NOT EVEN SYLVIA IS SAFE
NOT EVEN the premier of the Northern Cape is safe, with the ANC in the Province set on a provincial cabinet reshuffle.
This was the message from the party’s provincial secretary, Deshi Ngxanga, at the conclusion of the ANC’s two-day mid-term lekgotla yesterday.
Rampant unemployment and the failure to follow through on resolutions taken at previous meetings were also focus points yesterday, while the ANC prioritised forming a united front to ensure success in the next general election.
Ngxanga said that there were serious shortcomings in various departments and that these needed to be addressed urgently, which was likely to lead to changes in key positions in provincial government.
“Problems arose earlier this year as a result of a cabinet reshuffle and this has initiated a review of the process,” he said during a media briefing yesterday afternoon. “There will be a reshuffle in due course because we are sitting with serious weaknesses in several areas.”
Although he stated that the departments of Public Works, Education and Health, as portfolios, would come under scrutiny, he added that not even Premier Sylvia Lucas should feel secure in her current position.
“It is not only political positions that will come under review, but also administrative posts,” he said. “Education is one of our concerns, but we are also sitting with challenges in Public Works and Health that need urgent attention.
“We can not expect our elderly to go to a clinic just to be told that there is no medication. Nobody’s position is guaranteed as we will be taking a holistic view.”
Ngxanga made it clear that the reshuffle will not be about personalities but rather “about the problems that we are facing”.
“We should not let personalities and problems become synonymous with each other.”
He added that a concerted effort would be made to implement all resolutions taken over the course of the two-day meeting, as past experience had shown that only a fraction of decisions taken at previous lekgotlas were ever put into practice.
“During this lekgotla it was resolved that all the outcomes of this meeting will be implemented,” he said. “We have found that only about 10 percent of the resolutions taken at these gatherings are ever put into place.
“The high unemployment rate in the Province, especially among the youth, was also central to our discussions,” Ngxanga said, calling emphasis to be placed on skills and small business development, along with a combined and concerted effort from all role-players.
In his closing address, ANC provincial chairperson, Zamani Saul, also reiterated the need to follow through on resolutions in order to ensure sustainable economic growth.
Referring to unemployment, Saul said: “We can do much more, but need to be smarter. With slow economic growth the amount of money generated is going to be less . . . but if we do not address unemployment we will sit with major problems (in the Northern Cape).”
He said that improving the quality of life of communities across the Province needed to be prioritised and creating jobs was the most effective way of doing so.
“In order to ensure the redistribution of wealth we need to create opportunities and to combat unemployment we need to follow up on the resolutions taken at this lekgotla.”
With regards to the 2019 general elections, Saul reiterated that the party’s various leagues and structures in the Northern Cape needed to put their differences aside and work together for the greater good of the party.
“Let us use the regional conferences as a platform to unite and our upcoming provincial conference to consolidate our differences to ensure that we are better placed for 2019,” he said. “There is no question that this will be a difficult election, but a better organised ANC will be able to overcome any hurdle.”