Many a community member attended President Cyril Ramaphosa’s District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, on Thursday.
Themed: "Leave No One Behind,” the 12th Presidential Imbizo promotes participatory democracy and inclusive development by allowing community members and stakeholders to voice proposals and express any concerns or dissatisfaction they have about conditions in the district or province.
Some community members told SAnews that they have been waiting for this day to come to interact directly with the President and his Cabinet.
Today's imbizo allows President Cyril Ramaphosa and other leaders in government to assess progress made and to be briefed on challenges associated with the improvement of service delivery since the President’s previous imbizo held in Carolina in May 2022.
Many felt municipal officials do not escalate their concerns to higher offices.
“We want the President to hear our problems and concerns directly from us,” said Japhter Maseko from Emalahleni.
This as the imbizo is currently underway at the Sy Mthimunye Stadium.
“We want to have access to clean water. We have been having problems with the provision of water and that the state of our roads is bad. We want government to supply us with clean water and proper roads,” said Maseko.
Sinethemba Mgabadeli from Siyabuswa echoed Maseko’s sentiments.
“Sometimes we go for days without water. If given an opportunity to speak to the President, I’ll tell him to fire ….officials who do not care about people’s lives,” he said.
Nkululeko Skhosana from Malelane said government must urgently attend to their concerns.
“Our lives are miserable without proper services. Water is our main concern. We sometimes go for days without water. In some instances, we are forced to buy water from the shops to survive,” he said.
Skhosana also expressed concern about the high rate of unemployment.
“We send our children to school and when they finish studying, there are no jobs. No one wants to employ them. We are appealing to government to create jobs for our children,” he said.
The Presidential Imbizo is, among others, attended by traditional leaders, politicians and municipal officials.
President Ramaphosa is accompanied by Cabinet Ministers, who are assisting in responding to concerns raised by community members.
The DDM Presidential Imbizo forms part of a holistic government service delivery and monitoring programme, using an integrated, district-based approach to address community needs.
It serves as an important platform for transparent and constructive exchanges between communities and government.
Since inception in March 2022, the izimbizo have empowered millions of South Africans to directly engage with the President, contributing to policy discussions and acknowledging government efforts to better serve the people.
READ | Government services on hand at Mpumalanga Imbizo
READ | President Ramaphosa visits new Mpumalanga hospital
– SAnews.gov.za
