President Ramaphosa undertakes multifaceted visit to Mpumalanga province

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Tuesday, 10 December 2024, and Wednesday, 11 December 2024, undertake a visit to Mpumalanga where he will meet with the Provincial Executive Committee, and undertake the second phase of the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Handover.

President Ramaphosa will commence his Mpumalanga visit on Tuesday, 10 December 2024 with a meeting with the Mpumalanga Provincial Executive.

The meeting will be the third engagement between the national and provincial cabinets following the recent second session with the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal.
 
The President will meet with the Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr Mandla Ndlovu and the Provincial Government Executive.

President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by Ministers and Deputy Ministers, and will deliver an opening address at the meeting.  

The meeting with the Mpumalanga Provincial Government’s Executive part of a series of engagements between the President and provinces aimed at enhancing intergovernmental coordination and improve service delivery in line with the priorities of the 7th Administration.

The Provincial Executive will present to the President its 5-year program aligned to the priorities of the 7th Administration. 

The meeting will also discuss various approaches to service delivery issues including interventions to improve service delivery at local government level.

Following his engagement with the Provincial Executive, President Ramaphosa will undertake the second phase of the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Handover in Mpumalanga Province.

The handover ceremony will afford the President an opportunity to directly witness the work that has been done since the pronouncements made in the 2023 State of the Nation address.

President Ramaphosa indicated at the time that the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure working together with the South African Defence Force would build 96 bridges in the financial year 2023/2024.

Derived from the Nguni word meaning "to assist the nation in crossing over," Welisizwe was a strategic Integrated Project (SIP) prioritised by the Sixth Administration.

Collaborative efforts between the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and the Department of Defence have already commenced implementation in provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State, and North West.

The Welisizwe bridges are a key investment in community Infrastructure and are giving people dignity, access to opportunities for education and work.

In areas where Welisizwe bridges are constructed the socio-economic conditions in our communities are improving and barriers for communities to get where they need to get safely are eliminated.

These bridges are essential in addressing the challenges faced by citizens and children who previously navigated perilous rivers to access schools and essential social services.

Details of the President’s engagements are as follows:

MEETING WITH PROVINCIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Date: Tuesday, 10 December 2024 
Time: 10h00
Venue: Nkangala District Municipality, Middleburg, Mpumalanga Province
 
WELISIZWE RURAL BRIDGES HANDOVER
Date: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Time: 09h00
Venue: Solomon Mahlangu Stadium, Thembisile Hani Local Municipality, Mpumalanga

Media enquiries: Vincent Magwenya, Spokesperson to the President- media@presidency.gov.za

Issued by: The Presidency
Pretoria