The North West Executive Council (Exco) has welcomed the deployment of a seasoned public administrator, a policy synthesiser and implementer, a political analyst, negotiation expert, strategist and innovator to take over the reins as caretaker Director-General for the North West Provincial Administration during its bi-weekly meeting held in Mahikeng earlier in the week.

In introducing Johannes Rantete who will be taking over from Acting Director-General Major General Dr. Mokgethi Radebe, Premier Thandi Modise said that her administration is not interested in appointing lackeys but qualified, skilled and experienced individuals who are committed to make a meaningful contribution towards improving the lives of the people in the province.

General Radebe will soon be leaving the province to serve as an envoy of the National Ministry of Health to oversee the doctors’ training programme in Cuba. In pledging the support of Exco, Premier Modise urged Rantete not to be intimidated but to put his foot down to ensure that government’s agenda to better the lives of the people of the province triumphs.

Modise highlighted that her administration had resolved not to proceed with the appointment of a substantive Director General for the province as its term of office has drawn close.

“We do not want to impose a Director-General on the new administration that will come after the elections,” she reiterated a position she had intimated to the Provincial Affairs and Finance committee during the briefing on the 2013/14 Annual Performance Plans for the Office of the Premier.

Rantete who holds a Masters in Political Science from the University of Witwatersrand had served in various capacities to gain his wealth of experience in the private sector and administrative proficiency.

He had among others served as Commissioner with National Land Commission, Director of Board of the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Unit, Head of Department for the Department of Housing and Water Affairs which was later reconfigured to Local Government and Housing in Limpopo, Head of Department for the Department of Public Works in Free State, Deputy Director-General in the Office of the Director General for Public Service and Administration and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority.

The deployment of Rantete who had also served as Member of the Advisory Board on Public Service and Administration and Special Advisor to former Ministers of Public Service Administration Richard Baloyi, the late Roy Padayachie and the current Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is part of the intervention support requested by Premier Modise to Minister Sisulu to strengthen her administration and root out corruption.

“We remain grateful to President Jacob Zuma and Minister Sisulu for the deployment and overall support that include support to turnaround our municipalities,” said Modise.