Honourable Chairperson of the session;
Honourable Members of the National Council of Provinces; Honourable members of the Provincial Legislature
MEC present here;
Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Provincial Legislature Chairperson of SALGA
The Auditor General Executive Mayors and Mayors
Acting Director General and HODs:
We count a rare honour and a privilege on our part to be given this opportunity to brief the honourable members of NCOP on the state of service delivery in the province.
I would also like to take this opportunity to heartily welcome and commend members of the NCOP for your all-important week-long visit to our province. It is my belief that this visit and your direct interaction with our people in various localities will provide you with the ‘first hand’ information on the state of delivery of services to our people.
Chairperson
I should hasten to indicate that mine will be to focus on the overarching issues in terms of the state of service delivery, whilst the MECs and heads of other government institutions will give a detailed account in respect of their line-functions responsibilities.
Chairperson
On the 30th of July 2014 we appeared before the Select Committee on Finance, in Cape Town to give a detailed account and progress made on the implementation of Section 100 (1) (b) in the Province.
As you know, the cabinet invoked Section 100 (1) (b) of the constitution by placing five Limpopo provincial government departments under administration on the 05th of December 2011. At the time the province had accumulated an unauthorised expenditure of R2,7 billion, and an overdraft of R1,7 billion.
Limpopo provincial government was running out of cash and was likely to fail to pay its employees, as well as honouring the payments of suppliers and providers of goods and services rendered.
Honourable members
Today as we meet here, we are proud to report that Limpopo is a much better place than it was in December 2011, thanks to the oversight work of the NCOP. We have since made significant improvement in the administration and corporate governance of this province. Of particular note, are the financial and management systems that have begun to take shape.
The R2,7 billion accumulated unauthorised expenditure has been significantly reduced. We have also managed to eliminate the R1,7 billion overdraft.
Chairperson of the Session,
In the light of these developments, Cabinet has recently decided to convert Section 100 (1) (b) to Section 100 (1) (a) in respect of all five departments under administration in the Province.
We are in the process of signing the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Ministers concerned, and we are trust that this process would been concluded by the end of this month.
Honourable Members;
It is also worth mentioning that this NCOP takes place amidst celebrations of 20 years of democracy and freedom in our country. It has indeed been two decades of hard work by the democratic government to improve the conditions of living of our people.
Access to Basic services
In Limpopo we have increased the number of people with access to water from 78% in 2001 to over 86%. In the same vein, we have increased the provision of electricity to our people from 62.9% in 2001 to 87%. The majority of the beneficiaries of these services are the historically marginalised, especially those in the far-flung rural villages of our province.
The challenge however is the provision of sanitation services. To date only 38% of households have access to decent sanitation, while 22% have access to refuse removal. The department of CoGHSTA has since been directed to develop a plan in terms of which our performance could improve in this regard.
Chairperson
We are also delighted that since 1994, we have built over 250 000 houses for poor families, benefiting about 1 million people in our province. In addition to this, we transferred over 12 000 housing units through Enhanced Extended Discount Benefit Scheme (EEDBS).
We are in the process of appointing contractors to commence work by the beginning of October 2014. This will see us build no less than Ten Thousand Five Hundred units before end the current financial year.
Honourable members,
To improve access to other essential services we have established 24 Thusong Service Centers throughout the province. To complement this initiative, each ward in the province has a Community Development Worker (CDW) who assists our people in accessing various government services such as social grants and registration of ID documents.
Honourable members
In order to bring government closer to the people, the Provincial Executive Council meets communities on regular basis. This platform helps government to have a first-hand experience of the challenges of service delivery that our communities are faced with, day -in- and- day out.
The other efforts in improving service delivery include the Premier’s Excellence Awards, Premier’s Hotline, and monitoring of departmental service delivery improvement indicators. We have significantly improved in dealing with cases reported through Presidential and Premiers Hotlines. As at the end of the first quarter, all our departments were at 100% in resolving cases reported through our hotlines.
