THE NORTH WEST PROVINCE DESTINED TO BE THE WORST PROVINCE

The ANC-led government has gone almost all out to ensure that the North West province does not prosper. This may be what they inherited from their successive governments from 1994 to the most recent past.

This is one province whose leadership has been fought over from 1994 when Rocky Malebana-Matsing sought to over turn the nomination of Essop Pahad as premier designate. Luthuli House tried to quell that by bringing in Popo Molefe who also had difficult tome from the same Mlebana-Metsing, then Johannes Tselapedi and to some extent Squire Mahlangu.

Darkey Africa's tenure was short lived as was Edna Molewa's. The less said about Nono Maloyi's, the better.

Whether it is the dissonance within the leadership of the ANC in the province which has resulted in even government being lethargic in servicing the province as others remains a question.

For the record the North West is the only province where the office of the provincial commissioner is not in the capital city, Mmabatho. Whatever questions are asked in this regard they go unanswered by the provincial leadership in government. Policing, we are aware, is a national competence. Any response or none on this matter points to the disinterest the government has in seeing to it that the province is treated like others in this regard.

As if that is not enough, the province is the only one that is very difficult to access with ease. All other eight provinces have more than one airport each and frequent flights per day. The result is that their economies are better compared to that of the North West. The province survives mainly because of the mines and by and large the tourist destinations such as Sun City and Madikwe Game Reserve.

One wonders why the Cape Town - Sun City and more regular Johannesburg - Sun City flights were discontinued.

Except for enhancing the economic viability of the province, regular flights assist in access and travel between two points. Government officials do not have to spend the whole day at one place waiting for a return flight or drive for six hours in and out between Mmabatho and Johannesburg or Pretoria when they could have boarded a flight, done business and returned to be in office before the end of the day.

In the North West there is a solo mosquito flight in the morning between Mmabatho and Johannesburg and   the same applies for the evening. This cannot be right for development when even a province with the lowest population has a number of flights from different airports per day. The government has to improve the situation.

While the SABC is deemed to be autonomous, it is notable that government is the sole shareholder. State of the art broadcasting equipment, if not looted under the stewardship of this government post 1994, was transferred to Auckland Park thus denying the province of facilities of communicating with the nation from their base.

The luxury of being interviewed from the local studios enjoyed by the Western Cape, Kwa Zulu Natal and Gauteng makes one's heart bleed when people from the North West Province have to travel to Johannesburg for a 15 minute live interview.

The worst was in April when all 13 political parties that contested elections had to be at Auckland Park at 06h00 and be interviewed for a total of 15 minutes among them. It is not necessary to have it that way when the province has an ultra modern facility from which such interviews were conducted across the country fifteen years ago.

Until when should the province be treated as if it were illegitimate? The quality of life and services in the province have to be improved.

Those whom the ANC deployed in the province from the beginning had in mind to undermine and discredit what they found the United Christian Democratic Party government had put in place thus  fulfilling the proverbial cutting of their noses to spite their faces. They are now settled with these problems and it is difficult to undo them. Only the central government can come to the rescue of the people in the province.

A call is made that in the interest of delivering service to the province as in others these services have to be restored.

Sipho Mfundisi MPL is the national chairman of the United Christian Democratic Party

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