The Gauteng Speakers forum convened its quarterly forum from the 27 to 28 June 2013, in Sandton, Johannesburg. The Gauteng Speakers forum is a forum of all Speakers in Municipalities led by the Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial legislature, Hon Lindiwe Maseko. It was attended by all Speakers in the Gauteng Province, Presiding officers of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Deputy Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Hon. Uhuru Moiloa and the Chairperson of Committees, Hon. Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko; as well as representatives of invited public service institutions.
“Today, the world is holding its breath and closely monitoring the health status of our global icon, Former President Nelson Mandela. We had received news about the President of the Country, Hon. Jacob Zuma cancelling his scheduled trip to a SADC meeting after having visited uTata. All of us must continue to pray for his wellbeing and more importantly his family to find strength in the support South Africans and the world continue to show for uTata.” These were the words of the Deputy Speaker, Hon Uhuru Moiloa in his opening address. The Gauteng Speakers forum sends well wishes and prayers to Tata Madiba and his family.
The Gauteng Speakers Forum (GSF) took this opportunity to deliberate on the effervescent programmes which had unfolded and been officiated as part of broader initiatives to enhance public participation within Gauteng. The most recent has been the Citizen Responsibility campaign (CRC), which was officially launched through the media campaign held on the 5 June 2013, at the Constitutional hill.
The Campaign was a resounding success and attracted various stakeholders from all sectors, representing our diverse communities in SA. The aim of the campaign is to reinstall a sense of responsibility and patriotism amongst citizens and encourage proactive citizenry in order to strengthen and maximise the potential of Gauteng, in it being a model province reflective of our democracy, diversity and economic development.
The Gauteng Speakers Forum (GSF), through the Citizen Responsibility Campaign (CRC) will also be rolling out programmes throughout the year starting with a massive clean-up campaign on the 16th of July, honouring Mandela day and living up to the ideals espoused by the legend in his unwavering commitment to the people of South Africa.
The clean-up is scheduled to take place at Diesploot; subsequently followed by the Voter education campaign as we prepare for next year’s elections. The formal programme for both campaigns will be duly communicated to the public.
The Gauteng Speakers Forum also received edifying presentations from representatives of committees and government. The Chairperson of Standing Committees on Public Accounts (SCOPA), Hon. Sipho Makama, gave a frank overview of the state of Municipal Public Accounts committees (MPAC). He cited on the need to strengthen oversight and monitoring at municipalities.
He commended the progress done, but asserted that training and development is paramount, as well as a consistent evaluation model. Hon Lindiwe Maseko reiterated these sentiments that moving forward Speakers should equally embrace paradigm shifts which will see the strengthening of the local government sphere and empower oversight government structures. She emphasised on the need for continuous education and training for all officials and striving for capacitation.
The Gauteng Speakers Forum also received a presentation from SALGA citing some of the constraints still faced by offices of Speakers and Chief whips at local government level.
A compelling presentation was also delivered by the Department of Cooperative governance and traditional affairs. The department gave a detailed analysis of the state of Municipalities and the areas in which government can improve; this includes the development and enhancing of ward capacity in order to strengthen public participation and synergy within the local sphere of government. This had been widely achieved through the Municipal public participation forum. The department also deliberated on the Municipal demarcation board and on-going processes.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) gave a sterling and significant presentation on the importance of fundamental principles that all public servants need to espouse to avoid even some problems that we are confronted with. Hon. Mike Seloane was quoted saying “the biggest enemy of government is inefficiency, unprofessionalism and corruption”. He appealed that as the PSC celebrates 100 years, public servants must ensure that basics are done in order to get service delivery on track.
The Gauteng Speakers noted the following;
- That there is evident improvement in synergy and correlation between government and the legislative arm, however there are shortcomings which require to be addressed in order to improve and strengthen accountability
- That our government remains people centred and legislative arms remain instrumental in teaching communities about the role of legislature
The Gauteng Speakers’ forum subsequently resolved;
- The GSF should play an instrumental role in ensuring that communities understand their role in strengthening democracy and utilising the mechanisms put in place to hold government accountable
- That all programmes and initiatives rolled out by the GSF must subsequently resonate with communities, such as the Citizen Responsibility Campaign
- That the Speakers offices in all spheres of government play an active role in educating communities about spheres of government and democracy
- Officials in all spheres of government and including the legislative arm must be a catalyst in setting a trend on education and sharpening skills. That all officials must take their education and training seriously not only for their individual capacitation but for the benefit of society and enhancing service delivery.
The GSF was a resounding success and in closing the Hon. Lindiwe Maseko asserted that the GSF is progressing in ensuring that all its programmes create impact in not only the legislative arm but also in communities. She placed emphasis on synergy and cooperation between government and the legislative arm and that all members of the GSF prioritise skills development and training. Members are eager to implement the programmes of the GSF such as the CRC and Voter education campaign at Local government level.
