Mpumalanga Executive Statement
4 December 2008
The Mpumalanga executive council is on a two day working visit to the Delmas municipality in Nkangala District. The visit forms part of a regular cabinet-community outreach program wherein the provincial cabinet visits various municipalities throughout the province in an effort to assess progress and challenges arising out service delivery campaigns.
The first day of the outreach started yesterday with a regular executive sitting and was followed by a joint working session between the Cabinet and the hosting municipality's councillors. Today, the Premier, all MEC's and local councillors are deployed to different venues throughout the municipality to conduct public meetings, commonly referred to as Izimbizo.
Mpumalanga remembers Dr Motlana
As part of nation-wide activities to mourn this week's passing of a well known medical and community activist, Dr Nthato Motlana, the Mpumalanga Provincial Cabinet, before starting its regular business, observed a brief moment of silence in his honour at Delmas this morning.
Premier Makwetla said Dr Motlana was a renowned community leader and a stalwart of the liberation struggle. "He is one of the individuals who cannot be ignored with regard to crucial leadership interventions during the time when other African National Congress (ANC) leaders had gone into exile whilst others were imprisoned. Also after 1976, he became instrumental in ensuring that communities didn't feel the void left by the formal absence of ANC leaders" he said.
"On education and civic matters, he was very critical and became relied upon nationally by many activists who sought direction and advices. With initiatives by black business, at the height of apartheid oppression, he worked together with other stalwarts like Dr Sam Motsuenyane, to mobilise for and strengthen NAFCOC" said Makwetla.
"A man of conscience, a true patriot in a real sense of the word" he concluded.
Mpumalanga intensifies efforts to fight HIV and AIDS
Following the recent commemoration of the World AIDS Day on 1 December, the Mpumalanga Provincial Government has moved in swiftly to review and re align the institutional set up established to conduct political oversight and give strategic direction in the implementation of the national AIDS strategy.
The assessment of the 2000 to 2005 National Strategic Plan has accorded the country and the province an opportunity to define challenges and capacities of various implementing agencies.
As a result, the provincial AIDS Council has been restructured to comprise of all MEC's, District Mayors, Head of Departments (HODs), Municipal managers and civil society. The council, to be chaired by the premier, is expected to meet twice in a year and similar structures will be rolled out at district and local level.
The council will establish a permanent secretariat responsible for the day to day operations of the council in the provincial Department of Health and will report directly to the MEC for Health and Social Development, Mr Fish Mahlalela.
Amongst other objectives, the council is expected to oversee the implementation of the National Strategic Plan by monitoring the prevention and reduction of the number of HIV infections, promoting multi-sectoral education and awareness, enhance the role of indigenous knowledge systems and increase access of comprehensive HIV and AIDS services, particularly in rural areas.
Maputo Development Corridor flagship launch
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government, led by Premier Thabang Makwetla, will launch one of its 'big five' flagship projects known as the Maputo Development Corridor.
Regarded as one of the largest spatial investment initiatives in the Southern Africa region, the corridor links the Maputo harbour through a road to Mpumalanga and Gauteng. The provincial government has recently commissioned an economic scoping study on behalf of all the municipalities situated along the N4 corridor in order to unlock the economic competitive edges of each municipality.
The flagship is a new provincial initiative to enhance the economic potential of the of the Maputo Corridor and unlock its potential to make a lasting impact in support other government efforts to grow the regional economy and increase opportunities for decent jobs in the province.
In recent times, Mpumalanga Province renewed and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maputo city province and the Maputo province as part of efforts to maximise investment opportunities along the corridor.
Among other sub-projects of the Maputo Development Corridor Flagship, to be unveiled, they include but not limited to, the food technology centre, tourism info centre at the Lebombo border, truck stops and rest areas along the N4, English-Portuguese Language Institute, freight and logistics call centre.
The function will be held on 9 December 2008 at Emnotweni Arena in Nelspruit.
The 'big five' flagships were adopted by the provincial cabinet in September 2006 and announced by the premier when he delivered the 2007 State of the Province address. The flagships include the Maputo and Moloto Development Corridors, Water for All, Accelerated Capacity Building, Heritage-Greening Mpumalanga and Tourism.
Enquiries:
Ntime Skhosana
Tel: 013 766 2055
Cell: 082 496 6875
Issued by: Office of the Premier