Premier Ndlovu sets record straight over the establishment of the Project Monitoring Unit
10 March 2025The Mpumalanga Premier, Mr Mandla Ndlovu has noted with grave concern a misleading report in the media with a reference to the Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit to be established in the Office of the Premier (OTP). A Sunday publication suggests that Premier Ndlovu is facing a backlash over an alleged power grab through a plan to establish the Unit.
In setting the record straight, Premier Ndlovu says the establishment of the Unit is in line with the mandate of the Office of the Premier of strengthening oversight responsibility and monitoring role over departments. “The Auditor General raised concern on the slow movement, implementation and delivery of infrastructure projects by departments due to lack of oversight responsibility and monitoring thereof. This does not only give rise to undesirable audit findings, but render ineffective, government’s efforts to improve service delivery, through the implementation of infrastructure development. We committed ourselves to the Auditor General that we will play our role, through the establishment of the Unit,” Premier Ndlovu explained.
The Premier further outlined the strategic trust and objectives of the Unit aimed at achieving the following outcomes, namely:
- To monitor and track the implementation to ensure timely delivery of infrastructure projects in the province
- To enhance Project Performance through tracking progress and identifying bottlenecks to ensure projects meet their objectives within scope, timely, and budget
- To evaluate and analyse the impact and effectiveness of projects to determine if desired goals are achieved
- To inform decision making through provision of timely data and reports to enable evidence-based policy adjustments and resource allocations
- To enhance transparency and accountability by fostering a culture of transparency and accountability within government operations, thereby increasing public trust.
It is against this backdrop that the Office of the Premier will establish the Project Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit with technical expertise to improve accountability and strengthening monitoring and evaluation of infrastructure projects that will ultimately enhance service delivery provision in Mpumalanga.
Premier Ndlovu says the Office of the Premier will focus on monitoring of service delivery projects than to issue tenders. His emphasis is that departmental mandates will not be interrupted. He warned those with little understanding of government systems to avoid misleading the public. “Every government programme is guided by the legislation. Therefore lack of understanding by some individuals will not deter us from performing our duties as government,” he emphasized.
ENDS...
Issued by the Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Enquiries:
Office of the Premier
Provincial Government’s Spokesperson: George Mthethwa
Tel: (013) 766 2242
Mobile: 083 302 2774
E-mail: gpmthethwa@mpg.gov.za