Hon Chair, hon Minister, hon MECs and fellow members, I am sure it would not be unparliamentary to greet my "groot manyane", big brother, brother Gabs. Ngimbonile lapha, yindoda ekulu begodu yindoda eyangikhulisa. [Ihleko.] Nami Mma Mazibuko, ngiyamfuna uNgamshishi loya. [Ihleko.] Bengisafuna nje ukumfaka umlevo kancani. [I saw him. He is here. He is a big man; he raised me. [Laughter.] And me, too Miss Mazibuko; I want that guy. [Laughter.] I was willing to talk to him just a little bit.]
On 27 June 2014, delivering his state of the province address in Nelspruit, the Premier of Mpumalanga, hon D D Mabuza, in advancing the Mpumalanga Vision 2030 Strategic Implementation Framework, which is the provincial expression of the key priorities, objectives and targets enumerated in the National Development Plan, made the commitment that together with the national Department of Transport, Mpumalanga prioritised strategic infrastructure projects, amongst others, the Moloto Rail Corridor. The hon Minister of Transport made again made that commitment in this august House, which we want to welcome with both hands.
Hon Minister, I am from that part of the country. I have been living in that area since 1983. I have learned politics and almost everything about life in that area. Since 1985 ... kukhulunywa ngaso isitimeleso bona siyeza ... [they have been referring to the railway project, that has long been coming] ... under the homeland government. Yes.
Our new government has taken an initiative only four years ago, but the initiative was abandoned again. A proper report was not given to the people to explain exactly what happened to the project. We therefore also commend your effort to go back on 13 July to report to that community. We want to advise the hon Minister, as you know, that street talk travels very fast; people have been fed street talk around that project and it nearly got out of hand. We hope that you will continue the consultations and communication process on a yearly basis, until the project gets off the ground, so that people do not rely on hearsay, but get the information from the horse's mouth. We also want to commend you for the fact that you went on record as saying that the project is now registered with Treasury as an Integrated Transport Project. [Interjections.]