Limpopo SOPA: Premier Matabatha recites private sector successes to divert attention from government failuresby Jacques Smalle – DA Caucus Leader: Limpopo Legislature Date: 23 February 2023Release: Immediate
The DA in Limpopo is concerned about the dispassionate contents in Premier Stanley Mathabatha’s SOPA delivered today.
It held no tangible evidence of improvement of good governance that benefits the people of the province. Collapsing water and electrical infrastructure and disintegrating road networks cause untold hardships for private citizens, farms, mines, and the private sector alike; who despite these challenges still struggle manage to stay afloat.
The incomplete bulk water supply projects strewn across the province which will not be completed soon due to incompetent contractors, corruption and poor governance by deployed cadres exacerbate the lack of water provision to residents; it is unacceptable that more than 30% of Limpopo residents do not have any access to water.
We are concerned that the Premier was boastful about the positives strides made by the tourism, mining, private and commercial agricultural sectors post-covid, but most of these industries receive little or no assistance from government.
MMSEZ renewable energy project was announced by the Premier in his 2022 SOPA and has not commenced.
We are unconvinced that the MMSEZ development will kick off soon as similar undertakings have been made in past SOPA’s without any positive outcomes. Musina and Makhado, the heart of the MMSEZ development, do not have water to sustain these towns and residents are without water for weeks on end.
According to the expanded unemployment rate, 49,9% of persons of working age have given up hope of all finding employment. This statistic translates to 3.2 million individuals who are unemployed, discouraged work seekers or not economically active. Similarly, only 51.8% of learners who started grade 10 in 2020 actually completed matric in 2022 and 43065 learners dropped out in the same period. These are the citizens whom the Premier is desperate to dismiss and fails to address their plight.
Mathabatha continues to overpromise an 80% pass rate each year and continues to underdeliver.
This year Limpopo repeated the embarrassing failure of achieving the lowest matric pass rate in the country. The province also had more than 50% of the total poorly performing schools nationally.
We welcome the construction of the Limpopo Academic Hospital that will finally start this year after almost a decade of empty promises.
Mathabatha’s failure to address the poor infrastructure, understaffing, lack of equipment and water shortages at hospitals and clinics that threaten the closure of facilities like Elim hospital is deeply concerning. This coupled with a failure to address the issue of medical legal claims that threaten to collapse the province’s health system just illustrates the uncaring nature of this ANC government.
Our women and children in Limpopo remain vulnerable to high levels of GBV and sexual abuse. Mathabatha missed an opportunity to put forward a comprehensive plan backed by sufficient resources to address these issues.
During the next 3 months, the DA legislature caucus will seek clarity over details of the development of the province’s energy plan and conduct oversights at all projects that the premier claims to be near completion.
