Programme Director, Hon. MEC for Limpopo Treasury Seaparo Sekoati
Hon. MEC for Limpopo Department of Public Works, Roads & Infrastructure, Mme Nkakareng Rakgoale 

Hon MEC of Limpopo Department of Coghsta Basikopo Makamu,

Executive Mayor of Capricorn District Municipality, Cllr Mamedupi Teffo and

Mayors from across the Province,

Chairperson of the Roads Agency Limpopo Board, Mr Matome Ralebipi

CEO of the Roads Agency Limpopo, Mr Gabriel Maluleke

Officials from Department of Roads, RAL, Salga and other sister departments,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Allow me to firstly express my appreciation for the invitation by the Premier of the Province Hon Stan Mathabatha to this ground-breaking occasion, the signing of the MOAs for strategic partnerships with Local & District Municipalities… This partnership will cement collaboration between provincial government, through RAL and municipalities in Limpopo…this is truly DDM at Work.

This ceremony takes place during October month which is correctly themed “Siyakha…We are building a better transport system to grow South Africa”.

We are here today to celebrate this partnership because the Provincial Government had a vision in 1999 and established RAL, to plan, build and maintain roads in order to grow the economy of the province, through the provision of safe, quality and sustainable road infrastructure.

It was this visionary approach that led to RAL transforming the districts, by building roads that connect Sekhukhune to Polokwane making the drive safe and made the trip to Waterberg, Bela-Bela, Vhembe, Mopani… much more enjoyable for road uses, tourists, and businesses that transport goods out of the country.

In Institutionalising the DDM [through the IGR Framework]

We will be publishing Regulations in terms of Section 47 of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act for public comments. The introduction of these Regulations will be a significant milestone as it will enable all three (3) spheres of government to strengthen their relations through the lens of the DDM.

The regulations will confirm that the DDM is institutionalised within the existing IGR framework as defined in the Act but also make provision for the establishment of DDM technical structures at national, provincial and district levels.

Specific DDM and One Plan coordination roles and responsibilities are furthermore defined and expanded on in the regulations for national, provincial and district governments and departments. Currently regulations to effect improved inter-governmental collaboration are processed and it is envisaged that these will be gazetted during 2023 for public comment.

Of importance to add is that in accordance with the DDM mandate, CoGTA aims to stabilise at least 20 dysfunctional municipalities by the end of this financial year. This we will achieve reliant on Section 154(1) of the Constitution which calls on the “national and provincial spheres to support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to manage their own affairs, to exercise their powers and perform their functions”.

RESULTS-BASED PLANNING

Given what is stated above, in pursuit of improving and enhancing the delivery of quality and sustainable municipal basic services, the Department adopted a Results-based Planning approach towards the key programmes that will result in meaningful impact. To that effect, a Results-Based Management Office (RMO) is being established (operating like a WarRoom).

Of course, the WarRoom approach is not new to local government. Rather, it is being implemented not only to measure the acceleration of our programmes but gauge how impactful this is done whilst also closing the loopholes as illustrated in what the DDM concept note expects us to do. Therefore, the RMO is a strategic form of professional support through which municipalities will be capacitated to deliver infrastructure and strategic projects in order to drive the necessary enhancements required to improve service delivery.

A primary purpose of establishing a fully functional RMO is to ensure that all the infrastructure and/or strategic programmes produce the intended outcomes. This will be achieved through supporting delivery of projects as well as reporting and monitoring the realisation of the intended benefits during project execution and post the implementation of projects.

The RMO will be resourced through the recruitment and placement of highly qualified, skilled and experienced local government experts and specialist who will be working with municipalities, provincial governments, national sector departments and State-owned entities to bring about the much-needed basic services to communities in all the 9 provinces.

While the RMO will be based at MISA Offices in Centurion, the team will work in partnership with strategic organisations like RAL to deliver turn-key projects that are sustainable, delivered on time, and with lasting impact to the communities we serve.

Today RAL is responsible for 20 000  km of Limpopo roads network, of which 7000 are tarred…the remaining 14 000 gravel roads presents an opportunity for such partnerships to drive the delivery of safe roads to our District and Local municipalities…thereby bringing service delivery, through road infrastructure, to the rural areas leaving no one behind.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, we will implement the District Development Model in order to transform persistent apartheid spatial patterns that continue to reproduce poverty and inequality.

It is our firm belief that aligning our efforts and resources through the DDM and the Results-based Management Office, we will be able to streamline service delivery and improve the lives of our people we serve.

#LocalGovatWork