Local News
Northern Cape SOPA focuses on economic development─── 15:16 Thu, 18 Feb 2016
Kimberley - A typical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) disruption couldn't break Premier Sylvia Lucas' spirit, as she delivered a State of the Province Address with a strong emphasis on boosting the province's economy.
Premier Sylvia Lucas' State of the Province Address got off to a rocky start at the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre in Kimberley this morning.
The Premier had barely started delivering her address, when EFF Member of the Provincial Legislature, Mbuyiselo Matebus, interrupted her on a point of privilege. Matebus demanded an apology from Lucas, regarding an incident in Douglas, during which she allegedly referred to a fellow EFF member as a "vuil**t".
Despite the Speaker of the legislature dismissing the request and ruling that interruptions will not be entertained, Matebus' demand was promptly echoed by EFF provincial chair, Aubrey Baartman. This led to EFF members across the venue chanting "Lucas must fall!" and "KFC, KFC!"
The latter is in reference to Lucas spending more than R50 000 on take-away meals from KFC and McDonalds' during the first month of her tenure as premier.
The EFF MPLs were escorted from the hall by security, with their supporters in tow, which allowed Lucas to finally deliver her address.
The premier took a sober view of the province's challenges, particularly the decline of the national economy and the crisis within the mining industry. The Northern Cape is dependent on this industry for a major part of its income. Mining is also one of the major providers of jobs in the province.
The recent drought and its impact on farming also received great attention as a cause for concern. An amount of R23 million has already been pledged toward alleviating the impact thereof on both commercial and subsistence farmers. The preservation of jobs and ensuring food security was a recurring theme in the address.
The premier was therefore understandably upbeat about the planned interventions such as agri-farms being set up across the province's five districts, to improve skills among smallholder farmers, while improving irrigation networks and water supply pipelines.
Mining initiatives which came under the spotlight included the long-awaited Gamsberg Zinc project, which is already employing 300 workers, and is expected to generate 500 permanent jobs and 1500 temporary jobs during construction.
West Coast Resources, which has taken over De Beers' mining rights in the Namaqualand region of the province, has also indicated their intention of creating 550 jobs by 2021.
Furthermore, beneficiation projects involving diamonds, tigers' eye and other gemstones have also been established, with community co-operatives being the beneficiaries across the province.
Add to this the province's position as the country's leader in renewable energy provision projects (60% of the country's independent power producers are based here, and Eskom has spent more almost R350 million in development projects locally. A further R760 million investment is planned for next year and things aren't looking too bleak.
However, Lucas seems fully aware of the current crises, which could see more than 10 000 workers laid off across the province as mines downsize. Shrinking commodity prices have put pressure on the government to convince mining companies to find alternative cost-cutting methods.
Despite the premier's concessions on the challenges facing the province, opposition parties weren't all impressed by her speech.
The DA's Andrew Louw, referring to Lucas as "The Premier of Promises", said much of the address was simply hot air, and that he has heard all the promises made by the premier before, from herself and her predecessors.
He was scathing in his criticism of her failure to announce her new appointments as education and finance MECs. Former education MEC, Grizelda Cjikella, passed away last year, while finance MEC, John Block, resigned after being found guilty of fraud and corruption.
"I think it's time for Premier Sylvia Lucas to start placing the concerns of the people above those of her party, because these are the issues that are truly important," Louw said, after hinting at the possibility that Block may still be pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Provincial Cope leader, Pakes Dikgetsi, was slightly more forgiving. He says though Lucas' heart is in the right place, she is constrained by a contracting economy and an overstretched tax base.
"The premier is constrained, not by her own doing, but by the fact that her boss has mismanaged this economy."
Earl Coetzee/OFM News
The Premier had barely started delivering her address, when EFF Member of the Provincial Legislature, Mbuyiselo Matebus, interrupted her on a point of privilege. Matebus demanded an apology from Lucas, regarding an incident in Douglas, during which she allegedly referred to a fellow EFF member as a "vuil**t".
Despite the Speaker of the legislature dismissing the request and ruling that interruptions will not be entertained, Matebus' demand was promptly echoed by EFF provincial chair, Aubrey Baartman. This led to EFF members across the venue chanting "Lucas must fall!" and "KFC, KFC!"
The latter is in reference to Lucas spending more than R50 000 on take-away meals from KFC and McDonalds' during the first month of her tenure as premier.
The EFF MPLs were escorted from the hall by security, with their supporters in tow, which allowed Lucas to finally deliver her address.
The premier took a sober view of the province's challenges, particularly the decline of the national economy and the crisis within the mining industry. The Northern Cape is dependent on this industry for a major part of its income. Mining is also one of the major providers of jobs in the province.
The recent drought and its impact on farming also received great attention as a cause for concern. An amount of R23 million has already been pledged toward alleviating the impact thereof on both commercial and subsistence farmers. The preservation of jobs and ensuring food security was a recurring theme in the address.
The premier was therefore understandably upbeat about the planned interventions such as agri-farms being set up across the province's five districts, to improve skills among smallholder farmers, while improving irrigation networks and water supply pipelines.
Mining initiatives which came under the spotlight included the long-awaited Gamsberg Zinc project, which is already employing 300 workers, and is expected to generate 500 permanent jobs and 1500 temporary jobs during construction.
West Coast Resources, which has taken over De Beers' mining rights in the Namaqualand region of the province, has also indicated their intention of creating 550 jobs by 2021.
Furthermore, beneficiation projects involving diamonds, tigers' eye and other gemstones have also been established, with community co-operatives being the beneficiaries across the province.
Add to this the province's position as the country's leader in renewable energy provision projects (60% of the country's independent power producers are based here, and Eskom has spent more almost R350 million in development projects locally. A further R760 million investment is planned for next year and things aren't looking too bleak.
However, Lucas seems fully aware of the current crises, which could see more than 10 000 workers laid off across the province as mines downsize. Shrinking commodity prices have put pressure on the government to convince mining companies to find alternative cost-cutting methods.
Despite the premier's concessions on the challenges facing the province, opposition parties weren't all impressed by her speech.
The DA's Andrew Louw, referring to Lucas as "The Premier of Promises", said much of the address was simply hot air, and that he has heard all the promises made by the premier before, from herself and her predecessors.
He was scathing in his criticism of her failure to announce her new appointments as education and finance MECs. Former education MEC, Grizelda Cjikella, passed away last year, while finance MEC, John Block, resigned after being found guilty of fraud and corruption.
"I think it's time for Premier Sylvia Lucas to start placing the concerns of the people above those of her party, because these are the issues that are truly important," Louw said, after hinting at the possibility that Block may still be pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Provincial Cope leader, Pakes Dikgetsi, was slightly more forgiving. He says though Lucas' heart is in the right place, she is constrained by a contracting economy and an overstretched tax base.
"The premier is constrained, not by her own doing, but by the fact that her boss has mismanaged this economy."
Earl Coetzee/OFM News
