Vote 1: Policy and Budget Speech (2018-2019) for the office of the Premier Presented by the Premier of Mpumalanga, Ms RM Mtshweni, MPL, to the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature at Riverside Park, City of Mbombela Local Municipality, Tuesday, 5 June 2018
Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker;
Honourable Members of the Executive Council;
Honourable Members of the Legislature;
The leadership of Chapter 9 Institutions;
The leadership of Chapter 10 Institutions, notably Commissioner DS Mkhwanazi of the Public Service Commission;
Indlu yamaKhosi eholwa uNdebezitha Ngomane;
The Acting Director-General of the Province, Mr Matthew Mohlasedi;
Senior Government officials;
Invited guests with special reference to our special guests – the people with albinism;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Sanibonani;
Lotshani;
Dumelang;
Avuxeni
Context 1.
Honourable Speaker, the month of June is a special month for us as we commemorate the genesis of our democracy which was triggered by the Soweto student revolution of June 16, 1976 and spread all over the country.
That moment, which was a culmination of years of frustration and anger by the youth of our country, has been eloquently described by the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency DD Mabuza in his eulogy of the late Mr Sam Nzima as “the moment that changed the nature and character of our resistance to apartheid.”
That moment was captured and defined by the world renowned photograph of a fatally wounded young activist, Hector Pieterson, which was taken by the late photo-journalist, Mr Sam Nzima who was laid to rest just over a week ago. We therefore cannot afford to fail the youth of today.
During the funeral of Mr Nzima, I was requested by the Deputy President to fulfil one of the promises that were made to Mr Nzima before his death. The Deputy President whilst still the Premier of the Province, had promised to build a school for the community of Lillydale. Madam Speaker, I am glad to announce that indeed the school will be built in Lillydale, and shall be named after Mr Sam Nzima.
We are doing this not only as commitment to the development of our people through education, but also as a remembrance of all our young revolutionaries who fought and paid the highest price for us to enjoy the freedom that we are enjoying today.
In her policy and budget speech, the MEC forCulture, Sports and Recreation, Honourable Thandi Shongwe, gave a detailed indication of how the Province will commemorate the Youth Day this year.
My humble appeal to that Department, and that of local government, is that we expedite the renaming of all streets and buildings that still carry the names of our oppressors. It cannot be correct that almost a quarter of the century after our democracy was ushered in, we still have names like Verwoerd Street, Dr Malan Street or any other infrastructure named after anyone of those including schools, clinics and community halls.
Honourable members, in anticipation of a democratic dispensation in 1994, our leaders led by the revolutionary 2 OR Tambo and Tat’ uNelson Mandela had made it clear that in order to fulfil the goals of our National Democratic Revolution, the new incoming ANC led government would have to apply itself on achieving four objectives. These objectives are centred on the following four pillars:
- Striving for the achievement of the rights of all South Africans, as a whole, to political and economic selfdetermination in a united South Africa;
- Overcoming the legacy of inequality and injustice created by colonialism and apartheid, in a swift, progressive and principled way;
- Developing a sustainable economy and state infrastructure that will progressively improve the quality of life of all South Africans; and
- Encouraging the flourishing of the feeling that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, promote a common loyalty to and pride in the country and to create a universal sense of freedom and security within its borders.
We have made remarkable progress in the achievement all of these objectives; however a lot of work still needs to be done. We have opened the doors of learning to our poor communities by building schools and providing quality education, by building clinics and hospitals and providing free quality health care. Tertiary education for first year students is now free and progressively all deserving students from poor communities will benefit from this initiative.
We have provided our people with clean water, sanitation of minimum acceptable standards and access roads. We have connected neighbouring communities through bridges. We are continuing to build integrated human settlements, turning houses into liveable homes with all amenities. This will remain work in progress as more and more people enter the system.
