DOCUMENTS

Stanley Mathabatha on his election as Limpopo Premier

Premier says primary mission must be to root out corruption wherever it manifests itself

Acceptance speech by Mr Chupu Stanley Mathabatha on his election as the fourth elected Premier of Limpopo Provincial Government to the special sitting of the fourth Democratic Legislature of Limpopo

19 Jul 2013

Honourable Speaker,
Honourable Deputy Speaker,
Chief Whip of the Ruling Party,
Chairpersons of Portfolio Committees,
The Convener, Coordinator and members of the ANC Provincial Task Team,
Honourable Members of this distinguished House,
Esteemed Members of the Judiciary,
Leaders of Opposition Parties,
Chairperson and members of the House of Traditional Leaders,
Stalwarts and veterans of our struggle,
Religious leaders,
Youth, women, business, labour and community leaders here present,
Leadership and Heads of Chapter nine institutions and all other institutions supporting our democracy,
Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS,
Director General and members of our Senior Management Service,
Media representatives,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The people of Limpopo.

It is my singular honour and privilege to assume this responsibility entrusted upon me by the African National Congress (ANC) and the people of my beloved province, Limpopo. I am more than humbled by your faith and the confidence you have shown in me as the fourth democratically elected Premier of this great province. Allow me to pay my gratitude to the esteemed leaders and members of the ANC and the Alliance who are here today to witness this occasion.

I also wish to thank my family, friends and comrades for offering me words of encouragement ever since it became known that I will be ascending to this high office.

I should also pay special homage to Peter Nchabeleng, the former President of United Democratic Front (UDF) in the then Northern Transvaal, and Lawrence Phokanoka, the former chairperson of SACP in Limpopo. These are my mentors and some of the outstanding revolutionaries under whose command, guidance and tutelage I grew.

I dedicate this honour to those of my generation who lost everything including lives and the niceties of being youth so that we can attain freedom and live to see this day happen in our lifetime. These are comrades Thabang Makwetla, Peter Mokaba, Aleck Nchabeleng, Deacan Mathe, Jerome Maake, Ephraim Mogale and Tito Manthata to mention but few. Throughout the struggle these fellow combatants remained unwavering in principle and undeterred in their commitment to the course of freedom.

Honourable Speaker

Without fear of contradiction, we remain convinced about a better tomorrow because we stand tall on the shoulders of the giant to who we owe our freedom - the internationally acclaimed icon in whose honour the United Nations declared this day the international day of service. I am talking here about iSithwalandwe, Seaparankwe, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the 1st Volunteer in Chief of the Defiance Campaign, the 1st Commander of uMkhonto we sizwe, the 1st accused by the Apartheid regime, and above all, the 1st democratically elected President of the Republic of South Africa.

Comrade Madiba, we find solace and conform in knowledge that you are responding positively to the treatment. We are optimistic that you will fully recover and be amongst us so that you continue to inspire us in our quest to make freedom more meaningful to our people.

As we wish you a happy birth day on this important day in your life, we call on all our people to emulate your good examples and dedicate 67 minutes of their time to making a contribution.

Honourable Speaker

It is also worth mentioning that we meet here today at a time when our province is full of great opportunities amidst complex difficulties. It is during moments such as these when we should dig deep within our souls to search for that which makes us the unique people we are. It is not a secret that the image of our province has suffered a great deal as a result of negative reporting which at times has shaken even the faith of our people in the ability of their government to deliver.

Honourable Speaker

It can never be accepted that this province which has produced outstanding revolutionaries such as Alpheus Malivha, John Kgoana Nkadimeng, Ike Maphoto, Charlotte Maxeke, Elias Motsoaledi, Mark Shope, Samson Ndou and many other luminaries is dragged through the mud as a result of senseless and heinous acts of corruption and maladministration.

We must make it our primary mission to root out corruption wherever it manifests itself. It is for this reason that we call on all our people to join us in our endeavor and renewed efforts to defeat crass materialism, consumerism and other ills that threaten the moral fiber of our society. Those found guilty must be made to pay for their misdeeds. We cannot allow people to use state resources for personal enrichment.

This is the taxpayer's money. It is meant for nothing else but the improvement of the conditions of living of our people. We must reclaim the dignity and glory of Limpopo as the province of peace and prosperity.

