About Us – North West Provincial Government

VISION A united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous democratic society for the people of North West. MISSION To facilitate integrated governance, planning and accelerate service delivery that is people-centered for improved economic growth in North West VALUES The following are core values that the office will adhere to in promoting integrated governance and accelerated service delivery for improved quality of life and economic growth for the people of North West:

Caring
Agile
Responsive
Excellence

MANDATES The Office of the Premier (herein after referred to as “the Office”) derives its mandate from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, the Public Service Act, Public Finance Management Act and other statutory provisions, National, Provincial policy papers and Executive Council Resolutions and related prescripts that in turn determine its functional mandate. The pertinent mandates of the Office of the Premier, with a brief description of what they entail, are as follows: 4.1 Constitutional Mandates Chapter 6, Provinces, Constitution of South Africa, 1996, outlines specific functions and responsibilities to the Premier, and the Executive Council, whilst Chapter 10 creates the Public Service and Administration. The following sections are highlighted as key mandatory elements: Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996

Section	Responsibilities
125. Executive authority of the Provinces	The executive authority of a province is vested in the Premier of that province. The section provides for the Premier exercising the executive authority, together with the Executive Council, in the Province by: · Implementing provincial legislation · Administering national legislation falling outside legislative competence assigned to province · Developing and implementing provincial policy · Co-ordinating functions of the provincial administration and its departments · Preparing and initiating provincial legislation; and · Performing any other function assigned to the provincial executive.
126. Assignment of functions	A member of the Executive Council of a province may assign any power or function that is to be exercised or performed in terms of an Act of Parliament or a provincial Act, to a Municipal Council.
127. Powers and functions of Premier	The Executive authority of a province is vested in the Premier of that province. The section provides for the Premier exercising the executive authority, together with the Executive Council, in the Province by: · Appoint commissions of inquiry · Summoning the legislature to an extraordinary sitting to conduct special business · Assenting to and signing Bills
132. Executive Councils	The Executive Council of a Province consists of the Premier, as head of the Council, no fewer than five and no more than ten Members appointed by the Premier from among Members of the Provincial Legislature. The Premier of a Province appoints Members of the Executive Council (MECs) assigns powers to them and functions, and may dismiss them
195. Basic values and principles governing public administration	Defines the values and ethics of the Public administration, including ethical standards, sound resource management, development orientation, impartiality, people centred development and policy making.
197. Public Service	Within public administration, public service Provincial governments are responsible for the recruitment, appointment, promotion, transfer and dismissal of members of the public service in their administrations within a framework of uniform norms and standards applying to the public service.


