Nothing will come on a platter, premier says

PREMIER Stanley Mathabatha opened the Executive Committee (Exco) legotla recently by saying the Limpopo government had a responsibility to the people of Limpopo.

He said as leaders the attendees had to tell each other the truth, and he believed that this was the opportunity to tell them that they should not rest on their laurels and believe everything was going to come to them on a platter.

“It might be our last lekgotla before we go to elections. There should not be anyone here who says I have been in all of them, I have seen them and nothing has changed,” Mathabatha said.

“We are on a road to recovery, and are recovering. The special investigating unit has reported that more than 302 cases are currently being investigated, whereas 88 cases involving senior management have been finalised. The two cases involving heads of department commence next week. When you deal with a wound that needs to be healed, sometimes it becomes essential to work on it brutally to save the patient,” Mathabatha told delegates attending the lekgotla.

Mathabatha reminded delegates what happened in the United States recently and also to the province a year ago. “President Obama woke up last week to realise there was no budget, and thus had to close certain essential services.”

He said fortunately the Exco had closed the chapter on recent events in which the national government had to step in to assist, and he promised that “never again shall the people of Limpopo be subjected to such administrative blunders”.

The people of Limpopo did not need only services, but efficient services, he said. “When they demand water, they want running water. When they demand roads, they want smooth roads like the one we opened last week with President Zuma. When they want houses, they mean good houses that do not leak when it rains. All these are possible to do if we are dedicated to our work, and do it diligently.”

He said nothing could substitute good governance. “The philosopher Aristotle said: ‘He that cannot be a good follower should not even lead’. Now, as leaders gathered here, let’s lead in such a way that there will be good followers. Let’s administer in a manner that we will be admired by those we are administering. This is simple philosophy of leadership,” he continued.

According to him the rolling-out of the infrastructure road network worth trillions of rands in the province, could satisfy everyone in the province.

“But because we have become so greedy, some of us have started believing that there are a few who are entitled to receive all these benefits. That is gross criminality that should be stopped in its tracks,” he said.

“This gathering should not be just another talk-shop, were we meet, chat, go out and forget everything that we have discussed. Things have changed, and they will remain changed for the better. Our people demand and deserve better.”