Johannesburg: AfricUpdate – News Desk
The District Development Model (DDM) provides a mechanism for the development and the delivery of services for local communities, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli said. “The District Development Model is the local engine that turns global commitments into tangible change through jobs for our youth, clean water, functioning infrastructure, and safe neighbourhoods. The conversations we are having in Frances Baard today are part of the same national and global movement to make development people-centred, inclusive, and accountable,” the Deputy Minister said on Thursday.
This as she hosted a G20 Community Leaders Dialogue at the Roodepan community’s Roman Catholic Church in the Sol Plaatje Municipality, Frances Baard District, in the Northern Cape. The DDM was introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa to end the silo approach that has slowed service delivery and brings together the three spheres of government (national, provincial, and local) into one plan, one budget, and one accountability framework. She said that in the Frances Baard District, the plan focuses on areas such as water security and sanitation improvements; youth employment and skills development; and roads and infrastructure maintenance among others.
“As we meet here today, South Africa holds the Presidency of the G20 a platform of the world’s largest economies. Our Presidency theme of an ‘Inclusive Growth for a Sustainable Future,’ reminds us that real progress begins in communities like Roodepan,” she said. The Deputy Minister added that recent Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)environmental assessment and engagements show that the community faces ageing infrastructure and water shortages in areas like Roodepan, Windsorton, and Pampierstad as well as poor health service experiences and shortages of medication.
Other challenges include high electricity costs and frequent outages as well as delays in housing projects and title deeds. To respond to these, the The Sol Plaatje Municipality is installing high-mast lights and new taps in Lerato Park. “Phokwane is distributing water tanks and repairing potholes. Magareng is upgrading its water treatment plant,” said the Deputy Minister.
In addition, the 1 Billion Housing Project launched by President Ramaphosa includes units for Diamond Park and Roodepan. “Our task now is to ensure that these projects are completed, maintained, and serve the people they are meant for,” she said. The Deputy Minister further called for partnerships adding that government will set up regular feedback sessions, so that “your issues are captured in the One Plan review and acted upon. Frances Baard is a proud and resilient district the economic heart of the Northern Cape. The challenges you face are not insurmountable. Let us work together, community and Government hand-in-hand, to turn Roodepan into a model of cooperative governance in action,” she said.
