H Yawa: Municipality Awards, Best Performing Ward Committee

28 June 2007

Programme Director
The Honourable Executive Mayor of the Southern District Municipality,
Councillor Boitumelo Moloi
The Honourable Executive Mayor of the City of Matlosana, Councillor China
Dodovu Honourable Executive Mayors and Mayors present
Honourable Speakers, Chief Whips and Councillors
Municipal Managers and other senior government officials
Ward committee members
Community Development Workers
Distinguished guests
Members of the Media
Comrades
Ladies and gentlemen

Programme Director, Section 152 of the Constitution of the Republic of South
Africa as adopted in 1996 defines the objectives of local government as to:

* provide democratic and accountable local government for local
communities
* encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in
matters of local government.

The White Paper on Local Government also defines Developmental Local
Government as local government that is committed to working with citizens and
groups within the community.

What both the constitution and the White Paper on Local Government stress is
that involvement of our people in the affairs of our municipalities is not
optional, it is not something that we can choose not to do. We are compelled to
give expression to the clause in the Freedom Charter that asserts that: "The
People shall govern."

In the same breath, the Constitution commands all municipalities to involve
their communities in the affairs of local government. Ward committees are
therefore critical in ensuring that our communities are able to participate in
the affairs of their respective municipalities.

Our province has been able to record a remarkable progress in establishing
fully complemented ward committees. As to date, all 365 ward committees have
been re-established following the inauguration of new councils in April last
year. It is now up to municipalities to make sure that these ward committees
remain operational and are utilised optimally to perform their developmental
duties.

Programme Director, we are aware of the challenges that our ward committees
are still grappling with and these include:

* lack of sufficient budget
* lack of proper office as well as office equipments etc.

The reality is that if these challenges are not addressed in good time, they
can negatively affect the performance of these structures. I have been informed
about instances where meetings are held at councillors' houses. This
inconvenience cannot be allowed to continue.

I wish to assure you that we will continue to work closely with
municipalities to find ways to address some of these challenges. Let me mention
that my department has in the interim donated old but usable furniture to be
used by ward committees to some of our municipalities.

Together with municipalities, the department will have to explore other
avenues to ensure that proper and accessible office accommodation is
provided.

Our support to municipalities does not only end with the establishment and
monitoring of these structures. Soon after the election last year, we conducted
a series of induction training for councillors and ward committees. The
induction programme for councillors exposed our elected public representatives
to legislations that govern local government. The programme also empowered them
as to their roles and responsibilities.

The department has also compiled an information booklet on ward committees �
this booklet seeks to inform and educate the community about the establishment,
composition and functions of the ward committees.

Let me also take this opportunity to announce that there will be another
follow-up training facilitated by the Department of Provincial and Local
Government through Local Government Water and related Services Education and
Training Authority (LGWSETA).

Local government is one sphere of government that is closest to the people,
public participation at this level is therefore critical. We therefore need to
maximise public participation efforts and strengthen communication to ensure
that our communities are well informed about developments in their wards and
our plan to make the system of local government work.

I am confident that these awards should be able to take community
participation in our various wards and municipalities to the next level. I
therefore wish to commend the Southern District Municipality for initiating
this programme and hope that other District Municipalities will follow
suit.

In conclusion, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate all the
participating ward committees for being part of the national partnership to
build a better life for all. We appreciate your commitment and collective
contribution to improving service delivery in your wards and your
municipalities and for being the critical link with communities. As you
discharge your patriotic duty, you can count on our continued support.

Together we have a responsibility to create a conducive atmosphere for
constructive engagement and development in our communities. We have a
responsibility to regularly engage our communities in consultative meetings and
regular feedback sessions as regards their needs and expectations. This will
enhance service delivery, understanding of municipal processes and ultimately
restore the integrity and confidence of our communities in our evolving system
of local government.

By being closer with our communities, councillors and ward committees would
be able to defeat elements that seek to undermine democratically elected
structures that are meant to serve our people. All of us collectively have a
responsibility to defeat greed, opportunism, and self interest in order to
roll-out the plan to make local government work better for all our people and
accelerate service delivery.

While all the ward committees are winners by virtue of being part of the
national partnership to build a better life for all, we wish to in advance
congratulate those who will be receiving recognition for going the extra
mile.

Ke a leboga.

Lesiba Moses Kgwele
Head of MEC Support-Office of the MEC for Public Works North West Provincial
Government
Tel: 018 387 2447
Fax: 018 387 2868
Cell: 083 629 1987
E-mail:LKgwele@nwpg.gov.za

Issued by: Department of Developmental Local Government and Housing, North
West Provincial Government
28 June 2007