MBOMBELA – Huge changes are occurring at the Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency (MEGA). Following the “consensual termination” of the CEO Adv Boyce Mkhize last week, the provincial executive has also announced that the chairman of the interim board, Mr Siyabonga Mahlangu has stepped down. He has accepted full-time employment with Telkom, with Mr Davies Mculu appointed in his stead.
The MEC for economic development and tourism, Mr Eric Kholwane spoke to Lowvelder last week about his plans for the public entities – MEGA and the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA). He said his long-term project was that they generated an income for the government, instead of the province pumping funds into their operation.
“Tourism is supposed to be booming in Mpumalanga. I believe we can achieve it,” he said, adding that this would create many employment opportunities. He said the MTPA’s dual role was proving problematic. “We must review the legislation that establishes the MTPA. At the moment it is a referee more than a player.
Kholwane explained that this limited private participation because stakeholders didn’t know as to what (a regulator or competitor) they were engaging the agency. Since his vision was for the public entities to generate money for the government, he preferred entering into more joint ventures with the private sector, without privatisation. He said these would bring additional skills and money to aid in his ultimate aim of making the MTPA and MEGA self-sustainable entities.
“The department is the brain of the province,” he said, adding that he was reorganising existing skills in government to improve the professional and sector-skilled employees in the department of economic development.
He said a new board for the MTPA will be appointed in a week or so.
