This is an extract of a speech delivered by Freddy Sonakile MPL in the North West Provincial Legislature today
Your speech was déjà vu for residents who wasted an hour listening to you.
It was like watching a lost man who has no clue what his predecessors did—or didn’t do.
Let’s fact-check some of your “big announcements”:
· Mmabana renovations—You set aside R4 million. But in 2020, Premier Mokgoro already said renovations were “underway.” So what happened to that budget? Was it looted? Lost? Laundered?
· Ottosdal to Hartbeesfontein road— Last year, your Acting Premier said it would be finished by June 2024. Now, you’re announcing the same project as if it’s new. Did you forget your own government’s promises, or are you just recycling lies?
· Ramosadi Sewer Project—Last year, Acting Premier Maloyi claimed a contractor was already on-site. Now you come back with a fresh R101 million allocation as if this is a new project. Do you think residents don’t remember?
· North West Airports—Last year, your government said preferred bidders for George Montshiwa and Pilanesburg airports would start in May 2024. Now you push the date to March 2025. You’re not revitalising airports; you’re revitalising excuses.
You celebrated giving 84-year-old Lydia Mere a house. Maswabi sa ditlhong! Efforts to provide housing? 30 years into democracy, you’re still talking about efforts? You lost billions in Human Settlements grants between 2015 and 2021 because your government couldn’t even spend money properly. And now you want applause for building 19,307 houses in four years? At that rate, we’ll clear the backlog sometime in the next century.
Jobs? You claim to have created thousands, yet North West lost 20,000 jobs in the last quarter of 2024. Your own figures don’t even match Stats SA data. So which is it, Premier?
You had one job: communicate your government’s top priorities and how you plan to deliver them. Instead, you gave us a speech that wasn’t SMART—it wasn’t specific, wasn’t measurable, and definitely wasn’t time-bound.