South Africa: Premier Alan Winde Welcomes Official Announcement of Opening of Western Cape Provincial Parliament

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Premier Alan Winde welcomes the announcement by Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) Daylin Mitchell that the fifth session of the sixth Parliament of the Provincial Government will be held on Thursday, 16 February in Cape Town. The Premier will on that day deliver the 2023 State of the Province Address. He will report back to the people of the Western Cape on progress made by the Western Cape Government (WCG) over the past year in delivering on our strategic priorities: growth for jobs, safety, dignity, and wellbeing.

The Premier will also speak to how the WCG is and will continue to support municipalities, businesses, and residents as we respond to ongoing load shedding, which is a severe impediment to all of us achieving the kind of growth we all want and need. “I will lay out this government’s plans for the coming year as we intensify our economic recovery which is centred around the citizens of our great province,” said the Premier.

He added, “I look forward to working with speaker Mitchell who will take our parliament forward and – along with the members of the provincial parliament – play a vital role in helping to improve our province and offer our communities dignity and hope in these challenging times.”

Premier Winde stressed, “This year we must be bold and decisive in tackling challenges that have for too long been holding us back, namely the energy crisis and crime. Now more than ever the WCG must go all out to meaningfully remedy these two critical issues,” said the Premier.

The Premier notes reports this weekend of an apparent attempt on the life of outgoing Eskom Group Chief Executive Officer Andre De Ruyter late last year. He emphasised, “This is alarming and deplorable. I strongly condemn what appears to have been an assassination attempt. I implore the relevant law enforcement entities to prioritise the investigation into the incident and to give it the urgent attention it deserves. I want to reiterate my unwavering support for Mr. De Ruyter as he serves out the remainder of his tenure at the power utility. As the WCG we will continue to offer him any support he and Eskom need. Reliable electricity is critical for South Africa’s success, and we must not allow anyone to disrupt the work under way to stabilize Eskom.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Western Cape Government Department of the Premier.