Honourable members, allow me to echo the words of the Honourable former Premier, DD Mabuza, when he said the following to this august house during the State of the Province Address in February 2018: Open quote: “As we enter the last mile of this Administration, we must continue to prioritise measures that strengthen the overall capacity of the state machinery to drive a pro-poor development agenda. Our ability to meet our targets and commitments to the people depends on a capable administration.
Over the past few years, we have made progress in building a solid provincial administration upon which the new leadership will improve to ensure that the lives of the people of Mpumalanga are changed for the better. Our macroplanning, policy coordination, and budget management capacities have matured to ensure that the Province is on a sustainable and sound fiscal path” Close quote.
Going forward, in 2018/19, as the Provincial Administration through the state machinery in my Office, we will continue to strengthen our monitoring and evaluation capacity through the following initiatives: Strengthening the Monitoring and Evaluation of Government Work
In order to enhance our response to the citizens’ needs in the Province, in collaboration with the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), we rolled out the implementation of the Presidential Siyahlola Programme. My Office will continue to monitor the implementation of the projects that were committed during the Presidential visits conducted at Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in May 2017 and at City of Mbombela and Bushbuckridge local municipalities in July 2017.
Honorable members, we did not undertake any Executive Outreach Programme as planned last year. However, 3 in 2018, we will be embarking on this Programme in four local municipalities during the months of June, July, August and September 2018.
The four targeted local municipalities are Dr JS Moroka, Govan Mbeki, Nkomazi and Bushbuckridge. Such visits are informed by assessment reports and profiles of critical stakeholders. The assessment reports and profiles assist in preparations for the visits and responding appropriately to what communities need.
Honourable members, the role of performance management and monitoring in the scheme of improved service delivery to the citizenry is pivotal.
The mix of intense resource constraints and increasing service delivery expectations of the people of Mpumalanga, calls upon the exercise and application of integrated approaches and the use of modern techniques in order to successfully steer the Mpumalanga Provincial Government in the right direction.
The financial constraints due to the global and local economic conditions require that we utilise our resources with prudence whilst ensuring that we maximise the value and benefits derived from our investments.
To this extent, Office of the Premier will initiate a process of integration of the existing platforms developed for monitoring frontline services offered by various public institutions to citizens. The purpose of this process is to improve our mechanisms and processes in resolving the complaints, minimising duplication of efforts and wastages, as well as improving our resolution rate of all complaints registered through these platforms.
In strengthening the monitoring and evaluation capacity of Provincial Departments and Local Municipalities, we will accelerate the implementation of the Planning, Research, Information Management, Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PRIME). This Framework seeks to foster collaboration amongst these tasks and thereby improve performance of both provincial and local government and resultantly improve service delivery.
My Office will therefore endeavor to foster collaboration through a Provincial Integrated Stakeholders Forum to drive PRIME, which will bring together all these role players from both the provincial and local government spheres.
Honourable Speaker and Honourable Members, the practice of undertaking evaluation of policies, programmes or projects implemented on by government departments and public entities is quite critical. To inform sound decision-making based on evidence and justify the possible relationships between the problem situation and the benefits generated through our interventions, we need to make evaluation part of our culture in all our government institutions. To this end, we will accelerate the finalisation of the Provincial Evaluation Plan, which incorporates Departmental Evaluation Plans.
In responding to the National Development Plan’s call for collaborative efforts towards achieving our goals, we will coordinate the Public Private Partnership Symposium (PPP) in August 2018. The expected benefits from such a platform include reduced pressure on government budgets and addressing general concern about service provision by state government and agencies. We are also positioning ourselves to benefit from private sector expertise, especially on project management, business and financial training.
The symposium will create a platform for private sector to engage with Government on how to fast-track economic growth in the Province, more especially socio-economic infrastructure. This platform will be used to advance integration through results-driven dialogue, investment promotion and project showcasing of key socio-economic projects that qualify for private sector funding.
