The official opening of the North West Legislature will take place at the provincial legislature chamber in Mmabatho at 10:00 on Thursday (26/2), where premier Lazarus Mogosi will deliver his speech. Residents across the province are patiently awaiting feedback on commitments made during last year’s address, as well as clarity on key priorities for the year ahead.

At the centre of expectations is the urgent need to improve service delivery in struggling municipalities. Communities in several parts of the province continue to grapple with crumbling infrastructure, including sewage flowing through streets and inconsistent access to basic services.

NWU political analyst Prof. André Duvenhage believes the provincial address is likely to align closely with the state of the nation address delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week.

“We have seen a lot of focus on local government, service delivery, and so on. I’m also aware of the fact that the North West government has a big initiative to try and change local government around before the election. Therefore, I expect there will be a strong focus on service delivery at large and how they can improve service delivery to the ordinary citizens,” said Prof. Duvenhage.

Provincial interventions in struggling municipalities, such as Matlosana and Ditsobotla, are likely to be highlighted. Another key focus area will be economic growth and tackling persistent social challenges, he added.

“A focus point will be mainly on how to create economic growth, how to challenge social factors such as inequality and poverty, amongst others,” he said.

The province has long battled governance and financial constraints. Mokgosi previously attributed some of the ongoing service delivery challenges to insufficient fiscal allocations from the national government, arguing North West, as a predominantly rural province, does not receive funding comparable to more urbanised provinces such as Gauteng and Western Cape.

In response to widespread service delivery failures, the provincial government introduced programmes such as Thuntsa Lerole, aimed at fast-tracking infrastructure development and improving municipal performance. However, opposition parties have criticised the initiative, alleging that it has been used as a money-making scheme rather than a genuine intervention to uplift communities.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi sm