Members of the Executive Council,
The Director General of the Limpopo provincial government, Me Rachel Molepo-Modipa,
Members of the Media,
The people of Limpopo,
Good afternoon
Members of the media please receive my heartfelt gratitude for honouring our invitation to this media briefing. Kindly allow me to take this opportunity to thank our people for the feedback they gave us through various media platforms about my appointment as the Premier of Limpopo provincial government.
In the acceptance speech I delivered yesterday we acknowledged that, “...our province is full of opportunities amidst complex challenges”. It is against this backdrop that many of our people expressed their appreciation on my ascendance to the highest office in Limpopo while others raised concerns and even fears.
We want to assure all members of the public irrespective of colour, creed or gender that our government will entrench participatory democracy by upholding the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
We will be doing this in the furtherance of the ideals of our first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela who has impeccable struggle credentials that span decades of a selfless quest for a better life for all South Africans. Madiba devoted his life to unity, non-racialism and above all, prosperity of our country. His leadership was devoid of blemish and this has contributed towards earning him international acclaim.
To mark the celebration of the Mandela Month, our government continues to encourage members of the public to embark on initiatives designed to enhance the plight of the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalised.
It will not be possible to respond to all the questions raised by our people during the phone-in shows of various radio stations, but it will be unfair not to deal with a perennial question which finds expression in almost all the media interviews I handle, which is, “when is the national government going to lift the implementation of section 100 (1) (b) of the Constitution in Limpopo”.
It is common cause that the decision to put five departments of the Limpopo provincial government under national administration was taken by the national cabinet. We want to commit ourselves that we will work hard within a reasonable period to ensure that we restore the confidence and trust in how we manage our affairs so that national cabinet can consider rescinding the decision to put our departments under administration.
In my acceptance speech yesterday I said, “We must make it our primary mission to root out corruption wherever it manifests itself”.
As you may well know, there are no easy solutions to resolve challenges confronting us and we do not have a panacea to deal with them either. However, throughout my interviews yesterday we emphasised the need to focus on strengthening systems and control measures in our government in an effort to enhance efficiency and effectiveness towards service delivery.
People who serve in government must be skilled, professional, disciplined and above all, uphold the highest ethical standards to ward off any form of crime and corruption that could stain the image of government.
It must be noted that my acceptance speech also acknowledged the sterling work done by my predecessors. We will work full throttle to consolidate the gains made by our government in providing basic services such as electricity, water and housing. We will also strengthen systems to enhance our education so that it can respond adequately to the skills needed by the economy of Limpopo. Our health services will also receive particular attention so that it can contribute maximally towards improving the health profile of our people.
These tasks and other responsibilities that our government will grapple with in areas such as tourism, mining and agriculture require us to strengthen the Executive Council of our provincial government so that we can make the required impact as we straddle the remaining part of the current electoral term which ends in 2014.
My appointment as the Premier of Limpopo enjoins me to uphold the Constitution and in doing so there are duties and responsibilities that I have to fulfil to entrench democracy. One such duty is to invite those who will serve as Members of the Executive Council to assume their responsibilities in this regard.
I made a commitment to announce the Executive Council of the Limpopo provincial government and it is important that I should fulfil this commitment to avoid a situation wherein there will be uncertainty about our government.
I would like to take this opportunity to announce the Members of the Executive Council, they are:
- MEC for Education: Ms. Dikeledi Magadzi
- MEC for Health and Social Development: Ms Dipuo Letsatsi –Duba
- MEC for Provincial Treasury: Mr. Rudolf Phala
- MEC for Economic Development, Environment and Tourism: Mr. Charles Sekoati
- MEC for Agriculture: Ms. Rosina Semenya
- MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture: Ms. Merriam Ramadwa
- MEC for Public Works: Mr. Dickson Masemola
- MEC for Roads and Transport: Mr. Lehlogonolo Masoga
- MEC for Safety, Security and Liaison: Ms. Joyce Mashamba
- MEC for Cooperative Governance and Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs: Mr. Ishmael Kgetjepe
I wish to thank all the outgoing Members of the Executive Council and wish them well in their future endeavours. Equally, I wish to congratulate the newly appointed Members of the Executive and wish them well in their new responsibilities.
I thank you!
