“The signing of a memorandum of understanding between Royal Bafokeng Nation and Rustenburg Local Municipality will go a long in repositioning, rebranding and renewing the image of the North West province and at the same time, position Rustenburg as the economic hub of the province,” said North West Local Government and Human Settlement MEC, Collen Maine.
Speaking at an official ceremony which was also attended by the Executive Mayor or Rustenburg, Mpho Khunou and His Majesty Tshekedi Leruo Molotlegi of Royal Bafokeng Nation, in Rustenburg yesterday, MEC Maine said the signing of a MoU was a long journey dating as far back as 2006 where Royal Bafokeng Nation launched the master plan focusing toward 2035.
"The master plan clearly initiated project and programmes which warranted a new thinking with regard to spatial planning and economic transformation. As government, we therefore need to ensure synergy between the master plan of Royal Bafokeng Nation and our National Development Plan vision 2030 of government so that we centralise the effective use of our resources. This plan challenges the existing notion of rural development as a dumping ground of half-baked economic thought, instead, it allowed people to think of themselves as capable of changing their living spaces to spaces for actual development thereby encouraging people to become international or global players," said MEC Maine.
He applauded the initiative which he said, was a clear indication that both parties adhered to the Constitution’s Section 41(h) which encourages cooperative government that, “there should be cooperation between provincial government and local government on the basis of mutual trust and good faith by fostering good friendly relations in assisting and support one another; and informing one another of, and consulting one another on, matters of common interest”.
“As the provincial government, we therefore wish to applaud the Royal Bafokeng nation for having responded to the Constitutional dictates in particular section 212(1) which emphasise “the role of traditional leadership as an institution at the local level in dealing with issues affecting local communities”. As government we appreciate your undivided support to these developmental initiatives.
We hope that other parts of the province and the country where there are traditional councils will derive cue from your goodselves. Let these initiatives becomes umbilical cord of many initiative to come. As government we remain grateful of this vision because in the main it encourages self-reliance from our people, which something that we need to inculcate to our people”, he said.
For enquiries:
Ben Bole
Tel: 018 388 4824
Cell: 071 566 1399
Fax: 018 391 0328
E-mail: MSBole@nwpg.gov.za
