Troubled North West province is back on its feet again

By Phumla Williams

In April the situation in the North West was deeply troubling. Various protests had erupted over governance and service delivery issues, while various hospitals and clinics faced strike action. These challenges also affected the local government sphere.

The strike affected the depot and no medicine could be delivered. The situation was exacerbated by violent protests that had spread to various parts of the province. Some healthcare workers were afraid to go to work owing to safety concerns.

The situation at the time was untenable and urgent interventions were needed. Following a visit to the province, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed an Inter-Ministerial Task Team (IMTT) to give urgent attention to matters of governance and risks facing North West. The IMTT was directed to immediately visit the province on a fact-finding mission.

To avoid the situation from further deteriorating, especially health services, the Cabinet immediately placed the province’s department of health under administration in terms of Section 100 of the Constitution. It empowers the national government to either take over or assist the running of the provincial government under prescribed conditions and to the extent necessary.

The IMTT held extensive meetings with external and internal stakeholders from April 30 to May 17. They provided feedback to the Cabinet that 10 other departments were struggling to ensure good governance and failing to deliver services.

As a result, the Cabinet approved that the province be placed under administration. The intervention was aimed at combating the maladministration prevalent in many government departments.

The Section 100 (1) intervention was endorsed by the National Council of Provinces, enabling the intervention to be extended beyond the 180-day limit imposed by the Constitution.

The intervention in the province is now in its fifth month and visible progress has been made in most departments. There is now stability in a number of departments and the focus has shifted to prioritising service delivery. This includes placing or hiring people with the required skills and ensuring compliance with the Public Finance Management Act.

A level of normality has returned to the healthcare system in the province. For instance, the distribution of medical products from the depot to clinics and hospitals has returned. This has led to improved average availability of medicines in facilities across the province from 40% in May to 56% in September.

To improve service delivery, a consignment of 500 blood pressure machines has been received and is being prepared for distribution. The backlog of payments to medicine suppliers has been reduced from 11 to five months while four of the five operating theatres at Mafikeng Hospital have returned to functionality.

The intervention is also seized with ensuring that issues affecting the local sphere of government are tackled. The chapter on Local Government in the Constitution says that the objective of local government is to provide democratic and accountable government for local communities. It further states that local government should ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner, and promote social and economic development.

Local government is the sphere closest to the people, and is a crucial interface between citizens and the government. Municipalities provide core services to communities and individuals, and deliver services such as infrastructure, roads, water and electricity, which are crucial for the economic and social development of communities.

When this crucial system breaks down communities suffer and social and economic development stagnates. The IMTT was also mandated to undertake a governance and service delivery assessment in the province, in response to widespread community uprisings and labour unrest that severely affected service delivery.

Since the intervention began the provision of basic services has steadily improved in various municipalities. The process to place or hire people with the required skills is ongoing. Leaking pipes are being repaired, street lights maintained, and potholes and sewer pipes fixed. As government, we are committed to ensuring municipalities deliver services to the people in a fair and sustainable manner. Municipalities are the bedrock of society and provide a stable base for communities to grow and thrive.

With normality slowly returning to the province, the government has begun to focus more intently on consequence management. Law enforcement agencies are investigating misconduct and mismanagement where appropriate. This includes allegations of maladministration, corruption, abuse of authority and the unlawful appointment of service providers by heads of department.

The Hawks or Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation is already handling 46 cases involving theft and fraud. The Special Investigating Unit is handling 44 cases involving procurement irregularities; maladministration; theft of state properties; irregular sales of state shares and properties, and payments for services not rendered.

These actions are vital in ensuring we bring stability to the province and ensure that strong governance is restored. However, we cannot do it alone as government; we need people who have information of wrongdoing to come forward. By working together, we can ensure a new dawn for the province.

Getting our municipalities to work for everyone should be viewed as a team effort. One area we can all play our part is to regularly pay for the services we receive from our municipalities. This will ensure that our municipalities can continue to provide water, electricity and sewerage services, build and maintain streets, roads, clinics, parks, recreational facilities and cemeteries. Let us work towards a better tomorrow where the hopes and dreams of everyone are realised.

Government is pleased with the progress made thus far, and the positive supportive role by organised labour, traditional leaders and the faith sector has helped tremendously. Our social partners have been instrumental in highlighting the challenges in the province, and they continue to play an important role in restoring normality.

As government, we remain committed to ensure the intervention is successful. Our ultimate goal is to see the province being able to deliver on its constitutional mandate of providing services, while at the same time improving the lives of our people.

We appeal to the people of North West to work in partnership with the government and to co-operate with law enforcement agencies so those who are involved in corruption can be brought to book.

Only by working together will we be able to remedy the problems facing the North West and help move our country forward.

Phumla Williams is the Acting Director-General at GCIS

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