We believe in participatory democracy as a fundamental principle, which gives our people an opportunity to participate on matters that affects their lives. The office of the Speaker remains central to deepen the culture of participatory democracy and good governance in the North West Provincial Legislature. The North West Provincial Legislature commits itself to strengthen good and clean governance in the next five years and beyond, informed by the State of the Nation Address and the State of the Province Address which sets the tone and defines clearly what government must do in terms of service delivery. The President said in his State of the Nation Address, that” our nation has over the past few years gone through very challenging times. It should therefore be taken into consideration that we have a strong and fully functional constitutional democratic system with solid institutions that will overcome these difficulties smoothly and with dignity”.

As the legislature we have an obligation to uphold the contents of our Constitution as the Supreme Law of the country.
Furthermore, pillars of our new mandate as North West Provincial Legislature, and central to the government responsibilities are the following: Education, Health, Creation of decent jobs, rural development, fight against crime
and economic spin-off. These remain our key priorities that must be implemented by relevant departments and therefore portfolio committees are expected to play an oversight role in this regard. The Office of the Speaker as an umbilical cord
of governance will ensure that these are delivered without failure through departmental integration and synergy in service delivery for our people. At the pulse of the above is the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Section 116 of Act 108 of 1996 that mandated Provincial Legislatures to determine and control its internal arrangements, proceedings and procedure. In giving meaning to the Constitution, it will be of paramount importance that the North West Provincial Legislature adheres to its Standing Rules as amended and be prudent in implementing them without failure whilst ensuring that we comply. In our daily dealings coupled with principles of good governance, the North West Provincial
Legislature must take a lead in ensuring that we achieve clean and unqualified Auditor’s General reports within Provincial Departments and local government. It must be noted that strides in ensuring that this happens will be
done without trepidations and or favors. This finds expression in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Section 195(1) (f ) which gives mandate to public administration to be accountable, which therefore obligates
all of us to be accountable to this institution as we discharge our crafts. However, this must be complemented by a properly resourced and well-developed human capital. We also commit ourselves to work closely with the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in ensuring public participation is achieved. With the strategic goals set, in our strategic plan document, we are making a commitment to empower the legislature both financial and with human resources.
Lastly, Members of the Legislature must spent less time in the legislature and spend more time in our constituencies because we have made a commitment to serve our people. In conclusion, we will not allow the work of government to be interrupted or allow the stability of our democratic order to be compromised.

I thank you.
HON. P.D.N. MALOYI
SPEAKER NORTH WEST PROVINCE