Day: September 29, 2022

BOKSBURG (Gauteng, South Africa), Sept 29 (NNN-SANEWS) — President Cyril Ramaphosa says local economic development is one of the key drivers to lowering the rate of poverty, unemployment and inequality in South Africa.

“When there is more investment and business expansion, jobs are created, livelihoods are supported, and the benefits circulate in local areas.

“That is why accelerating economic growth, attracting investment and creating jobs must be at the centre of the efforts of all spheres of government,” the President said on the second and final day of the National Local Government Summit.

Hosted by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the two-day summit held in Boksburg, Gauteng, brought together close to 2,000 senior officials and leaders across all spheres of government, legislature, business, academia, traditional leaders, civil society, women, youth and people with disabilities to deliberate on a collective programme of action for an ideal municipality.

The President told delegates that as the country works to recover economically after the pandemic, there is fiscal room to “expand the provision of services that improve people’s lives”.

The President has over the past two months attended a number of launches of  business expansion projects, which are being built in towns and metros, where people live and where they are needed most.

The President said investors look at the quality of the provision of water, electricity, sewage and refuse removal – all aspects that are in line with the theme of the summit, ‘DDM in Action – Towards an Ideal Municipality’.

The District Development Model (DDM) calls for an ‘all of government and all of society approach’, which advocates for integrated and responsive planning to fast-track development.

The President stressed that municipalities must focus on revenue collection to ensure that there are sufficient funds available to fulfil their functions.

“In addition to the jobs it creates and the community development it enables, vibrant local economic activity strengthens the financial position of municipalities.

“It makes these municipalities less dependent on grants from the national fiscus and empowers them to pursue the interests of residents with greater focus.”

In order for the country to build ideal municipalities, the President emphasised the need to address the instability within governance structures and processes.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

Minister Mchunu allays fears of water outage in the country and calls for prudent water use

Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mr Senzo Mchunu has allayed fears of water outages in the country and reiterated that his department is working towards ensuring water security in the country. He was speaking during the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) Biennial Conference & Exhibition on Wednesday, 28 September 2022 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Minister Mchunu reiterated his call for prudent water use by all water users, saying South Africa remains a water scarce country.

Highlighting some of the inventions being carried undertaken in water strained communities such as the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Minister Mchunu said private partnerships were needed to strengthen efforts of a water secured country.

“There is a need to increase participation of private sector partnerships through finance and skills enrichment in the water sector. Besides this, we are strengthening our role in regulating, supporting, and intervening in municipalities where municipal water and sanitation services are deteriorating, linked to the reinstatement of blue, green and no drop regulatory monitoring tools,” he said.

He also spoke sternly on the status of water in the country, while allaying fears of the country facing a possible severe water outage. Minister Mchunu said that there was no need for citizens to be alarmed, saying the country would not run of water.

He admitted that there are water scarcity concerns in different parts of the country but maintained that total water outage would not happen in the near future.

“I can state, categorically, that we do not have an immediate threat of water outage. However, this does not mean we are not a water scarce country, and that people should not use water sparingly. We do not have an immediate water crisis so to say, but we should not lower our guard,” Minister Mchunu sternly said.

Addressing matters related to maladministration in the Department, Minister Mchunu said the ministry is prioritising hands-on monitoring of progress with all major projects which have been historically delayed, including the Giyani water project, the Vaal River intervention project, Hammanskraal water quality concerns as well as the Umzimvubu and uMkhomazi water projects, amongst others.

“The Department is ensuring planning of projects in financial years before they are to be implemented, so that they are ready for implementation when the financial year starts. We have also developed an Infrastructure Procurement Strategy in line with the National Treasury Framework for Infrastructure Delivery and Procurement Management. This is done to enable smarter, quicker and more effective infrastructure procurement and will be implementing the strategy over the coming months,” he said.

Minister Mchunu joined WISA CEO, Dr Lester Goldman along with a number of water experts from across the country and overseas to discuss ways to improve and enhance efforts to ensure water security on the globe.

The WISA Biennial Conference and Exhibition is a flagship event of the Southern African water sector, bringing together regional and international water professionals, companies, regulators and stakeholders under one roof annually.

Source: Government of South Africa