Special Cabinet Meeting
12 March 2014
Special Cabinet Meeting
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 4910163
E-mail: zmncwango@mpg.gov.za