Premier Lazarus Mokgosi: North West State of the Province Address 2026

Honourable Speaker, one hundred and fifty years ago a pioneering intellectual, journalist and founding Secretary General of the African National Congress Sol Plaatje, was born on a farm in the Boschof District of the Orange Free State.

He would later relocate to Mahikeng where his political acumen was nurtured by Barolong boo Ratshidi.

Plaatje dedicated his adult life to the cause of restoring the dignity of oppressed South Africans.

His life which is captured in various pieces of literature tells a story of an unknown man who grew into becoming a court interpreter, a linguist, and a giant of South African Literature and Politics.

An internationalist who through the financial assistance of Barolong criss-crossed the world meeting with political figures like W.E.B du Bois to galvanise the global community to support the abolishment of the 1913 Native Land Act.

It is this political infrastructure created by Plaatje that will later trickle down to American Pan-Africanists such as Reverend Jesse Jackson to support the African National Congress to attain political freedom.

At this very moment I would like to take this opportunity and pass my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and comrades of Reverend Jackson, who sadly passed away last week at the age of eighty-four.

Hon Members, today we have converged in the provincial capital of our beloved province, Mahikeng, as part of our ongoing efforts to consolidate our democratic gains.

Hon Members, on this historic year which coincides with the 30th anniversary since the adoption of the Constitution, we renew our commitment to the furtherance of the ideals of justice and democracy grounded on human dignity, inclusivity, accountability and transparency.

As we remind ourselves of the value of our democracy we do so conscious of the genuine expectations of our people who live in the margins of society, who yearn justifiably so, for true realisation of its material dividends.

This includes job creation, inclusive economic growth, tackling high costs of living, improving service delivery and building a capable and ethical state.

Hon Members, the dream for a province free of poverty, inequality and unemployment has guided our forbearers and remain as a primary task of our generation to fulfil the historic mission to deliver a national democratic society envisioned in the Freedom Charter.

The resilient echoes of the 1956 anti-pass law campaigns by the women of Ramotshere Moiloa, the spirited tenacity of the June 16 1976 students fuels our resolve to serve the people of the North West.

It is their expectation to avail the resources of the state for their benefit to build a province of equal opportunities, shared prosperity and free of corruption.

Hon Speaker, we have declared 2026 as a "Year of Decisive Action to Fix Local Government and Transform the Economy.

As this year is earmarked for Local Government Elections we fully commit to support the Electoral Commission to conduct free and fair elections.

Hon Members, municipalities as often mentioned is the closest sphere of government within reach of ordinary people and affects their daily lives directly.

It is also the practical location of enterprises, big or small, domestic or international.

The developmental mandate of local government is derived from Section 153 of the Constitution which amongst others places an obligation on municipalities “to promote the social and economic development of the community”.

The duty to fix local government to correct and restore its administrative functionality is important both for meeting basic needs of the people and creating enabling conditions for businesses to operate and create jobs.

There is therefore a positive correlation between a functioning local government and a growing economy that works for all the people.

As a result, it is our duty to restore the administrative functionality of municipalities by improving provision of basic services such as water, electricity, refuse removal, and road maintenance.

Hon. Members, we are not unfairly fixated on weaknesses in local municipalities whilst ignoring provincial government.

We recognise that a seamless eco system of good governance is critical for all spheres of government to build a mutually reinforcing order of cooperation and interdependence.

Provincial government is following on the example set by National Government to improve governance by turning the tide of poor audit outcomes with nine out of eleven departments receiving unqualified and clean audit outcomes in the last audit cycle.

We can confirm that all senior managers in all provincial departments have complied with submissions on financial disclosures.

This is aimed at promoting good governance practices with emphasis on ethical leadership.

But critically to avert incidents of conflict of interest by deterring any possibility of malfeasance.

Hon Speaker, all members of the Executive Council have signed agreements with the Premier to measure their performance and where there is dereliction of duty, political consequence management will ensue.

