Programme Director; Councillor Mondlane-Ngwenya Deputy Minister of Human Settlements and Water and Sanitation; Mr David Masondo, Premier of North West Province; Mr Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi, Executive Mayor of Bojanala Platinum District; Ms Susan Nthangeni, All Traditional Leaders here present and Community Leaders SALGA National Executive Committee Member; Councillor Xola Pakade Chairperson of SALGA North West Provincial Executive Committee; Councillor Khumalo Molefe, Chairperson of the Provincial Finance and Digitization Working Group; Councillor Mika Moeti, MTN Senior Specialist on Internet of Things; Mr Greg Naicker, Councillors and the entire SALGA Leadership, All public representatives from all spheres of Government here present Distinguished Guests Ladies and gentlemen of the Fourth Estate.
This Assembly is taking place during a period of major changes and tectonic shifts in domestic and geopolitical spaces. Here at home, we are going through unprecedent changes in the political and economic landscape occasioned by the introduction of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in the body, in May 2024. The GNU is a product of a multi-party partnership that chose to put organisational and ideological differences aside. By choosing the road less traversed, we put the interest of the people of South Africa first by rising above party-partisan first. The conflict in South Sudan, the genocide in the Middle East and escalating war in Eastern Europe are threatening global order and stability. As South Africans we are hedged by a plethora of socio-economic challenges that induces hopelessness and despair about the future and direction of our beloved country. However, we have reasons to be eternally optimistic as recent local and international developments have once more magnified our resilience as a nation. In spite of all tensions caused by the zama-zamas illegal mining activities and sad misfortune of children dying from consuming food allegedly laced a with poisonous substance, South Africa is a country pregnant with opportunities and continues to adapt and strives to succeed under any conditions. Delegates of the Members Assembly We should all be delighted and celebrate South Africa's assumption of the G20 Presidency! This is a joyous occasion for us as a country and continent, and we should be proud to be African in this day and age. We are the first African nation to occupy this pre-eminent seat. We have every reason to amplify the resounding message of President Cyril Ramaphosa that the G20 Presidency should focus on inclusive economic growth, food security and artificial intelligence (AI) for sustainable development. The President called on all stakeholders to live no one behind and for all role-players to elevate the development of priorities of Africa and of the Global South within the G20 agenda. Lastly the President underscored the need for global solidarity with the aim to address challenges such as inequality, and climate change. We have every reason to applaud the outstanding performances of our national teams in the different sports codes. Bafana-Bafana qualifying to participate in the Africa Cup Nations Championships, the Springboks phenomenal performance in the Northern Hemisphere Autumn Tests! Our Cricket Team is joining the winning teams! To mention but a few. Distinguished guests On the 23rd of September 2024, we attended the South African Association of Public Administration Management known as SAAPAM in short in the same venue. The Conference was organised by our Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) in partnership with other sister government departments, entities, and academia. The discussions at the Conference centred around an interesting Theme namely, “Post-apartheid South Africa at 30: Understanding the Present and charting the future of the administration". We are delighted to return as active participants in what is promising to be another canvass in the battle of ideas to advance a multidecadal campaign to achieve the ideal of One Country! One Vision! On this occasion, the Provincial Members Assembly themed “Towards A Cultural Shift – Service Delivery or Nothing" challenges us to reflect on 'Effective Monitoring and Oversight for Service delivery – The Culture Shift. The topic seemingly suggests that there is a culture shift or is advocating for such a shift. Amilcar Cabral emphasizes that culture is not merely an aesthetic element but a vital expression of history and identity that can empower people to assert their humanity and sense of agency. Antonio Gramsci concurs with Cabral's perspective by asserting that cultural transformation is essential before any successful change can occur. The question is how do we as a Province and country orchestrate a shift in the mindset in practical terms to address inequality, poverty and unemployment? We posit a view that effective monitoring and oversight for service delivery necessitates a cultural shift towards accountability and transparency in which key strategies required include: - Implement comprehensive frameworks like the Frontline Service Delivery Monitoring (FSDM) to assess service quality and establish clear performance indicators.
- Relentless focus on Special Economic Zones (SEZs) for bolstering economic activities across the country and new industries.
- Foster citizen involvement in monitoring processes to enhance public accountability and gather direct feedback on service delivery.
- Improve collaboration among government entities to streamline reporting and reduce redundancy, ensuring focused efforts on service delivery improvements.
- Establish regular feedback mechanisms and improvement plans based on monitoring findings to address identified gaps effectively.
