EXCO media briefing statement
The Limpopo Provincial Government held its Executive Council meeting on the 31 October 2018 to discuss issues that impact on the improvement of service delivery in the province.
1. We continue to wish condolences to those who perished on various accidents that occurred in our roads mainly on N1. The Executive Council took decisions regarding our roads:
That the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) should be requested to provide an insight on the re-design of the N1 road from Kranskop to Polokwane so as to reduce the number of fatal accidents;
That measures to increase the lanes on the R37 road from Polokwane to Burgersfort so as to alleviate traffic congestion on that road need to be fast-tracked
SANRAL together with the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure need to provide clarity on the activities that need to be undertaken to expand the lanes in the Groblersbridge Border Post.
2. DBSA
The Executive Council has noted a detailed account on the implementation of the DBSA-managed infrastructure projects in the Province (as outlined below), and highlighted areas of over and under-performance during the period under review, including the interventions that will be implemented to address the areas of under-performance:-
a) Department of Education: the programme involves 65 riot and storm-damaged schools. Thirty (30) Schools were completed in the 2017/18 financial year, and 35 schools have been planned for the current financial year. 10 Schools have already been completed by the end of September 2018, 10 schools are earmarked to be completed by the end of December 2018, and 15 schools to be completed by the end of March 2019;
b) Department of Agriculture and Rural Development: Five (5) projects to the value of R29 million have been allocated for implementation in the current financial year, which are all at implementation stage;
c) Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism: The following projects under implementation during the current financial year to the value of R24 million, namely 1) New build, 2) refurbishment, 3) condition assessment, 4) market stalls, and 5) tourism projects, and all projects are at implementation stage;
d) Department of Health: Construction of several facilities is underway and the projects are at various stages of implementation;
e) Department of Transport: Practical completion on the construction of the Thohoyandou Intermodal Facility was reached in April 2018, and the Department is in the process of obtaining the occupation certificate from the Service Provider.
3. IDT
The IDT is expected to develop a mechanism to assist Departments to implement and complete the long outstanding infrastructure projects, so that they may be completed and launched by the end of the current financial year.
The IDT is currently implementing the following:
a) 146 projects from various Departments in the current financial year as follows:
Department of Education: 91 projects
Health facilities: 9 projects
DSAC: 34 projects
DPWRI: 3 projects, and
Department of Social Development: 9 projects;
b) Of the 146 projects, 99 projects are under construction, and 47 projects are still at planning stage; and
c) The Seshego Treatment Centre project received an occupational certificate, paving the way for the commencement of the operations in the facility.
4. Consolidated Monthly Infrastructure Delivery
The Executive Council concluded that the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure (DPWRI) jointly with the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA) should provide an update on the Jane Furse Township Establishment in the next EXCO meeting.
5. Relocation of the Legislature from Lebowakgomo to Polokwane
The following were decided upon:
a) That a dedicated Project Officer be appointed by the Limpopo Legislature to provide oversight on the establishment of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) including the dedicated Secretariat hereof;
b) The management of the project on the relocation of the Legislature from Lebowakgomo to Polokwane should be transferred from the Provincial Legislature to the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure in order to ensure that the required expertise is provided on the implementation of the project.
6. Construction of the Limpopo Provincial State Theatre
The Construction of the Limpopo Provincial State Theatre was discussed and the following were noted:
a) The construction of the Limpopo Provincial State Theatre was planned to start with the planning and design phase in the 2017/18 financial year, but could not be implemented due to challenges of securing land and limitations of the feasibility report;
b) The Provincial Theatre Project Steering Committee subsequently recommended that a full-time Project Officer and Transaction Advisor should be appointed to prepare a detailed feasibility study and to explore various sites in and around Polokwane for the construction of the Theatre;
c) The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture applied for the registration of the Limpopo Provincial State Theatre project as a Public Private partnership (PPP) and this was duly approved in September 2017, following which the national Treasury procured the services of a Project Officer and a Transaction Advisor for the Project.
7. International Children’s Day
The International Children’s Day celebration is scheduled to take place on the 03rd November 2018 at the Tshilidzini Special School in Shayandima within the Thulamela Municipality, Vhembe District.
National Children’s Day will be held under the theme My Responsibility as a child in Nation Building: Creating a Caring Society.
8. Batho Pele Day and Launch 16 Days of Activism
The Programme of activities for the 16 Days of Activism and Batho Pele Day will be facilitated, coordinated, monitored and evaluated by Office of the Premier and coordinators in sector Departments and Municipalities. The theme of this year’s Batho Pele Day celebration is Count me in: Together Moving South Africa Forward through Thuma Mina.
Batho Pele Day Celebration will be held at Lulekani Stadium in Lulekani at Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality in Mopani District on the 24th of November 2018.
9. International Disability Day
The provincial celebration of the International Day for People with Disabilities scheduled to be held on the 3rd December 2018 at the Bosele School in Monsterlus within the Elias Motsoaledi Municipality it will be celebrated under the theme ‘A Disability-Inclusive South Africa by 2030. Be the Legacy’.
10. Revenue & Expenditure Report
The current Revenue and Expenditure was presented as follows:
a) Overall provincial expenditure was at R 32.2 billion representing 49.3% of the allocated budget of R 65.4 billion;
b) Compensation of Employees (CoE) recorded an expenditure of R 22.9 billion representing 49.9% of the allocated budget of R 25.9 billion;
c) Goods and Services recorded an expenditure of R 4.6 billion representing 49.2% of the total budget of R 9.5 billion;
d) Transfers and Subsidies recorded an expenditure of R 3.8 billion representing 48.7% of the total budget of R 7.8 billion;
e) Payment for Capital Assets recorded an expenditure of R 790.4 million representing 37.7% of the total budget of R 2.1 billion;
f) Conditional Grants recorded an expenditure of R 3.8 billion representing 45.1% of the total budget of R 8.5 billion;
g) Provincial Infrastructure recorded an expenditure of R 2.4 billion representing 44.8% of the total Provincial Infrastructure budget of R5.339 billion; and
h) Provincial Own Revenue collected amounted to R 638.5 million representing 51.2% of the target of R1.2 billion.
11. Presidential visit to Giyani
The President of the Republic of South Africa will visit Giyani on the 9th November 2018 for an in-loco inspection of the Giyani drought Relief Project, the EXCO Public Participation Programme to Masisi that has been scheduled for the same day has been rescheduled to a later date.
Source: Government of South Africa