Stan, entire Exco flunk EFF scorecard

Given the opportunity to judge the performance of Limpopo’s Provincial Cabinet the past financial year by means of a scorecard, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leadership in Limpopo didn’t beat about the bush when branding Premier Stan Mathabatha as one of the worst Premiers the province has had since 1994.
Alongside all his Members of the Executive Council (MECs) and Legislature Speaker Polly Boshielo, Mathabatha flunked the EFF scorecard. Opinion contained in the attached rationale is solidified by 12 red circles against the names of the figureheads, of whom none made the 2015/16 financial year performance cut-off in the eyes of the EFF.
According to the scorecard Mathabatha totalled a minimal 2 out of 10. “Corruption is rife under his watch and he seems to protect those who are corrupt.” At the same time the EFF provincial leadership raised the suspension debacle of the Director-General as accompanying a serious waste of taxpayers’ monies. In the view of the EFF in the province municipalities like Thabazimbi and Vhembe continued to struggle under Mathabatha’s watch, minimising chances for people to get basic services. “He is failing to hold his incompetent MECs to account for non-delivery of services to our people.” Subsequently the EFF mentioned Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs MEC Makoma Makhurupetje returning monies for housing “and yet nothing happened to her”. They also placed the largest part of the responsibility for “the Vuwani chaos” squarely before Mathabatha’s door. The weakest link is how the EFF Limpopo leadership described the Premier in its rationale.
The highest score went to Provincial Treasury MEC Rob Tooley, who was credited for increasing the provincial own revenue generation to R1,108 billion. In his favour the development of a Supply Chain Management Quality Assurance Process is regarded as a step in the right direction. Yet failure by his department to ensure that its mandate of fully supporting departments, entities and municipalities were achieved and the Departments of Health and Education being in the worst state of governance and administration without urgency on his side to pull them up, they regarded as negatives. “He seems to have the passion to deliver, but he is not doing enough to demonstrate it.”
Health and Education – 3/10, Sekoati – 2/10
Both Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba and Education MEC Ishmael Kgetjepe scored 3 out of 10 while Economic Development, Environment and Tourism MEC Seaparo Sekoati was given 20%. Although the EFF credited Ramathuba for achieving an unqualified audit opinion in the financial year under review, the EFF was of the opinion that she needed to work hard to protect public funds from being embezzled by rogue officials and service providers. However, the issues of health facilities like hospitals and clinics continuing to lack basics such as equipments, medicine, shortage of nurses and doctors were among the things counting against her. In the same vein the EFF remarked that out of 452 health facilities in the province only a shocking 53 operated 24 hours, which denied the poor access to basic health care.
The EFF did not give any credit to Kgetjepe, whom they reckoned lacked radical ideas on how to turn his department around especially considering Section 100 status history. Severe shortage of school infrastructure across the province, lack of scholar transport, challenging sanitation arrangements and inconsistencies in terms of staff establishments disadvantaging schools – especially those in need of teachers with scarce skills – as well as the shocking decline in last year’s Grade 12 results were levelled against him. “He lacks the passion to deliver and he is clearly the wrong man for the job. The department is just too big for him.”
Sekoati’s department had failed to lead in driving economic development in the province, they reckoned while referring to youth unemployment being on the rise because of lack of entrepreneurial opportunities and Limpopo having shed 42 000 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2015/16 alone.
Remainder of MECs, Speaker – 1/10
The remaining MECs and the Legislature Speaker did not escape the tongue-lashing either. For various reasons Makurupetje, along with Transport, Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana, Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure MEC Jerry Ndou, Social Development MEC Joyce Mashamba, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Joy Matshoge, Sport, Arts and Culture MEC Nandi Ndalane as well as Boshielo were all given a meagre 1/10.
In comment on behalf of the Provincial Government, Phuti Seloba summarised the scorecard as valueless and referred to a high degree of underlying hatred in the EFF analysis. He was of the opinion that the EFF’s analysis was not based on anything, hence it became very difficult to engage with them. The provincial government could only be evaluated by an independent and objective institution and on performance based on government plans, according to Seloba. He suggested the EFF scorecard displayed ignorance of unimaginable proportions. The challenge with their understanding was that they didn’t know the difference between worse and excellent, he said. He stressed that Mathabatha was the best Limpopo could have, working tirelessly to ensure that the wound that made the province to limp got healed.

Story: YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com

Photo: The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) scorecard.