NELSPRUIT – Mr David Mabuza said a big farewell to the people of the province today, as his five-year term as premier comes to a close with the forthcoming elections.
Mabuza was speaking at the official opening of the Mpumalanga legislature this morning, and ended his state of the province address (SOPA) with expressing gratitude. He thanked the ANC, president Mr Jacob Zuma, his provincial cabinet and his family for their support.
As the chairman of the provincial ANC, Mabuza may very well continue as premier after the May 7 general elections. He told the press afterwards that he served the ANC at its behest.
In his address, the premier addressed corruption, violent protests, health care, housing, crime and education.
According to Mabuza, 545 officials have been charged for doing business with the provincial government without declaring their interests over the past five years.
He also noted that while R2,6 billion was invested in health infrastructure over past five years, the health department needed more funding to services. The premier admitted that the provisioning of housing needs to be accelerated.
Mabuza condemned violence during protests, saying there are no grievances that can justify violence, intimidation, loss of life and the destruction of property. He blamed service delivery disruptions on aging infrastructure, illegal connections, and a lack of bulk infrastructure.
He also credited social programmes for a decline in some contact crimes such as assault, but noted that sex crimes in Mpumalanga increased in the past year by five per cent.
Read the full report in the next edition of Lowvelder.
