Special Cabinet Meeting
12 March 2014
The executive council held a special
cabinet meeting today [Wednesday, 12 March 2014] in Nelspruit and
acknowledged that its work was coming to a close as their term of office was
ending shortly after the elections in May.
Cabinet agreed that although the
country was already in an electioneering period, the provincial government
should not abdicate its work unless instructed.
The Mpumalanga Provincial Land
Summit
Cabinet approved the hosting of a
Mpumalanga Provincial Land Summit in June this year, in order to gather
views to educate communities about latest policy developments.
The Summit is expected to educate
communities on new land reform policy developments and progress made by
government in addressing the land question in the country.
Inputs by relevant stakeholders will
guide the province in the planning and the implementation of post settlement
support programmes and guide the sector departments when drafting
implementation plans.
The Mpumalanga Provincial Land
Summit is planned and proposed to be held in Mbombela Local Municipality and
the confirmed date will be communicated in due course.
Takeover of Matikwana Hospital by
provincial government
Cabinet was apprised on the progress
made with regards to the takeover of a Matikwana Hospital by the Mpumalanga
provincial government from Life Esidimeni (Pty) Ltd. In September last year,
Cabinet directed that the Department of Health should take over the hospital
operations at Matikwana.
Matikwana is a district hospital
located at Mkhuhlu just outside Hazyview, and was erected as per an
agreement which was entered into around February 1987 between the former
homeland government of Gazankulu and a private company Smit Mitchel
Organisation. The company later changed and transferred the agreement to
Life Esidimeni (Pty) Ltd.
In terms of the agreement between
the parties, the landlord [government] set aside and allocated property at
no cost to the tenant [company] for its exclusive use for the purpose of
erecting a hospital. Further the tenant was to have the use of the hospital
on completion of construction and installation of the equipment and
appliances for a period of 25 years.
After the dawn of democracy and new
dispensation, a portion of former Gazankulu was later incorporated in
Mpumalanga province in year 2006. Consequently the provincial Department of
Heath assumed the government jurisdiction of the agreement over the areas of
the former government of Gazankulu and inherited all the rights and
obligations.
In anticipation of a smooth
hand-over of the contract, the department of health has developed a takeover
plan which includes setting aside an operational budget of R155 million for
the hospital. The organisational structure of the facility has also been
reviewed and aligned to other district hospitals’ structures.
The Department of Health relies on
the current Life Esidimeni personnel to be offered employment and continue
rendering services as from the beginning of April next month. The employees
will be offered jobs according to the Department of Health’s conditions of
employment.
Commissioning of an economic
study for the fourth Mpumalanga casino licence
The executive council has tasked the
Mpumalanga Gambling Board to commission an economic study around the
province in an effort to award the last casino licence in an appropriate
place and to a suitable bidder.
The Mpumalanga Gambling Board was
allocated four casino licenses in terms of the National Gambling Act [Act 7
of 2004]. The province has successfully rolled out and licenced three
casinos which are Emnothweni in Ehlanzeni, The Ridge in Nkangala and
Graceland in Gert Sibande districts.
An economic study will assist the
executive council to provide guidance on the next venue for the casino
licence based on economic spinoffs and benefits for the communities.
Provincial Disaster Management
Report
Cabinet was briefed on the natural
disasters caused by the heavy rains and floods affecting the province. To
date 11 fatalities caused by drowning have been recorded in Mpumalanga
province thus far.
One reported person was still
missing while 10 other people have been rescued by the provincial response
teams since the rains started. All the dams in the province are reportedly
above 100 percent full.
Cabinet has promptly dispatched a
special political and technical team comprising of four members of the
executive and their heads of the departments to visit all three affected
municipalities [Nkomazi, Mkhondo and Bushbuckridge] to assess the extent of
the damage caused by the rain as 254 houses are reportedly flooded.
The weather service has predicted
that the skies in Mpumalanga will only clear up as from Friday and Saturday;
communities on low lying areas and those in the flood line have been warned
to remain on high alert.
The executive council has further
conveyed its condolences to the bereaved families.
Appointments
1.
Ms Lucky Moeketsi – Contract extended for a period of
6months as CEO for the Accelerated Capacity Building Flagship Project
[Department of Education]
2.
Dr Mandlenkosi Maphanga – appointed
Superintendent-General
[Department of Health]
Issued by Zibonele Mncwango
Spokesperson: Mpumalanga Premier
Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Office of the Premier
Tel: (013) 766 2453
Mobile: 079 491 0163
E-mail: zmncwango@mpg.gov.za