The symposium will further examine the role of PPPs as a catalyst for socio-economic development and industrialisation. It will display Provincial Government’s socio-economic infrastructure projects in different fields including Transport, Rail, Ports, Airports & Roads; Energy; Agri-business (Agro-processing); Tourism and Oil & Gas, amongst others.
Strengthening Integrated Planning and Institutionalising long-term planning
In 2017/18, we initiated the process to institutionalise long term planning in the province by facilitating the establishment of the Mpumalanga Planning Commission. The purpose of the Commission is to bring together practical, academic and technical expertise and experience from across the sectors of society, as means of ensuring that there is an upward socio-economic trajectory for the Province, based on sound evidence and specialist advice.
In this regard, the State Law Advisors have drafted and certified the Mpumalanga Planning Commission Bill as Constitutionally sound. The draft Bill was approved by the Executive Council for public comments in October 2017.
In January 2018, the Executive Council approved the submission of the Bill to this House for tabling and publication to solicit public comments. It is hoped that the Bill will be passed in the current financial year before we can proceed with the appointment of the Commissioners.
The Macro Policy and Planning team in my Office will provide secretariat support to this Commission, once appointed. The Commission will amongst others, advise the Provincial Administration on any planning aspect pertaining to the periodic review of a long-term plan for the Province as well as mobilising society around a Provincial Vision.
My Office will continue to play a critical role, to ensure that government plans, programmes and services are delivered to the best possible standards of excellence. The team will ensure that these plans (Sector specific medium term plans, Annual Performance Plans and Operational Plans), are translated into sound and achievable targets that are in line with the national and provincial policy imperatives, including Provincial Vision 2030 and the National Development Plan (NDP).
Currently, my office develops the Provincial Programme of Action (PPOA) on an annual basis. This PPOA is developed in line with the National 2014-19 Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF), the Provincial Vision 2030 and the Provincial 2014-19 MTSF. Key focus areas in the current 2018/19 PPOA, include the implementation of key strategic infrastructure projects that will have a huge economic impact in the Province as we wrap up the current administration’s term of office.
During the year under review, we are planning to conduct a five years’ comprehensive review based on the current Provincial 2014-19 MTSF. The intention is to guide the development of the next MTSF, focusing on areas that need urgent attention leading to the achievement of the NDP goals in 2030.
The Youth Desk in my Office will continue to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Integrated Youth Development Plan. Some of the key focus areas during the year under review will be facilitating the development of a Provincial Youth Development Portal and coordinating the establishment of the Youth Development Coordinating Committee. It is expected that this Committee will enhance our planning and monitoring function once established, especially in responding to the plight of our young people in the Province.
Strengthening the role of the Mpumalanga Provincial AIDS Council
Honorable Members, the spread of HIV, STIs and TB in the Province remain a serious health challenge. The high new HIV infection rate among Adolescent Girls and Young Women aged 15–24 years is cause for concern.
The Mpumalanga Provincial AIDS Council remains the cornerstone for a coordinated multisector response to the challenges and impact brought by HIV and TB epidemic in the Province.
Through a consultative process with all stakeholders in the Province, the Provincial Implementation Plan (PIP) for HIV, STIs and TB for 2017 – 2022 was developed and will be adopted in June 2018. It is an important plan that guides the Province’s approach and commitment to help achieve the goals of the National Strategic Plan for HIV, STIs and TB.
The implementation of this plan in the province will be coordinated through the Multi-Sector District Implementation Plans that were developed through a multi-sector consultative process at the District Municipality level. These District Plans were adopted by the Provincial AIDS Council sitting that took place in December 2017.
The Provincial administration through my Office will continue to induct all AIDS Council members on their roles and responsibilities as part of promoting leadership and shared accountability for a sustainable response to HIV, STIs and TB. The establishment of Civil Society Sectors will be intensified at ward level as part of strengthening community-based response and ensuring that there is an alignment with our Provincial Service Delivery Model – Operation Vuka Sisebente (OVS).