Honourable Speaker

I have got no doubt, whatsoever, in my mind that an opportunity such as this one should help us to restore the unreserved confidence and unwavering support in the ability and wisdom of the African National Congress to govern as a selfless liberation movement.

This moment should afford us a unique opportunity to self-introspect while at the same time finding closure from within ourselves so that mistakes that we may have committed are never repeated. Together let us embrace one another in the true spirit of comradeship so that we are able to move on in unison. We should know that this is about service to the people and nothing more.

Those like us who have been given this opportunity to serve do so at the behest of the people - and it is only the people to whom we are ultimately accountable.

Honourable Speaker

May I dare say that as it is a known fact with every transition, there will of course, be those who will unnecessarily try to make this period an opportunity to further divide our people. To those I wish to say that this is not the time or the place to pit people against their leaders or leaders against each other. In the months and weeks leading up to the elections we all must be very watchful of those whose objective will be to sow seeds of discord amongst our people.

Those of us who hail from the African National Congress know that this process is part and parcel of the democratic process of renewing leadership and not aimed at changing government policy. There is no need for anyone to feel anxious or apprehensive about these changes. Equally, no one should feel unwanted or aggrieved. The challenges before us are greater than all of us as leaders and we therefore need each other.

The manifesto of the ruling party enjoins us to prioritise nothing else but the creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods; provision of quality health care services and education; combating of crime and corruption; and above all; the development of rural areas, including land reform.

It is the aim of this ANC led government to ensure that we deliver on the objectives of a society that our forebears envisioned in the Freedom Charter.

Honourable Speaker

I do not want to dwell much on the challenges before us because they are well known to all of you.

The problems of this province are varied and also well documented. I assume this responsibility knowing fully well that there are people who are unemployed in this province; that the quality of school education for our people is a cause for concern; that road infrastructure is inadequate; that we still do not have inclusive human development settlements due to apartheid spatial developmental patterns; that the economy is growing with a percentage not high enough to generate sufficient value; that the challenge of access roads and water persist in many of our villages and towns; that our public health services are uneven; there is insufficient capacity on the part of state to respond to all aspiration and needs of our people, let alone, impropriety and corruption that continue to rear their ugly heads in our public life.

Nevertheless, the greatest measure of our success as this House lies on the extent to which we collectively undo all of the challenges I have alluded to. Notwithstanding all of these challenges Honourable Speaker, I believe I will be failing in my job if I do not acknowledge and highlight some of the positive pockets of success coming out of our province as a result of work done by the ANC government since the dawn of democracy.

We enter the third decade of democracy with no less than 82% of households in this province owning their dwellings. According to the labour force survey, the first quarter of 2013 saw Limpopo being one of the seven provinces in which there was an increase in employment at 2.7%.

The increment in the provision houses and piped water to the majority of people in the vast farmlands and far-flung villages of our province is yet another sign of improvement in changing the quality of lives of our people. At 66.9% pass rate, the matric results have significantly improved. Similarly, our endowment in mineral deposits and variety of tourism offerings provides us with a unique opportunity to expand the productive capacity of the provincial economy.

The SatsSA has confirmed that we are gradually reducing ratio of dependency, especially in deprived areas. In this regard, more concerted efforts will have to be made to further reduce dependency through creation of more decent employment opportunities in tourism, agriculture and the mining sector.

In this respect, I would like to thank my predecessors and officials of government for the sterling work they continue to do to ensure that the lives of our people are improved for the better. There is absolutely no doubt that a firm foundation has indeed been laid.

Honourable Speaker

As I conclude, I would like to extend a hand of friendship to the leaders and members of the opposition to join me in this journey of making Limpopo a home for all. We know you have your constituency to serve, and we respect this, but our work is cut out for us to serve our people.

Bagololo ba be ba opile kgomo lenaka ge ba re "tau tša hloka seboka di šitwa ke nare e hlotša"

We must leave here with a renewed sense of loyalty to the electoral mandate of our people. I firmly believe that there is no nobler a course than to serve Limpopo and her people.

Pula!

Issued by the Limpopo Office of the Premier, July 19 2013

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