Premier Dr Ramathuba calls for action as Limpopo shifts from planning to service delivery

At the Executive Council Budget Lekgotla, the Premier calls for stronger accountability, reliable water provision and accelerated infrastructure delivery in the second half of the administration’s term.

By Lerato Mashamba

11 November 2026 | The Ranch Resort, Polokwane

Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba has issued a firm challenge to provincial departments and public entities: turn budgets and development plans into visible improvements in the lives of residents, or risk deepening the gap between government commitments and public expectations.

Addressing the Executive Council Budget Lekgotla in Polokwane on 11 November 2026, the Premier said the seventh administration had reached the halfway point of its five-year term. The recent local government elections, she argued, had reinforced residents’ demands for dependable water supplies, repaired roads, employment opportunities and meaningful action against poverty.

“The challenge is not that we lack plans; the challenge is that we do not execute,” she told the gathering, placing implementation and accountability at the centre of the province’s priorities for the remaining two and a half years.

Water provision emerged as one of the sharpest concerns. The Premier questioned how communities situated near major water resources, including Nandoni and De Hoop dams, could continue to live without reliable access to clean water. She called for municipal water war rooms to become effective mechanisms for addressing different local conditions rather than exercises in administration.

Her message also targeted delayed procurement, weak project management and missed performance targets. She said these failures required the direct attention of accounting officers, heads of department, chief executives and chief financial officers, and urged a stronger culture of ethical leadership, consequence management and responsible spending.

“We want to see more projects opened, more water taps flowing, and incomplete infrastructure concluded on time,” the Premier said.
Economic growth and job creation were another central theme. Citing the third-quarter Labour Force Survey, the Premier said Limpopo’s unemployment rate had declined by 1.8 percentage points to 30.2%, but remained unacceptably high. She urged faster progress on the Musina Special Economic Zone, particularly township establishment in its southern area, and implementation of the approved Fetakgomo-Tubatse Special Economic Zone to unlock investment and opportunities.

The Premier also placed major infrastructure projects under the spotlight. She insisted that the Provincial Theatre meet its June 2027 completion deadline and that the St Engenas ZCC Interchange be completed within its projected 18-month timeframe. At the same time, she criticised the prolonged delay in making the Thohoyandou Intermodal Facility available for public use.

As newly elected municipal councils prepare to take office, the Office of the Premier, COGHSTA and Provincial Treasury were directed to provide coordinated support, including aligning municipal Integrated Development Plans with the District Development Model. The Premier also identified audit improvements, public-service professionalisation, digital transformation and the 2026/27 budget adjustment process as essential elements of more effective administration.

Beyond infrastructure and financial management, the address called for proactive disaster risk reduction amid extreme-weather threats; improved Grade 12 results; stronger Mathematics, Science and Technology education; and accelerated establishment of the Sekhukhune Mining Beneficiation Academy to equip young people with relevant technical skills.

The Premier further urged decisive action against gender-based violence and femicide ahead of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, including better-resourced social protection systems and stronger law-enforcement and community responses.

Ultimately, the address presented a clear test for the provincial government: success should be judged by the services people receive, the projects completed and the opportunities created—not merely by expenditure, meetings or policy documents.

“The time for talk, excuses and endless paperwork is over. The next two and a half years belong to rigorous implementation, implementation and implementation!” she concluded.