The Province will continue to build capacity of Heads of Secretariat in order to strengthen secretariat support function to all AIDS Councils at Provincial, District and Local Municipality level. The involvement and participation of Civil Society Sectors in the fight against HIV, STIs and TB, will ensure that no one is left out.
The Implementation of Prevention programmes remain the focus for the Province, especially for key and vulnerable populations like Adolescent Girls and Young Women, Sex Workers, Men Having Sex with Men, Inmates, Women, Youth and Mineworkers as well as the Mobile Community.
One of the key prevention programmes that we are implementing as the Province, is the ZAZI Girl Child project. The project is targeting Adolescent Girls and Young Women in the Province. This project assists the Province to:
- Keep the Girl Child in school,
- Prevent unwanted and unplanned pregnancies,
- Prevent new HIV infection among the Adolescent Girls and Young Women,
- Prevent Gender and Intimate Partner Violence and
- Empower the girl child to be economically secure and reduce dependence on men for survival.
Building Capacity to effectively intervene in addressing the plight of people with disability in particular those with albinism
Madam Speaker for far too long we have been too silent on issues that affect our people with Albinism.
The only time that we are seen to be doing something about it is when there is a horrible incident that directly affects a person with albinism. A few months later we go back to our comfort zones and it becomes business as usual.
I have taken a decision that the status quo will no longer be tolerated. It simply cannot be business as usual for people with Albinism. This issue is very close to my heart and I would have failed in my position as a Premier if I did not champion it.
People with albinism have become vulnerable in the African continent. The situation is worse in the Sub-Saharan region in countries like Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania. In South Africa, the Province of Mpumalanga has recently experienced a spate of killings of people with albinism.
People with albinism are killed for muti purposes and rituals as we recently experienced in Emalahleni. In some occasions like in Pienaar they are even dug up from graves with the intention of removing some of their body parts. As a result persons with albinism are vulnerable, discriminated against and living in fear. Moreover, the majority of persons with disabilities have been excluded from mainstream society and have thus been prevented from accessing fundamental social, political and economic rights and opportunities. This has resulted in widespread poverty, unemployment and social segregation.
The exclusion experienced by persons with disabilities and their families is the result of a range of factors such as exclusionary barriers in society, the legacy of the inequalities of the past and the enduring stereotypes of society that continue to impact negatively on the lives of persons with disabilities.
I have therefore decided to commission a study on the extent of vulnerability of people with albinism in the Province with a view to come up with a responsive programme. This study will culminate into a comprehensive campaign throughout the province and will directly involve people with albinism so that we are not seen to be dealing with this issue about and for people with Albinism without their involvement. The campaign will include bill boards, radio messages and news articles told by the people with Albinism.
Strengthening International Partnerships
My Office has over the past few years, continued to build on previous partnerships that we have entered into, with 6 other provinces in foreign countries. This is part of facilitating international engagement to forge technical and economic cooperation. Cooperation agreements were signed with countries like Cuando Cubango Province in Angola, Hebei Province in China, and International Centre for Advancement Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), Bari in Italy, Mogilev Region of the Republic of Belarus, and Belarusian State of Agricultural Academy of Belarus.
In the current financial year, we will finalise the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three identified countries as follows: Cameroon, China and Russia.
Honourable members, our long preparatory process has since yielded positive results. Consequently, my Office has led a delegation on an outbound mission to Mozambique to sign one MoU with the Government of the Province of Maputo, on Friday, 18 May 2018. The MoU was signed with the Governor of Maputo Province, His Excellency Raimundo Maico Doimba. The signed agreement is aimed at developing and expanding on the economic potential of the two provinces, especially in the agricultural sector.
The process to finalise cooperation agreements with partners in Russia, is currently underway and should be concluded before the end of the Financial Year. The identified areas of cooperation include export of agricultural fresh produce and meat products, tourism and education with special focus on health and engineering.