Arms for the North West Province registered with the Bureau of Heraldry on 7 May 1999. The blazon reads: Arms: Per saltire Gules and Azure, a saltire quadrate Vert, fimbriated Argent, charged in the centre with a representation of a calabash water container within a leather thong cradle, Or; the shield ensigned of a circlet edged Argent, the centre Or, resting thereupon a pair of horns Argent supporting a sunflower proper. Supporters: Two sable antelopes proper, horned and unguled Or. Motto: Kagiso le Tswelelopele. Arms explained: These arms constitute the only device among the nine provinces which is explicitly based on the colours and (to some extent) forms of the national flag brought into use on 27 April 1994. This is perhaps because the province is a new creation under a régime unwilling to acknowledge that it is based essentially on the independent homeland state the Republic of Bophuthatswana. The field is divided diagonally into quarters, red above and below, blue left and right. Over the field is superimposed a green saltire or diagonal cross, edged in silver or white. The saltire is quadrate; in other words it has a diagonal trapezium (in heraldic language a lozenge) over the middle, in the same colour as the saltire. On the lozenge is a calabash, blazoned as gold (Or), but actually drawn in natural colours (proper), which represents the Tswana culture of the indigenous peoples whose tribal lands formed the basis of both Bophuthatswana and Bokone-Bophirima. In the crest the circlet is blazoned as Argent, but is actually drawn in ivory shades. The inner ring is drawn as blazoned, gold. The horns resting on the circlet are not identified, but resemble those of the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), although these are often dark in colour, whereas the horns in the crest are white to pale grey. The sunflower (Helianthus anuus) in the crest represents agriculture in the region, where sunflowers are grown for their nutritious seeds and for the oil they produce. Sunflower oil is used in cooking as well as in soap and paints, and as a lubricant. The seeds are reportedly used to make bread and a coffee-like beverage, although this would appear to be a use uncommon in South Africa. The sunflower is not native to Africa, having been introduced from the Americas, but is a common crop in the summer rainfall region. The flower probably also is symbolic of the bright sunshine needed to produce a sunflower crop. The motto translates as Peace and prosperity.
The Bokone-Bophirima Province formally came into being on 27 April 1994, when all-race elections were held for the first time in South Africa. It is headed by a Premier, elected from and by the Provincial Legislature, who is supported by an Executive Council whose members must be members of the legislature. Bokone-Bophirima inherited the twin towns of Mafikeng (established in 1885 as Mafeking, capital of British Bechuanaland and the Protectorate, and famous for resisting a siege during the South African War) and Mmabatho (established as a capital for Bophuthatswana). The two were merged under the name Mafikeng, and now comprise the provinces capital. It comprises two elements: 1. The districts that made up the independent homeland state of Bophuthatswana, except for the district of Thaba Nchu (which was returned to the Free State) and the subdistrict Moretele 2, which is now part of Mpumalanga. 2. Added to these were (from the Cape Province) the district of Vryburg (which from 1882 to ’85 was the Republic of Stellaland) and (from the Transvaal Province) the districts (previously known as the Western Transvaal) of: Christiana, Bloemhof, Schweizer-Reneke, Wolmaransstad, Delareyville, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Coligny, Potchefstroom, Ventersdorp, Koster, Marico, Swartruggens, Rustenburg and Brits.
With kind permission from Mike Oettle: Armoria - Heraldry in South Africa

Arms for the North West Province registered with the Bureau of Heraldry on 7 May 1999. The blazon reads:
Arms:

Per saltire Gules and Azure, a saltire quadrate Vert, fimbriated Argent, charged in the centre with a representation of a calabash water container within a leather thong cradle, Or; the shield ensigned of a circlet edged Argent, the centre Or, resting thereupon a pair of horns Argent supporting a sunflower proper.

Supporters:

Two sable antelopes proper, horned and unguled Or.

Motto:

Kagiso le Tswelelopele.

Arms explained:

These arms constitute the only device among the nine provinces which is explicitly based on the colours and (to some extent) forms of the national flag brought into use on 27 April 1994. This is perhaps because the province is a new creation under a régime unwilling to acknowledge that it is based essentially on the independent homeland state the Republic of Bophuthatswana.

The field is divided diagonally into quarters, red above and below, blue left and right. Over the field is superimposed a green saltire or diagonal cross, edged in silver or white. The saltire is quadrate; in other words it has a diagonal trapezium (in heraldic language a lozenge) over the middle, in the same colour as the saltire.

On the lozenge is a calabash, blazoned as gold (Or), but actually drawn in natural colours (proper), which represents the Tswana culture of the indigenous peoples whose tribal lands formed the basis of both Bophuthatswana and Bokone-Bophirima.

In the crest the circlet is blazoned as Argent, but is actually drawn in ivory shades. The inner ring is drawn as blazoned, gold. The horns resting on the circlet are not identified, but resemble those of the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), although these are often dark in colour, whereas the horns in the crest are white to pale grey.

The sunflower (Helianthus anuus) in the crest represents agriculture in the region, where sunflowers are grown for their nutritious seeds and for the oil they produce. Sunflower oil is used in cooking as well as in soap and paints, and as a lubricant. The seeds are reportedly used to make bread and a coffee-like beverage, although this would appear to be a use uncommon in South Africa. The sunflower is not native to Africa, having been introduced from the Americas, but is a common crop in the summer rainfall region. The flower probably also is symbolic of the bright sunshine needed to produce a sunflower crop.

