The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) commenced its three-day programme in the Mopani District of Limpopo Province on yesterday with a briefing from the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements, and Traditional Affairs, Mr Basikopo Makamu, on ongoing efforts to improve service delivery in the region. MEC Makamu, who stood in for Premier Dr Phophi Ramathoba, provided an overview of key initiatives aimed at addressing the province’s developmental challenges.
In addition to MEC Makamu, the MECs for Health and Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure joined the briefing to update delegates and Members of the Provincial Legislature on the progress of the 2024 National Provincial Week resolutions, which focused on tackling unfinished, delayed and abandoned infrastructure projects in the Waterberg District.
The executive mayor of Mopani District Municipality, Mr Pule Shayi, also addressed the gathering, highlighting local efforts to improve municipal functionality. Mr Shayi shared the district’s ongoing challenges, including drought conditions that force the community to rely heavily on borehole water for reticulation. He also drew attention to the alarming rise in thefts of transformers, which are vital for powering generators that pump water from boreholes.
In his address, Mr Shayi noted the disturbing emergence of “water mafias” in the district, describing how criminal groups are hindering access to essential water resources. “We are working closely with the South African Police Service and traditional leaders to combat the theft of transformers and disrupt the operations of water mafias,” he said.
In his opening remarks, the leader of the delegation, Mr Malesela Mokwele, said that the NCOP is concerned that despite several attempts to assist the local sphere of government in improving governance and accountability, the state of municipalities remained extremely disconcerting.
Mr Mokwele said: “Let us use this Provincial Week to reaffirm our collective resolve to act decisively in building viable municipalities and join hands to seek solutions that strengthen the state of our municipalities in the province, ensuring they deliver basic services to our people.”
Following the presentations, NCOP delegates and MPLs split into two groups for site inspections. Group One visited key infrastructure projects, including the Georges Valley Raw Water Pipeline and the Tzaneen Municipal Waterworks. Meanwhile, Group Two toured the Nkhensani area in Giyani.
Wednesday’s Programme
The programme for Wednesday, 19 November 2025, will continue with site inspections across the district. The schedule for both groups is as follows:
Group 1:
Rehabilitation of the 1.86 km Lorraine Access Road in Maruleng
Water reticulation and household connections in Rhulani Village
Borehole installations in Lenyenye
Construction of the Home Affairs office and road D1350 in Tzaneen
Group 2:
Pipeline construction to supply water from Nandoni Dam to Nsami Dam and surrounding communities
Household water reticulation in Thomo and Khakhala villages
Street paving project in Hlomela Village
Annual National Provincial Week Programme
The NCOP’s National Provincial Week is an annual initiative that aims to strengthen relations between national and provincial government structures. This year’s theme, “Building Viable Municipalities for Enhanced Delivery of Basic Services to Communities”, underscores the importance of ensuring efficient local governance and the delivery of essential services to all South Africans.
Justice Molafo
19 November 2025
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