Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu’s supportive response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address last Tuesday, February 11, could potentially be a glimpse of what Mpumalangans can expect from the upcoming State of the Province Address (Sopa).

This impressed many politicians in attendance, including Ramaphosa and his deputy, Paul Mashatile.

Ndlovu is set to deliver the Sopa 2025 at the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature on February 28.

“We concur with President Ramaphosa. The most urgent task is to grow our economy so that we can create jobs, reduce poverty and improve the lives of all South Africans. We support his commitment to our National Development Plan,” Ndlovu said.

He outlined the continuity of some major projects the Mpumalanga Provincial Government has embarked on prior to him taking over in 2024, which will be completed this year. This includes the frequently mentioned Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market that is expected to be launched by April.

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“We are engaging with international partners, including Oman and China, to build trading relations and explore markets for agricultural products. On operationalisation, 156 jobs will be created on the market floor, and a total of 150 000 subsistence farmers and small-scale farmers will have access to trade their products. We are also expecting to create an additional 105 000 jobs at a farm level and a total of 1 600 small entrepreneurs will be supported to start their own businesses that will trade their products with the market,” he said.

In his inaugural Sopa last year, Ndlovu highlighted healthcare as a priority, which includes the completion of the much-anticipated Middelburg District Hospital and the oncology unit at Rob Ferreira Hospital.

“We have a date with the president to come and open the state-of-the-art Middelburg Hospital with its 220 beds. We are still constructing the Mapulaneng Hospital, which will have 350 beds. The province is making strides towards the successful implementation of the National Health Insurance as 287 out of 292 clinics have achieved ideal clinic status, meeting National Health Care Standard,” Ndlovu said.

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Part of Ndlovu’s priorities in the upcoming Sopa is education, as he mentioned the finalisation of the planning of a school for the deaf and its construction that is set to commence in the 2025/26 financial year in his response. He indicated potential new projects aimed at increasing the tourism industry’s contribution to the gross domestic product from 5.8% to 8%. He also cemented his Kubhunya Lithuli Programme that is linked to human development and job creation.