Statement of the Mpumalanga Executive Council
10 September 2009
Mpumalanga remains serious and steadfast
on ensuring Good Governance and capacity building for service
delivery improvement
In the Executive Council of the 10th of
September 2009, the Premier of Mpumalanga, D.D. Mabuza requested
Members of the Executive Council to assess all systems of
recruitment and dispute resolution mechanisms in the departments
and strengthen them where they are weak. Premier Mabuza made
this request after he took time to read various Public Service
Reports, which notes individuals who have lodged various
complains about recruitments in various departments. The Premier
further requested Members of the Executive Council to identify
areas that might require attention in the endeavor to strengthen
Good Governance in the province.
The Executive Council decided to send 20
government officials to Germany for training as part of the
capacity-building programme and to strengthen good governance.
The 20 officials are part of the 100 that have completed three
parts of the programme. In the course of their study they were
exposed to theory, experiential learning both at the provincial
and national levels. They are now sent for the last lap of the
programme, which is the international exposure. The programme
was started because of a skills audit that was done in the 3rd
term of the Democratic government and was endorsed by the
current Executive Council.
The Executive Council welcomed the
progress made with regard to dealing with improprieties in
Government. Recently, Government has just suspended about 13
officials in the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport
on suspicion of corrupt activities. This is just another sign of
the intolerance of the Executive Council of Mpumalanga towards
corruption in the government administration.
Mpumalanga Enhance Guest Relations in
tourism
Furthermore, the Executive Council has
approved the sending of 10 unemployed tourism graduates for
placement in the USA as part of the National Department of
Tourism and JIPSA. The available placement facilities include
the Carlton Hotel and Resorts Worldwide; the Mariot
(International); and the Whistler Blackcomb (Canada).
The province is establishing new information centres as
part of enhancing tourism, in Komatipoort, Badplaas, Acornhoek,
Machado and Middleburg.
The provincial candidates will be focusing
on the front Desk and guest relations. On coming back the
graduates will be placed for a period of a year in the newly
established information centres.
Mpumalanga Welcomes in the province a new
partner in Economic Development
The Mpumalanga Executive Council has
welcomed the move by the Industrial Development Corporation
(IDC) to establish a regional office for the first time in
Mpumalanga. This was revealed in the interaction the province
had with the Corporation as part of a process of mobilizing
partners in economic Development. The IDC has decided to be more
involved in Mpumalanga with an intention to strengthen their
regional development strategies aligned to the Provincial Growth
and development Strategy of the province. The
regional office is envisaged to proactively identify and drive
new business development and opportunities, provide Business
Support and Stake Holder Relations.
The IDC is already having some serious
foot prints in Mpumalanga in the areas of mining and
beneficiation, wood and paper, tourism, Food Beverage and Agro,
Franchising, techno Industries and Chemicals. All these
initiatives have created job opportunities of about 12 534. The
Executive Council welcomed this and the financing of individual
initiatives to the tune of R168.8m and created further 254 job
opportunities.
The IDC has also already invested a total
of R3.43m towards supporting the process of establishing viable
development agencies in Mbombela, Umjindi and Thaba Chweu. The
IDC invested a further R11.2 million through the its social
investment programme, including R1.2 million worth of equipment
to four schools in the province for a period of 3 to 5 years.
“We appreciate the gesture
by you deciding to be part of our endeavors to develop our
economy and create jobs. The people of this province will
appreciate it very much and I am looking forward to meeting you
again at the Launch of the office by the end of September, as
invited. No doubt that the business people of Mpumalanga will
benefit from the presence of the IDC in Mpumalanga and we call
on SMME’s to take an advantage of this and make the best out of
it” The Premier of Mpumalanga David Mabuza concluded.
Celebrating Mpumalanga heritage through
The province will celebrate the Heritage
Day at Kghodwana Cultural Village in the Thembisile Hani
Municipality at the Nkangala District Municipality on the 24th
of September 2009.
The Executive Council approved the
appointment of the following senior managers:
1.
Mr. K.S. Dongo as Director Research Technology and Development
in the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land
affairs.
2.
Mr. T.L. Ramathikithi as Director for Legal Services in the
Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land affairs.
3.
Mr. E.P. Mnisi as Director Agribusiness and Marketing in the
Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Affairs.
Inquiries
Mabutho Sithole
The Premier's Spokesperson
Cell: 082 3893348
Issued by the Office of the Mpumalanga
Premier