Riyaz Patel
President Cyril Ramaphosa will launch the first pilot site of the district-based coordination model dubbed ‘Khawuleza’ in the OR Tambo District Municipality, Eastern Cape on Tuesday, 17 September 2019.
The OR Tambo District Municipality comprises the King Sabatha Dalindyebo, Nyandeni; Ingquza Hill, Mhlontlo and Port St Johns local municipalities.
During his Budget Vote to the National Assembly in July, Ramaphosa said the “pattern of operating in silos” had led to “lack of coherence in planning and implementation and has made monitoring and oversight of government’s programme difficult.”
He said this ‘silo approach’ had resulted in retarded service delivery and a “diminished impact on the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.”
Cabinet has adopted an integrated district based approach to enable rapid development in the 44 districts and 8 Metros in the country.
It’s envisaged that from planning to implementation in each district, government will consult social partners to ensure that development meets the needs of local communities and stakeholders.
The strategy entails localised procurement and job creation to ensure local businesses participate in and benefit from development, and that citizens in the district concerned are prioritised for employment on local projects, a statement from the presidency said.
OR Tambo District Municipality, Waterberg District Municipality in Limpopo and eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, have been identified as the first three pilot sites for the model.