The motto translates as Peace and prosperity.

The Bokone-Bophirima Province formally came into being on 27 April 1994, when all-race elections were held for the first time in South Africa. It is headed by a Premier, elected from and by the Provincial Legislature, who is supported by an Executive Council whose members must be members of the legislature.

Bokone-Bophirima inherited the twin towns of Mafikeng (established in 1885 as Mafeking, capital of British Bechuanaland and the Protectorate, and famous for resisting a siege during the South African War) and Mmabatho (established as a capital for Bophuthatswana). The two were merged under the name Mafikeng, and now comprise the provinces capital.

It comprises two elements:

1. The districts that made up the independent homeland state of Bophuthatswana, except for the district of Thaba Nchu (which was returned to the Free State) and the subdistrict Moretele 2, which is now part of Mpumalanga.

2. Added to these were (from the Cape Province) the district of Vryburg (which from 1882 to ’85 was the Republic of Stellaland) and (from the Transvaal Province) the districts (previously known as the Western Transvaal) of:

Christiana, Bloemhof, Schweizer-Reneke, Wolmaransstad, Delareyville, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Coligny, Potchefstroom, Ventersdorp, Koster, Marico, Swartruggens, Rustenburg and Brits.

With kind permission from Mike Oettle:
Armoria - Heraldry in South Africa

NATIONAL SYMBOLS
National flag Symbolism The national flag was designed by a former South African State Herald, Mr Fred Brownell, and was first used on 27 April 1994. The design and colours are a synopsis of principal elements of the country's flag history. Individual colours, or colour combinations represent different meanings for different people and therefore no universal symbolism should be attached to any of the colours. The central design of the flag, beginning at the flagpost in a 'V' form and flowing into a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the fly, can be interpreted as the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity. The theme of convergence and unity ties in with the motto Unity is Strength of the previous South African Coat of Arms. Specific instructions with regard to the use of the national flag can be found in the Government Gazette 22356, Notice 510 of 8 June 2001 [PDF].
National Coat of Arms The role of a Coat of Arms A national Coat of Arms, or state emblem, is the highest visual symbol of the State. The Coat of Arms is also a central part of the Great Seal, traditionally considered to be the highest emblem of the State. Absolute authority is given to every document with an impression of the Great Seal on it, as this means that it has been approved by the President of South Africa. South Africas Coat of Arms was launched on Freedom Day, 27 April 2000. The change reflected government's aim to highlight the democratic change in South Africa and a new sense of patriotism.
National Animal Springbuck/springbok - Antidorcas marsupialis Typical of this species is the pronk (jumping display), which led to its common name. Both sexes have horns but those of the ram are thicker and rougher. This species has adapted to the dry, barren areas and open grass plains and is thus found especially in the Free State, North West province and in the Karoo up to the west coast. They are herd animals and move in small herds during winter, but often crowd together in bigger herds in summer. They eat both grass and leaves and can go without drinking-water, because they get enough moisture from the succulent leaves. Where drinking-water is available they will use it. Springbuck stand 75 cm high and weigh about 40 kg. They breed throughout the year and lambs are born after a 6-month gestation period.
National Bird Blue crane - Anthropoides paradisia This elegant crane, that stands about one meter high, is almost entirely restricted to South Africa in its distribution. The blue crane is a light blue-grey, has a long neck supporting a rather bulbous head, long legs and elegant wing plumes which sweep to the ground. It eats seeds, insects and reptiles. Blue cranes lay their eggs in the bare veld, often close to water. They are quite common in the Karoo, but are also seen in the grasslands of KwaZulu-Natal and the highveld, usually in pairs or small family parties. The blue crane has a distinctive rattling croak, fairly high-pitched at call, which can be heard from far away. It is, however, usually quiet.
National Fish Galjoen - Coracinus capensis The galjoen is found only along the South African coast. It keeps to mostly shallow water, is often found in rough surf and sometimes right next to the shore and is known to every angler. Near rocks, the colour of the galjoen is almost completely black, while in sandy areas the colour is silver-bronze. It is also known in KwaZulu-Natal as blackfish or black bream. The record size is over 55 cm and 7 kg, however the average is much smaller. The galjoen is a game fighter.
National Flower Giant or king protea - Protea cynaroides The giant or king protea is widely distributed in the south-western and southern areas of the Western Cape, from the Cedarberg up to just east of Grahamstown. The artichoke-like appearance of the flower-heads of the king protea lead to the specific name cynaroides, which means like cynara (the artichoke). The name does not do justice to the beautiful flower-heads of this protea, which is the largest in the genus. A number of varieties in colour and leaf shapes are found, but the most beautiful is the pink coloured flower.
National Tree Real yellowwood - Podocarpus latifolius The yellowwood family is primeval and has been present in this part of Africa for more than 100 million years. The species is widespread and is found from Table Mountain, along the southern and eastern Cape coast, in the ravines of the Drakensberg up to the Soutpansberg and the Blouberg in Limpopo. In forests, they can grow up to 40 metres in height with the base of the trunk sometimes up to 3 metres in diameter.
National Anthem: This is the official version of the national anthem, combines Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika and Die Stem/The Call of South Africa.

