The North West Premier believes the changes he effected in his Provincial Executive Council (PEC) will help in strengthening the work of government in expediting service delivery and addressing a number of challenges confronting the province.
The Premier, Bushy Maape reconfigured his cabinet yesterday replacing Lenah Miga with the ANC Provincial Chairperson Nono Maloyi as MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs while Virginia Tlhapi and Keenetswe Mosenogi swapped positions as MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism and Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation. Maape said the decision follows consultation with the ANC and its alliance.
“The announcement of the changes of the Provincial Executive Council of the North West province follows extensive consultation with the leadership of the ANC in the province as well as Alliance partners.
“These changes are aimed at strengthening the work of the government in expediting service delivery and addressing a number of challenges confronting the province. “This has been through the Accelerated Service Delivery Plan which is aimed at creating jobs and delivering services. Our municipalities continue to receive support through the Department of Finance in the form of financial recovery plans and other interventions,” he said.
Opposition parties in the province have,however, rejected Maape’s overnight cabinet reshuffle. EFF North West provincial chairperson Matshidiso Botswe, said his ANC counterpart should be held accountable for questionable transactions that occurred during his tenure in the cabinet. “This cabinet reshuffle will not bring any changes. We are happy to see Nono Maloyi’s return as the MEC for Human Settlement. During Thandi Modise’s tenure as Premier, Maloyi was a MEC for this department.
“There was an amount of R3.5 billion that was used to build houses close to Mmabatho Stadium. Those houses are currently dilapidated, while the flats were abandoned incompletely. “We are saying that Maloyi’s return will ensure that the residents of this province will get answers about what happened to this project and will also know what happened to the money of this project,” Botswe said.
The DA Chief Whip in the provincial legislature believes Mosenogi should have been fired. “This reshuffle was clearly political and without any merit considering that some of the poorest performing MECs have returned to their posts. Mosenogi should have been sent packing as there is nothing notable in her performance during her previous performance,” said Bafana Sonakile.
Miga exits after a little over a year in office having replaced Mmoloki Cwaile, who himself had a short tenure as a MEC. The deputy speaker Viola Motsumi will be filling the shoes of Wendy Matsemela as education MEC effectively in December. The ANC secretary in the North West, Loui Diremelo welcomed Maape’s cabinet reshuffle.
“The ANC further congratulates new members of the Provincial Executive Council and wishes them well. The newly reconfigured Exco is a product of thorough consultations and engagements with all our structures, and alliance partners and represents the best amongst ANC members of the North West Provincial Legislature.
“The North West Province is confronted with many challenges and the immediate task of the new EXCO is to make sure that, the ANC manifesto is implemented to the letter, acceleration of service delivery becomes a priority and most importantly stabilises our municipalities.
“The reconfigured Executive Council represents continuity, strengthening other departments, and infusion of new ideas. The ANC wishes to thank Cde Wendy Matsemela and Cde Lenah Miga for their sterling contributions as EXCO members,” Diremelo said.
