Pretoria - Jobs, human settlements and the provision of services appear high on the to-do lists for KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Western Cape Premiers-elect - as they prepare to fold their sleeves and serve their respective provinces.
During the first sittings of their respective legislatures, Members of the Provincial Legislatures (MPLs) re-elected Senzo Mchunu (KZN), Stanley Mathabatha (LMP), David Mabuza (MP) and Helen Zille (WC) as Premiers on Wednesday.
While Zille has already announced her provincial executive members the same day she was sworn in, Mchunu will announce his cabinet on Monday shortly after his inauguration, while Mabuza will announce his cabinet sometime next week, but a date has not been specified.
In Mpumalanga, Mabuza said his province will, after formalities over the next couple of days, get back to work and focus on human settlements, jobs, electricity and water provision.
“As we sit here to start our business, we will consider all the concerns and challenges raised by the people during the campaigns. Indeed we are humbled by the trust and respect they have given us,” he said in his acceptance speech.
Mathabatha said the challenge for his new administration was not to drown in the glory of the past achievements, but to work even harder to make Limpopo a much better place to live in for all her people.
“We accept the overwhelming mandate, conscious of the service delivery challenges that lie ahead, and we dare not fail.
“We are called upon to work together to ensure that we create job opportunities for the jobless; that we accelerate the provision of housesfor the homeless, and above all, deliver water and electricity to the most needy in the vast farmlands and far-flung villages of Limpopo,” he said.
Mathabatha said his administration will also ensure the empowerment of young people through quality education and training.
“The creation of conducive conditions for business to thrive, and participation of our people in the mainstream economy is non-negotiable.
“We are realigning our provincial to the National Development Plan (NDP) in order to put Limpopo on a higher trajectory of economic growth and development,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mchunu said that in order to unlock the potential of KwaZulu-Natal, his province must work with religious leaders, traditional leaders, professionals, organized labour, NGOs, different sectors of civil society and big business.
“We dare not fail those who walked long distances and those who stood in long queues and voted us into office. We must all consider ourselves as very privileged that we have been given this mammoth responsibility at the time when this country celebrates 20 years of our freedom and democracy.
“As we start another 20 years of our freedom and democracy, we must together usher in a new era in which the work of government is conducted with a compelling sense of hard work, honesty and integrity,” Mchunu said.
In the Western Cape, Helen Zille noted that over the past five years her administration has developed a Provincial Strategic Plan that focused on economic growth and jobs, combatting poverty and providing opportunities for all.
“We have structured government to deliver on these plans and aligned the budget to implement them. The voters have given us a second term to continue our work. I believe that we must proceed to implement our plan, while updating it to take new factors into account,” Premier Zille said.
Premier Zille also announced new Members of the Provincial Legislature that will be sworn in by Western Cape High Court Deputy Judge President, Jeanette Traverso on Monday.
The new members comprise eight MECs, who have served in the government before, and two new MECs. Of the eight returning MECs, two are in new portfolios. – Sanews.gov.za
