The North West government has noted progress made in that province’s much-needed water and sanitation projects.
The EXCO Lekgotla of the North West recently sat in Wolmaranstad to get a progress report on the implementation of different projects from various sectors.
The lekgotla was informed that some water infrastructure projects have been completed and work is underway in various parts of the province to complete others.
The lekgotla acknowledged projects that aim to bring lasting water solutions to communities, and the job opportunities they create for locals.
The projects include, among others, the construction of additional boreholes, which are seen as one of the viable solutions in mitigating the demand for water. Currently, there are about 400 operational boreholes in the North West.
“Water is a basic right and communities must never experience water shortages. We acknowledge the current strides in water infrastructure issues and we further call for the acceleration of projects that are currently underway,” North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo said.
The lekgotla also received a presentation from Statistics South Africa, which revealed that in terms of growth in provincial economies, the North West province had the highest change in percentage point growth at 4.9% in 2015.
The presentation showed that educational attainment is the major contributor to poverty amongst the youth and this, according to the EXCO, poses a challenge to government to further support youth in the pursuit of their studies.
Poverty alleviation for youth
Premier Mahumapelo said the provincial government has resolved to strengthen the support to youth through the Kgetsi ya Tsie Bursary and Skills Development Fund, which is currently funding 498 students to the tune of R48 million.
“We resolved that there should be 17 consortiums as part of VTSD (Villages, Townships and Small Dorpies) entrepreneurship development; cooperatives are to be provided with information on becoming organised into a consortium.
“We will also strengthen government support to SMMEs (Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises), as the driver for job creation through access to funding markets and opportunities. Procurement in the VTSDs is to be accelerated with a bias towards the villages, and district municipalities will kick start Local Economic Development Agencies to unlock economic potential in the province,” said Premier Mahumapelo.
Setsokotsane 10 x10 campaign
The Premier also emphasised that the Setsokotsane 10 x10 campaigns will be institutionalised, as part of broadening access to services that citizens require from government.
The Setsokotsane 10 x 10 campaign is an all-inclusive radical interventionist programme by the Premier, working together with all MECs, as well as people in the province to respond to the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
The campaign, which takes from the 11th to the 20th of every month, seeks to respond to challenges, including water, potholes, lighting in streets and villages, corruption, accessibility, accountability, housing and crime. – SAnews.gov.za