NORTH WEST FORMER PREMIERS (Celebrating 20 years of Democracy)
Popo Simon Melefe 1994 - 2004 In 1994 Molefe was made Premier of the Bokone-Bophirima Province, a position he held until April 2004. Molefe was born in 1952 in Sophiatown, Johannesburg. He was one of eight children, and spent most of his youth living with his aunt. His mother was a domestic worker and his father a labourer, and he grew up poor. He is a Christian, and has always been involved in religious organisations. In 1990 Molefe became involved with the African National Congress (ANC) directly, which had just been unbanned. In the same year he was elected chairperson of the ANC’s Alexandra branch and deputy chairperson of the ANC’s PWV region. In 1991 Molefe was elected to the NEC of the ANC and to the National Working Committee of the ANC, positions he still holds. He became involved with rebuilding the ANC, was appointed chairperson of the 80th Anniversary Celebration Committee of the ANC and in 1992 became chairperson of the national elections commission of the ANC. Molefe became involved in the establishment of the Soweto Civic Organisation, and served on its Committee of Ten between 1982 and 1984. In 1983 Molefe participated in the formation of the United Democratic Front (UDF). He was elected Secretary for the Transvaal region, and later served as national secretary. He was involved in the UDF throughout its existence, and played an important role in the Front, aside from when he was in prison.Read more about Popo Molefe [PDF].
Bomo Edna Molewa 2004 - 2009 Edna Molewa is the Minister of Environmental Affairs in South Africa. She is serves as a member of the African National Congress Women's League National Executive Council. She also serves as Chairperson of the African National Congress Women's League in the Bokone Bophirima Province and has been a member of the Provincial Executive Committee, since 1996. Molewa serves as Premier of Bokone Bophirima Province from April 2004 to May 2009; as a member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Tourism, Environment and Conservation in Bokone Bophirima Province from 1996 to 1998; as MEC for Economic Development and Tourism in Bokone Bophirima Province from 1998 to 2000; and as MEC for Agriculture, Conservation and Environment in Bokone Bophirima Province from 2000 to 2004. She has also served as Chairperson of the ANCWL in the Bokone Bophirima Province; as Provincial Treasurer of the African National Congress (ANC) in the Bokone Bophirima Province until May 2005 and as Chairperson of ANC in the Bokone Bophirima Province from May 2005 to May 2008. She is former Minister of Social Development and Water Affairs. Molewa is currently serving as Minister of Environmetal Affairs. Read more about Bomo Edna Molewa [PDF].
Maureen Modiselle 2009 - 2010 Maureen Modiselle was a Premier of the Bokone Bophirima province from 6 May 2009 to Nov 2010. She was born in Vryheid, on 7 February 1941. Modiselle returned to Mafikeng in 1990, after spending many years in North America and Canada. She is currently serving as the High Commissioner of South Africa to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.Prior to her appointment she had served had as a member of the Bokone Bophirima Provincial Legislature from 1994; a member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Safety and Liaison for the Bokone Bophirima Provincial Government from 1999 to 2001; MEC for Economic Development and Tourism from 2001 to 2004 and MEC for Finance from 2005 to 2009. She was a member of the Bokone Bophirima Provincial Executive Committee from 1994 to July 2008; a member of the Bokone Bophirima Provincial Working Committee of the ANC from 1994 to 2008; Provincial Treasurer of the ANC in the Bokone Bophirima from 1994 to 1998 and 2005 to 2008. Ms Modiselle was a member of the Bokone Bophirima Provincial Growth and Development Steering Committee; a member of the Bokone Bophirima Premier's Economic Advisory Council and as a Chairperson of the Bokone BophirimaStanding Committee on Finance and Agriculture. She also acted as MEC for Social Development between 2008 and 2009. Read more about Maureen Modiselle [PDF].