We have established Joint Implementation Committees to fast track implementation of signed agreements, especially with Cuando Cubango, Hebei Province in China and Italy. These Committees continue to meet bimonthly on a technical level and provide progress reports to the Executive Council.
Improved Service Delivery
Honourable members, I am glad to announce to this house that the Provincial broadband feasibility study, which includes the proposal for the centralisation of the ICT and the creation of the ICT Hub has been completed. The feasibility study was presented to the National Treasury for consideration as part of the registered National Treasury funding programme. The National Treasury will, after consideration provide feedback and guidance on the way forward.
We have resumed with the implementation of the Satise Silalele Application after the former Honourable Premier Mr. DD Mabuza pronounced the project during the 2017 State of the Province Address. The project, is also known as the Smart Citizen Engagement Solution, and is implemented in partnership with Vodacom since the 2017/18 financial year.
The Satise Silalele Application is a service delivery Application which allows citizens to report service delivery issues to government through the use of mobile smart phones and tablets. The Project is an end-to-end solution for communicating with citizens, streamlining job cards and dispatching to improve service delivery efficiency by government.
Honorable members, I can announce to this august house that the development of the Application was finalised and that the Application went “live” in August 2017.
Through the community-based roadshows that took place in 2017, we have created awareness about the use of the Application to community members, and as a result, to date, we have more than two thousand issues that have been logged by community members.
The issues raised range from water shortage, electricity outages, and perceived or real ill-treatment by staff in health facilities and many more. We urge members of the public to continue uploading this application and use it to raise service delivery related issues.
During the February 2018, Executive Council Lekgotla, it was resolved that the Application should be launched, and I am delighted to announce that this launch will take place in Nokaneng Village under the Dr JS Moroka Local Municipality during the month of June 2018.
Strengthening our Partnership with the Private Sector
Madam Speaker we have had numerous meetings with our social partners including organised labour and senior management and the private sector about their concerns with regard to the performance of some of the hospitals. I have also visited a few of these hospitals and will continue monitoring the situation. This matter is receiving special attention of the Honourable MEC Mashego and the head of the department.
Most of our challenges lie with the experienced staff shortages. We are competing with the private sector and overseas countries who can afford to pay better salaries. We have identified quick wins and will focus on addressing the basic needs of our people.
The other areas of concern to us are the challenges faced by our municipalities. Whilst municipal government is a different sphere of governance and we are expected not to interfere, the level of service provided to our communities by some of these municipalities falls far short of our expectations. The situation is exacerbated by the ageing infrastructure in particular water and sanitation infrastructure.
We are engaging our social partners in the private sector to come into this space and assist these municipalities. I have had meetings with Sasol and they have committed themselves to assisting towns and villages that fall under Goven Mbeki Municipality to resolve some of the sewer challenges in that area.
Our Human Settlement Department will focus on Embalenhle where the problem is much bigger than in other areas. Soon I will be meeting with other private sector partners with a view of requesting them to assist with maintenance of some of our facilities. We also expect Honourable MEC Mashilo and management to focus on how to support municipalities that are facing serious challenges.
We must consolidate our gains, focus on what needs to be done within the remaining period of our MTSF and avoid starting new projects that will not be completed during this period. We must abandon self-serving tendencies that are consistent with accumulation at the expense of our people. We are the servant of the people and people expect us to serve them diligently.
Improving Integrated Government Communications
Honourable Speaker; we had committed to improve communication with our people by strengthening two-way communication through the utilisation of platforms, like radio talk-shows and phone-in programmes, as this entrenches accountability and transparency, and further deepens democracy. We can proudly report that we have done so, and continue to do so, on a weekly basis, by affording our people an opportunity to talk to us.
Members of the Executive Council (MECs) and Executive Mayors continue to utilise various radio stations, including all community radio stations in the Province, as platforms to interact with our people in their own languages. We are thankful to our people, who have, and continue to show interest in interacting with us, through this interactive platform of radio talk-shows and phone-in programmes. They continue to pinpoint areas where we fall short, and even compliment us where we have done well.
