Mpumalanga Office of the Premier

10 May 2022

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen of the media for availing yourself for this important briefing.

As a point of departure, I’d like to emphasise that the primary function of the Executive component of the Provincial Government that I lead, is to develop an environment that is conducive for the realisation of the ideals enshrined in the Constitutions such as;
- building a society based on democratic values and social justice;
- ensuring that government is based on the will of the people and that every citizen is equally protected by law; and
- improving the quality of life of all people who call the Province of the rising sun their home

Our work and delivery of basic services to the people of Mpumalanga are firmly rooted in these ideals.

We are also tasked with the enormous responsibility of recalibrating our economy in order to rebuild our economy and provide relief to those most vulnerable, following the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 on the Provincial fiscus.

In order to be equal to the tasks that lie ahead, it is imperative that we constitute the Executive component of our government with leaders who are alive to the realities faced by the majority of the people of this Province.

I believe that the Executive that I lead must be constituted by individuals who will discharge their responsibilities unencumbered by major distractions and deficiencies that might diminish their focus and our obligations to the people of Mpumalanga.

To this effect, I have requested your presence to announce the appointment of a new Member of the Executive Council to fill the vacancy that has existed in the Executive following the release of the erstwhile Member of the Executive Council for Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs.

With effect from today, Mr. Mandla Padney Ndlovu shall join the Executive component of the Provincial government as a Member of the Executive Council responsible for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA).

This decision is partly informed by the briefing I received last week from the Auditor General on the overall 2020/21 MFMA audit outcomes for Municipalities in Mpumalanga. My key takeaway from that meeting is that whilst we continue to record gradual improvement year on year in terms of audit performance, the results of the recent local government elections and service delivery related issues that bedevilled most Municipalities enjoins upon us the responsibility to make changes that will aid us in;
- improving municipal audit performance,
- removing operational bottlenecks to improve efficiency of service delivery; and
- most importantly, positioning municipalities as key nodes of economic development through the implementation of effective frameworks that promote intergovernmental cooperation through the District Development Model.

Having worked extensively with Mr Ndlovu over the last couple of years, I am certain that his familiarity with the wide array of challenges we face in the local sphere of government as well as his natural ability to be analytical and solution orientated will aid our efforts to operate in a coordinated and integrated manner with the local sphere of government.

I have also made the decision to appoint the acting MEC Busi Shiba to the portfolio of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs. MEC Shiba has excelled in managing the portfolios of COGTA and DARDLEA for the last 8 months.

MEC Shiba’s strategic oversight has strengthened the stability of the Department. The stability of the agricultural sector, which is a key component of the Mpumalanga Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan, is of paramount importance in order to ensure food security for the Province and the nation. During her tenure, MEC Shiba has also championed the integration of women owned enterprises in our agricultural value chain system.

I wish to thank MEC Shiba for valiantly overseeing the successful functioning of two departments during a difficult period.

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, as I have indicated earlier, the changes I have effected to the composition of the Executive Council will improve the delivery of services and ultimately deepen the confidence of the masses of our people in their elected representatives and ultimately, their government.