Cape Town - Immediate former DA Chief Whip Mirellie Wenger was sworn in on Monday morning as the new Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC and said that her top priority is job creation in the Western Cape.
Wenger said her mission was to claw-back the jobs lost as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had affected the livelihoods of many in the province.
“I will consider myself on the job, to create jobs in the Western Cape. There can be no greater priority for our province right now, especially given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our economy and on the livelihoods of many of our residents.
She said more than just creating jobs, she had higher ambitions to roll back poverty in the Western Cape.
“It is not enough to have the lowest unemployment rate in South Africa, as important as that is. We need to be a shining example of rapid economic growth that creates the jobs that we need to roll back poverty. This is our unwavering objective.”
She said to accomplish her objectives, she would “proudly embrace the principle that it is the private sector that creates jobs”.
Wenger said that the government’s role was to adopt policies to enable job creation, and she would do this by being bold and embracing innovation and ensuring collaboration with the private sector for greater efficiency.
“I also look forward to working with the new departments of Infrastructure and Mobility, which will be key to attracting investment and job creation going forward.”
Wenger, who was accompanied to the ceremony by her husband Craig Kesson, took the oath of office with Premier Alan Winde and Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell looking on. Also at the ceremony was Provincial Administrative Head Harry Malila.
Wenger’s swearing in by Deputy Judge President of the Western Cape High Court Patricia Goliath completes the process for the two new members of the Provincial Executive Council.
Two weeks ago, the new Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen was inducted into the Executive Council.
After the swearing-in, Winde said the changes to his government were exciting and would add new momentum to its mission to deliver jobs, safety and well-being in the province.
“We know that we have a lot of hard work ahead of us as we look to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and improve the lives of our residents.
“At the core of this focus is job creation through skills development, especially for our young people, and both new Education MEC David Maynier and MEC Wenger will play an important role in making this happen in their respective roles.”
On April 22, Winde announced changes to the provincial executive council, renaming some departments, appointing two new MECs and reshuffling another after the resignations of former Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz and former Education MEC Debbie Schäfer.
Formerly Human Settlements MEC Tertuis Simmers is now to be known as Infrastructure MEC, while Transport and Public Works under Daylin Mitchell is now the department of Mobility.