This feedback is significant, as it directs us where to focus, in our quest to better the lives of our people. Without such valuable feedback, we would just be walking in the dark – not knowing whether we are delivering according to the expectations of our people. Where we did not do well, was in the implementation of what the former Premier had termed, The Premier’s On-air Dialogue with the people.
As the incumbent Premier, I shall honour this commitment of dialoguing with our people, at least once in a month, moving forward. We further commit that MECs and Executive Mayors, would continue dialogue with our people through radio talk-shows and phone-in programmes, on a weekly basis, without failure.
It is also our intention, to take our people on a Journey of the achievements of the current Administration, dating back to 2009. This, we will do, through a legacy project titled, The Journey, which is intended to give account of how we have changed the lives of our people over the past 10 years.
A service provider will soon be appointed to compile document and record The Journey of our achievements for the past 9 years.
Fostering Integrity in the Administration and Improving Outcomes
Honorable members, in 2017/18 we were able to support COGTA by conducting awareness workshops in municipalities as well as through the rollout of the Local Government Anti-Corruption Strategy that was launched in 2017/18 financial year.
Going forward, we will continue to strengthen proactive measures in the fight against fraud and corruption through anti-fraud and corruption awareness workshops, vetting of employees, compliance with Minimum Information Security Standard (MISS) to reinforce the culture of ethical behavior and the retention of the right caliber of individuals in the Office.
To ensure restoration of public confidence in the Public Service, we will continue to implement the Protected Disclosure Act as amended (Whistle-Blowing Policy) by ensuring the anonymity of whistle blowers and this will encourage officials as well as the public or citizenry to fearlessly report maladministration, fraud, and corruption.
My Office will continue to perform audit services for five cluster departments (DCSSL, COGTA, DHS, OTP and DCSR), and monitor implementation to ensure the realisation of improved audit outcomes. In this regard, we will review and strengthen the effectiveness of internal controls, clearing of audit queries and the implementation of consequence management.
The newly established Compliance and Management Unit in the Office will strengthen internal controls within the Office through monitoring the implementation of a Compliance Matrix by all sections in the Office.
Support to all Provincial Departments will be coordinated through the established Provincial Compliance Monitoring Committee, jointly championed by the Office and the Provincial Treasury. The committee is chaired by a Deputy Director General, and is mandated to play an oversight role in monitoring compliance across the Provincial Administration.
The committee monitors the following matters that have a bearing on improvement of the audit outcomes, amongst others: Adherence to prescripts in clearing irregular expenditure for the entire administration, including the Office of the Premier; and progress on implementation of the Audit Remedial Action Plans as well as resolutions of Oversight Bodies.
As pronounced by the Honorable former Premier during the State of the Province Address in February 2018, the Office will set up a Central Invoice Bureau, managed by the data lab manager who will report to the Deputy Director General: Compliance and Management Unit. The purpose of the Bureau is to ensure compliance with the payment of invoices within 10 days, in the Province.
In conclusion Madam Speaker allow me to congratulate Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (Mega) on the remarkable progress that they have made in their application for the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone. The process is now irreversible and we expect a sod turning ceremony before the end of the year.
The SEZ will open up ample opportunities for our emerging businesses in this province creating thousands of jobs in the process.
It is therefore an honour, Madam Speaker, to table the budget of the Office of the Premier, and I accordingly request the House to approve the amount of Two Hundreds and Eighty-One Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Eight Thousand Rands) (R 281 778 000.00) for the 2018/19 financial year, allocated as follows:
- Programme 1: Administration – One Hundred and Thirty-Five Million, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Two Thousands Rands (R 135 872 000.00)
- Programme 2: Institutional Development Seventy-Six Million, Four Hundred and Fourteen Thousand Rands (R 76 414 000.00)
- Programme 3: Policy and Governance - Sixty-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-Two Thousand Rands (R 69 492 000.00)
I thank you.
