Limpopo Premier Ramathuba doubles down on ‘yellow fleet’ pledge to fix province’s roads

Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba, Speaker Makoma Makhurupetje and other dignitaries at the first sitting of the Seventh Limpopo Legislature held at Jack Botes Hall in Polokwane on Friday. (Photo: Rudzani Tshivhase)

By Rudzani Tshivhase

2 Aug 2024

Roads, water and jobs are among the priorities for Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba, who addressed the first sitting of the Seventh Limpopo Legislature in Polokwane on Friday, 2 August 2024. But there was no mention of the VPS elephant in the room.

Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba has instructed her government to find a budget to procure “yellow fleet” earth-moving equipment to construct and maintain roads.

“Having noted the demand by our traditional leaders, I have directed both the MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, honourable Ernest Rachoene, and MEC for Provincial Treasury, honourable Kgabo Mahoai, to find within our budget, funds to procure yellow fleet and also to prioritise their operations for full-time employment in the public service since within the short space of time,” Ramathuba said, in her first Opening of the Provincial Legislature Address in Polokwane on Friday morning.

The premier’s speech doubled down on the recently launched Dikgerekere Wednesday project, which will see the purchase of more yellow fleet equipment to minimise the province’s reliance on contracted service providers.

The project has been positively received beyond the ANC, by opposition parties. Defence and Military Veterans Deputy Minister and United Democratic Movement leader General Bantu Holomisa and Zwelinzima Vavi of the South African Federation of Trade Unions are among those who have encouraged other provinces to follow suit and insource the yellow fleet to improve road maintenance countrywide.

Read more: Controversial Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba tipped to be sworn in as premier

The premier said 19,800km of road in the province remains unpaved or untarred.

“That is why we have to use our internal resources and capacity to make gravel roads user-friendly, by re-gravelling, blading as well as clearing bushes around them for community use.

“The Digerekgere Wednesday project was born out of this concern and it has revealed the great potential that some of our departments have, in utilising our own resources for infrastructure maintenance purposes.

“We must appreciate those municipalities that have already started to join this revolutionary programme which is also aimed at reducing reliance on service providers for work that could ordinarily be done inhouse,” Ramathuba said.

Rachoene told the media this week that R1-billion was needed to buy sufficient yellow fleet equipment.

Water works

Ramathuba also said during her opening address that she will soon launch a project to ensure the people of Limpopo receive drinking water.

She said it is concerning that most rural residents in the Vhembe, Mopani and Sekhukhune districts remain thirsty, despite the province having some big dams such as the multimillion-rand Nandoni Dam outside Thohoyandou. She suggested municipalities should also buy water-drilling machines to insource water-provisioning services instead of relying on outside service providers.

Ramathuba also promised to revive the mining, agriculture and tourism sectors to create jobs and improve the economy.

“With the global mining industry experiencing significant transformation resulting in major capital investment paradigm shifts, Limpopo is well positioned to align very favourably on these shifts. Mining investment is shifting dramatically to the Big Six metals, namely copper, platinum group metals, nickel cobalt and rare earth elements.”

Empty promises

EFF provincial leader Lawrence Mapaulo accused Ramathuba of making empty promises.

He said the project to insource the yellow fleet is the EFF’s idea and Ramathuba should at least ask the EFF how to implement it.

Mapaulo added that the EFF is not happy that R2.5-million was spent on the opening of the legislature at the Jack Botes hall in Polokwane instead of at the newly renovated legislature building in Lebowakgomo.

Speaker Makoma Makhurupetje said the event had been budgeted for and there were no extra costs.

Lindy Wilson, the DA leader in the legislature, said the premier has lost touch with the community by making promises which will not be fulfilled. She said Ramathuba never mentioned veld fires that had damaged farms last month, which will lead to job losses. Wilson said most of the measures mentioned by the premier are unrealistic as communities lack water and municipalities are unable to get their financial books in order.

Ramathuba also promised to continue with work on the Musina Makhado Special Economic Zone and the Fetakgomo Industrial Park, which will see the creation of thousands of jobs. She also urged law enforcement agencies to fight crime, fraud and corruption.

VBS bank heist

Ramathuba made no mention of the scandal surrounding the collapse of the VBS Mutual Bank in which depositors and shareholders lost hundreds of millions of rands in what has been described as the “great bank heist”.

Read more: Corruption Central — VBS chairperson Tshifhiwa Matodzi’s canary song, Part One

An affidavit by the former VBS chairperson, Tshifhiwa Matodzi, who is serving 15 years in jail for his part in the bank’s collapse, implicated some politicians in the affair. ANC provincial deputy chairman Florence Radzilani, now the MEC of Transport and Community Safety in Ramathuba’s cabinet, was fingered in a report on VBS compiled for the SA Reserve Bank. It is alleged she requested a bribe from VBS while she was executive mayor of Vhembe District Municipality. Radzilani has denied the allegations. DM

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Water works

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VBS bank heist