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The Premier  of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul and MEC for Co-Operative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional  Affairs  (COGHSTA) Mr Bentley Vaas handed  eight brand new vehicles to the traditional leaders of the Province from the John Taolo Gaetsewe  region  (JTG)  on 18 June 2019.

Premier stated that these vehicles should be tools of the trade that the traditional leaders uses  in order to navigate the unfavourable roads and cover the vast distances between  the various villages in order  to better serve those under their domain.

The Northern Cape Provincial Government will ensure that they receive the necessary  support  in order to mobilise communities and make sure they have access to and play in part in the Premier’s Provincial Vision of a Modern, Growing and Successful Province.
“Leaders in the province need to be activist servants with the single responsibility of improving the lives of the vast majority of our people”- Premier Dr Saul.

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On 20 June 2019, Kimberley Artisanal Miners and Kimberley Informal Settlers Group peacefully marched to the Office of the Premier
to hand over 3 memorandums to the Department of Minerals and Resources, the SAPS and The Office of the Premier respectively.
The memorandums outlined the state in which residents from Greenpoint , Samaria, Rhythm city and Galeshewe lived without
sanitation, water, electricity and proper housing

One of the protesters said the community in
Greenpoint are living in houses that were collapsing due to the mines blasting close by
which affects the water pipelines resulting in contaminated water which poses a health risk. “Our people need land to farm an d b uild
houses. We are revolting against people who are keeping our land. People come from abroad , they mine and benefit from our la nd
while we suffer” he said.

The memorandums were received by representatives from the Department of Mineral Resources, SAPS and MEC for the
Department of Social Development, Ms Martha Bartlett received the memorandum on behalf of the Premier and promised to respond
to the grievances within 7 working days.

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The Premier of the Northern Cape, Ms. Sylvia Lucas, and the Provincial Executive Council completed a successful four-day Cabinet outreach from the 02 October 2018 till the 04 October 2018 to the John Taolo Gaetsewe District.

The Executive outreach programme is aimed at strengthening intergovernmental relations and to improve the capacity of Government in implementing integrated service delivery programmes. This programme also places the Provincial Government in a position to assess the implementation of service delivery to the areas that are visited as well as focus on service delivery challenges facing the communities in these regions.

Members of the Provincial Executive were accompanied by the Director General, senior officials of Government, municipal Mayors and councilors as well as officials from the respective municipalities in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District.  The Northern Cape Province is known for its vast distances and remote areas that are often not within accessible reach of Government Departments, for this reason the Executive Council decided that the outreach would target mainly the most remote areas because everyone regardless of their location have a right to service delivery. This outreach saw the Executive council visiting areas such as Sesheng (Mapoteng), Galothlare and Wrenchville.

The Outreach was two-fold in nature; firstly Ms. Lucas and the MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Mr. Bentley Vass, met with the Traditional leaders in the District because they are represented at the Provincial House as well as the local House of Traditional leaders. Traditional leaders have previously been solely responsible for service delivery in the areas that fall under their jurisdiction. Under this new dispensation, Government realises the importance of placing traditional leadership at the centre of development in these rural villages.

A Second leg of the outreach was allowing community members an opportunity to interact directly with Members of the Executive Council on service delivery challenges and to seek direct intervention from some of the Provincial Government departments. Service delivery departments also delivered services to community members, whilst MECs conducted unannounced visits to service delivery points. Early Childhood Development Centres and schools were supplied with much needed educational toys and sporting equipment.

• Office of the Premier had a meeting Female Farmers and Tswelopele Old age group
• The MEC of Roads and Public Works, Mxolisa Sohatsha  visited the Legobatse paving project in the Mentu village to access the progress of the project.
• The war on poverty families in were also supplied with food parcels.
• Visiting of live Stock Project by Department of Agriculture
• Meeting with Health structures by the MEC
• Information dissemination on school bursaries and Cuba Medical Programme
• Handing over of cheque to Patliso Day Care Centre by the Department of Social Development.

Issues that caused concern to community members were largely water, road infrastructure, agriculture, electricity, health and employment.  These concerns raised by the community members have been noted by the respective MEC’s who will return to the communities with tangible solutions to their concerns.

Throughout the visit, Ms. Lucas stressed the need for Government to work with greater speed to address the challenges faced by the respective communities. The Premier also encouraged the community to assist Government with the shortages experienced in the health personnel by submitting names of qualifying students that can be trained as nurses and doctors in order to plough back to the communities where they come from.

The Premier will ensure that in all the areas of service delivery where commitments had been made that there is definite delivery on these. Taking from success of previous Executive council outreaches and future activities planned it bears testimony that the Premier and her Executive is committed to delivering services to the poorest in the Province and will continue to do so no matter the distance or conditions to reach these communities.