Moreover, several cases implicating government and municipal officials are being investigated by law enforcement agencies while others are before the courts.

Progress in relation to these matters will be announced by relevant units at an appropriate time.

Hon Members, in the last financial year, we have spent ninety-eight percent of our provincial allocation by National Treasury.

This upward trend is being witnessed in the current financial year as we don’t expect any money to be returned to the national fiscus.

From the beginning of the 2026/27 Financial Year, we will introduce a province-wide Smart-Gov Monitoring and Evaluation Dashboard.

All our departments will be integrated into a single executive oversight platform, that allows real time tracking of performance, expenditure, and service delivery outcomes.

Hon Members, the stabilisation of the provincial government has enabled us to focus our energies on municipalities.

The encouraging signs of recovery as reflected in audit outcomes bears testimony to the ongoing commitment of government to support municipalities through financial recovery plans, administrative support, planning and budgeting.

As a consequence, municipalities such as Moses Kotane, Taung and JB Marks have improved from qualified to unqualified audit opinion.

We will be dedicating our ongoing efforts in assisting Bojanala Platinum and Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipalities as well as Moretele Local Municipality to move from unqualified to clean audit outcomes.

We also note the decrease in Disclaimer Audit Outcomes from nine (9) municipalities in 2020/21 to only one (1) in 2024/25 which is Ditsobotla.

However, we are satisfied with progress registered so far following the introduction of a National Cabinet Representative under Section 139 (7) of the Constitution.

While endowed with sufficient private sector investments across critical industries like cement manufacturing, regional agricultural companies, poultry and more.

This Municipality is a textbook example of how bad governance and instability can lead to value destruction in the local economy, deprive a municipality of revenue and consequently poor service delivery accompanied by high levels of unemployment.

Hon Members, we will be introducing Section 154 of the Constitution in identified municipalities to strengthen their capacity in areas such as waste management and road maintenance.

The Departments of Public Works and Roads as well Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism will be seized with the responsibility to assist with the aforementioned.

Ditsobotla and Matlosana Local Municipalities will be our starting point where our cooperation will include working with SANRAL and Farmer’s organisations.

Section 106 investigations into alleged acts of maladministration at City of Matlosana, Madibeng and Tswaing have been completed with remedial action plans being implemented.

In relation to Matlosana we are using other various legislative measures to stabilize the municipality.

This is aimed at strengthening administrative stability and financial accounting.

Further to this Eskom will assist municipalities grappling with load reduction with energy effiency and demand management grant.

MEC Molapisi will elaborate further on these intervention measures during the Budget Speech.

Through “Adopt a Municipality” initiative the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality has officially signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Infrastructure South Africa.

In the next twenty-four months the municipality will be working hand in glove with ISA to roll-out various projects to fast-track infrastructure development, enhance technical capacity, revenue collection, and address maintenance backlogs.

Hon Members, the Provincial Local Government Kgotha-Kgothe resolutions are going to inform our Programme of Action for the 2026/27 Financial Year.

This will be done through the establishment of monitoring mechanisms to promote and oversee the effective implementation of all our action plans.

We have developed a performance dashboard to track the implementation of key deliverables in the form of various infrastructure projects.

Bagaetsho, in this regard we are already making progress with the construction and completion of various water projects in our communities.

We have recently introduced a contractor in Seweding village in Mahikeng to deal with challenges of sewer spillages in the area.

We take this opportunity to profusely apologise to our residents for this setback, which equally has been as a result of various acts of vandalism and criminality.

We have since reported the matter to the South African Police Service to follow all leads in arresting the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

Hon. Members, the upgraded Bulk Water Supply Scheme in Rustenburg Local Municipality, will increase provision of water services in the villages of Bethanie, Modikoe, Berseba and Makolokwe.

The second phase of the project, is scheduled to commence next month to ensure uninterrupted supply of water to over one hundred and forty thousand residents.

