The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Thembi Nkadimeng, has called on residents to play an active role in determining the future of their communities by participating in the District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo programme.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will be joined by leaders from all three spheres of government this coming Friday during a Presidential Imbizo, hosted by the Alfred Duma Local Municipality in the Uthukela District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. The imbizo will be held at the Oqungweni Soccer Field, under the Sithole Tribal Authority.
Government leaders will interact with residents on service delivery challenges, as well plans for the development of this district.
"Join us and play your role in being an active and responsible citizen. The imbizo is an opportunity for the whole of government and all of society to work together towards a brighter future by unlocking blockages to integrated services delivery in line with the District Development Model approach," Nkadimeng said on Saturday.
The Minister recently convened the Inter-Ministerial Task Team responsible for the DDM Presidential izimbizo, and was briefed on preparations towards the upcoming imbizo.
"The DDM Presidential izimbizo are an expression of the ethos of a participatory democracy that is accountable to the public and affords communities direct interaction with leaders from the three spheres of government. For a democracy to be effective, government must constantly communicate with the citizens of the country, as they have a right to know what government and other public sector bodies are doing.
"Guided by the DDM principles, local government is responsible for providing basic services to our citizens such as human settlements, water, electricity, sanitation, etc., working cooperatively with the national and provincial spheres," COGTA said.
These services are essential to our daily lives, and a functional local government system ensures that these services are delivered efficiently and effectively to all our citizens, regardless of their socio-economic status.
The DDM Imbizo is held under the theme, 'Leave no one behind', because it is more than just an event, rather a chance for communities to engage with the President and leaders across the three spheres face-to-face to express concerns and receive real time responses.
"The Constitution of South Africa mandates the three spheres of government to work together to promote the well-being of all citizens and to ensure that public resources are used prudentially. To this effect, remarkable progress has since been registered since the first Presidential Imbizo that was convened in the North West province to unlock blockages to service delivery," CoGTA said.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The Minister said the DDM Presidential Imbizo confirms Municipalities as the backbone of the country's governance system - and any instability in this sphere has a ripple effect on the provision of basic services.
In keeping with the theme - Leave no one behind - the Presidential DDM Imbizo will be preceded by various ministerial events constituting a build-up programme to 30 June 2023.
The build-up events will ensure that all communities and stakeholders are engaged where they stay on their concerns. Mobile services from critical Departments such as Home Affairs, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), municipalities and many more will also be onsite on the day to assist communities.