Our view is corroborated by a South African Writer Tshepo Madlingozi. Madlingozi argues that moving beyond academic confines to address social injustices and foster democratic engagement intertwined with activism contributes meaningfully to societal transformation. Ladies and gentlemen, As we gather in this fashion we should reflect on the economic performance and viability of our municipalities in the North West Province. As a significant contributor to South Africa's GDP, the province's economy is largely driven by the mining sector, which accounted for 33% of our output in 2021. Despite this, we face challenges such as an unemployment rate of 34.6% and many residents still living in underdeveloped areas with limited resources. Our municipalities must focus on diversifying the economy beyond mining. By investing in manufacturing and agriculture, we can create sustainable jobs and improve living conditions. This important North West SALGA Assembly, should draw our attention to focus sharply on The State of Local Government Institutionalisation of the District Development Model (DDM) For Effective Regional Service Delivery - Effective Monitoring and Oversight for Service Delivery – The Culture Shift. After the speech has been delivered what remains critical is the delivery of services to our people. The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation as the custodian of the country's planning system, supports the “post – legislative scrutiny" by ensuring as a department we are responsible for maintaining constant oversight and monitoring of governments actions. The Department has a strategic role to play in leading and catalysing development in society through the coordination of planning, monitoring and evaluation of government programmes. The mandate of the DPME places it squarely at the centre of building a capable, ethical and developmental state. The country's planning system has a central role in building a capable, ethical and developmental state and in the achievement of our development goals. The DPME strives to ensure that all other plans, including sector plans, institutional plans and plans across the spheres of government are aligned with the National Development Plan (NDP) and the Medium-Term-Strategic- Framework (MTSF) and more effectively contribute to the achievement of common developmental goals. Of significant importance is the ongoing task of the professionalisation of the public service and empowering a cross-generational skilled workforce, training a wide spectrum of entrepreneurs and artisans. DPME has made important strides in strengthening integrated planning and improving harmonisation of planning and synergies across the state machinery. Following an extensive diagnostic study on the state of planning, the DPME, in consultation with stakeholders, developed the Policy Framework for Integrated Planning (PFIP), which was adopted by cabinet for implementation in 2022. The Policy Framework and its implementation plan builds on progress made in institutionalising planning and seeks to address gaps such as the fragmentation of planning, inadequate capabilities and to improve coordination and modernise the planning system towards the achievement of better results. The Policy Framework has further informed the production of the Draft Development Planning Framework Bill, which provides a legislative framework for the national development planning system involving the three spheres of government and organs of state, informed by the Constitutional powers and functions. As we have entered into the Seventh administration of government, we started to plan ahead through the MTDP 2024-2029. The MTDP provides direction and guidance to all-of-government planning and resourcing towards achieving the country's development goals within a five-year period. The DPME will also provide strategic leadership and technical support in the localisation of national and sectoral plans within the identified One Plans. The One Plan may not replace the national, provincial or local development plans, sectoral plans and any legally prescribed development or strategic plan of a department or entity in any of the three spheres of government. The One Plan must be aligned with the National, Provincial and local development plans, sector plans and any legally prescribed development or strategic plan or departmental or entity annual performance plan in operation in any of the three spheres of government. As the custodian of the National Planning system, the DPME has particular responsibilities in relation to institutionalisation of the DDM and mainstreaming / embedding it within the relevant Planning Frameworks and systems. The DPME also have coordination responsibilities in relation to National and Provincial Planning, where the DDM serves as a standing agenda item. To ensure effective service delivery it's important to monitor where development is taking place, this is done through “Spatialisation". Spatialisation is an important enabler for place-specific development impact / results, in particular as part of implementation of the National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF) and the District Development Model. Giving effective to Regional Service Delivery through Spatialisation of the DDM will assist in: - Improving evidence-based planning through geospatial analysis;
- Support to the DDM Process of Spatialisation to inform reprioritisation towards optimal District-level impact.
Supporting adaptive governance by considering spatial trends and patterns that impact institutional performance. It is Professor Mandla J. Radebe, in his book the Life and Times of Jabulani Nobleman Mzala Nxumalo, who reminds us that “In South Africa, poverty and opulence live side by side. The ruling capitalist class, still largely white, enjoys some of the highest living standards in the world and indeed even in history. On the other side, the black working, including the unemployed, lives in abject poverty. This class is among the poorest of people in the world and highly exploited". Our country requires a culture shift that would invoke human values of UBUNTU in society informed by the spirit of Vukuzenzele and Masakhane. We need to be all imbued by a return to the Reconstruction and Development (RDP) of the soul as part of our conscience revival and economic recovery. Together, let us strive for a prosperous future where every citizen can thrive. I look forward to further engaging in the discussion. I Thank You. Baie Dankie Re a lebogo
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