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During the State of the Province Address debate today, the DA called for the resignation of North West Premier Bushy Maape. This comes after he failed to provide a concrete and clear plan during his address on Friday on how he intends to turn the tide in this province.

His speech had little to offer the residents of this province, despite the falsehoods he made in parliament during the State of the Nation Address debate on 9 February 2023. The comments the Premier made about the state of roads in this province and service delivery in his hometown of Vryburg were irresponsible and have left residents rightfully aggrieved.

As if that was not enough, the Premier went onto Motsweding FM on 17 February to continue with his assertion that service delivery in Vryburg was at its peak. Yet he was able to come to the Legislature and give a vague and embarrassing SOPA.

However, the blame does not lie solely with Premier Maape. The African National Congress, which deployed him to the Office of the Premier, is a problem in this country. It has run out of ideas on how to improve the lives of the residents of this province.

Members of the Executive Council, Heads of Departments, CEOs, and Boards of Entities convened for a two-day Lekgotla in Rustenburg to make inputs to Premier Maape’s 30-minute SOPA. But it was empty and had no concrete plans. It shows there is no leadership in the ANC.

While residents continue to be in the grip of rolling blackouts, Premier Maape in his address spoke about an energy strategy that still needs to be kickstarted. Loadshedding is not a new phenomenon. Provinces like the Western Cape in their SOPA, set aside R1 billion to counter loadshedding. Yet North West businesses and residents have been left on their own. They have been instructed by the Premier to go and buy their own generations.

Water and sanitation have been an issue in this province. Over a million residents still do not have access to water and sanitation. The Premier talked about a steering committee, meaning his government is still in the boardroom trying to find solutions. In the meantime, residents shouldn't expect their lives to improve anytime soon.

The Premier, in a radio interview, alleged that he was aware of high-ranking officials who are responsible for the water infrastructure sabotage in Naledi. We call on the Premier to lay charges against those who tamper with water infrastructure.

We would like to remind the Premier that access to clean drinkable water is a basic human right, and sabotage of that is a human right violation.

The North West province has continued to degenerate under Premier Bushy Maape. We call on Premier Maape to resign and allow a new premier to help the residents of this province out of the calamity manufactured by the uncaring ANC government.

Issued by Freddy Sonakile MPL - DA Caucus Leader: North West Provincial Legislature