The Limpopo Executive Council held its first Lekgotla on the 8 to 9 June 2009 in Polokwane. It was the first Lekgotla under the leadership of Premier Cassel Mathale since the fourth national and provincial democratic elections held on 22 April 2009. In attendance were the MECs, the speaker of the provincial legislature, the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the provincial house of traditional leaders, the executive mayors and mayors of municipalities, the heads of departments, CEOs of parastatals, representatives of regional departments and municipal managers.
The Lekgotla was convened mainly to develop a Five Medium Term Strategic Framework for Limpopo provincial government. This included alignment of the provincial plan and programmes with the electoral mandate and the National Medium Term Strategic Framework, the identification of provincial priorities and more importantly, prepare for the State of the Province Address and opening of the Provincial Legislature by the Premier on 11 June 2009.
It is also worth noting that lekgotla was taking place amidst exiting developments in the country, the continent and the world as a whole. These include the worldwide economic recession as a consequent of the meltdown, particularly in the financial market, the imminent Confederations Cup and the forth coming 2010 FIFA World Cup. In the same vein there is also a continued process of realigning and reviewing the policies and strategies of government, including the configuration of institutions with the view to expedite the delivery of services and improve the quality of lives of the people.
In terms of the economy, Lekgotla received a detailed report from Statistic South Africa on the performance of Limpopo province and the challenges lying ahead. The report indicates that Limpopo, Gauteng and Western Cape are the only provinces that have experienced the economic growth that is above the national average growth rate between 1996 and 2007. The report further indicates that “although Limpopo is the only province that has seen a decline in the unemployment rate from 31.7 percent to 28.1 percent in the first quarter of this year, 2009, the situation is likely to be reversed due to the failure of the agricultural sector to sustain existing jobs and the insufficient labour absorption capacity of the mining industry.” In this regard Lekgotla has agreed on practical interventions and strategies in terms of which the people of Limpopo could be cautioned against the impact of the recession and related economic challenges.
The details in this regard, including the provincial five-year plan Medium Term Strategic framework on service delivery, its alignment with the National Medium Term Strategic Framework and the identified special priorities of the provincial government will be outlined by the Premier during the State of the Province Address tomorrow, Thursday. The emphasis will be on how the provincial government will be carrying out the 2009 to 2014 electoral mandate regarding the:
* creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods
* education
* health
* rural development, food security and land reform
* fight against crime and corruption.
The Premier will also reflect on the identified mechanisms for the acceleration of delivery of basics services such as water, electricity and sanitation to the far-flung rural settlements and vast farmlands of the province.
In terms of preparations for 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Lekgotla was unanimous in its appreciation of the work done. With the ongoing investment in the infrastructure, particularly energy, water and roads, as well as the construction of Peter Mokaba Stadium at 75 percent towards completion, we are well on track towards meeting the deadline, i.e. October 2009.
Lastly, the opening of the Legislature and the State of the Province Address will be held at Peter Mokaba Stadium tomorrow, 11 April 2009 from 09h00. We are looking forward to a capacity crowd of no less than 10 000 people from all over the province.
Enquiries:
Mogale Nchabeleng
Cell: 072 632 8984 or 082 520 8966
Tel: 015 287 6151
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government
10 June 2009
Source: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government (http://www.limpopo.gov.za/)
