Good day to members of the media gathered here this afternoon, Members of the Executive Council, Director General, Heads of the Departments, Senior Management and all of you ladies and gentlemen.
I wish to take this opportunity on behalf of government and the people of the North-West to thank each and everyone who have accepted the invitation to serve in the Premier’s Economic and Investment Advisory Council.
It takes great courage and determination for one to make himself / herself available to serve in an economic advisory structure of a province which has the largest unemployment rate in the country and even higher amongst the youth.
The latest Quarterly Labour Survey Force by Statistic South Africa paints a grim picture about the standard of living in our province with the expanded unemployment rate sitting at 54%. Thirty thousand more people in the North-West have joined the ranks of the unemployed.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this inaugural meeting of the Council impresses upon us to talk less and get into action.
We are facing a provincial emergency of disastrous proportions which challenges us to expedite intervention measures aimed at finding solutions to our ailing economy and the poverty afflicting our provincial population.
Programme Director, the Provincial Government has prepared the groundwork for this Council by revising the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, reviewing the functionality of our state-owned entities, and developing a provincial mega infrastructure projects implementation plan.
We are quite aware that as experts in your respective fields, you may find some shortcomings with some of these initiatives.
We respect your professional and technical independence and will value your advice. This Council is free to robustly review any economic policy / plan whose implementation will not translate to any improvement to our situation.
Our plea is that where changes are required it should be limited to sharpening our implementation tools and not rehashing existing plans.
We have adopted a complex balancing act approach of fusing change and continuity to limit the time spent on planning.
Therefore, any proposals we make should appreciate the enormity of the challenge we face – the 54% unemployment rate.
The composition of this Council is intended to facilitate cooperation and collaboration across economic sectors.
Government alone will not achieve much. We are limited by the constraints of our fiscal size in comparison to other provinces.
Over 60% of our provincial budget is consumed internally through funding government administrative costs and salaries.
However, we have a great potential as a province to revive our economy, industries and create jobs.
There are signs of recovery but not at the pace and scale required to make an impact.
If we introduce correct policies and plans, the agricultural industry is expected to attract investments to the tune of over R10 billion, followed by the construction sector at R6.6.
This will result in the creation of over 50 000 job opportunities.
There are opportunities to revive and harness the diverse offerings of our tourism industry which could leverage an annual growth rate of 5% by 2030 with a potential investment value of R39 billion where over 100 000 jobs could be created.
Colleagues, these projects and many of the plans we have designed may be well intended but if not properly modeled and analysed they will not result into anything tangible.
I am happy that we have invited and have been joined by men and women of stature with extensive industry and technical expertise to turn our dreams into reality.
I wish to warn you in advance that the announcement of this Council today will spike confidence from the people, and they expect to see results sooner than we may be able to deliver.
We urge you to listen to the people, even in their impatience, they will support the work of this Council and provide much needed support in seeing to the realisation of the plans we have set for ourselves.
Our people mean well, and they are right to refuse to listen to excuses anymore.
The natural resources of this province should not be a curse but a blessing that must assist us to create various economic opportunities for our people.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it now gives great pleasure to announce the names of the Members of the Premier’s Economic and Investment Advisory Council as follows:
1. Professor John Lamola
2. Professor Thabo Thekiso
3. Professor Raymond Parsons
4. Professor Mogadi Malope
5. Mr Kopano Konopi
6. Mr Kelepile Dintwe
7. Mr Willem De Chanonnes
8. Mr Zwelibanzi Mantambo
9. Ms Nolitha Fakude
This Council will also comprise of the following Members of the Executive Council:
1. Ms Bitsa Lenkopane
2. Mr Madoda Sambatha
3. Mr Wessels Morweng
4. Mr Oageng Molapisi
5. Ms Viola Motsumi
6. Ms Kenetswe Mosenogi
7. Ms Elizabeth Mokua
I take this opportunity to welcome you all to this important Council.
I wish you great success as we forge ahead with our commitment to change the lives of our people for the better.
ENDS
Issued by Office of the Premier
For enquiries contact
Mr. Sello Tatai
Spokesperson to the Premier
North West Provincial Government
Cell: 064 756 2510/082 450 7842
E-mail: statai3@gmail.com
or
Mr Brian Setswambung
Provincial Head of Communication
Office of the Premier
North West Provincial Government
Cell: 076 012 4501
E-mail: bsetswambung@nwpg.gov.za