This project which is being implemented by Magalies Water Board in collaboration with Glencore Rhovan PSV Mine gives credence to our long standing resolve on how Social Labour Plans can foster socio-economic development in our communities.

Hon Speaker, Operation Bulela Metsi remains a critical initiative to fast-track and bolster our efforts of ensuring equitable access to this precious resource.

To date we have spent close to three hundred million for water and sanitation projects in Maquassi Hills, and the villages of Segakwaneng, Manamakgotheng, Pahalane, Makoshong in Moretele Local Municipality as well as Kokomeng, Khudutlou, Molelema and Longaneng in Taung Local Municipality.

An additional one point nine billion rand has been set aside for ongoing bulk water supply projects in Madibeng, Ratlou, Mahikeng and Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipalities.

Hon Members, restoring the dignity of our people through provision of houses remain one of the apex priorities of government.

We fully acknowledge and are aware of the push and pull factors that drive the developmental path of our province in distressed mining towns and in particular lack of housing.

In response to these challenges we have committed over five hundred million rand for the construction of one thousand, one hundred forty-eight housing units in Madibeng, Moses Kotane and City of Matlosana Local Municipalities where we have also installed bulk infrastructure in more than one thousand, eight hundred sites.

We have committed to spend eighty percent of the budget allocated to Human Settlement to complete all blocked housing projects in the province.

Progress is being registered in this regard and to date we have spent thirty million rand for the completion of two hundred and fifteen housing units which were abandoned by contractors, in areas such as Lethabong, Glodina, Sekhing and Kgomotso.

This project will extend to Tshweunyane village in Mahikeng where we appointed a contractor in January.

Hon Members, the Smart and Mega Cities Programme remains a strategic priority of the North West Provincial Government with NWHC leading implementation and driving delivery across the Province.

Appreciation is extended to the municipalities that have passed Council resolutions and made land available in support of the programme.

Private-sector funding for the Mahikeng Student City has been secured positioning the project to break ground as soon as the final land matters are concluded.

All major technical work including engineering designs has been completed ensuring the project is construction-ready.

The Mahikeng Student City alone is projected to unlock over 3,500 jobs, creating meaningful economic opportunities for SMMEs, youth, women and persons with disabilities.

The Premier and the MEC of COGHSTA and DARD are currently spearheading high level stakeholder engagements to resolve the outstanding land dispute and fast-track project commencement.

Bagaetsho, our asbestos roof removal project is well on course with forty-three million rand allocated for this exercise in Madibeng, J.B Marks, Mahikeng, and Ditsobotla.

Furthermore, we will dispose two hundred and eighty-eight houses of government that were built on tribal land.

Preference will be given to current tenants who are rightful occupants to ensure security of tenure and orderly regularisation.

These properties are spread across Bojanala, Ngaka Modiri Molema and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati districts.

The MEC for Public Works and Roads will outline detailed implementation framework in her Budget Speech.

Hon Members, our road infrastructure projects are steadily gaining traction with over one point six billion rand set aside for catalytic projects in Phelindaba, Makwassie, Verdwaal, and Ramokokastad to restore access, stimulate local economies, and reconnect communities.

Kgosi Montshioa we can report to the people of Mahikeng that the much anticipated upgrade of the Nelson Mandela Drive, budgeted at over seven hundred million rand over a multi-year period is now back on track and will include the widening of the bridge that will serve as a dual carriage way.

A contractor will be on site from April as we transition from compliance processes to visible construction.

The continuation of this project follows the successful implementation of phase one which included the refurbishment of several roads in and around the Golf View Suburb.

A similar initiative was implemented to give internal roads in Koster in Kgetlengrivier Local Municipality a facelift.

We envision to roll-out this intervention in municipalities such as City of Matlosana and Ditsobotla Local Municipalities in the next financial year.

Kgosi Thari Maotwe, following the Premier’s instruction last year, all hurdles related to challenges of trafficable roads in Ward 1and 2 in Moses Kotane Local Municipality have finally been resolved.

