The Democratic Alliance (DA) expects the Northern Cape Premier, Dr Zamani Saul to focus attentively on growing jobs and the economy during his State of the Province Address (SOPA) tomorrow.
We want to see more outcomes of the State-Owned Construction Company that he announced at the start of his first term in 2019. It must turn the entire province into a largescale construction site.
He must break the silence on the State-Owned Mining company to stop illegal mining costing the province millions in lost revenue.
Ongoing late payments to SMMEs must be curbed from harming small businesses because they cause critical services like health to suffer when suppliers hold back on medicine deliveries and the repair of service vehicles gets put on ice.
The DA hopes that growing water crises across our towns will be announced as a provincial priority.
We welcome the R2,5 billion investment into Sol Plaatje’s water infrastructure and want to see it transform the capital city of Kimberley into a building site of its own, ending the Kimberley water crisis once and for all.
Corruption must be acted on, not only spoken about. The Premier must explain government’s response to the disciplinary recommendation that Roads and Public Works CFO, Bradley Slingers be fired. Where disciplinary hearings haven’t taken place for HODs and senior management members implicated in wrongdoing, this must be corrected.
Dr Saul must also give us a report on lifestyles audits conducted with the Special Investigative Unit, as well as consequence management implemented to address uncovered irregularities.
The Northern Cape needs hope, the repair of basic services like health and education, and movement on the Premier’s promises made over the last six years. He must focus more on selling vandalized government buildings and moving ahead with initiatives, like the mega city and convention centre, promised in Upington.
We anticipate that the Premier will come with tangible solutions and express a genuine willingness to work together for the betterment of all the people of the province.