EXCO Media Statement

10 May 2018

1. The Executive Council held its ordinary meeting in Mbombela today, Wednesday 09 May 2018, and approved a number of matters.
   
   Assessment of schools qualifying as sport focus schools in all districts


2. The Executive Council approved that the two new soon-to-be constructed boarding schools in the province should be built as sport focus schools with all facilities as determined in the norms and standards, in order to promote different school sport codes in the province.


3. In order for the schools to qualify as sport focus schools, they need to have a rich tradition and history of sport participation in one or more sporting codes, they should have the residential facilities, have a schedule of sport activities to promote ongoing participation by learners.


4. The schools must also have the facilities and equipment to promote participation and develop talent in the sporting codes in which the schools have become reputable on such as athletics, netball, rugby and football.


5. Further, the schools should be able to work closely with the relevant sport federations of various sport codes to ensure that learners access the expertise in the code at least once or twice a week.


6. Currently, there are only five schools in the province that meet the norms as standards. They are the Lowveld High, Rob Ferreira High School, Ligbron Technical School, General Hertzog Hoerskool and Lydenburg Hoerskool.


7. The Executive Council was briefed that the existing boarding schools namely Izimbali, Emakhazeni, Steve Tshwete, Emakhazeni, Shongwe and Sybrand Van Niekerk do meet the minimum requirements to qualify as sport focus schools in the province.


8. The Executive Council approved that the soon-to-be constructed Thaba Chweu and Gert Sibande boarding schools should be built with all facilities determined in the norms and standards to promote different school sport codes in the province.
   
   Roll out plan for the eradication of sanitation backlogs in Mpumalanga schools.


9. The Executive Council noted and approved the Mpumalanga Department of Education’s proposed plan to eradicate schools sanitation backlog in line with the norms and standards as well as the national Department of Basic Education’s sanitation programme.


10. Mpumalanga province has many schools with more than 1 200 unsafe pit toilets, and the Department of Education in the province has been instructed to eradicate all schools’ sanitation backlog utilising the available resources.



ROLL OUT PLAN FOR THE SANITARY TOWELS SPECIAL PROJECT

11. The Executive Council has approved the roll out plan for the affordable sanitary towels by the provincial Department of Social Department to indigent teenage girls and vulenrable young women from poor improverished families.


12. The provincial government aims at distributing at least one milion sanitary towels by year 2020 to curb absenteeism at schools during menstruation period by teenage girls which leads to a critical loss of learning time. This, regrettably impedes the learners’ ability to compete in the classrooms, by leading them to have a low self-esteem as well as high drop-out rate at schools.


13. The roll out plan of the sanitary towels will target school-going girls from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds especially in their puberty. Priority will also be given to learners in the five boarding schools as they accommodate many learners from disadvantage households.


14. The project will be launched in June by the Mpumalanga Premier in June this year.



APPROVAL TO CO-HOST BRICS MINISTERIAL SUMMIT

15. The Executive Council granted approval to the Office of the Premier to co-host technical meetings of the 8th Agriculture Ministerial and Agriculture Cooperation Working Group as per the request of the Minister for the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, by the end of June this year as a build-up to the BRICS Ministerial Summit to be held in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.


16. The meetings serve as an important platform for BRICS member states to strengthen agricultural cooperation and consolidate the agenda for a common agricultural program that seeks to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on food security.


17. They further seek to adopt a common approach that will relax tariff barriers and help to promote trade amongst BRICS member states, and agitate for the establishment of research agenda that will boost agricultural production.


18. It is anticipated that the hosting of an international event of this magnitude will serve as a platform to market to put Mpumalanga on the map in terms of trade, investment and tourism opportunities available in the province.



PROVINCIAL INDABA FOR OLDER PERSONS

19. The Executive Council has granted the approval to the provincial Department of Social Development to host the provincial Indaba for older persons on the 22nd of May 2018.


20. The Indaba is aimed at creating a platform for multi-sectorial planning for the rights of older persons, clarify roles and responsibilities of focal points in relation to programming for older persons as well as presenting the integrated plan of action for older persons for input by stakeholders.


21. The objective of the is to raise awareness on issues affecting older persons, ensure commitment from departments and municipalities on improving the quality of life for older persons and to clarify roles and responsibilities of government departments and other entities on the implementation of programmes for older persons.



APPOINTMENTS

22. Ms Sipho Elizabeth Motau, appointed Deputy Director-General: Clinical Health Services – Department of Health


23. Mr Phaswa Phineas Mamogale, appointed Chief Financial Officer: Department of Health

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