SO-CALLED INTERVENTION CREATED A MESS

The ANCYL is disappointed in the National Government and it's so called intervention in Limpopo. Placing departments under administration created a lot of problems for our people instead of helping.

As a result of the interference by National Cabinet, service delivery in Limpopo is literally paralyzed. For the first time since 1994 we are experiencing problems inclusive but not limited to the following:

• Learners nutrition programme is not paid
• Scholar transport is not paid
• Medication in hospitals not procured
• Bursaries in the department of education are frozen
• Various service providers are not paid

As a result of the above:

1. Learners can't get food in majority of schools.
2. Learner can't be transported to schools.
3. There are no study materials in schools
4. Destitute students can't get bursaries.
5. ARVS and other medicines are not being delivered in hospitals.
6. The poor can't get food parcels
7. 2000 RDP beneficiaries will never have their houses completed.
8. Hundreds of roads which were under construction have been abandoned by unpaid contractors.
9. Employees of companies owed by government had a black Christmas and they can't take their children to school.
10. Companies collapsed resulting in job losses.

What is puzzling is that Limpopo provincial government has been targeted while we are not the worst province and we are not the only province to apply for an overdraft. Other provinces requested overdrafts exceeding the R1 billion requested by Limpopo yet those provinces are not targeted.

When children drop out of schools or fail due to lack of nutrition, transport and bursaries and when patients start dying due to lack of medication from hospitals, the national government must take the blame. All allegations of sabotage are unfounded. The only sabotage experienced in Limpopo started after the so called national intervention. The welfare of our people is the one that is being sabotaged.

Any investigation into the affairs of Limpopo provincial government must start from five years ago because challenges did not start in the past two years and any investigation must not disadvantage service delivery.

Unlike what has been reported, Limpopo is not the worst in corruption and not the highest in overdraft, yet it is targeted. We hope the same will apply in other parts of the country.

It should be mentioned that placing of Limpopo provincial government departments, undermines the resolutions of the Polokwane conference which stipulates that the ANC shall be the centre. In contravention of that resolution, there was no consultation of any kind with the provincial leadership of the ANC on the matter.

We give the National Cabinet seven days to rectify the situation. If we don't notice any change, we will mobilise all affected stakeholders to march to Pretoria because that is the centre of our problems.

Statement issued by the ANCYL Limpopo, January 19 2012

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter