By AGISANANG SCUFF
30 June 2025- The North West MEC for Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism (DEDECT), Bitsa Lenkopane hosted an interprovincial engagement with her counterpart, Free State MEC for Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA), Ketso Makume, with the aim of forging a collaboration to unlock cross-border initiatives and deliver mutual benefit for the two provinces.
Lenkopane further said the session ran parallel to the third G20 Sherpa meeting held on 25 and 26 June 2025, at Sun City Resort, in Rustenburg. In her opening remarks, Lenkopane added that two provinces shared geographic assets and economic interests hence it is strategic for them to engage and promote interprovincial economic cooperation.
“Identified areas of cooperation and mutual learning include Special Economic Zones, tourism, heritage and cultural activities, agriculture, industrial parks, enterprise development opportunities around airports, dams and Vredefort Dome UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“The envisaged MoU will activate working forums and facilitate follow-up meetings to implement the agreed upon initiatives. So, I am excited to see the collaboration of the two provinces bringing a caring government to the people of North West and the Free State,” she said.
Meanwhile, Makume echoed the same sentiments when he said they should not allow the provincial borders to be barriers of progress. He said they should put communities first, considering that communities and labour are already intertwined.
“The meeting engaged in robust deliberations on cross border opportunities and areas of cooperation. The discussions explored economic sectors of cooperation such as agro-industrial development, renewable and green energy, industrial and logistics, tourism and cultural routes as well as skills and enterprise support.
“Following the deliberations, the two provinces came to an agreement to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU will give guidance on areas of implementation and practicalities thereof,” said Makume.
The Guardian 