2400 households through commodities such as vegetables and fruits, grains, broilers and small stock aquaculture & fisheries.
We also paid a visit to the Taung Irrigation Scheme to find lasting solutions to challenges confronting farmers in the area.
In due course we will be announcing intervention measures that will benefit over 2700 farmers who are dependent on the scheme.
In addressing challenges of unemployment, we have appointed the Premier’s Economic and Investment Advisory Council to assist the province drive the growth and development path of our province through the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy.
To date we have garnered investments to the tune of over ten billion rand in the N14 Mixed Development, Manufacturing as well as Renewable Energy.
We have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Henan province of China and renewed our economic ties with the Gyeosangbuk-Do province of South Korea during our visit to the two countries.
These efforts will culminate into various investment opportunities that will create employment for the people of this province and address high levels of poverty and unemployment afflicting our communities.
On Monday I met with the with Chief Executive Officers of leading Indian companies in the country through the Indian Business Forum and they have also expressed interest in investing in Agriculture, Tourism, and Mining which are primarily the province’s economic drivers.
We also advertised over two hundred and forty funded vacant posts across all the departments of government targeting vulnerable groups such as women, youth and people with disabilities to take a lead in job creation.
In mitigating the impact of poverty and hunger in our communities we have set aside over two hundred and eighty million to bolster subsistence, smallholder and commercial farmers to enhance and boost food production in the next financial year.
Programme Director, our investment drive will only find traction if we prioritize infrastructure development particularly through the construction and upgrading of our roads.
We have managed to introduce contractors to various communities for the construction of several road projects including the upgrading of Road P202 in Ramokokastad in partnership with Anglo Platinum, who have contributed R50 million towards the project.
Furthermore, the upgrading of Road D533 from the Manamakgotheng intersection through Sandfontein to Dikweipi, where Anglo Platinum as contributed R108 million towards this project is in full swing.
The provincial government also opened a completed one hundred and ninety million rand second phase road construction project between Schweizer Reneke and Christiana in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality.
Maubane community in Moretele Local Municipality was also handed over the newly repaired D625 road which was upgraded at the cost of over forty-seven million rand.
This is over and above the several roads that we have been officially handed over across the province since June this year, with a combined total of over R1,1 billion.
Bagaetsho, we take this opportunity to commend the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force in their unwavering commitment to root out illegal mining activities in the province and in particular City of Matlosana Local Municipality.
To date close to one thousand illegal miners affectionately known as Zama-Zamas have been arrested through Operation Vala Umgodi at this Municipality.
This ongoing operation forms part of the Safer Festive strategy, which will run for 123 days until the end of January next year.
This is an all-inclusive crime fighting initiative which is centered on tackling illicit mining, murder, attempted murder, rape, gender based violence and femicide, drug offences, illegal dealing in liquor and burglaries as well as traffic violations and illegal immigration among others.
In combating the scourge of Gender-based Violence and Femicide we have opened a safe house, donated by Anglo American, in Rustenburg to protect vulnerable women and children, providing among others psycho-social services, trauma counselling, long term accommodation for victims of GBV.
Acknowledging scholar transport challenges, government has advertised to contract a panel of operators who will be called at a short notice whenever an operator has not transported leaners. There are other measures including termination of service level agreement whenever there are contraventions.
Bagaetsho, we take this opportunity to applaud tavern owners and their continued support by reducing their business operating hours and other activities during these matric examinations.
We also extend our gratitude to Dikgosi tsa rona tse di tlotlegang, School Governing Bodies, Parents, Faith-based organisations and Youth organizations.
Our preparations for the 2024 National Senior Certificate (Grade 12) examinations and the implementation thereof has so far not experienced any incident, both from a policy or operational perspective.
We congratulate the Department on the successful launch of its ground-breaking Mother –Tongue Bilingual Education which is primarily aimed at offering Mathematics, Natural Science and Technology in mother tongue.
Ladies and Gentlemen, upon assuming office as Chairperson of the Provincial Council on Aids (PCA) after the National and Provincial Elections, and recognizing that the council’s five-year term had expired, we have appointed new members at both provincial and district levels, including mayors and key committee members, to ensure new leadership and continuity across the council’s governance structures.
We are resolving all bottlenecks, including staff recruitment and securing financing. With this proactive approach, we aim to streamline PCA’s operations and ensure adequate resources are available for effective service delivery.
In conclusion I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for being part of this briefing, which coincides with our 100 days in Office since the advent of this administration following the National and Provincial Elections early this year.
We believe that the media remains an important embodiment of our democratic gains in holding us accountable while taking into cognizance progress registered on the plans we have set out to do in addressing challenges stifling our developmental trajectory.
I thank you!
