As part of the provincial Executive Council Outreach, Eastern Cape Premier held an engagement session with the uKhahlamba traditional leadership to reinforce the partnership. “It’s important that before we interact with the people, we first engage yourselves as traditional leaders so that you are aware of the issues being raised by the provincial Executive Council,” said Premier Kiviet in her opening statement.
At the interactive session, the Premier outlined the key focus areas for the next five years and also outlined lessons learnt. We learnt as part of Siyazondla programme that it is not enough to encourage people to plant; we need to deliberately support them as government to sell and process the produce. The premier spoke passionately about how the rural development strategic interventions will alleviate job losses. Those people who may have been retrenched will be re-trained to manage agro-processing factories. This way there will be sustainable jobs for those who plant, those who process and those who market.
“This is why as government we are encouraging communities to organise themselves as cooperatives so that the entire community, rather than an individual, benefits,” said an emphatic Kiviet.
Premier Kiviet spoke at length about the role of the community in promoting
ubuntu as an inherent part of the African culture. “There is a difference between guiding children and abusing them,” Kiviet said emphasising that the role of ensuring that learners are at school and teachers are teaching is a collective responsibility that includes the community.
The discussions were vibrant and engaging with traditional leaders appreciating the outreach initiative by the Executive Council. Challenges were raised and discussed and the premier announced that, “Exco will be conducting regular outreaches to monitor implementation of government’s programme of action as outlined.” It was clear from the Premier’s input that the provincial government is adopting a project management approach which emphases deadlines for when various government projects should be completed.
Today, the Executive Council is in a government to government engagement session to strengthen inter-sphere cooperation on planning and service delivery in Ukhahlamba. The Executive Council will be addressing public servants to emphasise the eight provincial priorities. This will be followed by the stakeholder engagement in the afternoon and the public participation tomorrow.
For more information contact:
Nomfundo wakwa Luphondwana
Cell: 082 440 2728
E-mail: nwakwal@gmail.com or nomfundo.luphondwana@otp.ecprov.gov.za
Issued by: Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
2 July 2009
Source: Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecprov.gov.za/)