Whilst all District Municipalities have also performed well, Vhembe District Municipality, was left behind at 99, 9%in resolving reported cases.
Chairperson of the session
I have no doubt that this commitment by public servants will go a long way towards building the public service that is sensitive and responsive to the needs of our people.
Universal access to primary health care
Chairperson and Honourable members, universal access to primary health care remain high on the agenda of this provincial government. In response to the current challenges in the provision of basic health care services and facilities, we have developed a workable Turnaround Strategy.
In this regard, resources amounting to R145 million have been committed to the purchasing and repairing of critical equipment’s for all our hospitals in need.
We will also pay special attention to non-negotiable in the improvement of the health system such as finances, information management, leadership and Human Resource Management in our health institutions, hospitals and clinics in the main.
Honourable members
In your last visit to Limpopo, the Provincial government reported that in addition to the traditional mining, agriculture and tourism economic growth drivers, the development of our economy would also be anchored around the establishment of Special Economic Zones.
We have so far identified Musina and Tubatse as Special Economic Zones to advance government strategic objectives of the industrialisation, regional integration and job creation.
The focus in Tubatse is on platinum group metals, with emphasis on hydrogen fuel cells, whereas Musina is focusing on cross- border trade, agro-processing and mining beneficiation.
Honourable members, we are at an advanced stage in terms of the commissioning and implementation of these economic zones. It is however worth mentioning that our province has experienced a decline in economic growth from 4.5% in 2007 to 1.1% in 2014. Obviously we have not escaped the impact of the 2008 global economic meltdown.
In an effort to turn the tight and put our economy on a higher trajectory of growth and development, we have identified infrastructure development, industrialisation and manufacturing as new game changers. We are also in the process of finalising our Provincial Development Plan that will serve as a guide to action in this regard.
In the same vein, we have set ourselves an economic growth target of 5% by 2019. To that effect, the provincial government will consolidate the public works programme to create more jobs for our people.
In the first quarter of this financial year we have created (31 602) thirty one thousand six hundred and two job opportunities through EPWP programme, and we have set ourselves a target of creating four hundred and twenty six thousand (426 000) jobs by 2019. This will contribute to the national NDP target of 6 million jobs by the same period.
Chairperson
In the light of compliance and spending capacity challenges on the part of our municipalities, we have established a Provincial Clean Audit Steering Committee to help improve financial systems at this sphere of government.
We have also assigned CoGHSTA to conduct a diagnostic assessment in our municipalities with a view to make clear proposals on the immediate, short and long term interventions required. Municipalities have also been instructed to submit their individual Municipal Infrastructure Grant Plans to CoGHSTA on regular basis.
These plans should include:
- Cash flow projections and procurement timelines, and
- Outline areas of support, inclusive of all sectors.
CoGhSTA will be analyzing the municipal plans on a monthly basis (for the first 6 months), and will convene one on one progress meetings at district level, with attendance by relevant sectors.
In the same vein I have also established the Premier Infrastructure Coordinating Committee (PICC) in my office. This committee will monitor and help departments in the forward planning and implementation of infrastructure plans.
Provincial Audit outcomes
Honourable Chairperson
The audit outcomes and trends for 2013/14 Financial Year paint an improving picture in our provincial departments. Although most of our departments continue to improve in their audit outcomes, there are a few that have not moved, and some have regressed.
The Executive Council has since instructed the Executive Management of all departments and entities to develop action plans to address these audit findings.
The action plan in question will be a standing agenda item in the Executive Management meetings of departments and public entities.
HODs and CEOs will also be required to report monthly to the Provincial Treasury and the HOD Forum on progress made in clearing the audit findings.
Nevertheless, I must assure you that there will be consequences for non-compliance.
In conclusion I wish you a fruitful week in the Province. We will accompany you in your oversight activities and will welcome all corrective measures that you will recommend.
Ours is a participatory democracy, let’s make it work.
I thank you
