Mathabatha: ‘Today we, can talk about a different Limpopo’

A few years ago senior managers in Limpopo provincial government had reason to feel hopeless, as the administration deviated from good governance practices.

Residents of the resource-rich province were also subjected to shocking news headlines indicating that the province was bankrupt or on the brink of collapse.

The hope that clinics and schools would be built was fading as contractors complained about non-payment or infrastructure development projects were entirely abandoned.

Textbooks were not delivered to schools, and clinics and hospitals were left without medicine.

These and many other factors strangled the province’s development ambitions and aspirations for socio-economic development.

But the appointment of new premier Chupu Stanley Mathabatha and the ushering in of National Development Plans saw a revival of hope. The employment of permanent heads of department is promising, and the premier has employed bold talk against corruption — moves that have allowed professionalism to reign once more.

Last week provincial government and its associates engaged in robust discussion near Polokwane, conducting a post-mortem of sorts on how the province had derailed from good governance.

Speaking on behalf of Mathabatha, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, the Limpopo MEC of Health, last week told a roundtable discussion session of the Office of the Premier and Public Service Commission that the province has reaffirmed good governance and will fight against maladministration.

The session was crafted to debate and deliberate on the role of governance toward building a capable developmental state as outlined in the National Development Plan.

Ramathuba said that the majority of citizens cast their hope on government to deliver economic development and create jobs.

“Obviously, the requisite to build a capable developmental state speaks to the need and urgency to build a state that has necessary capacity to respond to the country’s developmental needs,” she added.

Ramathuba said the reinvestment of taxpayer money into social development is part of the roadmap the province navigates for improving service delivery and transforming the economy.

“This of course will definitely manifest itself through quality education — good schools, with well-educated teachers.”

She also emphasised the goal of developing quality health care, and that ongoing construction of libraries and schools is testimony to the fact that development is possible, and that progress is unfolding.

Ramathuba ordered heads of departments and senior managers to share a vision that will conceive of a better life for the citizens of the province, saying: “To a greater extent the demand of building a capable developmental state relates to ethics of good governance.”

She discussed the episode of financial crisis in 2011, when the more than R45-billion government allocation to the province was exhausted months before that financial year ended.

According to the national treasury and provincial auditor-general, the province crumbled as a result of gross violations of the Public Finance Management Act.

“It is important to relive that painful past in order to make sure that never and never again must we find ourselves in the same situation,” said Ramathuba.

She urges provincial department managers to ensure that financial affairs are guarded and directed to service delivery.

“It is through good governance that we can grow the economy, that we can eradicate poverty and ensure sustainable development.”

Skills audit

According to a report by the Public Service Commission, Limpopo Province had a number of senior managers without proper qualifications.

In response to this, Ramathuba said a process is underway to repair damage caused by incapable and wrongly placed officials, which she says results in delays and failure in service delivery.

Dr Ramathuba cited her department as an example, saying of poorly placed officials: “Lets remove them, and take the bullet, because we are the culprits.”

Meanwhile, Kobus van der Merwe, chief director of governance monitoring at the Public Service Commission, urged senior management to vet the skills of candidates and their ability to perform tasks before appointments are made.

“If that is not done, it reduces the confidence in the vigorous selection process and it leads to worse and bad appointments,” he said.

Van Der Merwe concurs with Dr Ramathuba that wrongly placed officials have the potential to delay the development the province aspires towards, and if development is to reign, specialists need to be considered.

Public service commissioner George Mashamba said the province has the duty to reclaim its former glory by ensuring that excellence is delivered in spheres of government.

Mashamba said excellent delivery should be translated into economic development. He told delegates that a clean audit is not enough if it does not satisfy social and economic development.

Experts and academics believe that the potential of developing the state was suffering as a result of an apologetic approach towards transformation.

The provincial government said service delivery and the ongoing fight against corruption show that the fight is ongoing.

Effective leadership

In an interview, the premier said there are a lot of tasks expected from him besides restoring the province’s financial status.

After successfully repairing the financial crisis and damage that occurred four years ago, Mathabatha has managed to appoint directors-general and heads of departments (HODs) for all departments.

A large number of HODs were implicated in maladministration when Section 100 was evoked by the national cabinet, placing the department under administration, and suspensions were issued.

Mathabatha said with acting HODs, governance was bound to be ineffective.

“There can’t be effective development without leadership. When we commenced with the administration four years ago, we were working with a shell,” said Mathabatha.

Today, we can talk about a different Limpopo. I am persuaded that when we go to the Legislature for our annual report, we will be talking of a different Limpopo, he adds.

He said a strategic heads of departments meeting has been arranged to fast track development agenda.

Stop corruption

Meanwhile Mathabatha repeatedly called on public servants and citizens to report corruption, saying it should not be offered space in any sector.

He urged residents who suspect corrupt activities to make use of the government hotline to report fraud and corruption.

On maladministration

Besides processes for a Public Service Commission report on wrongly placed appointed officials, Mathabatha has also implemented public protector recommendations.

Two years ago a complaint was registered with the Office of the Public Protector against the then MEC for Transport, Safety, Security and Liaison Mapula Mokaba-Phukwane and HOD Hanli du Plessis for authorising a payment to MPA Investigators.

The complaint was that the appointment of MPA Investigators to conduct investigations on irregularities in the department was itself irregular and was done in violation of the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act and the Executive Members Ethics Act.

The public protector (PP) found against both the MEC and the HOD and ordered that action be taken against the two. The PP further recommended that members of the Provincial Executive be inducted under the ethos of good governance and ethical leadership.

“In the PPs recommendations, both the MEC and the HOD were subjected to a disciplinary action where I reprimanded the MEC and gave the HOD a final written warning, this after considering their representations,” said Mathabatha.

“I have demanded that both parties repay the exact amount of irregular expenditure as determined by both the national and provincial treasury. to this end, MEC Mokaba-Phukwane was ordered to pay the amount of R1 638 728 whilst HOD Du Plessis was ordered to pay back the amount of R1 154 432 within 14 days of receipt of their notices to pay.”

Limpopo Development Plan

Since first adopted, the Limpopo Development Plan (LDP) has been workshopped with both senior and junior civil servants, business and the entire populace of Limpopo through various forums.

“The buy-in by all Limpopo’s people talks to our resolve to build a firm economy that caters for all people.”

Mathabatha said the granting of a special economic zone (SEZ) in Musina/Makhado is one of the greatest catalysts, which will work well within these parameters.

The premier said that the development plan and SEZ “also talk to the radical economic transformation that our province needs. The fact that Limpopo is mainly rural and dependent mainly on agriculture is one of the issues the LDP looks into closely,” he said.

“Already, we are looking at several avenues of unlocking the economy of the province. With the largest deposits of platinum in the Sekhukhune area, a second SEZ application is not far fetched.”

“In our last visit to the Far East two years ago, we brought in more than R40-billion in investments in the Musina area, and work has already commenced with the Chinese in the area,” said Mathabatha.