Contractors for the thirty-three-kilometre upgrade that connects various communities in villages of Dwarsberg and Pitse Disulejang will be on site from April.

The construction of Kromkruil and the Lebotlwane to Thlolwe road in Moretele Local Municipality will also commence in the new financial year.

Over seven hundred million rand has been set aside for the rehabilitation and special maintenance of an eighty-two kilometre road from Swartruggens to Magaliesberg over a four-year period.

This strategic corridor road between the North West, Gauteng and Botswana, will enable economic activities within the freight and commuter transport industry.

Hon Members, we are looking forward to signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Central University of Technology on the filling of potholes project across municipalities in the province targeting seven thousand unemployed youth.

The Department of Public Works and Roads will procure asphalt for identified municipalities to see to the full implementation of this project.

This investment will strengthen integration with national, provincial and municipal routes and improve access to economic opportunities and ensure mobility for residents in our communities.

In relation to the latter we have kept our commitment of providing commuter transport in villages such as Ganyesa, Taung, Bodibe, Masamane and Mabeskraal spread across the three District Municipalities, of Ngaka Modiri Molema, Bojanala-Platinum and Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati benefiting over one hundred thirty thousand residents.

The current commuter contract ends in March 2026 and we have subsequently appointed a Transactional Advisor to support the finalisation of all processes that would ensure a seamless transition to the next phase of the contract.

We have intervened in mitigating the challenges of non-payment of salaries in the North West Transport Investment as a temporary measure.

Plans to recapitalise the entity through an equity partner are underway to preserve jobs and ensure the business sustainability of the entity we expect this process to be concluded in the next three months.

Hon Members we are encouraged by the recent figures of the Quarterly Force Labour Survey, where our province created seventy-eight thousand jobs in the last two quarters of 2025, reducing official unemployment in the province by 6.2 percent, the largest in the country.

These figures have been given impetus by the adoption of the Growth and Developmental Strategy which is currently being implemented.

In our continued efforts to revive the provincial economy and ensure common vision for driving inclusive provincial economic growth we have taken decisive steps towards the establishment of the North West Development Fund, set at one hundred million rand.

This fund is now registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission as a Non-Profit Company and Public Benefit Organisation with the South African Revenue Services.

There are ongoing discussions with industry leaders in mining and financial institutions to support this noble idea, and there is interest in this regard given our engagements on the side-lines of the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba, recently held in Cape Town.

Hon Members, we successfully hosted various G20 Summit meetings which have contributed immensely to our tourism drive, where international arrivals increased to eighty-six thousand visitors. This reflects over thirty- three percent of growth when compared to 2024.

The resuscitation of the Pilanesberg International Airport in collaboration with Infrastructure SA, will boost our tourism endeavors as well as reincarnating commercial activities in the adjacent Sun City Resort and the Pilanesberg National Park.

Moreover, a one hundred fifty-million-rand construction of the Majakaneng to Sun City road will be strategically positioned to support this economic drive.

A similar approach is being touted for ISA to avail their expertise in commercializing Dick George Montshioa Airport as a cargo hub.

Hon Members, an additional twelve thousand jobs are on the cards as we seek to revitalise and officially license and launch the Bojanala Special Economic Zone in the 2026/27 Financial Year.

The SEZ is currently anchored on investments worth twelve billion rands which will have a multiplier effect on secondary industries.

We have secured significant investor interest, and investment agreements will be signed during the upcoming Investment and Job Creation Summit.

Local businesses have been prepared to participate in Business-to-Business partnerships with international investors, facilitated through foreign embassies.

Government-to-Government cooperation has been strengthened through existing agreements with strategic partners, including the People’s Republic of China.

This includes strengthened economic cooperation with Botswana and Namibia, particularly along the Trans-Kalahari economic corridor.

Moreover, high-level engagements with the Government of Botswana have been undertaken to support skills development, training programmes, investment cooperation, and joint economic initiatives.

