By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says Limpopo is perfectly positioned to lead the country in several key sectors, including agriculture, tourism, freight and logistics.
Ramaphosa met with the Premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, and the Provincial Government Executive at the Council Chamber in Polokwane.
He said his two-day visit to the province marks the beginning of a programme by the national executive. The executive will visit all the provinces in the coming months to engage directly with provincial leaderships.
“It must spell out what must be done within the scope and powers of the respective ministers and their provincial counterparts. To unlock the potential of the Limpopo economy and improve the lives of its people. Some parts of Limpopo are high value when it comes to agriculture. Comparable to high productivity parts of the world,” he said.
There is a need for ministers to engage more directly and regularly with their provincial counterparts. This as we strive for greater alignment between the developmental priorities of national and provincial governments. On the one hand, this enables the National Executive to have better line of sight of provincial programmes. It enables provincial executive councils to better align their developmental roadmap with national plans,” Ramaphosa said.
He said achievement of synergy between national, provincial, and local development must be the impetus behind the District Development Model. The model was introduced in 2019 under the sixth administration.
Ramaphosa added that Limpopo, by way of geographical positioning, is South Africa’s gateway to the continent.
He said the province is well positioned to strengthen South Africa’s links to the rest of the African continent under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The President called for innovative solutions and clear timelines to realise the full potential of provincial economies and improve the lives of citizens.
Ramathuba said the provincial leadership wants to focus industrialisation as an enabler for job creation. This in line with the vision of the 7th administration.
“Limpopo is rich in economic opportunities. Particularly in several key sectors that are vital to our growth and development. Our mineral resources, including platinum, iron ore, and coal, support both precious and base mineral industries. They position us as a significant player in the national economy.”
Ramathuba said one of the major crises the province is facing is a chronic water shortage.
“This is owing to a variety of factors. From source to reticulation to water services management at a local government level, “she said.
“Whilst we spoke about agriculture as a comparative advantage for the province, we have had unfortunate natural disasters. These have affected us. The severe drought affecting majority of our districts have left us with little or minimal response. We have returned to national department to consider declaring disaster. This while we wait for the rain to keep the livestock alive, “said Ramathuba.
Ramaphosa will go to KwaZulu-Natal next week and then to other provinces.
“Our plan is to go to each province over the course of one year. We engage with provinces on an ongoing basis through MinMEC [Minister and Members of Executive Council] meetings and other forums, and we engage with people through izimbizo. This is the government that we want to make more capable and accessible to the people,” the President said.