1 February 2007
The North West Provincial Government will intensify its efforts to push back
the frontiers of poverty as part of its commitment to ensure the realisation of
Vision 2014. This emerged after the two day Members of the Executive Council
(ExCo) Lekgotla held near Muldersdrift.
The ExCo Lekgotla, held from 30 and 31 January, was attended by the North
West Premier, Edna Molewa, Members of the Executive Council, Mayors, Chief
Executive Officers of parastatals as well as senior public servants.
Central to the discussion was the challenge of ensuring effective alignment
and co-ordination of delivery programmes undertaken by various departments and
municipalities. ExCo resolved that service delivery to communities should be
fast tracked in a co-ordinated and integrated manner to ensure maximum impact
and to avoid duplication of resources and efforts.
Lekgotla noted that the provincial government as well as the local and
national spheres of government have made tremendous strides in expanding access
to a better life for all. For example, remarkable progress has been registered
with regard to the provision of water, sanitation, electricity, housing, etc.;
having noted this progress, ExCo then came to the conclusion that more still
needed to be done.
ExCo noted that, in some instances, the problem of delivery was not about
resources or budget, but capacity to plan and implement appropriately. ExCo
will pay particular attention to issues such as skills and competencies to
ensure that government is able to realise the objectives it has set for
itself.
Lekgotla resolved on the following matters:
That departments and municipalities should ensure that service providers are
paid without delay after having rendered services. This is critical to ensuring
the sustenance of the small business sector.
To ensure focused implementation of the Five-Year Local Government Plan in
order to address some of the challenges that undermine the effectiveness of the
local government sphere. The interventions are meant to position municipalities
as the real coal-face of service delivery. ExCo noted that local government is
the level closest to the people, and thus the point at which service delivery
takes place and where our people directly experience democratic
participation.
ExCo Lekgotla agreed that there must be alignment of municipal and sector
department's delivery and development programmes, and that infrastructure
development should be prioritised.
All spheres of government and department must lend a hand towards the
realisation of the goals of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy
(PGDS) of the province.
Lekgotla noted that initiatives regarding the hosting of the 2010 World Cup
in the province are on course.
Lekgotla resolved to take appropriate measures to ensure government's
capacity to communicate with its communities. Lekgotla approved that the annual
North West Communication Lekgotla be held from 15 to 17 April 2007.
Among other things, ExCo Lekgotla was paving the way for the development of
a government programme of action that ensures alignment of programmes across
spheres and sector departments. North West Premier, Edna Molewa, will
articulate the provincial programme of action for 2007 during her State of the
Province Address on 16 February 2007.
Enquiries:
Cornelius Tanana Monama
Tel: (018) 387 3456
Cell: 082 578 4063
Issued by: Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government
1 February 2007
