Pretoria - Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti says rural communities need to take charge of their development if government is to achieve its goals of tackling poverty and unemployment.
Nkwinti was speaking at the launch of Local and Community Driven Development (LCDD), a programme the department hopes will encourage the unemployed to get involved in community-driven projects. The World Bank has been contracted to provide technical assistance in order for communities to achieve the goals of the project.
In 2009, Cabinet tasked the department to implement the country's Comprehensive Rural Development Programme, which was piloted in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. The LCDD is a development initiative that seeks to give control of rural development processes directly to communities.
"The underlying assumption is that communities are the best judges of how their lives and livelihoods can be improved... they can organise themselves to provide for their immediate needs," read a document prepared for delegates at the launch.
Officials said studies have shown that programmes of this nature had proven to be more responsive to local demands and were cost effective compared with centrally-led government or NGO-based programmes.
"LCCD can also be supported by strengthening and financing community groups with the community then deciding how to spend the money and managing the funds."
Nkwinti encouraged the participants to ensure that the programme was a success. It is to be rolled out in all nine provinces, with pilot programmes expected for the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
