Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane delivers Mpumalanga Sopa 2023

The Mpumalanga premier, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, delivered the State of the Province Address (Sopa) at the Provincial Legislature on Friday February 24. She shared the province’s journey of the past four years.

“Four years ago, we were given a solid mandate as the ANC to govern. It is a mandate we accepted with humility, and throughout the entire period, it has never escaped us that we have been made custodians of the wishes and aspirations of our people. We dare not fail nor betray this solemn vow. After all, we are carriers of promises that were made by our forebears when they met at Kliptown, Soweto, in 1955 and adopted umhlahlandlela, a policy document they named the Freedom Charter, guaranteeing South Africans of all races their inalienable rights to govern and be governed through the will of the majority. The inalienable rights that we all enjoy, which have been codified in our constitution, have their basis in that Freedom Charter.”

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The premier said they are unwavering in the commitment to open up opportunities and give support to all people of this province, especially those who were and still are excluded from the mainstream economy.

“We are under no illusion that more than 300 years of oppression and institutionalised discrimination can be overcome overnight. But we are not about to throw our hands in the air in surrender, nor will we be offering excuses as to why certain things cannot be done at the desired pace.”
She said it is not excuses that the people of Mpumalanga are looking for; it is food, energy, jobs, water and opportunities.

“We are as resolute today as our forebears were in Kliptown in 1955, to build a fair and just society. The mandate, roadmap and pathways we have pursued in the four years of this administration are derived from the seven priorities of our 2019 elections’ manifesto. These bold and ambitious goals constitute what we have dedicated our resources and energies to.

“They are:
• Economic transformation and job creation;
• Education, skills and health;
• Consolidating the social wage through reliable and quality basic services;
• Spatial integration, human settlements and local government;
• Social cohesion and safe communities;
• A capable, ethical and developmental state; and
• A better Africa and a better world.

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“The province’s work will be informed by the nine-point programme of action, comprised of the following pillars: load-shedding and the energy crisis; just energy transition; jobs war room; infrastructure showcasing; a response mechanism for disasters; the district development model and the state of local government; state-owned enterprises’ performance review and repositioning; crime, criminality and immigration; and Operation Clean Audit.

“On the international front, and especially where the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) is concerned, 2023 is a very significant year. South Africa will be hosting the BRICS Summit and President Ramaphosa, will be assuming the chairpersonship of BRICS.

Mtshweni-Tsipane said following a request made last year, she is pleased to announce that Mpumalanga will be hosting the BRICS Roadshow during April.