By BAKANG MOKOTO 

The North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi said in the 2024/2025 financial year, his office will increase the monitoring for strict compliance with the directives and other intervention measures aimed at reaching the 3% target as directed by cabinet to progressively realize the 7% target by 2030. 

Mokgosi, who tabled Office of the Premier’s Budget for 2024/24 financial year said, the province will also coordinate the Disability Rights Month Programme, including commemoration of International Disability Rights Day, with different social partners to measure the level of commitment in the provision of services to the sector.

He further said they are happy with the work done by the senior citizens in championing a number of programmes of elderly people under the guidance and leadership of the North West Older Persons Forum. Mokgosi added that the senior citizens participated in the National Anti-ageing Programme at Mpumalanga, where they obtained position one.

“We will be hosting the 2024 National Anti-ageing Activities Programme (NAAP) and for this, preparations have already been initiated. We are saddened by the deaths of three elderly people, who lived at an old age home in Jericho village, near Brits. 

“We urge the police to investigate circumstances relating to these unfortunate incidents and bring closure to families, friends and loved ones. I also wish to urge our Non-Governmental and Non-Profit Organisations to comply with the law when operating these facilities and to always seek the guidance of the North West Department of Social Development under the stewardship of Sussana Dantjie,” he said.

Mokgosi said they wish to report to this house that they are making progress in the implementation of interventions to uplift our veterans. He said in the last financial year through collaboration with the National Department of Human Settlement and Military Veterans, they have approved the construction of 112 houses for the veterans across the four districts of the province.

“Thirteen units covering Ganyesa, Tlakgameng, Mabela aa Podi and Bapong, are nearing completion and will be handed over to beneficiaries once completed. The Provincial Council on Aids is up and running and considered one of the best, if not the leading PCA compared to other provinces.

“We have been able to coordinate and bring together various stakeholders in our collective response to HIV, TB and STIs. Our efforts are yielding desired results as for the past three years, we have recorded a downward spiral in HIV-AIDS infections, with a decline of 1.7 percent in the last financial year,” said Mokgosi. 

He said North West is leading in the End-term Review of the 2017/2022, giving impetus to the development of the 2023/28 Provincial Implementation Plan (PIP) on HIV and AIDS, STIs and TB. Mokgosi said they will ensure that this plan trickles down to all four districts of the province.

“The Office of the Premier carries the policy and legislative mandate to lead the planning, monitoring and evaluation of the province. There is little or nothing that can be achieved if our planning is not sound and backed up by workable strategies to achieve our goals. 

“The Office of the Premier will invest its energies on enhancing monitoring and evaluation processes to guarantee the effective implementation of both national and provincial priorities by various government departments and entities,” he said.

Mokgosi said a total of R1.5 million will be assigned to enhance provincial monitoring and evaluation systems to continue to assess Annual Performance Plans of departments thus ensuring that service delivery remains an integral part of government priorities. 

He said the Office of the Premier is collaborating with the National Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) to ensure that all sector departments’ plans and budgets are aligned to the national and provincial policy priorities of the government.

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Picture: North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi