When premier Phumulo Masualle delivered his maiden speech as head of Bhisho government last year, he promised to inject more than R30-billion to revamp the province’s infrastructure. Daily Dispatch Political editor ZINE GEORGE sat down with him on Saturday and asked him to explain how the those projects were progressing.
QUESTION: You have committed an extra R2-billion this year, but can you tell us how you spent last year’s budgetyou have not reflected on what happened with the previous year’s commitments. Can you?
ANSWER: We have space where Things look a bit brighter from the continuing investment in infrastructure in the province. When we spoke in the previous State of the Province address (Sopa), we referred to strategic infrastructure projects such as the Ngqura Port, the plans to expand the capacity of the East London Port, the railway lines programme, the Umzimvubu Dam project, as well as Operation Phakisa, which talks to the Oceans economy. At the East London Port, work has already begun with the preparation for boat building and ship repairs. Overall infrastructure investment continues.
Q: What has happened since?
A: Work there has also begun on the rail expansion programme from the Northern Cape to Port Elizabeth.
Before the end of April we will establish a site office in Mthatha for the Umzimvubu Dam project. This is where the actual construction of the dam is going to start.
The R61 leading from Mthatha towards Port St Johns is already under construction. the design of major bridges on the N2 along the coast, we are discussing with Sanral on how the funding of the project will be rolled out.
We are also very visible on the roads if you travel across the province.
Yes, there are still challenges in the rural roads – the T-roads. There are also concerns about the speed with which we do these roads, but in a number of areas we have been able to build roads.
Q: On education, schools continue to close down – both rural and township schools – due to small pupil learner numbers, while there is no space in “former Model C” schools. What is being done about this?
A: It is a challenge. The distribution of schools is which by design are not viable. because also With democracy, people have a larger choice than before, so people t. There’s a change in the patterns that were there before. With that you have to reconfigured the manner of distribution. They will move to town because they believe there is a higher quality of education there.
If we provide resourcesd so that there can be higher quality schools in townships as such, we won’t have people paying to send their children to schools in town.
At the moment, we try and spread resources to these schools, but they are all struggling.
Yet you can have a centre to bring all these schools here. I’ve asked the MEC Makupula to look into this.
Q: You were head of treasury when they asked it to manage the funds for beefing up infrastructure around Qunu in preparation for Nelson Mandela’s funeral. Reports suggests that money was misused left, right and centre.
A: I was involved in that decision and that decision had to be implemented…at an operational level administrators had the responsibility to see to it that things were done above board.
Q: But senior members of your administration now have cases to answer regarding the management of these funds, including you. Your comment?
A: When the public protector (PP) asked for explanation, I went running to the PP and collected all the information that was necessary to satisfy the PP very consciously as to what was happening as best as I know.
I provided everything that the PP required. I had been hoping that by now that matter would have long been concluded.
Q: But it’s not only treasury that has to account. Buffalo City Metro senior politicians have cases to answer in court, and officials from the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and the Parks and Tourism Board have cases to answer at the PP’s office.
A: Indeed, in different parts it is is emerging that certain things are untoward. It tends to be lumped together, as if its something that all happened in one place, and yet distinct authorities were involved in that to the extent that we read about BCM. There is really a lot that leaves much to be desired in respect of what transpired there to an extent that
I have been exposed to the information as it relates to the provincial authorities . Some of the things are really coming. When we were at that point we were not exposed to what was happening at different levels. I had no knowledge of what was happening at tourism and and parks. It was never in our sight.
Where I was, we were looking to the funeral – what infrastructure that needed to be in place.
It was raining during that weekend. We were literally looking at making sure that nothing was going to upset that. What everybody else would have been doing was for others to look that.
Making good on R30bn of promises?
QUESTION: You have committed an extra R2-billion this year, but can you tell us how you spent last year’s budgetyou have not reflected on what happened with the previous year’s commitments. Can you?
ANSWER: We have space where Things look a bit brighter from the continuing investment in infrastructure in the province. When we spoke in the previous State of the Province address (Sopa), we referred to strategic infrastructure projects such as the Ngqura Port, the plans to expand the capacity of the East London Port, the railway lines programme, the Umzimvubu Dam project, as well as Operation Phakisa, which talks to the Oceans economy. At the East London Port, work has already begun with the preparation for boat building and ship repairs. Overall infrastructure investment continues.
Q: What has happened since?
A: Work there has also begun on the rail expansion programme from the Northern Cape to Port Elizabeth.
Before the end of April we will establish a site office in Mthatha for the Umzimvubu Dam project. This is where the actual construction of the dam is going to start.
The R61 leading from Mthatha towards Port St Johns is already under construction. the design of major bridges on the N2 along the coast, we are discussing with Sanral on how the funding of the project will be rolled out.
We are also very visible on the roads if you travel across the province.
Yes, there are still challenges in the rural roads – the T-roads. There are also concerns about the speed with which we do these roads, but in a number of areas we have been able to build roads.
Q: On education, schools continue to close down – both rural and township schools – due to small pupil learner numbers, while there is no space in “former Model C” schools. What is being done about this?
A: It is a challenge. The distribution of schools is which by design are not viable. because also With democracy, people have a larger choice than before, so people t. There’s a change in the patterns that were there before. With that you have to reconfigured the manner of distribution. They will move to town because they believe there is a higher quality of education there.
If we provide resourcesd so that there can be higher quality schools in townships as such, we won’t have people paying to send their children to schools in town.
At the moment, we try and spread resources to these schools, but they are all struggling.
Yet you can have a centre to bring all these schools here. I’ve asked the MEC Makupula to look into this.
Q: You were head of treasury when they asked it to manage the funds for beefing up infrastructure around Qunu in preparation for Nelson Mandela’s funeral. Reports suggests that money was misused left, right and centre.
A: I was involved in that decision and that decision had to be implemented…at an operational level administrators had the responsibility to see to it that things were done above board.
Q: But senior members of your administration now have cases to answer regarding the management of these funds, including you. Your comment?
A: When the public protector (PP) asked for explanation, I went running to the PP and collected all the information that was necessary to satisfy the PP very consciously as to what was happening as best as I know.
I provided everything that the PP required. I had been hoping that by now that matter would have long been concluded.
Q: But it’s not only treasury that has to account. Buffalo City Metro senior politicians have cases to answer in court, and officials from the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and the Parks and Tourism Board have cases to answer at the PP’s office.
A: Indeed, in different parts it is is emerging that certain things are untoward. It tends to be lumped together, as if its something that all happened in one place, and yet distinct authorities were involved in that to the extent that we read about BCM. There is really a lot that leaves much to be desired in respect of what transpired there to an extent that
I have been exposed to the information as it relates to the provincial authorities . Some of the things are really coming. When we were at that point we were not exposed to what was happening at different levels. I had no knowledge of what was happening at tourism and and parks. It was never in our sight.
Where I was, we were looking to the funeral – what infrastructure that needed to be in place.
It was raining during that weekend. We were literally looking at making sure that nothing was going to upset that. What everybody else would have been doing was for others to look that.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos