MPUMALANGA EXCO MEDIA STATEMENT
11 December 2014
Thank you members of the media for coming to this press conference, which follows the Executive Council Meeting, which took, place yesterday, 10 December 2014.
During the deliberations at yesterday’s meeting, the Executive Council took some time to wish all the citizens and the travellers who will be visiting our beautiful province, the Place of the Rising Sun, a happy and safe holidays during the festive season.
The Executive Council further called for calm and patience on the roads by the road users during the festive season in order to ensure that they and their passengers arrive in their destinations safe and alive.
The Executive Council also cautioned the road users to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy before undertaking their trips, and should refrain from overloading, drinking alcohol and texting while driving in order to ensure again safe travelling.
Report on the inventory of stock at the Provincial Disaster Management Centre
The Executive Council has considered and noted the inventory of the relief material procured for the Provincial Disaster Management Centre as presented by the provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The material will readily be available at the end of the month, December 2014, at the Provincial Disaster Management Centre to give relief to the citizens who could be affected by the flood disasters, which naturally hit the province around January and February every year.
The material comprises of the collapsible structures, tents, tarpaulins, water purification sachets and sleeping sponges. The department has further acquired a system that would be able to detect the weather patterns that will assist with early warnings, and this will alert and move communities to safer areas before the disasters could strike.
Terms of reference for the establishment of the KwaZulu-Natal/ Mpumalanga inter-provincial forum
The Executive Council was briefed on the progress with regards to the establishment of the KwaZulu-Natal-Mpumalanga Inter-Provincial Forum. The Forum emanates from both the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Senzo Mchunu and his Mpumalanga counterpart Premier David Mabuza having a keen interest to pursue seamless integrated development and sustainable livelihoods in order to benefit the citizens of their provinces.
The two Premiers agreed in April this year to adopt and establish the KwaZulu-Natal-Mpumalanga Inter-Provincial Forum in terms of Section 22 of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act No. 13 of 2005, with the intention to create a responsive and cohesive delivery machinery to improve the lives of people in both provinces.
The Forum will be founded to develop a comprehensive and integrated programme of action, which with time bound and action based, it will focus on among other things, economic integration, infrastructure development, provision of basic services and social mobilisation behind the vision of the National Development Plan.
The Forum will be a consultative structure to facilitate information sharing, co-operation and planning on matters of mutual interest. As a consultative intergovernmental structure, the Inter-Provincial Forum will have no power or authority to take binding decisions, but may propose and submit recommendations to the respective provincial executive councils for consideration and resolution.
The focus of the Forum will further be on, but not restricted to matters related to enhancing co-operation on the promotion of trade and production of commodities, in an endeavour to maximise economies of scale in the development of product and produce, and securing export markets, as well as alignment of strategic development corridors.
There will also be a specific focus on collaboration with agricultural production and agri-processing opportunities, conservation and tourism, which will be aimed at promoting cross boundary and sub-regional conservation and tourism opportunities. This will at the same time create opportunities for marketing and promotion of passenger and freight transport logistics and infrastructure, in an effort to enhance the movement of people, goods and services between the two provinces.
The signing ceremony for the establishment of the Inter-Provincial Forum will take place towards the end of January 2015 by both premiers.
Community Sports Strategy
The Executive Council approved the Community Sports Strategy, which is aimed at delivering the community sport and recreation, as these could be utlised to reach the out-of-school youth and ensure that there is vibrant participation in sport and recreation in the province.
The Strategy seeks to develop and enhance the sport and recreation capabilities of the people of Mpumalanga. The strategy comprises of three components, which are community sport, recreation and school sport.
The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Recreation has again been tasked to establish a Schools’ Sports League in collaboration with the provincial Department of Education. The League will target various sporting codes and will be run throughout the year.
The Provincial Government Performance Monitoring Report
The Executive Council was briefed on the strategy to reduce recruitment and vacancy rate in the provincial government and that all departments successfully have the selection and recruitment policies in place as a requirement.
The Executive Council also urged both the departments of Health and Human Settlements to speedily fill in the vacant funded posts as their vacancy rates are at 24 and 26 percent respectively. The accepted national norm is 10 percent.
With regards to reducing the municipal debt by the provincial and national government departments respectively, the Executive Council has urged departments to pay their debts owed to the municipalities.
An amount of R211 million was owed to the municipalities. To date, the provincial government had paid at least R44 million as at the end of the second quarter of the current financial year. The Executive Council has urged all government departments to pay their debt as such affected their operations.
The Executive Council expressed some satisfaction that the senior managers timeously submitted their financial disclosures
Progress Report on Mr Saul Mkhize’s Statue
The Executive Council was briefed about the honouring of the late Mr Saul Mkhize, which is one milestone of the Mpumalanga Province in developing the provincial chapter on liberation heritage.
Saul Mkhize was one of the struggle heroes who dissented the former government’s commitment to apartheid by separating black and white in a bid to establish “Black Spots”.
As a way of celebrating the 20 years of democracy, the provincial government took a resolution to honour and monumentalize the memory and legacy of Mr Saul Mkhize
A three-metre statue has been designed with the assistance of his family and will be erected at his home area of Driefontein, in Mkhondo municipality early next year in his honour at a local Thusong Centre.
Day of Reconciliation Celebration
The Executive Council has approved the hosting of the provincial celebration of the Day of Reconciliation, which will be held at Siyathemba Stadium in Dipaliseng Municipality at Gert Sibande District Municipality Tuesday, on 16 December 2014.
The national theme for this year’s celebration is “Social Cohesion and National Unity in the 20 Years of Democracy”.
Appointments
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 OR zibonelemncwango@gmail.com
