Pretoria – One of the many consultations being held around the country in preparation for the submission of a progress report on the implementation of the national programme of action of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) was held in the Western Cape today.
The series of consultations are being hosted by the Department of Public Service and Administration.
The inputs from the Western Cape consultative conference will be included in South Africa’s 3rd progress report on the implementation of the national programme of action to be submitted at the African Union Summit of Heads of States and Government of APRM participating countries in May later this year.
The African Peer Review Mechanism is a mutually agreed instrument voluntarily acceded to by member states of the African Union as an African self-monitoring mechanism.
Its primary purpose is to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated sub-regional and continental economic integration through sharing of experiences and reinforcement of successful and best practices.
Speaking on the purpose of the session on Friday, Deputy Director General for Strategic Programmes in the Western Cape Provincial Government Dr Laurine Platzky said the programme should not be treated by communities as an academic exercise, but rather as a practical exercise of how communities can engage themselves in achieving the objectives of the programme from ensuring the right societal structures are in place to avoid situations of abuse and violence which have been so rampant lately.
“In these social situations, it is not about what government can do for communities but about how communities can put in place the right morals and values.”
Presenting the Western Cape perspective, Zeenat Ishamel cited numerous progresses under the four thematic areas of focus - there has been a notable increase in the number of formal partnerships including partnerships formed to improve service delivery and intergovernmental approach partnerships. – SAnews.gov.za
