Premier Stan Mathabatha’s State of the Province Address (Sopa) at a sitting of the Legislature in Jack Botes Hall last Friday was preceded by pomp and ceremony with a parade and the arrival of VIPs on a red carpet.
Mathabatha said in his address that because 2019 marks the conclusion of the Provincial Bovernment’s current term of office, the better part of the address will focus on reporting on the work done in the last five years. “When we assumed office in 2014, we entered into a partnership and a clear-cut social contract with the people of our Province to move Limpopo forward. In this regard, we undertook to build on the progress we had made since 1994,” Mathabatha said.
The Provincial Government’s commitment to deliver
According to the Premier, the Provincial Government undertook to create more jobs and sustainable livelihoods for inclusive growth, to embark on a programme of rural development, land reform and food security, to improve the quality of the education and its outcomes, to improve the health of the population and expand access to quality public health, and above all, to fight crime and corruption.
People of Limpopo have reason to celebrate
“Today the people of Limpopo, as the rest of South Africans, have more reasons to celebrate because their lives have changed for the better, Mathabatha said and added that an electricity connection is no longer a preserve of those staying in and around the cities and in many parts of the province, especially the most rural and far-flung villages, the people drive on the tarred roads.
“The doors of learning and culture have indeed been opened. Access to education is no longer depended on a socio-economic standing of an individual. More and more of our people are beginning to participate in the mainstream economy. There is equality before the law, and people are indeed governing.”
Mathabatha said that the central part of the government’s efforts over the past five years has been the commitment to grow the economy and create much needed jobs for the people, and in particular for young people.
Province’s decision to build the economy, create jobs
According to the Premier, government took a conscious decision to build an economy that would be a major contributor to the national wealth. “In this regard, we developed the Limpopo Development Plan as a blue-print to guide our efforts towards a higher trajectory of economic growth and development. We have acted boldly to attract investments in to the provincial economy. Our guiding mandate has been the need to speed up social development, create employment, promote equitable distribution of resources and, above all, reduce the levels of poverty in our province,” Mathabatha said.
“The Stats South Africa’s Labour Force Survey indicates that since 2014, the provincial economy has been able to create no less than
317 000 jobs. Suffice to indicate that these numbers do not include the figures for the 2018 fourth quarter labour force survey. It also indicates that Limpopo has the lowest unemployment rate in the country.
Our unemployment rate is currently at 16,5% against the national average of 27,1%,” the Premier said.
Mining, SEZs major contributors to provincial economy
According to the Premier, mining is the biggest contributor towards the provincial economy at 24,5% of the Provincial Gross Domestic Product. Jobs in this sector have increased from 71 000 in 2013 to 103 000 in 2017/18. “With the new mining projects in the pipeline, these figures are expected to increase by a further
3 000,” Mathabatha added.
“To date, the Musina-Makhado SEZ project has managed to attract a total investment commitment of around
R150 billion to the province. This will indeed go a long way in creating much-needed jobs and other economic opportunities, especially for the youth. According to existing plans and program, several plants will be constructed under these SEZ projects creating more than 21 000 jobs.
The Polokwane Anglo-Platinum Smelter is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. “Of particular note, is the fact that this plant will improve air quality by reducing carbon emissions by 96%,” the Premier said and added that the capital value of this project is R1,57 billion and has created no less than 500 construction jobs.
Tourism a major job creator
“According to the latest available figures from StatsSA, Limpopo has since 2014 received over 27,5 million domestic travellers. During the same period, our province was able to attract 7,8 million international tourists. We intend to build on these figures as we position our tourism sector to become a major job creator in the province.”
Progress on roads and electricity
Since 2014, government has spent no less than R2,6 billion in upgrading 260 kilometres of roads from gravel to tar. A further total of over 380 lane kilometres were rehabilitated and 14 bridges were built.
“In 1996, only about 32% of households in Limpopo enjoyed access to electricity connections. According to StatsSA, by 2011, Limpopo had increased the number of households with electricity connection to a whopping 87,3% and the latest StatsSA Community Household Survey shows that Limpopo is currently at 94,1%,” Mathabatha said.
Inability of municipalities to spend funds a concern
“The ability of our municipalities to spend allocated resources is directly linked to the urgency of taking services to the people. If municipalities do not spend allocated resources, services will not be rendered to those who need them most.
I have said in many instances and in many platforms that such a failure is not acceptable. In most cases, inability to spend allocated resources is directly linked to lack of capacity, which is, having wrong people in strategic positions. But equally important, is the lack of proper and timeous planning,” according to the Premier,
The work will continue
“As the term of this 5th administration ends, I wish to assure the people of Limpopo that the work that we have started will continue. We are confident that the incoming government will prioritise issues relating to the growth and development of our economy, particularly our SEZ project. This will be done in order to seize the job opportunities that come with this project.
I am also confident that the incoming government will continue with the infrastructure delivery programme, particularly as it relates to sanitation, roads and water infrastructure, Mathabatha concluded.
Story: BARRY VILJOEN
>>barryv.observer@gmail.com
Photos: Editorial team
and his wife Alice.