The North West Development Corporation has secured investments to support export development. These investments will benefit agricultural producers, small-scale miners, and agro-processing enterprises. These products include nuts, citrus, agricultural produce, and mineral products.

Hon Members, the province has considered the report of the Panel of Experts on the state of the North West Development Corporation (NWDC) and has taken a position to implement a comprehensive turnaround strategy to restore its ability to unlock investment and support business development.

The turnaround includes addressing cross-border properties, properties located on traditional land, and resolving long-standing debt and litigation that have negatively affected the financial position of NWDC.

Engagements have commenced with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to develop models to restructure and convert portions of NWDC debt into infrastructure investment opportunities through the Infrastructure Development Fund.

A dedicated team of administrators has been established to implement the turnaround and stabilisation programme.

Hon Members, we have initiated the commercialisation of fourteen provincial nature reserves. This process has attracted investment commitments of approximately R420 million.

This investment model will include lease agreements and equity participation where our rural communities, landowners, and traditional authorities will benefit through lease income, equity participation, job creation, and enterprise opportunities.

I have no doubt that this programme will improve sustainability of the reserves and contribute to economic growth.

Hon Speaker, in the last two years we have created over seventy thousand work opportunities through the implementation of our Extended Public Works Programme.

Remarkable progress has also been registered through the absorption of over four thousand five hundred Community Health Care workers on a full time and temporary basis.

A further two hundred million rand, was set aside for the employment of more than one hundred health professionals, in the form of medical doctors, professional nurses and eighteen various other categories.

Hon Members, the economy of our province is amongst others centered on mining. Unfortunately, with it comes illegal activities which have an adverse impact on the safety and security of our communities.

I want to assure the communities of Bapong, Masebudule and Tlhatlaganyane that we are not resting on our laurels in addressing this matter.

Following our successful intervention in Matlosana were more than one thousand four hundred illegal miners were arrested, the South African National Defence Force will be deployed in the province to capacitate the work of South African Police Service in identified hotspots.

Hon Speaker, I must indicate that our Province has been significantly affected by the outbreak of the Foot and Mouth Disease.

We have adopted a Progressive Control Plan for the province and has reached a stage of vaccination.

We will receive a consignment of one hundred thousand vaccines with distribution earmarked for next week Friday.

To align with the control process, we will focus on traceability of vaccinated animals on a risk assessment basis.

Working closely with the national government, industry stakeholders, and farmers, we are intensifying disease control measures, enforcing biosecurity protocols, and supporting affected producers to stabilise the livestock sector and protect the provincial agricultural economy.

Hon Members, we have put systems in place to address challenges emanating from stock theft. These measures will include enhancing monitoring the implementation of the National Rural Safety Strategy.

We will also ensure that the Provincial and Stock Theft Forum and Stock Theft Information Centres (STIC’s) are resuscitated to ensure that all stock theft related issues are reported and perpetrators arrested.

While we have reduced this criminal activity by five percent, where over two hundred people were arrested, we will increase the footprint of police to improve visibility and accessibility to deter future incidents.

Hon Members, through our poverty alleviation and job creation initiatives in our rural and farming communities, we have allocated fifty million rand to improve Red Meat Infrastructure, benefiting close to two thousand emerging farmers.

In addition to this, close to two hundred and fifty million rand of CASP Conditional Grants, will be proportionally shared among women, youth and people with disabilities for infrastructure production inputs, training, capacity building, as well as Kaonafatso Ya Dikgomo.

Engagements with Business Unity South Africa for the development of a chicken abattoir in the province are at an advanced stage.

This initiative is primarily aimed at strengthening poultry value chain by supporting emerging producers to unlock new employment opportunities in the sector across the province.

Moreover, the refurbishment of fifty thousand tons of Grain Storage Facility in Springbokpan is expected to be concluded this year.

This facility is expected to strengthen grain storage facility capacity to support food security in the province.

