Bid to turn Lephalale into a city

Services must be made available to develop Lephalale in the Limpopo Province into a city.

This according to Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale who said today, 21 February,  during his State of the Province Address in Lebowakgomo, that Lephalale is one of the province’s special growth points and that the development and installation of bulk infrastructure in Lephalale is on schedule.

Eskom is currently building a new dry-cooled coal-fired power station, known as the Medupi Power Station, in the area.  When completed, the power station will have six boilers, each powering an 800 MW turbine producing 4800 MW of power. It is expected to become the largest dry-cooled coal-fired power station in the world. 

The Premier said a professional team has been appointed to develop a Community Residential Unit  to assist in meeting the growing demands for a new township in the area.   

With regards to accelerating basic services to the people, Mathale said the 2011 Census report indicated a noticeable progress in  the increasing number of households with access to clean running water, sanitation facilities and electricity. 

“Although, we’ve made progress, we are aware that more still needs to be done in ensuring the provision of basic services to our people. As government, we’ve agreed  the provision of water through truck must never be used as a permanent measure,” he said. 

Asked about the Provincial Food Park he announced during his State of the Province Address last year, Mathale said the Food Park was now in operation and 60 agencies were assisting the park to distribute food to more than 5 000 beneficiaries. 

He said job creation remained a pressing obligation that must be achieved by his government. “It is only through job opportunities that our people can live with confidence to face their tomorrow and pursue their respective dreams,” he said. 

According to Statistics South Africa, Limpopo was the highest in terms of job creation in the last financial year. 

Mathale said during this financial year, the province was still the highest, having increased its job creation by 6.5 percent. 

The Premier also announced that Phase One of the Seshego Community Residential Units had been completed and handed over to beneficiaries, while the second phase was about to be completed. 

He said his provincial government was working tirelessly with the national government to repair and rebuild the infrastructure damaged by floods in all the affected areas across the province.

News courtesy of -SAnews.gov.za

(edited)

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