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PREMIER DR SAUL’S SPOTLIGHT ON SOL PLAATJE COULD REVIVE KIMBERLEY’S SPARKLE

Picture sourced from Facebook: Premier Dr Zamani Saul
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Having lamented the filthiness of Kimberley in his inaugural address, Premier Dr Zamani Saul appears to be moving at speed in his quest to provide clues to the Sol Plaatje Municipality in restoring the city’s sparkle of the old and in stimulating its economic growth.

Spokesperson in the Premier’s Office, Bronwyn Thomas-Abrahams confirmed that a Political Steering Committee and a Technical one had been established amid yesterday’s meeting.

“The Special meeting was attended by Members from the Executive Council, the Executive Mayor Patrick Mabilo, Mayoral Committee, Frances Baard District Municipality as well as the Director General and Senior Government officials, the Policy and Government Units in the Provincial Government (who) will form part of the interventions proposed.

“The aim is to look into the development plans of the city and engage on how to set in motion further plans for the growth agenda of Kimberley. The Integrated Development Plan as well as the Growth Plan formed the basis of discussion at the meeting,” she stated.

According to Thomas-Abrahams more engagements are to follow with a focus on getting Sol Plaatje Municipality to develop and align its Local Growth and Development Plan and Investment Marketing Strategy with the Provincial Growth and Development Plan and investment marketing processes.

Even though the initiative has been welcomed by Executive Mayor Mabilo, indications are that Premier Dr Saul’s interventions would not necessarily take the pressure off Sol Plaatje’s officials as they would still be expected to deal with the glaring violations of by-laws and its internal non-responsiveness.

By Thabo Mothibi

Premier_Dr_Zamani_Saul-FI
Picture sourced from Facebook: Premier Dr Zamani Saul
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Thabo Mothibi is a former broadcast journalist (TV and Radio) – with specialist reporting experience; SABC Political/Parliamentary and TRC Teams over a period of five years (1995 to 2000).

One key foreign assignment - is the 11-nation African Connection Rally – overland journey from Africa’s northern-most pole in the coastal Tunisian city of Bizerte to the southern-most pole in South Africa’s Cape Agulhas. From the journalistic years, Thabo then delved into Government media liaison and serving two former Ministers and three MECs. He became the Northern Cape Provincial Government’s first department based Communications Director at Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development - 2008-2010 – where he also served as Head of Ministry from 2003 – 2008.

As a former anti-apartheid activist, his political background and professional training aided him in spearheading the Northern Cape ANC’s 2004 National Elections media and publicity campaign and that of the 2006 Local Government Elections.

Whilst based in Waterkloof in Pretoria -2010 to end 2011, he consulted for Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence, then returned to the Northern Cape in 2012 to date, to consult independently and pursue other entrepreneurial interests in media and communications through KwaVuko Communications and Marketing.

Thabo Mothibi obtained his NQF7 through Wits University’s Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM) in Johannesburg, a Unilever Mandela Rhodes Academy for Marketing and Communications Academy (UMRA). The goal of the NQF7 programme was to educate and train public and private sector professional communicators and marketers in government communications..