Through the District Development Model, we will implement targeted Food Security Interventions across the four districts. These will be done through the Letsema Grants to support household food production Cooperatives and Community Institutions.

A total amount of seventeen point nine million rand has been set aside for Vulnerable Households and Sustainable Production.

In pursuit of these objectives we have equally reached over ten thousand households through our food security programmes.

We have also established community nutrition and development centres at Mareetsane and Disaneng in Ratlou and Kabeelboom in Moses Kotane to rid our people of hunger and starvation.

This community driven centres are aimed at providing regular access to nutritious meals for those facing food insecurity.

I must hasten to indicate that over fifty thousand people facing hunger and undue hardships have accessed these services.

This is a significant milestone particularly in cushioning our communities against poverty and hunger in distressed communities.

Hon Members, the process of constructing new healthcare facilities and refurbishing existing ones is ongoing with the Delareyville, Bulk Phamarcy, and three Park-homes located in Sheila, Uitkyk, and Magogoe have been completed.

Plans are already in motion for the establishment of a Chemotherapy Unit in the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital for the 2026/27 Financial Year.

With Tertiary Services fully established in Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp, the focus will now be shifted to Job Shimakane Tabane.

A litany of services such as Urology, the operationalisation of the new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Mammography and procurement of digital X-Ray and C-ARM to increase radiology capacity have been earmarked for this hospital.

The facility will further upgrade the Intensive Care Unit to sixteen beds with specialists outreach of Urology services to Moses Kotane hospital, Maxilla facial services to Brits District Hospital and Ophthalmology services to Tlhabane.

Hon Speaker, the North West University Desmond Tutu School of Medicine was officially launched on 22 April 2025 in honour of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s legacy of justice, compassion and humanity.

Both the National Ministers of Health and Higher Education have issued letters of support for the establishment of this medical school.

The clinical training facilities across the province for the delivery of the curriculum will be provided by the North West Department of Health.

The infrastructure plans are also progressing very well and activities of the different work-streams will continue as planned in 2026/27.

Hon. Members, the scourge of teenage pregnancy in our Province, particularly among under‑age girls, can no longer be normalised.

In view of its profound socio‑economic and health consequences, we will implement a coordinated provincial response to reduce teenage pregnancy and strengthen support for adolescent mothers.

Working hand in glove with the Department of Social Development and Education, the Department of Health has been assigned to lead this initiative recognising that teenage pregnancy is a downstream effect of broader social determinants including poverty, school dropout, violence, and limited access to youth‑friendly services.

By placing Health, Education and Social Development at the centre of a multi-sectoral effort, we will ensure a unified, evidence‑driven response that protects our girls, supports young mothers, and strengthens the wellbeing of our communities.

Hon Members, government has classified gender-based violence and femicide as a national disaster.

This classification strengthens the mandates of government departments in collaboration with civil society organisations, the media and community at large in waging a winnable war against GBVF.

We have made great strides in establishing shelters to cater for the needs of the victims of gender based violence across the province.

These shelters are meant to provide comprehensive social support services, including accommodation, trauma counselling, protection services, and safety.

Over six hundred and forty victims of gender-based violence have accessed sheltering services in the current financial year and a further three thousand, two hundred victims of crime accessed support services.

Hon. Members, we believe that there is a direct correlation between the pandemic of Gender-Based Violence and inequalities as well as lack of economic opportunities affecting women.

As a result, we have initiated deliberate intervention measures aimed at the empowerment of women.

Through capacity-building and various measures, women-led cooperatives and enterprises have progressed steadily as over two hundred women-owned enterprises have successfully completed various business management enterprises.

These programmes have been anchored on various business development initiatives where R 4.2 billion and R 1.7 billion were spent on women and youth owned businesses respectively benefiting over two thousand five hundred enterprises.

As we commemorate both the 70th and 50th anniversary of the 1956 Women’s march and June 16 Uprisings we will continue to champion the socio-development of young people for the children of any nation are its future.

