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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]

MINISTER of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu has said the province’s strategic plan which is a roadmap to the attainment of Vision 2030 has to prioritise the development of the health sector by ensuring that communities have access to improved health care services.

The province is in the process of reviewing its five-year strategic plan that was crafted last year. The strategic plan is a roadmap for the province to ensure enhanced service delivery and great development for the province.

The strategic plan review process ran from Monday to Friday last week

Addressing stakeholders recently during the review workshop, Dr Ndlovu said she will conduct a tour of all hospitals in the province to identify existing gaps.

“We are gathered once again as technocrats from Matabeleland South province to review the Provincial strategic plan which is our road map leading to the accomplishment of Vision 2030. This strategic plan has to guide us in improving our service delivery in each Ministry and sector. Each Ministry has to fulfill its mandate.

“It was recently brought to my attention that there is a huge gap in our health service delivery. I hear that hospitals in the province don’t have the necessary equipment and medication. I will visit all hospitals in the province to assess the situation and from there see how best it can be tackled. Our people must access improved health care services as this is part of attaining Vision 2030,” she said.

Dr Ndlovu said all Ministries have to ensure their services are decentralised to the province to improve service delivery. She urged the Public Service Commission to work on staffing shortages.

Dr Ndlovu implored all Ministries to ensure that they improve their service delivery as slacking is detrimental to the attainment of the vision of the Second Republic.

“This strategic plan will be instrumental in the attainment of a prosperous and upper-middle-income society in the not-so-distant future. I urge each and every one of you to embrace the spirit of togetherness and let us work together for the betterment of our province. Let’s exercise the spirit of transformation, let’s strive to exercise our best capabilities in improving the economic growth of our province.

“We were entrusted with the task of developing our province and therefore let’s deliver. From here let’s implement the strategic plan and let our activities be informed by it. We have to work as a unit,” she said.

Dr Ndlovu said the province has to retain its status of being the best in livestock production. She urged farmers to fence off all farms ranging from A1, A2, and commercial ones in order to control the movements of livestock. She said this will enable the management of green and red zones for higher and marketable production for export,” she said.

The review process seeks to align the strategic plan to the ethos and principles enshrined in the National Vision 2030 which intends to establish a prosperous and empowered upper middle class income society by 2028.

Key strategic areas that had been identified included improvement of road infrastructure development, water, sanitation and hygiene, water infrastructure development, comprehensive health infrastructure, diversified agriculture productivity, environmental management and protection of all natural resources, youth development, child protection, education, enhanced diversified agriculture productivity, gender mainstreaming dissemination and research while applying competent scientific and technological advancements.

“Our aim is to improve the previous strategic plan. We are still serving the same community but our thrust will be different. The strategic plan will serve as a key point for potential investors and partners. We have gathered here as technocrats in our different areas in order to feed into the review plan.

She said they will engage various partners in order to ensure funding for various projects. Mr Ncube said the local authority.

The Permanent Secretary for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mrs Latiso Dlamini Maseko said: “The province is endowed with natural resources and we want to see how best to tap into these resources in order to develop the economy. We have mining activities, agriculture, forest products such as mopane worms, we have dams, irrigations, and local tourism among other resources. All these resources should generate a lot of income in order to improve livelihoods. We have huge investment opportunities that we need to tap into.”

@DubeMatutu