Deputy Minister Seiso Mohai: Launch of Geospatial Information Management Strategy

Permit us to begin by expressing our sincere gratitude to the Executive Mayor in absentia, Councillor Cyril Xaba, to the entire leadership of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and for hosting us and for the continued partnership with our Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Your willingness to convene this engagement reflects a shared commitment to strengthening governance, improving coordination, and ultimately delivering better outcomes for our people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we gather here today, our beloved country is at a defining moment in the history of its development trajectory. A brief glance at the evolution of the GIMS will assist us to place this event in its proper historical context.

On the 19th of September 2025, on the occasion of the launch of the Geospatial Information Management Strategy, Minister Ramokgopa made an assertion of cardinal importance on this occasion the Minister said “We are taking a decisive step towards building a spatially intelligent state, which puts people, communities, and places at the very centre of development. This launch signals our collective resolve to transform  the way we plan, the way we govern,  and  the way we deliver services to the people of South Africa”.

The question that beacon for us as we attempt to translate the Minister’s assertion into action is. What are practical steps we are taking in institutionalising and implementing this Strategy?

There can be no denying that South Africa has made significant strides in expanding access to basic services, infrastructure, and  social support. Yet, despite this progress, we must confront a stubborn reality and that is the fact that development  in our  country  remains spatially uneven.

For an example we have to confront the legacy of inequality, poverty and unemployment manifest in areas and geopolitically spaces occupied by citizens. The place where a person lives in South Africa still largely determines three life transforming levers and life determining conditions, which are:

• Peoples access to resources and participation in economic opportunities.
• The quality of services citizens receives.
• The proximity of residents to infrastructure and social amenities. This spatial inequality is not accidental, it is the legacy  of our  past. And unless we deliberately address it, it will continue to shape our future by reversing social progress and undermining  democratic gains.

It is precisely this challenge that the Geospatial Information Management Strategy seeks to confront.

The GIMS represents a fundamental shift in how government understands, plans, and measures development.

For far too long, our planning and reporting systems have operated in silos, often disconnected from the geographic realities  on  the ground. We have relied heavily on aggregated data, which, while useful, does not always  tell us where interventions  are working, where gaps persist, and where urgent action is required.

What does GIMS changes?

GIMS introduces a spatial lens into governance enabling us to see development not just in numbers, but in  places, communities,  and lived realities of our people.

At its core, GIMS is about enabling government to answer three critical and interrelated questions that are:

• What are we delivering as government?
• Who stands to benefit from the services we deliver?
• And crucially, where is this delivery taking place?

By answering these questions, we will able to move towards a more targeted, responsive, and accountable, ethical and developmental state.

Through the implementation of GIMS, we are working to institutionalise the use of geospatial data across all spheres of government. This includes:

• Embedding spatial analysis into planning processes at national, provincial, and municipal levels
• Developing integrated systems for spatial monitoring and reporting
• Enhancing the quality, accessibility, and interoperability of spatial data
• Strengthening evidence-based decision-making across government

This exercise is not simply about technology it is about transforming the way government works.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The role of metropolitan municipalities such as eThekwini is absolutely centralto the success of this transformation.

As a metro, eThekwini operates at the interface between policy and implementation. You are responsible for:

• Spatial planning and land use management.
• Infrastructure development .
• Service delivery to millions of residents.

You therefore have both the responsibility and the opportunity to drive spatial transformation in a meaningful and measurable way.

This Roadshow is designed to support you in that role.

It is important to emphasise that today’s engagement is not a once-off event. It is part of a broader national process of  institutionalisation and change.

Through the GIMS Roadshow, we seek to:

• Strengthen alignment between national priorities and municipal planning frameworks
• Promote the adoption of spatial tools and systems in everyday governance
• Build technical and institutional capacity within municipalities
• Create a platform for collaboration, learning, and innovation

We  are  particularly encouraged by the   proactive  engagement of  the   eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in this process.

Your commitment demonstrates leadership and a clearrecognition that the futureof governance is spatially enabled, data-driven, and integrated.

As the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, we stand ready to support you. Our support entails:

• Providing strategic direction and policy guidance
• Facilitating access to national spatial data systems and dashboards
• Enabling collaboration across sectors and spheres of government

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The successful implementation of GIMS has the potential to significantly transform how we deliver development in South Africa.

It will enable us to:

• Identify underserved communities with greater precision.
• Target interventions where they are needed most.
• Monitor progress in real time and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Strengthen accountability through transparent, spatially-referenced reporting.
   

Most importantly, it will enable us to ensure that development reaches all corners of our country, and that no community is left  behind.

However, this transformation will not happen automatically. It requires:

• Strong political leadership
• Institutional commitment
• Technical capability
• And sustained collaboration across government

Each of us gathered here today have a role to play in this journey.

As we proceed with today’s programme, encourage all participants to engage openly and constructively.

Let us use this platform to:

• Share experiences and best practices
• Identify challenges and opportunities
• And collectively shape the way forward forGIMS implementation

In closing, let me emphasise that GIMS is not just about systems or data, it is about the people.

It is about ensuring that every South African, regardless of where they live, have access to opportunities, services, and a better quality of life. It is about building a capable, responsive, ethical and developmental state.

And it is about realising the vision of a more inclusive, equitable, and spatially just South Africa.

We end by re-iterating the Minister’s assertion on the occasion of the GIMS Launch in September 2025, and we quote “At the heart of South Africa’s democracy is a simple yet profound commitment: to improve the quality of life of every South African, leaving no one behind. To achieve this, we need more than political will or broad aspirations.  We need credible data, precise evidence, and the ability to understand not only what we are doing, but also where  and for whom  we are doing it”.