Of profound importance is to realise that the development of any nation will not reach its pinnacle stage if we don’t place women at the centre of its trajectory.

Hon Speaker, the North West province has registered an improvement on the 2025 senior certificate examinations by obtaining 88, 49% pass rate making it the fourth best performing province in three consecutive years.

Our focus remains firmly on creating safe, functional, and resilient learning environments that support quality education and restore dignity to our school communities.

Mokala, Thlakgameng, Chaneng, Tshedimoso primary schools are now functionally contributing to the education capacity.

In the approaching financial year, we will allocate R1.4 billion towards education infrastructure delivery.

This investment is directed at accelerating construction, strengthening maintenance, and improving the overall condition of existing schools across the province including those that were damaged by heavy rains.

Similarly, Gasetsiwe, Kgosi Shoppe and Sarafina are now providing education services to secondary school learners.

Planning for Tlamelang Special School has progressed well and is now in the design development stage.

Processes for the construction of Dinokana Autism School have been finalised and work will commence soon.

Land issues which hampered progress in respect of Rysmierbult Mega Farm School are now resolved.

The school consists of a primary and secondary level with hostels, a farm area and a teacher development centre.

This mega institution shall replace fifteen non-viable small farm schools.

Hon Members, during the 2026/27 financial year we will deliver a balanced infrastructure programme that prioritises both new capacity and the protection of existing assets.

Seven new schools such as Sunview, Fikile Jakeni, Broederspruit, Utlwanang, Madiba Kagiso Barolong and Morokweng Primary are scheduled for completion in the next financial year.

Five major infrastructure projects will enter the construction phase, supporting long-term capacity expansion and modernisation of facilities.

These includes Phase 2 of Stinkhoutboom and Mahube Primary Schools as well as Coligny Special School.

Kgosi Thato Letlhogile we have heard the cries of your community and after years of despair we will be building a new primary school in your village.

Hon Member, a total of one hundred and fourteen renovation and refurbishment projects have been allocated to management contractors.

Thirty-two of these projects are expected to be completed and handed over within the 2026/27 financial year, significantly improving learning conditions at affected schools.

Hon Members, infrastructure investment remains a critical driver of local economic development.

The 2026/27 infrastructure programme will continue to support job creation through the appointment of contractors, subcontractors, and local SMMEs, while also promoting skills development and community participation.

Infrastructure development in our rural and township schools has contributed in the attainment of over fifty-four percent of Bachelor Passes in non-paying fee schools.

This investment has culminated in reducing the learner performance gap between affluent and less privileged schools.

Hon Speaker, as part of ensuring that we improve scholar transport, government will continue to conduct vehicle inspections every six months.

This is to ensure that busses that are used for scholar transport remain in a good state of repair, and that operators comply with Service Level Agreements.

There had been over one hundred operators who had been terminated for failure to comply with the SLA.

A Panel for Scholar Transport has been appointed to be called at a moment’s notice should there be a need to troubleshoot in areas where there is none compliance.

There are regular meetings chaired by HODs of COSATMA and Education to ensure seamless operation without disrupting teaching and learning.

Traffic Law enforcement officers will continue to monitor scholar transport on daily basis to ensure that busses that transport leaners are roadworthy.

Hon. Members, the Provincial Government will continue to sponsor learners from across the province to different institutions of higher learning.

We have recruited an additional one hundred students this academic year, to study at different institutions of higher learning across the country.

A total of one hundred and eighty leaners have been enlisted in the V. T Sifora Bursary Fund with thirty million rand committed to their junior degrees.

We further committed to send thirty-one unemployed young people from across the North West into the Nelson Mandela Fidel Castro (NMFC) Medical Programme to pursue medical studies in Cuba and this was achieved.

An additional thirty young people will undergo this programme in the next financial year.

The provincial administration will continue to collaborate with SETAs, Organisations in the Skills industry as well as business to build skills capacity and human development in the province.

