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FEBRUARY MSWENKO COLLECTIVE VOL.4 #6 THIS year’s official opening of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature will be taking place on Monday, 20 February 2017, at the Greenhills Stadium in Rand West (Randfontein). Below is your quick guide to the SOPA. • The State of the Province address is a speech made by the Premier of Gauteng, David Makhura • The State of the Province address is fondly known as SOPa in short. • SOPa is when the Premier addresses members of the Provincial
Parliament during the opening of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature. • Being the Parliament of the Province, the Legislature is a House comprising the Speaker (who Heads up the Legislature) and Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) from various political parties, as per the vote of the Gauteng Province. • Political parties get seats in the Legislature through a system of proportional representation – meaning, the party with the majority of votes gets the majority of MPLs in the House. • The SOPa follows after the State
of nation address, delivered by the President Jacob Zuma, in Cape town during the opening of Parliament. • This is when the Premier lets it be known what the achievements of the previous year were and to improve where they failed. • SOPa includes issues such as education, health and social development; growing the economy, the creation of jobs; and infrastructure and development of the informal settlements around Gauteng. Therefore, SOPa addresses visions and goals for the Gauteng province in long term. • Last year, the opening of the Leg-
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islature and SOPa took place in Saul tsotetsi Sports Complex in Sebokeng township, Sedibeng District Municipality. The reason for this is so that people don’t always disassociate themselves with something that feels foreign to them. Therefore, bringing it closer to the people. • Only the invited members of the Provincial Parliament and public may attend the actual event. However, everyone can be a part of the occasion by visiting local viewing areas to hear what is being said.
Adv. Mkhwebane to Lesedi Municipality officials:
“As Municipality let's look at among others how can improve on our response time to complaints raised by the community. This is to avoid a situation where they resort to extra-judicial means to raise their concerns.”
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THE PUBLIC PROTECTOR VISITS LESEDI!
FINALLY! DIPALESENG GETS MUCH NEEDED UPGRADES! PAGE 4
Public Protector Adv. Busisiwe Mkhwebane with Mayor of Lesedi Local Municipality Cllr Lerato Maloka (left) and Speaker of local Municipality Hon. Mluleki Nkosi (right) listening to community members lodging their complaints during stakeholder meeting at Ratanda Multi-purpose community centre. Residents of Ratanda voice-out their complaints and concerns to the Public Protector and the panel of stakeholders in Friday, Feburary 17.
Since her assumption of duty last year, adv. tODaY on Friday, February 17, the Public Mkhwebane has constantly emphasised the Protector advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane need to ensure that the services of her ofcame to Ratanda as part of her two-day Stake- fice were availed to ordinary people living in holder engagement sessions in Gauteng. ‘hard-to-reach’ areas while not neglecting her office’s corruption-busting mandate. The event is part of the Public Protector nationwide roadshow aimed at among others She will continue visiting in other provincbringing services of the office to the people, es meeting with stakeholders ranging from soliciting their views on the office and com- Premiers, Members of executive Councils, municating the PP's vision to stakeholders Members of the Provincial Legislatures, Head Reported by Nqobile Khumalo
FARMERS BEWARE OF FAW! PAGE 5
of Departments, Municipal officials, Political Parties and general members of the public. The Public Protector started her nationwide stakeholder engagements with a meeting with members of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in Johannesburg on Thursday, February 16. The meetings are held under the theme “Broadening Access: Taking the Public Protector to the grassroots”.
THE PUBLIC PROTECTOR ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IN ISIZULU & SESOTHO
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