Opening remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the meeting between the National Executive and the North West Provincial Executive Council, Rustenburg

Programme Director, Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa,
Premier of the North West, Mr Lazarus Mokgosi,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Members of the Executive Council (MECs),
Executive Mayors and members of councils,
Officials,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning,

As the National Executive, we are pleased to be in the North West.

This is our seventh formal engagement with a provincial executive.

We have previously met with the Executive Councils of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and, most recently, the Northern Cape.

We hope to have met with the leadership of the remaining two provinces, Free State and Western Cape, by the end of this financial year.

The Constitution mandates cooperative governance.

As the Government of National Unity, we see this as an important part of building a capable, ethical and developmental state.

One of the driving forces behind the District Development Model that we established in 2019 was to ultimately do away with three persistent challenges.

The first of these is the challenge of working in silos, which has contributed to a disjointed approach by national, provincial and local spheres of Government.

The second challenge is what I have termed on a previous occasion as 'parachuted development'.

Here, I am referring to the approach of initiating, scoping and budgeting for projects and programmes without proper project preparation and consultation with relevant stakeholders and, most importantly, the affected communities.

The third challenge has been how projects are funded in the wake of the fiscal challenges our country is going through. The DDM was initiated to enhance co-operation amongst all stakeholders. In addressing the challenge of funding projects we need to identify innovative ways of funding many projects. This we can do through more effective co-operation amongst all stakeholders.

These challenges have contributed to projects not being initiated nor implemented, when they are implemented being dogged by huge cost over-runs, projects being discontinued, and communities losing interest in development that does not materialise.

These challenges have contributed to a trust deficit between Government and communities.

These two challenges have been holding back our progress as a country.

Today's engagement is designed to narrow and ultimately close these gaps.

This engagement is meant to help us work together more efficiently, to resolve challenges together and to plan smarter.

We hope that this engagement will come up with innovative ideas and lead to tangible action to address problems and challenges.

Chairperson,

While the provincial executive and municipalities should be commended for growing public infrastructure in this Province, challenges remain.

Communities are bearing the brunt of instability at local government level.

Municipalities have repeatedly been placed under administration, the Ditsobotla Local Municipality being the most recent of these.

The National Executive, working with the Provincial Government, is determined to arrest the current situation and turn the municipality around so that it once again delivers consistent services and enjoys the respect of communities.

We were all elected to serve the people and not our own interests.

Failure to deliver services is an infringement of the basic rights of citizens.

Let me address the issue of running water as an example.

No one should go more than a day without running water while there is a deafening silence from the municipal offices about when water will be restored.

We must remind ourselves of the National Treasury's 2024 provincial socio-economic review which points to an increase in the percentage of people living in poverty.

It also points to a drop in the number of households with access to basic services like water.

We need to recognise that fiscal constraints are holding back a number of projects and programmes, particularly at a municipal level.

But nothing can excuse poor governance, maladministration, financial mismanagement, wastage and corruption.

If a municipality is put under administration, we need to know what the elected representatives and municipal officials are doing to earn their salaries.

The impact of tariffs and other developments on the country's economy mean that we must intensify our efforts to deliver on the Government of National Unity's three strategic priorities.

These priorities are to drive inclusive growth and job creation; to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living; and to build a capable, ethical and developmental state.

These priorities must find expression in plans for action at both provincial and local government.

We need to unlock the blockages in establishing a Special Economic Zone in Moses Kotane Municipality, reintroduce the use of railway routes, and expand the airports in Mahikeng and Pilanesberg.

We need an urgent relook at the current delivery model to enable more efficient regulatory approval and investment activation.

With regard to infrastructure development, we will need to find ways to support high impact projects in the four corridors and elsewhere in the Province.

We need to seize on the great opportunities that exist to develop agriculture, tourism and manufacturing in this Province.

These are among the issues that we will deliberate on today.

Premier Mokgosi, working together with your Executive Council and the municipal leadership here, I am confident that we can drive development in the Platinum Province.

In this effort, no person, no community and no industry should be left behind.

Once again thank you all for your attendance. I look forward to our discussions.

I thank you.