Thandi Modise 2010 - 2014 On 19 November 2010 Modise was appointed Premier of Bokone Bophirima province. Thandi Modise, the youngest of six children, was born on 25 December 1959 in Huhudi township near Vryburg in the Bokone Bophirima Province. Her father, Frans Modise, a railworker, was an African National Congress activist. In 1976 she slipped over the border into Botswana to join the ANC and was later transferred to Angola where she received military training at Nova-Katenga and Funda camps. At times there were only 30 women out of a total of 500 trainees. On some occasions she was the only woman in the camp. After training she worked in the camps as a political commissar. Modise also received political education, sitting in open classrooms, under trees, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Modise served on the ANCWL National Executive from 1991 to 1993, when she was elected deputy president a position she held until 2004. Between 1998 and 2004 she also served as chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, and as a Member of Parliament. In addition, Modise serves as the Deputy Secretary General of the ANC and also a member of its National Executive Committee. In addition, she serves as the Chairperson of Council of the Robben Island Museum. Read more about Thandi Modise [PDF].
Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo 2014 - 2018 Mr Supra Mahumapelo became the Premier of North West Province from 21 May 2014 till May 2018. He is currently the ANC Provincial Chairperson in the North West since February 2011. Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo was born on the 7th June 1968 in a tiny village of Manamolela in the former Western Transvaal next to a small town of Delareyville which is now part of the North West Province. His late mother, Agnes Matlakala Bereng was a domestic worker in the city of Klerksdorp currently known as Matlosana. She later worked as a domestic worker in Heldekruin Roodepoort and forced by her son in 1995 to leave domestic work. His late father, Stephen Kalagongwe Mahumapelo was an entrepreneur in the village of Moruleng near Rustenburg. He grew up as a herd boy in the Manamolela village. Read more about Supra Obakeng Ramoeletsi Mahumapelo [PDF].
Tebogo Job Mokgoro 2018-2021 Prof Mokgoro holds a Bachelors of Science degree that he obtained from the University of Fort Hare in 1971, a Bachelor of Public Administration (Honours) degree from the then University of Bophuthatswana that he received in 1984. He also holds a Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of Toledo in Ohio Former North West Premier: 6th Administration in the United States of America obtained in 1986 and a Doctor of Public Administration (Honoris Causa) from the same university that he received from the same university in 2001. Since 1994, Prof Mokgoro has played a significant role in the transformation of South Africa and its public service at various levels. In January 1994, he moved to the Development Bank of Southern Africa, where he was the Associate Director of the Centre for Policy Analysis and Information. In April 1994, he became the first Director-General of the North West Province where he managed a R7 billion budget and was tasked with rationalising and integrating three government administrations into one North West Province until 1999. Read more about Tebogo Job Mokgoro [PDF].

