Mpumalanga Cabinet statement
23 October 2008
The Mpumalanga Provincial Government held a two-day working visit to the Govan Mbeki municipality in Secunda. The visit started with the regular executive council meeting yesterday morning and then later Cabinet held a closed session with the local Mayor, Cllr Sipho Nkosi and resident councillors. On the second day, the executive council accompanied by all councillors, held community meetings in various venues throughout the municipality. The executive council outreach forms part of government efforts to strengthen democracy and afford the community an opportunity to direct government policy and shape service delivery programme.
Mpumalanga embarks on accelerated investments promotion drive
Opening yesterday's sitting of cabinet, Mpumalanga Premier Thabang Makwetla briefed cabinet on his two recent international missions to Mozambique and Swaziland.
Mpumalanga recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maputo city province in Mozambique. Amongst other key areas of co-operation it includes immediate interventions in community agriculture. Relating about his visit to the Maputo farming areas, Makwetla said Mpumalanga would soon be deploying expertise in the field of alien infestation control. This will be done under the auspices of the Agricultural Research Council. This is as a result of seasonal pesticides that negatively affect the production season of small-scale community farmers. The MoU also highlights co-operation on one of Africa's biggest spatial development initiatives, the Maputo Development Corridor. The provincial government also included the corridor as one of its flagship interventions aimed at growing the economy and also positioning the region as an attractive route for export promotion. Other areas of co-operation include logistics, health, sports, tourism and business-to-business relations.
The Premier also commented on his recent visit to Swaziland where he was attending the inaugural investment seminar organised by the South African High Commissioner to Swaziland, Mr N Mampane. More than three hundred business people representing both Swaziland and South African business entities attended the seminar. Makwetla said the province need to have a structured framework within which such initiatives are undertaken. The Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA) is expected to play a more prominent role in facilitating similar initiatives in future.
As part of on-gong efforts to lure trade, investments and strengthen bilateral relations between Mpumalanga and international partners, Premier Makwetla, (accompanied by the MEC for economic development and planning, Craig Padayachee, MEC for Education, Mmathulare Coleman and MEC for Public Works Madala Masuku) is expected to lead a high level government and business delegation next week (26 October 2008 till 4 November 2008) to visit the Chongqing Municipal Government and Sichuan province in the People's Republic of China. The provincial chairperson and treasurer of National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC), Mr M Mabuza and Ms T Mashiane will represent the business delegation respectively. The visit, aimed at renewing the two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), will also include a visit to agricultural and industrial projects. The areas of co-operation will be on agriculture, education, human resource development, and the strengthening of business-to-business partnerships.
The delegation will also participate in the celebration of the national South Africa-China 10 year anniversary of diplomatic relations.
R22 million investments in youth empowerment
Mpumalanga provincial government will spend R22 million and train a total of 370 young people as part of the "Masupatsela Youth Pioneers" programme.
The programme is targeting unemployed youth from the communities that have been rated with acute levels of poverty and under development. In Mpumalanga, young people have been recruited from Nkomazi, Dr JS Moroka, Thembisile and Bushbuckridge municipalities. The groundbreaking training initiative is expected to mitigate the skills shortage and provide auxiliary support functions in the social services professions. Upon completion the pioneers will be involved in auditing and registering Early Childhood Centres (ECD), environmental cleanliness and profiling households.
The training, to be conducted under the supervision of two Cuban experts, is modelled along the Cuban social work programme.
The programme will be launched on 24 October 2008 at the Nsikazi stadium in the Mbombela Municipality.
Gambling Bill referred to Parliament
The executive council approved the introduction of the Mpumalanga Gambling Amendment Bill, 2008 in the Provincial Legislature following an opportunity for public comments that were closed on 8 August 2008.
The Bill seeks to affect an increase in application fees for bookmakers and the annual license fee. This follows a comparative study that was undertaken with other provinces by the Department of Economic Development and Planning. The benchmark focused on general horse racing and betting fees.
Government employees to graduate
Cabinet congratulated the graduates of the Executive Development Programme (EDP) that forms part of Accelerated Capacity Building Flagship project. More than 40 government employees have successfully concluded three modules focusing on financial management, public management, map processing and growth and development. The courses were offered by, amongst others, Wits University and Regenesys. The provincial government has spent a total of R18 million for the EDP training. In 2005, the provincial government conducted the first skills audit to be undertaken within the public sector. The independent survey revealed that more than 70 percent of top management echelons in the province lacked the requisite level of skills to deliver services in an efficient manner. As a result, the training programme under the framework of the accelerated capacity building flagship was developed as a remedial intervention. The flagship is aimed at enhancing the capacity of the provincial administration to deliver quality services and it forms part of the big five provincial flagship projects that are aimed at growing the regional economy and also address the challenges of underdevelopment. Other flagship projects include the Maputo Development Corridor, Moloto Rail Development Corridor, Water for All and the Heritage, Greening Mpumalanga and Tourism.
As part of the 'Accelerated capacity building flagship', cabinet also approved that six curriculum implementers and four cluster leaders be permitted to undergo training in mathematics and science during November and December in Japan.
Mpumalanga Department of Education and the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) entered into an agreement to strengthen the Mpumalanga Secondary Science Initiative (MSSI) project by sending ten officials every year to receive training on classroom practice through school based and cluster based lesson study processes in Japan.
Helicopter crash
Cabinet furthermore expressed sympathy and condolences to the families and next of kin of those who were affected by the death of three people who died following an alleged helicopter crash on 18 October 2008. According to reports, the helicopter took off at Steelpoort and crashed when it got trapped on an electric wire, and burnt beyond recognition with three bodies inside. This accident happened when the helicopter on its way to inspect a smallholding, flew down a kloof opposite the Spekbocm River and collided with an electric wire at the Lydenburg Sambre Mines in the Thaba Chweu Municipality.
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Issued by: Office of the Premier