Programme Director; MECs present here
Acting Director General and HODs
All Members of Senior Management Service in government
Ladies and gentlemen
Good afternoon!
Perhaps I must start by begging your indulgence for having taken you away from the comfort of your offices and obviously busy schedules.
I have requested that we all take a few minutes from our routine to interact in this manner, because I thought it is important for us to have this session after almost four years of being under administration.
The last time we met like this, I was fairly new in this responsibility. At that time, five departments in our provincial government were under administration. The national government Cabinet had invoked Section 100 (1) (b) of the Constitution in response to the challenges the provincial government was faced with.
As you know, in terms of the law, whenever a province cannot fulfil its mandate in terms of the constitution, the national executive may intervene by taking appropriate steps to ensure fulfilment of that mandate.
Ladies and gentlemen
For the purpose of this meeting, I thought it would be important to take you through the cabinet statement that was issued on the 5th of December 2011. This, I suppose, will make us appreciate where we come from, the route we have travelled and where we are today.
This is also important because, as it appears, there are still those amongst us who still do not understand why the government was placed under administration in December of 2011.
The Cabinet in its statement said, and I quote:
“The Cabinet has been concerned about the state of financial management and governance in certain provinces for some time. Cabinet has received reports on trends of under spending, overspending and challenges with supply chain management in provinces.
The three provinces affected in varying degrees are Limpopo, Free State and Gauteng.
At the Cabinet meeting of 23 November 2011, the Minister of Finance reported on the request received by National Treasury from the Province of Limpopo for the approval of an additional overdraft facility.
Limpopo experienced a cash crisis two weeks ago. They used up their R757, 3 million overdraft facility with the Corporation for Public Deposits (CPD).
Limpopo had requested that their facility should be increased by R1 billion from the National Treasury for the province to pay salaries and wages on the 23 November 2011.
This request was declined but alternative arrangements were made for an early transfer (2 days before the actual date of transfer) of their equitable share in order to be able to pay salaries.
The Minister of Finance was asked by Cabinet to urgently review the situation in Limpopo and other provinces and report back to Cabinet on proposed actions to be taken to improve the financial situation and its impact on service delivery and provincial functions.
In the Limpopo province, members of the National Executive will assume responsibility for the following departments in line with Section 100 (1) (b) of the constitution; Provincial Treasury; Education; Transport & Roads; Health; and Public Works”.
In actual fact, the entire provincial government was under administration, because the Provincial Treasury was under administration. Nevertheless, we meet here today under completely different and much improved circumstances. We are no longer under administration.
The executive powers have since been restored back to MEC, whilst accounting powers to HODs. We are now in a position to manage our own finances without administrators hovering above our heads.
We have completely eliminated the government overdraft, reduced the unauthorised expenditure, and more importantly improvement the financial management systems in the province. There is no doubt that Limpopo is back on a sound financial footing.
In the same vein, action has been taken against the officials who were found to have contravened the law. In this regard, criminal and internal disciplinary processes are either underway or finalised.
Regular negative media reports about acts of fraud and corruption associated with our government are a thing of the past.
I have got no doubt, whatsoever in my mind, that we have resuscitated corporate governance in Limpopo. Above all, we have regained the unwavering support and confidence of the people of Limpopo into their own government.
Limpopo is much better place that it was before December 2011.
Ladies and gentlemen
On behalf of the entire Executive Council of Limpopo, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for these achievements. You have indeed done us proud. You have indeed done us proud.
It obviously took commitment and loyalty on your part for us to be where we are today.
I know that at times you have had to go beyond the ordinary call of duty to bring us where we are today. You must know that it was not in vain.
Moving forward, you must learn lessons from what happened in the past so that the pre-December 2011 situation is never repeated in our province. This pathetic situation took place under your watch. We cannot blame an individual for it. Almost all of you were there when corporate governance collapsed in this province.
So it is therefore important that, going forward, you should commit and declare here today that you shall adhere to the ethos of corporate governance, our constitutional values and principles guiding public administration.
These values and principles demand of you to ensure:
- That a high standard of professional ethics is promoted and maintained.
- That we promote an efficient, economic and effective use of resources.
- That public administration is people and development - oriented.
- That services are provided impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias.
- That public administration is accountable and transparent;
- And that we ensure good human-resource management and career-development practices that maximise human potential.
This is what we must do in order to ensure that government serves the people as a whole, and not ourselves and the few who are closer to us.
Programme Director,
We are about to conclude the first year in our term of office.
In this first year of our term, we have developed a comprehensive socio-economic development plan that is anchored on 10 High-Level Development Targets.
I assume that by now you are all familiar with these targets, and therefore will not bore you by mentioning them one-by-one.
Nevertheless, I need to indicate that the achievement of these targets is entirely depended on all of us working together as a collective, politicians and officials alike.
We expect you, as public servants, to act with a necessary degree of care, by devoting serious attention to the work that you are paid to do.
As professionals, you are expected you to act with a higher degree of competence and commitment to your work. You must act with intellectual honesty, and in a manner that avoids conflict of interests.
I am convinced about your commitment, not only this administration but to the people of this province. They look up to you to improve their conditions of living, and you dare not fail them.
You must equally be rest assured of our support and confidence in discharging your duties.
All of us must do our work, and those who don’t, must know that there will definitely be consequences for poor and none performance.
Lastly ladies and gentlemen
Let us go back to our different work stations with a renewed sense of loyalty and determination to serve our people.
We must also inspire confidence to our subordinates, do things differently and better this time around.
It cannot be business as usual.
I thank you!
