Mpumalanga Mirror April 2021 Edition

Mpumalanga Mirror / April 29, 2021
Business
7
FORGING RELATIONSHIPS WITH LULAWAYAND AND
GOVERNMENT FINANCE DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS
SANDTON - MEC for Finance,
Economic Development and
Tourism, Mr Vusi Mkhatshwa
held a meeting with Lulaway – a
Services SETA-accredited training
provider with youth employment
solutions – which prides itself
for having placed thousands of
unemployment youth in jobs across
the country.
“I am really looking forward to
working with anyone or company
which can place our youth in
jobs. As government, we have the
mandate to create jobs, so that
we can reduce unemployment,
especially amongst the youth
who are in the majority and the
mostly affected”, said Mkhatshwa.
Lulaway has placed the Province’s
2 500 young people in various
permanent jobs over the past three
years.
“I think Lulaway is a strategic
partner towards us addressing youth
unemployment in our Province.
They partly have a solution in
addressing our challenge of
creating permanent jobs and job
opportunities for our young people.
Mkhatshwa has urged Lulaway
to profile all SMMEs in the
Province, so that government could
know in which areas to intervene,
by providing financial and nonfinancial
support, in order to create
the much-needed job opportunities.
“As government, we continue
to be committed to fund SMMEs
given their high potential to create
the much-needed job opportunities
for our people. Lulaway should
now go back, drill the information
further and provide us with more
details, per district, and per locality,
so that we can make informed
decisions about available possible
interventions,” he added.
My interest is to
see rural and
township economies
thriving again
Meanwhile, MEC Mkhatshwa
indicated that his mission is
to revive rural and township
economies in the Province, with
bias towards empowering young
people, including women and
people with disabilities.
“My interest is to see rural and
township economies thriving again.
We want to support young people
in these areas, with financial and
non-financial support, through
our entities like MEGA and other
development finance institutions.
“We will, thus, camp in those
areas to make sure that our rural
areas and townships thrive again.
We want young people to own
franchise stores, car washes,
filling stations and many other
businesses,” explained Mkhatshwa.
Mkhatshwa also held an
engagement with the NEF’s
(National Empowerment
Fund) Divisional Executive for
Strategic Planning and Significant
Investment, Mr SetlakalaneMolepo,
and the acting CEO of MEGA,
Mr Isaac Mahlangu, to discuss
possible areas of collaboration with
finance development institutions.
Molepo indicated that finance
development institutions, like
the NEF, would be willing to
collaborate with the Department in
funding SMMEs in the Province,
through the creation of a blendedfunding
model between MEGA and
the NEF.
The blended-funding model
would incorporate funding from
both the Department (Economic
Development and Tourism) through
MEGA and institutions like the
NEF. The meeting agreed that the
creation of such a Fund would be
taken further with the NEF.
“I agree that the blended-funding
model should be considered as a
vehicle to bridge the funding gap,
we are currently experiencing.
MEGA will now approach the
NEF for further discussions on the
matter. And from what Mr Molepo
from the NEF said, I am positive
that the talks will surely bear
fruits,” concluded Mkhatshwa.
MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism,
Mr Vusi Mkhatshwa.
New
Sheriff
In Town
Takes
The Bull
By Its
Horns
When Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane announced her
new Cabinet in February 2021, Ms Mohita Latchminarain
was deemed equal to the task to lead as the "Handyman of
the State." She certainly took the bull by its horns and hit
the ground running from the very first day. Her
appointment augurs well with the democratic
Government's transformation agenda to recognize and
elevate capable and deserving women and youth to the
accolades of power.
Mr Josias Motsoeneng
Office Manager
Ms Amulekani Sambo
Appointment Secretary
Mr Kgomotso Madihlaba
Media Liaison Officer
As the new member of the Executive Council responsible
for Public Works, Roads and Transport in Mpumalanga,
Ms Latchminarain is not a stranger to this mandate but has
been instrumental in shaping the Department's direction
as a member of the Portfolio Committee that conducted
oversight on the work of the Department. Prior to that,
since joining the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature in
2019, she has worn several hats including that of
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Premier's
Office, Finance, Economic Development and Tourism.
Mr Kabelo Mashiane
Community Outreach Officer
Ms Sesi Madalane
Secretary Receptionist
Apart from her political career as a member of the ruling
party, this grinding stone is also a qualified Attorney and has
served as a Legal Adviser to the Executive Mayor of Steve
Tshwete Local Municipality, her hometown prior to joining
the Mpumalanga Legislature. She has been exposed to
various spheres and functions of Government therefore she
has clear understanding of socioeconomic challenges
facing the masses.
She is not only a mother who has natural instincts of caring
for others, but she is also the youngest MEC in Premier
Mtsweni-Tsipane's Cabinet and of course the youngest
member of the Legislature in the Province. The amount of
responsibility placed on she shoulders bears testimony of
the confidence bestowed upon her by the Premier based on
her competence and intellectual capacity.
During a media engagement the MEC highlighted that
one of her key focus areas will be on roads maintenance.
"Our road infrastructure is a critical
artillery of socioeconomic development.
Unfortunately, most of our roads in the
Province have aged and are not in a good
state. These include access roads to social
amenities, tourism routes and coal haulage.
While there is growing demand for new
roads, we need to strike a balance between
maintaining our old and starting new
construction projects due to budgetary
constraints. I intend to strengthen the
Department's capacity to deal with this
matter vigorously and pro-actively. Another
way to achieve this is to invest in jetpatchers
and rebuild our workforce to fast-track
service delivery," elaborated MEC Latchminarain.
Since her appointment to the office, the MEC has been at
the coalface of service delivery attesting to the spirit of
"Thuma Mina." As the true ambassador of young minds, the
Honourable MEC has a dedicated battalion of equally
committed and energetic troops to serve the citizens of the
Place of the Rising Sun. These young faces include the
Office Manager, Mr Josias Motsoeneng; the Appointment
Secretary, Ms Amukelani Sambo; the Media Liaison Officer,
Mr Kgomotso Madihlaba; the Community Outreach Officer,
Mr Kabelo Mashiane as well as the Secretary Receptionist,
Ms Sesi Madalane.