North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi has reshuffled his Executive Council in a move he says is aimed at strengthening governance, improving accountability and accelerating service delivery across the province.
Mokgosi announced the changes during a media briefing in Mahikeng, saying the reshuffle is aligned with the province’s Medium-Term Development Plan and its three key priorities: promoting inclusive economic growth and job creation, reducing poverty and the cost of living, and building an ethical, capable and developmental state.
The Premier said these priorities require continuous monitoring of government performance and regular assessments of provincial departments to ensure they effectively fulfil their mandates.
Using the executive powers vested in his office under Sections 127(1) and (2) of the Constitution, Mokgosi announced changes to three portfolios.
Wessels Morweng has been moved from the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management to the Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation.
Virginia Tlhapi, who previously headed Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation, will now serve as MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management.
In another key change, former Speaker of the North West Provincial Legislature, Dr Desbo Mohono, has been appointed MEC for Education.
Mokgosi said the changes were intended to strengthen the provincial administration and improve its capacity to implement the government’s development agenda.
The Premier also announced measures to strengthen support for municipalities, particularly around infrastructure delivery and economic development.
He said the Provincial Executive had approved revised terms of reference for provincial interventions in municipalities, with a focus on implementing infrastructure projects and creating economic opportunities in both urban and rural areas.
“As part of our implementation strategy to improve service delivery, the Provincial Executive has approved enhanced terms of reference for Provincial Executive support to municipalities, which will implement infrastructure projects to reignite economic opportunities in our urban and rural communities,” Mokgosi said.
The reshuffle has, however, attracted criticism from opposition parties in the North West Provincial Legislature.
The Democratic Alliance questioned whether the changes were genuinely informed by performance assessments, while the Economic Freedom Fighters argued that moving MECs between portfolios would not address the province’s governance challenges unless underperformance was properly dealt with.
Despite the criticism, Mokgosi expressed confidence that the reconfigured Executive Council would strengthen governance, improve accountability and accelerate service delivery to communities across the North West.
