Johannesburg – The leadership of North West Province has committed to ensuring that the remaining period of the current administration is used to improve and accelerate the delivery of services as well as implementing development projects which create the most needed jobs.
Speaking in Coligny, a small town near Lichtenburg, Ditsobotla Local Municipality where he was delivering a Provincial Service Delivery Address which coincided with the observance of Reconciliation Day, Premier of the North West Kaobitsa Bushy Maape reiterated the need for the provincial and local government leadership to make service delivery a way of life.
Since assuming office as the Premier of North West in September this year, Premier Maape has launched service delivery initiatives aimed at ensuring that the two focus areas of improving service delivery and job creation are achieved.
Accelerated service delivery campaign
In the past few weeks, Premier Maape launched the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme in Mahikeng, the capital city of the province.
Taken to Coligny on Reconciliation Day, this campaign will be a feature of this government until end of the current term.
This plan is aimed at changing the face of local government by expediting the delivery of services in municipalities through provision of basic services such as collection of refuse, clearing illegal dumping, addressing problems of water shortages and patching of potholes.
In a concerted effort to address the ongoing water challenges across the province, the provincial government established a War Room whose mandate is to receive daily updates about challenges of water provision in the province, and resolve all water delivery interruptions.
The War Room has been successful in developing remedial action plans aimed at ensuring that all reported interruptions in the provision of water in many localities are resolved in time. Moreover, the province is working with the national Department of Water and Sanitation on a Provincial Water Master Plan which will assist the province to guarantee delivery of water resources in a more planned and sustained manner. Added to this is a plan to commission the Taung Dam in the next three months to alleviate water provision challenges in the Greater Taung Local Municipality.
“We are now entering into a social compact with the community of North West Province”
Premier Maape said this historic year of the 25th anniversary of our Constitution must be used to recommit ourselves to build a nation envisaged by the Congress of the People in Kliptown in 1956, and highlighted the creation of opportunities for people to share in the wealth of our nation and working hard to build houses, creating security and comfort for all our people as central to this effort.
“We want to improve our cities, lure investments to our shores and address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and income inequalities bedevilling our socio-economic development as a province”.
The province has already institutionalised the District Development Model across all four Districts.
The National and Provincial Champions deployed to each district are playing a key role in facilitating the coordination of integrated development.
Each District has now developed a district development plan in which includes the participation and contribution of all government departments, national, provincial and local, and all social partners including business and labour.
Our approach to COVID-19 and vaccination programme
Premier Maape who is also the chairperson of the Provincial Command Council says the province has resolved to target young people to get vaccinated because this group appears to be driving the infection numbers in the Omicron fourth wave.
“It is only through getting vaccinated that we will be able to extend our immunity protection to the required target of our provincial population. There is no doubt that COVID-19 vaccines work”. So far over 1.6 million vaccines have been administered in the province, and this translates to over forty percent (40%) of people who have been vaccinated.
“The youth are our future, we cannot move forward as a nation, if our youth do not lead the way. We therefore appeal to young people to go out in numbers and get their jabs”. Outlining the provincial government’s plans for festive season, Premier Maape said part of the strategy in mitigating the impact of COVID – 19 during this period will be the deployment of law of enforcement agencies in various hotspots to enforce compliance as per the dictates of the Alert Level 1.
“We will also be ramping up our efforts by taking vaccination campaigns to taxi ranks and malls until 31 December. In the new year, our focus will shift to preparing for a COVID free learning environment in all our schools and institutions of higher learning. Our Back-to-School Vaccination Campaign will be aimed at minimising the number of interruptions we have seen in our schools and learning institutions to ensure that our classes return to full attendance of learning for all age groups qualifying to receive vaccines. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year. May you keep safe and adhere to all non-pharmaceutical interventions. Sanitise your hands regularly, keep a safe distance and wear your masks. Don’t drink and drive! And most vitally, vaccinate before you vibe!”
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