MIDDELBURG – Following a week of parliamentary oversight and public engagement during the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Provincial Week, attention is now turning to Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, where the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature is gearing up for its Taking the Legislature to the People (TLP) programme from 31 August to 4 September 2026.
Both programmes place public participation and oversight at the centre of government, giving communities an opportunity to raise service delivery challenges while allowing elected representatives to assess government programmes and projects on the ground.
NCOP Provincial Week enables permanent delegates to the NCOP and members of provincial legislatures to conduct oversight and interact directly with communities, municipalities and government departments.
This year’s Provincial Week Report-Back in Mpumalanga, held from 17 to 21 August, focused on assessing progress in implementing resolutions and commitments made during previous NCOP visits.
During the week, delegates conducted oversight visits and engagements focusing on service delivery, infrastructure and development projects. The programme allowed representatives to assess challenges on the ground and hear directly from communities and government institutions about progress and areas requiring intervention.
In Thaba Chweu Local Municipality, delegates visited the Lydenburg Wastewater Treatment Centre, the Mashishing Extension 6 bulk outfall sewage line and a sewer spillage site. Follow-up oversight visits were also conducted on the R36 Lydenburg-Bambi Road and R37 Lydenburg-Burgersfort Road.
The programme later moved to Emakhazeni Local Municipality, where delegates received progress reports on resolutions from the 2025 Provincial Week and visited the Siyathuthuka Extension 7 housing project, HA Grove Hospital, the Masibuyele Emasimini Service Programme’s “Young Blood” Farming Project and the Mpumalanga High Altitude Training Centre.
A public hearing was also held at Sakhelwe Community Hall, where residents raised concerns ranging from water, housing, electricity and healthcare to roads, employment opportunities, community facilities and support for farmers and SMMEs.
With NCOP Provincial Week concluded, attention now shifts to TLP, which will bring the work of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature directly to communities in Steve Tshwete for a full week.
TLP forms part of the Legislature’s constitutional responsibilities of law-making, oversight and public participation, with the programme concentrating these functions in one municipality and giving residents direct access to the Legislature.
Preparations for TLP are already well underway. The process began with the Pre-TLP phase held in June 2026, which provided an opportunity for the Legislature to engage communities and identify service delivery and governance issues ahead of the main programme. This was followed by public participation sessions across all 29 wards of Steve Tshwete from 11 to 17 August, educating residents about the role of the Legislature and providing communities with another opportunity to identify concerns. The Legislature also engaged the religious fraternity as part of its mobilisation drive, with Speaker Makhosazane Masilela calling on church leaders to encourage residents to participate and make their voices heard.
The main TLP programme will include a public hearing at Themba Senamela Stadium in Mhluzi on Tuesday, 1 September, followed by oversight visits to government-funded projects on 2 September and stakeholder engagements on 3 September. The programme will conclude with a full Legislature Sitting at the stadium on Friday, 4 September, where Premier Mandla Ndlovu is expected to deliver the closing address.
Residents of Steve Tshwete are encouraged to come out in numbers and participate, particularly during the public hearing. TLP provides communities with an opportunity to speak directly about the issues affecting them, raise service delivery concerns and play an active role in holding government accountable.
