Stan Mathabatha, Premier of Limpopo, disappointed with his State of the Province Address (SOPA) and offered no clear vision for the future of the province. The Premier is out of touch with what is happening at grass-roots level and his plans are unrealistic.
Corruption, nepotism and people who were not appointed based on merit in all levels of provincial and municipal managements are the root causes of all evil in the province. The province's economy is barely growing with 1%, the growth forecast is also low and there is no feasible economic plan on the table that will bring about sustainable job creation.
Although education improved despite various challenges, a lot still needs to be done to achieve the required standard to be on par with the rest of the country.
Skills development must improve drastically so as to ensure that schooled employees contribute to the province's economy. Health care services at hospitals and clinics are poor and do not meet the basic health-related needs of the population.
To the agricultural sector, which has a desperate need for drought relief and suffered great economic damage due to the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the provincial government offered very little to no support. The transfer of skills in the agricultural sector is also very poor and the hope that emerging farmers will be able to contribute to the economy is waning.
There is a lack of reliable basic services delivery seeing as corrupt officials in municipalities make use of every opportunity to enrich themselves while raw sewage is flowing down the streets.
Illegal settlements are an everyday occurrence in most municipalities; these settlements have no service delivery and, therefore, pose a serious risk to the environment.
The safety of the people must be ensured. Farm murders continue and crime is at the order of the day. Policing is poor with little respect for human lives and property.
The FF Plus will not allow the province to keep deteriorating as a result of poor management. The time has come to hold the relevant persons accountable for the poor service delivery.
Contact details: 066 024 4623
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