SOPA 2025 Friday, 28 February delivered by the Premier of Mpumalanga Province Hon. Mandla Padney Ndlovu
Speaker of the Mpumalanga legislature, Honourable Masina,
Deputy Speaker of the Mpumalanga legislature, Honourable Masango,
Judge President of the High Court of Mpumalanga, Judge Mphahlele,
Esteemed Members of the Judiciary,
Hon Members of the National Assembly and Provincial Legislature,
Hon Members of the National Council of Provinces,
Your Worships Executive Mayors, Speakers and all Hon Councillors,
Traditional Leaders led by Chairperson of the Provincial House of Traditional leaders and Khoisan, and President of CONTRALESA, Kgoši Mokoena,
Leadership of various religious formations,
Leadership of traditional healers,
Chairpersons and board members of our parastatals,
Senior government officials from all spheres of government led by the Acting DG Mr. Nyoni,
Our newly appointed Director General of Mpumalanga Province Ms Maggie Skosana,
Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major general Dr Mkhwanazi and all law enforcements agencies present,
The Provincial Secretary of the governing party Cde Muzi Chirwa,
ANC veteran Ms Norah Fakude,
Leaders of the Alliance partners,
Leaders of the opposition parties,
Leaders of our social partners, big and small business, the informal sector, and non-governmental-organizations,
Esteemed guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Avuxeni, Sanibonani, Dumelang, Lotjhani
1. Honourable Speaker, the country bemoans the departure of life of 14 fallen heroes of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), who were deployed as part of the South African Development Community (SADC) and the United Nation Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC. They were deployed to support and restore peace and security in the Eastern DRC.
2. We are engulfed by a dark cloud, ten (10) people from Mpumalanga lost their lives in a horrific accident in Limpopo. They were gutted beyond recognition. We are still waiting for a forensic DNA analysis. We are ready to give them a decent send off. Behind every dark cloud is an ever shining sun, the storm will pass.
3. Let us all observe a moment of silence in honour and remembrance of our heroes, our soldiers who fought like an eagle that has no fear of adversity, and our ten (10) Mpumalanga residents who perished.
4. Madam Speaker, our own son, a young most talented golfer, Shalom Lebakeng from Malelane, Nkomazi Local Municipality was invited to play in the Presidential four (4) ball at the 2025 Presidential Golf Challenge which took place at the Atlantic Beach Golf Course in Cape Town.
5. His performance was very impressive and he received some accolades from the President’s Foundation. We are proud of our son and the Premier’s foundation will pay for his tuition fees.
6. Honourable Speaker, members and the people of Mpumalanga, it is a privilege and a humbling experience to stand before this august House to prepare people’s hearts and minds to receive feedback on what Mpumalanga Provincial Government has accomplished in the last seven (7) months, since we took the oath of office and shared with you our vision for the future of this beautiful province, the place of the rising sun.
7. As a government of the people, today’s occasion gives us an opportunity to account to the people, by reflecting our performance and progress towards building a better life for the people of this wonderful province.
8. The State of the Province Address takes place in the wake of many other important and momentous events in our calendar which include, amongst others:
- the ruling party’s 113 years’ anniversary celebration of its existence with the January 8 statement in Khayelitsha Cape Town
- a number of Makgotla including the government cabinet lekgotla and our own EXCO Lekgotla which took place recently.
- the 2025 State of the Nation Address by His Excellency President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa,
9. In his 2025 State of the Nation Address, His Excellency, President Cyril Matamela Ramophosa reminded us of our most urgent task of growing our economy, creating jobs, reducing poverty and improving the lives of all South Africans.
10. Growing our economy will restore the dignity of our people and lead them to a place of abundance, prosperity and ease, a national democratic society.
The Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP)
11. The 7th Administration, as detailed in the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP), emphasizes the following key priorities:
- Driving Inclusive Economic Growth and Job Creation
- Reducing Poverty and Tackling the High Cost of Living
- Building a Capable, Ethical, and Developmental State
12. Whilst these three strategic priorities are interrelated and interlinked, driving inclusive growth and job creation is viewed as a top priority.
13. All spheres of government, clusters and sectors will prioritise relevant economic interventions towards increased prosperity and equality for all the people of Mpumalanga.
14. Honourable Speaker and Members, the ideal economic growth envisaged for the province is underpinned by the following strategic objectives:
-Economic growth rate of 3% and more
-Reducing the unemployment rate to 25% and below
-Facilitating domestic and foreign Investment targeting at least R50 billion worth of investment.
-Reducing the poverty rate to less than 35%
- Creating at least 60 000 and more job opportunities per annum
-Reducing income inequality
15. We need a strong government that directly and indirectly supports the economy. This can be done by developing integrated transport networks and industries, as well as by creating a safe and orderly environment.
The Economy
16. We will continue to build the economy of the province. This growth is crucial for creating job opportunities and fostering hope in our communities.
17. Our improvement of unemployment rate from 36.2% to 34.7% is significantly higher than the national average and youth unemployment is particularly high. Yesterday statistics SA released their social profile of the youth report for the period 2014-2024. The report reveals that Youth unemployment in the province has increased by 8.2% from 41.8% in 2014 to 50% in 2024. However, there was an improvement on the youth unemployed graduates from 19% to 9%.
18. Honourable Speaker and Members, we do not state these figures casually, as they mean that the social budget has to be increased.
19. We welcome any form of social assistance that helps low income social households. Our communities are benefitting from social grants and welfare services.
20. Our economy is not growing at a rate that allows us to absorb many people into productive employment. The stagnation in domestic growth has been caused in part by the global economic conditions.
21. Amongst others, the volatile commodity prices in the mining sector create uncertainty and make it difficult for investors to predict the future.
More here: https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/2025-03/SOPA.2025_Mpumalanga.pdf
