Premier Mabuza
promises radical shift in the provincial government
Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has promised a radical shift
in the operations of the provincial government saying the ruling party needed
to speedily respond to the needs of the people.
Speaking at a three-day executive council Lekgotla in Skukuza at the Kruger National
Park
ANC had won the
elections; they were not easy, as there was a lot of
criticism by the opposition parties pointing at the weaknesses of the
provincial government.
“Nevertheless people voted for the ruling party to lead
government again because they believed in it and in its policies, however they still
expected a lot from it. He said during the campaigns people said a lot of
things, indicating what worked, and what did not work for government.
“The voices of the people are still loud and clear on our
ears. They are calling on us to do things a bit differently and a bit faster,
and we are going to do just that, we are not going to fail them.
“It is not going to be an easy five-year term for some of us.
We will have to do some radical thinking in a sense that things cannot be just normal.
There is going to be a belt-tightening process in a number of areas. At the end
of the day, we must be able to respond to the call from the people to do things
better,” said Mabuza.
The Premier said the provincial government would “cut to the
bone” the unnecessary spending by the government departments.
“As the public administration, we have been given a
responsibility to manage the funds of the public, therefore we have no choice
but to be responsible. We are going to rearrange our plans, take money from where
we think it is not well placed and place it where we think it is mostly needed.
“There will be no more luxury for the government officials.
Why should the officials have free coffee in their offices when the people out
there cannot afford to buy one? If they want coffee, they must buy their own, we
are going to trim the fat until there is no fat.
“The public service must change, they call us people who are
on a gravy train, which means life is merely good for us only. It cannot
therefore be the business usual.
“I want to call for discipline and focus because, if we are
all able to stand and face in one direction, we are going to emerge victorious
as this government of the people,” said Mabuza.
He explained the plans already tabled by the departments
were going to be re-arranged during the Lekgotla
in order to shift the focus.
The Premier further emphasized that the provincial
government would continue to prioritize education as a major focus. He said
people needed to be skilled and employed in order to participate and contribute
in the country’s economy.
He said the provincial government would double its efforts
in terms of skills development, as creation of decent work opportunities
remained more than a priority. It was an urgent matter for the provincial
government to attend. He said economic growth needed to translate into jobs and
poverty alleviation.
“There is no time to waste, all those young men and women
who are loitering the streets must be skilled with the skills that would
respond to our environment and our economy. We cannot continue in the same pace
as we did over the past five years where we were inward looking in an effort to
get things right.
“It is quite clear that in order for us to try and improve
the economic situation, we must get our country working by getting the
necessary external investments. We are therefore going to firm up our
cooperation agreements and possible start the new ones,” said Mabuza.
The Premier added that the ruling party was receiving a
message from the people to re-open the land claim process, as they wanted their
land back. He said those who had received the land were also complaining about the
lack of capacity to be productive. He said the provincial government needed to
participate and capacitate those who already who successfully claimed the land.
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