MEC Kgaugelo Lekgoro on Thursday urged members of South African Local Government Association-Gauteng (SALGA) to engage on issues contained in the Local Government Turnaround Strategy (LGTAS) in order to make municipalities deliver services optimally.
The MEC told delegates during the opening of a two-day SALGA's Gauteng sixth Provincial Members’ Assembly conference in Pretoria West that the success of the implementation of LGTAS was to create coherent and accountable local institutions with clear and coherent understanding of their developmental responsibilities.
"We therefore wish to reaffirm our belief that solutions to problems experienced by municipalities that make it difficult to accelerate service delivery lies with municipalities themselves. However, we must find local solutions to our local problems by working in collaboration with other spheres of government and other stakeholders," said the MEC. Lekgoro said the LGTAS would afford government an opportunity to ensure that local government is effective and efficient and it responds to the needs of communities.
"Important amongst those is the restoration of credibility and integrity of local municipalities as important drivers of provision of services to communities."
He said the government's intervention through the LGTAS seeks to respond to all challenges and problems, but equally strengthen those areas where they have been elements of good practices.
"This meeting is important in the life of SALGA in this province as we expect them to discuss issues and find a new path with regards to dealing with challenges facing municipalities," Lekgoro said.
He said it was imperative for the delegates to engage on these pertinent issues ahead of the local government elections schedule to take place in 2011.
SALGA-Gauteng Chairperson Khorombi Dau said the Provincial Members’ Assembly is a platform for members of municipalities to deliberate on imperatives outlined in the SALGA constitution, and topical matters impacting on local government and to consult widely with municipalities on pertinent matters impacting on the sector.
The conference also, intends to give new mandate for the remaining term of office of the current leadership.
"Therefore, we will be reflecting primarily on what needs to be done. And the LGTAS is one important matter to engage on because is a reflection of how far we have come, challenges and how to overcome them as municipalities. Therefore, we will be reflecting on what municipalities should be engaging in to make this sphere of government deliver to its optimum," added Dau.
For more details contact:
Themba Sepotokele
Cell: 082 490 9869
Eddie Mokoena
Cell: 083 602 5652
Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Gauteng Provincial Government
15 April 2010
Source: Sapa
