Agri MEC worried over drought

Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Mapula Mokaba-Phu­kwana says the men and women in her department have what it takes to take the department forward and eradicate poverty.
“I am energetic and work hard, so they should join me in serving the people of Limpopo and monitor the things they are busy with, as I want to see accountability of state resources,” she said during an interview on Tuesday.
She was adamant that corruption in any form will not be tolerated. She met the senior management and officials during the week and as the Head of Department was still on leave, she will sit down with her for a long discussion. She also plans to meet the unions and visit districts and the district management as soon as possible.
Asked how she feels about her recent redeployment from Roads and Community Safety she was philosophic. “It is just work. Wherever I am deployed, I will do my work to the best of my ability. I will definitely try my best.”
One of the issues she sees as a big challenge is the current drought and how it adversely affects farmers.
“I want to check what plans are in place to assist farmers and when it rains, if we are ready to immediately react and begin to plough. I want to know we as a department are ready and what exactly it is that we will do. We will also do follow-up visits to each person we are helping. We must do all we can to fight poverty. People being assisted cannot also just sit back and say government will assist. We must work together closely.”
She visited Cape Town last week for a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee meeting where people were complaining about the distribution of fodder. “I will in future see that people are treated equally. There must be standard ways and norms of distributing fodder. I will also meet with farmers and follow up on what happened and why, as we must be fair. Officials will have to explain what happened and why fodder was not distributed equally and fairly. We must account for donations.”
Other issues she sees as challenges are students graduating at Tompi Seleka Agricultural College.
“We do not utilise them. We must have a plan and let them get some experience, such as learnerships. We want competent people in government jobs. There are no such thing as jobs for friends. As a politician I have a lot to learn about agriculture, but I am young and eager and I expect cooperation, respect and unity from the department.”
She also plans to work in close collaboration with traditional leaders and encourage the formation of small-scale gardens in backyards to enhance food security.
Mokaba-Phuwana is the youngest of four siblings, two of whom are deceased, her brother and political activist Peter Mokaba and a sister. The whole family was active in politics as was she since she was very young.
She lived in exile from the early 1980s to 1991. She was active on an organisational level of the African National Congress, especially at regional level as Treasurer and Deputy Chair and Deputy Secretary as well as active in the Umkhonto we Sizwe Veteran’s Association.
“I’ve been in politics my whole life”

Story: NELIE ERASMUS
>>nelie.observer@gmail.com

Featured photo: Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Mapula Mokaba-Phukwana.