The Mpumalanga provincial government intends to shift its focus to the overcrowding in urban schools.

Lowvelder has continuously reported how local public schools face overcrowding challenges.

On Friday Mtshweni-Tsipane said that their priority will be to alleviate the pressure on schools in urban areas. More classrooms will be added and the government will continue with the construction of new schools.

“In the past years we focused in the other areas. During that period more people moved to urban areas, so their children went to the schools in the urban areas and this resulted in overcrowding at those schools,” she explained.

She plans to visit schools in the next 100 days, with the MEC for education, with the aim of identifying their immediate needs. The Department of Education will build 157 early childhood development centres and equip them with the necessary e-learning facilities.

In her speech, the premier also addressed the issues affecting the establishment of the Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market. Over the past years Lowvelder has repeatedly reported on the massive project, too.
Mtshweni-Tsipane said they will identify, isolate and address the shortcomings that have plagued the construction.

The premier attributed the late and lack of payments of subcontractors to one of the main contractors. She said they will communicate with the contractor to resolve the issues.

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The government has also come to the conclusion that some of the people who received farming assistance in the past, in particular cooperatives, may have been people with fleeting and or an ill-informed interest in farming. They plan to conduct an audit on all allocated farms and identify those that are unused.

The premier’s visit to healthcare facilities at Witbank and Rob Ferreira hospitals revealed some concerns about their experience and issues that must be addressed.

Safety in the health facilities was one of their greatest concerns. The department shall install turnstiles, security gates, metal detectors and digitise the security systems in all healthcare facilities.

Other issues mentioned in the Sopa

Youth development initiatives:

The province will launch a Youth Development Fund to the tune of R250 million over a period of five years. This is intended to decrease youth unemployment, which is a national crisis. Mtshweni-Tsipane said the government shall develop a unit to manage the fund.

Skills development:

Consultations with relevant stakeholders are ongoing with regards to the creation of a provincial skills development master plan that will ensure transformation of skillsets to industry/economic needs.

Mining and environmental management:

A recent report by the Centre for Environmental Rights highlighted a worrying pattern, where coal mining operations utilise eight million cubic metres of water a year without adhering to the regulations outlined in the National Water Act.

The premier said in order to alleviate and prevent an environmental disaster, she has appointed an environmental management committee. They will do various things to assist, such as conducting an environmental impact analysis.

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Other political parties’ opinions of the Sopa

EFF’s Mpumalanga chairman, Collen Sedibe said the speech is not impressive in the issues of service delivery and corruption. “The plan is there to build houses and construct roads, but the problem with Mpumalanga’s government is corruption. How is she going to deal with corruption and make sure that every cent is accounted for? They need to spend the money properly. If they do not, they need to pay back the money themselves.” Sedibe also pledged to keep an eye on developments.

DA Mpumalanga leader, Jane Sithole said the premier put a strong voice against corruption. If she does what she said today, Sithole remarked, the DA will be behind her 100 per cent.
“However, she announced a new tertiary hospital. If we look at the two tertiary hospitals that are already there, they are unable to provide basic services. That was just a pie in the sky. She mentioned ECD centres. Last year the Department of Education could not provide materials to 500 ECD centres, so announcing more is like announcing ambulances without drivers,” she said.

FF+ Mpumalanga leader, Werner Weber said his main criticism is that the premier wants to uplift the economy by spending more and more of the taxpayer’s money. “This should be left to private enterprises. It’s a matter of principle. The ANC in the province and nationally wants to uplift South Africa by using taxpayer money. This is not sustainable,” he said.