President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to undertake his fourth District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo at the Sharpeville Cricket Pitch, in Gauteng, on Friday, 12 August.
The Imbizo will be attended by among others, leaders from all three spheres of government and Sedibeng communities are urged to come out in their numbers to meet their public representatives.
Themed, “Leave no one behind”, the Gauteng Imbizo will help identify issues in the Sedibeng community that hamper service delivery and economic opportunities.
During the Imbizo, President Ramaphosa, accompanied by Cabinet ministers and senior government officials, will assess progress made in relation to service delivery and the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.
The Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan aims to build a new economy and unleash South Africa’s true potential. The overarching goal of the plan is to create a sustainable, resilient and inclusive economy. It focuses on the following priority areas:
- Energy security
- Industrial base to create jobs
- Mass public employment programme
- Infrastructure development
- Macro-economic interventions
- Green economy
- Food security
- Reviving the tourism sector
On Friday, communities in Sedibeng will be updated on the implementation of these public/private sector programmes and efforts to improve their lives.
“This is an opportunity to engage on challenges in the community and to propose solutions to some of them. Let us hold public officials to account and ensure they deliver on their promises to improve the lives of people,” government said in a statement.
“Our country needs active citizens who are committed to renewing our social contract and to building a new consensus. We can only address the challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment by working together.”
About Sedibeng
The Southern Development Corridor in Gauteng refers to the Sedibeng District, which comprises Emfuleni, Lesedi and Midvaal Local Municipalities.
The Sedibeng District Municipality boasts a strong manufacturing sector, as well as a growing services sector with a huge untapped potential to grow agricultural and related industries.
Public infrastructure and natural endowments that anchor the regional economy include the Vaal River, Vaal Dam, institutions of higher learning (VUT, NWU & Sedibeng TVET) and key national and provincial development corridors such as the N3, N1 and R59.
Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
The three spheres of government are working together to provide a platform to solidify plans that have been developed and investments made in the creation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the Vaal region.
This in a bid to unlock private sector investment, particularly in high growth sectors such as agro-processing, agribusiness, food and beverage, cannabis farming, renewable energy, transport and logistics, and tourism and hospitality.
Billions of rands in investment commitments have been made for the Vaal River SEZ at the October 2021 Sedibeng Investment Conference.
The Vaal SEZ includes the construction of a new Vaal River City.
The first phase of the Vaal SEZ projects in the townships will focus on the Heidelberg Industrial Park and the auto and digital hubs in Sebokeng.
The second phase will focus on the Leeuwkuil, Cyferpan and Meyerton Industrial Hubs and the third phase will focus on industrial parks development with the context of implementing the Master Plan over a 20-year period.
Furthermore, the development of the new Vaal River City aims to unlock the potential of the waterfront developments in the Emfuleni and Midvaal areas.
The other area of focus includes the unlocking of the agricultural potential, especially the medicinal cannabis cultivation and other high growth sectors.
The provincial government has received commitments from local investors to the tune of R40 billion and the SEZ holds the potential to create 170 000 jobs over five years.
The SEZ will ensure skilled labour, easy access to a strong consumer base and connectivity to both suppliers and potential markets, whilst promoting export-orientated industries and local integration.
Over 3000 hectares of land has been secured across all the local municipalities in the Sedibeng District for the SEZ.
During the Imbizo on Friday, government will update the communities in Sedibeng on the progress made in the SEZ.
District Development Model (DMM)
The Gauteng Imbizo aims to unlock blockages to integrated service delivery and promote public participation in line with the DDM.
The DDM consists of a process by which joint and collaborative planning is undertaken at local, district and metropolitan level by all three spheres of government, resulting in a single strategically focussed One Plan for each of the 44 districts and eight metropolitan areas.
The objectives of the District Development Model are to:
- Coordinate a government response to challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality particularly amongst women, youth and people living with disabilities.
- Ensure inclusivity by gender budgeting based on the needs and aspirations of our people and communities at a local level.
- Narrow the distance between people and government by strengthening the coordination role and capacities at the District and City levels.
- Foster a practical intergovernmental relations mechanism to plan, budget and implement jointly in order to provide a coherent government for the people in the Republic; (solve silo’s, duplication and fragmentation) maximise impact and align plans and resources at our disposal through the development of “One District, One Plan and One Budget”.
- Build government capacity to support to municipalities.
- Strengthen monitoring and evaluation at district and local levels.
- Implement a balanced approach towards development between urban and rural areas.
- Exercise oversight over budgets and projects in an accountable and transparent manner.
The DDM is an operational model for improving Cooperative Governance aimed at building a capable, ethical Developmental State.
It embodies an approach by which the three spheres of government and state entities work in unison in an impact-oriented way, and where there is higher performance and accountability for coherent service delivery and development outcomes.
It is a method of government operating in unison focusing on the municipal district and metropolitan spaces as the impact areas of joint planning, budgeting and implementation.
This method refers to all three spheres of government, sector departments and state entities operating like a single unit in relation to achieving developmental objectives and outcomes in these district and metropolitan spaces over a multi-year period and over multi-term electoral cycles.
Although each sphere, sector or entity has its distinct constitutional powers, functions and responsibilities, they cooperate and undertake collaborative planning, budgeting and implementation processes converging efforts at the district/metropolitan level.
This joint work is expressed through the formulation and implementation of a “One Plan” which is a long-term strategic framework guiding investment and delivery in each district and metropolitan.
The plan is aimed at ensuring that investments and service delivery are guided in line with the district IDP plans.
The Presidential Imbizo will also afford all social partners - government, traditional leaders, civil society organs, labour, women, youth, persons with disabilities, business and communities - an opportunity to collectively engage in keeping with the DDM principle of an All of Society and Government approach to enhance integrated service delivery and create jobs. – SAnews.gov.za
