The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Thembi Nkadimeng convened the Inter-Ministerial Task Team responsible for the DDM Presidential Izimbizo on 21 June 2023.
The meeting was briefed on the preparations towards the upcoming 7th DDM Presidential Imbizo to be led by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, the 30th of June, hosted by Alfred Duma Local Municipality in the Uthukela District Municipality - KwaZulu-Natal at the Oqungweni Soccer Field, under the Sithole Tribal Authority.
The DDM Presidential Izimbizo are an expression of the ethos of a participatory democracy that is accountable to the public and affords communities to directly interact 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. 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 our 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.
“The DDM Presidential Imbizo confirms Municipalities as the the backbone of the country's governance system – and any instability in this sphere has a ripple effect on the provision of basic services. The Imbizo is therefore 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”, said Minister Nkadimeng.
In keeping with the theme – “Leave no one behind” the Presidential DDM Imbizo will be preceded by the various Ministerial Events constituting a build-up programme to the 30th 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, SASSA, Municipalities and many more will also be onsite on the day, to assist communities.
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