To this end Services-SETA has offered to sponsor 50 first-year students to institutions of higher learning.

ETDP-SETA will be recruiting two hundred and eighty young people for disability sign language and handy persons programme.

The much anticipated SANSI collaboration targeting three thousand young people in in agriculture, artisanal and aviation programmes will start in earnest and the advert will be issued out next week.

The recruitment of the first cohort, comprising three hundred young people will begin next month.

We can further confirm that at an additional three hundred learners will undergo training in assembling and operation of drones.

Through the Unemployed Agricultural Graduates Programme we recruited one hundred and three graduates for a period of twenty-four months with a monthly stipend of seven thousand, six hundred rands.

In total close to one thousand young people are undergoing training in the public sector through Internships, Learnerships and work integrated learning.

Hon Members, following the rationalisation of over one hundred fifty-five schools across the province, the government will partner with the Department of Higher Education and Training to repurpose these facilities into Community Training Centres.

Through this mass skills development programme, these former school sites will be transformed into centres of artisan training, youth empowerment and local economic activation.

What was once underutilised infrastructure will become engines of opportunity.

Hon Members, we appreciate the work done by our traditional leaders in fostering development in our communities.

We can report to the House that the implementation of the Phasha Ya Kgosi is in full steam.

We will be in consultation with the House to identify one traditional village in Ngaka Modiri Molema, Dr. Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, and Bojanala Districts as pilot projects.

In strengthening these efforts, we have completed the scoping and evaluation for all our traditional council offices for refurbishment and we will be engaging with the house on priority areas.

This intervention will also include the purchasing of twenty-seven new vehicles for our traditional leaders to make their work seamless on their continued endeavours for socio-economic development in our rural communities.

We have concluded investigations in traditional leadership disputes in Bahurutshe ba ga Moiloa and Bakwena ba Modimosana.

Whilst those of Bahurutshe boo Mokgatla at Koffiekraal, Bahurutshe boo Manyane, Bakwekana ba Mogopa, Baahwaduba at Moretele are underway.

It is therefore my appeal to all affected communities where Section 59 of the Traditional Leadership and Khoi-San Act has been instituted to exercise caution and restrain until investigations are concluded.

Hon Members, we have achieved decisive progress in positioning digital transformation as a strategic driver of service delivery, economic growth, and good governance through roll-out of Wi-Fi across one hundred and twenty-one libraries across the province.

This will make our commmunities access government information easily and participate on a number of programmes that can uplift their lives.

We have embarked on a process of building a single Provincial Broadband Network as the digital backbone of the Province.

As part of this, we will revive partnerships with long-standing Underserviced Area Licensees who have held ICASA licences for over 20 years but have not fully participated in the digital economy, unlocking local capacity and expanding inclusive growth for these entrepreneurs.

From 01 April, procurement across the North West Provincial Government will be fully automated through the SmartGov Programme led by the Office of the GITO from supplier registration and quotation management to invoice tracking and contract management creating a simpler, fairer, and more transparent system for businesses and residents alike.

Hon Speaker, the first phase of the refurbishment of Mmabana Mahikeng is well underway with a contractor on sight to take this institution back to its glory days.

Furthermore, the completion of the Wolmaranstad Library as well as Matloding Cultural village reinforces our commitment to provide free, equitable access to information, knowledge production, and the preservation of our liberation history.

In this regard we will be strengthening the political heritage of our liberation struggle with Botswana and other sister countries which have played an important role as a frontline-states, by providing humanitarian support and defying Aparthied destabalization tactics and raids.

We are also going to target young people between these countries to venture into film and television training to tell an African story. These documentaries will be centred on the diversity and the unity which defines our history, culture and heritage.

African novelist and author Chinua Achebe maintains “until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will glorify the hunter”. We have told our story, acknowledging our challenges, but together with the people of the North West we remain hopeful about the prospects of our developmental trajectory.

Let’s build a North West that works for all I thank you! Ke a leboga!