In a collaborated efforts to transform the state of our municipalities in line with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, the North West Provincial Treasury, Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) have joined forces to drive meaningful change and improvement inmunicipalities.
The aim of this collaboration is to amplify the successes achieved so far and eliminate silo operations that have hindered effective collaboration in the past. The District DevelopmentModel (DDM) framework, which emphasizes coordinated planning and service delivery, serves as the foundation for these collaborative efforts to foster an integrated and effective local governance that benefits all citizens.
Addressing the collective, the MEC for Finance, Ms Kenetswe Mosenogi appreciated the efforts of the past administration for their unwavering commitment to strengthen local governance and improve the quality of life for all citizens. She said the current commitment builds on the progress that has been made to date, rather than starting from scratch.
MEC Mosenogi expressed a concern on municipalities that continue to adopt unfunded budgets and said this is an impediment to service delivery to the citizens of this province. “We cannot overemphasize the importance of municipalities implementing funded budgets. A funded budget is a critical step towards financial sustainability, as it ensures that municipalities have the necessary resources to deliver quality services to citizens. We will work closely with municipalities to ensure that they have the capacity to prepare and implement funded budgets,
which will enable them to provide reliable and efficient services to citizens, invest in infrastructure development and maintenance, create jobs and stimulate local economic growth and improve their creditworthiness and access to funding”, said the MEC.
The collaborative efforts will focus on supporting municipalities in implementing the Financial Recovery Plan, which is a critical component of improving the finances of municipalities and supports the objectives of DDM. The Financial Recovery Plan is designed to help municipalities overcome their financial challenges and achieve financial sustainability.
“We firmly believe that by working together, we can overcome the challenges that our municipalities face. Through cooperation, shared vision, and unwavering commitment, we will strengthen local governance and improve the quality of life for all citizens as this will foster greater collaboration and coordination between different spheres of government thereby promoting inclusive and participatory governance that involves all stakeholders, including
traditional leaders and local communities”, said Mosenogi.
These collaborative efforts build on the process already started between CoGTA and Provincial Treasury of implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which would clarify the role of each department and do away with duplications. The structured arrangements would also include SALGA.
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Issued by North West Provincial Treasury
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