NORTH WEST PROVINCE AT GLANCE

The North West Province of South Africa is bounded on the north by Botswana, on the south by the provinces of Free State and the Northern Cape, and on the northeast and east by the Limpopo Province and Gauteng. Covering 118,797 sq km (45,869 sq miles), the North West Province was created in 1994 by the merger of Bophuthatswana, one of the former bantustans (or black homelands), and the western part of Transvaal, one of the four former South African provinces.

Much of the province consists of flat areas of scattered trees and grassland. The Magaliesberg mountain range in the northeast extends about 130 km (about 80 miles) from Pretoria to Rustenburg. The Vaal River flows along the southern border of the province. Temperatures range from 17° to 31° C (62° to 88° F) in the summer and from 3° to 21° C (37° to 70° F) in the winter. Annual rainfall totals about 360 mm (about 14 in), with almost all of it falling during the summer months, between October and April.

In 1994 the population of the North West Province was estimated to be 3 669 349 (out of a total of an estimated 44 819 778 people living in South Africa); 65% of the people in the North West Provice live in the rural areas. The majority of the province's residents are the Tswana people who speak Setswana. Smaller groups include Afrikaans, Sotho, and Xhosa speaking people. English is spoken primarily as a second language. Most of the population belong to Christian denominations. (Figures according to Census 2001 released in July 2003).

During 2003, as part of the Year of Further Education and Training project, three mega institutions, Taletso, ORBIT and Vuselela, were established to provide technical and vocational training to the youth. These institutions have been incorporated into many of the former education and technical colleges and manpower centres.

Mafikeng, formerly Mafeking, serves as the provincial capital. Other significant towns include Brits, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg and Sun City. The province has two universities: the University of North West, which was formerly called the University of Bophuthatswana (founded in 1979), in Mmabatho; and Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (founded in 1869; became a constituent college of the University of South Africa in 1921 and an independent university in 1951).

Important historical sites in the province include Mafikeng, the traditional capital of the Barolong people, where a British garrison was placed under siege by Afrikaners during the Boer War (1899-1902); Lotlamoreng Cultural Village near Mafikeng, which re-creates a traditional African village; and Boekenhoutfontein, the farm of Paul Kruger, who was the last president of the South African Republic (a state created by Afrikaners in what is now north-eastern South Africa), from 1883 to 1902. The province has several national parks. The largest, Pilanesberg Game Reserve, is located in the crater of an extinct volcano.

The mainstay of the economy of North West Province is mining, which generates more than half of the province's gross domestic product and provides jobs for a quarter of its workforce. Mining contributes 23,3% to the North West 's economy, and makes up 22,5% of the South African mining industry as a whole. The chief minerals are gold, mined at Orkney and Klerksdorp; uranium, mined at Klerksdorp; platinum, mined at Rustenburg and Brits; and diamonds, mined at Lichtenburg, Christiana, and Bloemhof. The Rustenburg and Brits districts produce 94% of the country's platinum, which is more than any other single area in the world. North West also produces a quarter of South Africa's gold, as well as granite, marble, fluorspar and diamonds.The northern and western parts of the province have many sheep farms and cattle and game ranches.

The eastern and southern parts are crop-growing regions that produce maize (corn), sunflowers, tobacco, cotton, and citrus fruits. Some of the largest cattle herds in the world are found at Stellaland near Vryburg, which explains why this area is often referred to as the "Texas of South Africa". Marico is also cattle country.

Whatever your preference, there is bound to be an adventure to keep you happy. The North West is outdoors country, with a glorious climate and challenging adventure venues. Enjoy a wrap-around panorama and the magic of lazily drifting with the wind. Relish fascinating and magnificent sights over the beautiful Magalies River Valley, Hartbeespoort Dam, Magaliesberg Mountain Range, Pilanesberg National Park.

North West Province's most famous attraction is the Sun City complex, which lies next to the Pilanesburg National Park. Sun City is one of the world's biggest entertainment centres, with a casino, an 18-hole golf course, theatres and concert halls, beaches and a wave pool at the Valley of the Waves, a meticulously reconstructed tropical rainforest, and a number of world-class hotels that include the remarkable Palace of the Lost City.