19 February 2009
Mpumalanga Premier Thabang Makwetla will deliver his final State of the
Province Address (SoPA) tomorrow (20/02/2009) at the Mpumalanga provincial
legislature in Nelspruit. The address will give a high-level account of the
performance of the current administration since it assumed duties in 2004.The
address will also highlight some of the successes, constraints and challenges
of service delivery encountered over the last 15 years of freedom and
democracy.
Among others, the speech will place an emphasis on the importance of
infusing and sustaining the values and systems based on integrity and
efficiency in the provincial administration. These include the transformation
of the public sector to be responsive to the service delivery expectations of
the populace.
Of particular importance will be a progress report on the implementation of
the five key provincial flagship projects, commonly referred to as the âbig
fiveâ. They include Maputo Development Corridor, Moloto Rail Development
Corridor, Water for all, Heritage, Greening Mpumalanga Tourism and the
Accelerated Capacity Building Project. These were announced by the Premier
during the 2007 SoPA as part of the efforts to grow the regional economy but
also to advance the priorities of social development.
Skills, which has been isolated as one of the key constraints for
socio-economic development also emerged as one of important priorities during
Makwetlaâs term. Following the first ever skills audit (in 2005) to be
undertaken in the public sector, the provincial administration was found to
have performed below average. This necessitated the province to initiate the
âaccelerated capacity buildingâ flagship as a direct response aimed at
enhancing the skills base in the management echelons of the province. Specific
progress around this intervention in order to match the skills profile and the
economic requirements of the province will be highlighted
In the same vein, the importance of agriculture as a means to diversify the
economy, boost employment, create an asset base for communities and mitigate
the threat of food security will be emphasised. Of particular focus is the
provinceâs high impact program, known as âMasibuyele emasiminiâ (back to
tilling land) which was targeting poverty-stricken households with no
meaningful gains of employment. This will also be linked to the recently
launched âanti poverty war room.â
The private sectorâs role in increasing investments to the province over the
last five years and their contribution to economic growth and job creation are
expected to be commended by highlighting their economic value to the provinceâs
Gross Geographic Product (GGP).
Makwetla will also announce additional public sector driven measures to
invest and diversify the regional economy. A key highlight will be the
investments in roads and rail infrastructure as key enablers in attracting
investments. The last five years in the province have seen government
investments in roads increasing notably and this is expected to continue. In
addition, targets met around the Expanded Public Works Program (EPWP) and its
contribution in expanding work opportunities over the last five years will be
revealed.
Challenges encountered and possible interventions in the provision of
housing, water and electricity will be unveiled. Premier Makwetla will also
touch on strategies to prevent and reduce the socio-economic and health impact
of malaria, tuberculosis (TB), HIV and AIDS in the rural communities.
Special programs aimed at readying the province to host a world-class 2010
spectacular are on firm course and they include a progress report on stadia,
roads, volunteer programme, mobilisation effort, disaster management compliance
and other related plans.
The speech will be available tomorrow at 10 am on the website: http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za
Date: 20/02/2009
Venue: Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature
Time: 10h00
For media registration contact:
Mokope Taiwa
Cell: 082 802 8460
Tel: 013 766 2288
Issued by: Office of Premier, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
19 February 2009
