Deputy President David Mabuza has spoken out on the increasing destruction of public and private property, which has taken place in recent days.
The Deputy President earlier today chaired the inaugural meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Service Delivery at District Level at Tuynhuys in Cape Town.
The first meeting took place against the background of sporadic incidents of violent protests, looting, burning of shops and trucks and other acts of criminality across the country, particularly in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
“Our State cannot be tested to that extreme. Such unbecoming behaviour cannot become a normal phenomenon. All organs of the State and spheres of government must work together to provide collaborative solutions,” said the Deputy President.
The Deputy President also strongly condemned acts of violence, destruction of property and targeting of foreign nationals in Gauteng and the burning of trucks in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
“We are a nation founded on the values of Ubuntu, as espoused by our founding father, President Nelson Mandela, who taught us the virtue of our common humanity and that we should always resist the temptation of being overwhelmed by hatred,” he said.
Deputy President Mabuza has meanwhile lauded the IMC for the critical leadership it is providing in shaping, coordinating and implementing targeted interventions towards improving the quality of service delivery.
The IMC on Service Delivery at District Level was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa following the directive to implement a district based approach to fast-track service delivery and to ensure that municipalities are adequately supported and resourced.
“The IMC on Service Delivery will provide political oversight and serve as a catalyst to oversee the implementation of measures to accelerate service delivery at local level through targeted support to municipalities,” the Presidency said in a statement.
Among the other key responsibilities, the IMC on Service Delivery at District Level will ensure the alignment of infrastructure development plans and operations with national, provincial and district plans as well as intensifying the implementation of pipeline infrastructure projects in the identified priority districts and metros.
It will also ensure policy coherence and unlock bottlenecks to fast-track service delivery; conduct safety and security assessments which provide early warning and quick response mechanisms to areas where there are service delivery problems and the upliftment of economic development and investment through revitalization of township and rural economies.
The IMC is expected to develop an action plan to deal with service delivery challenges.
The committee includes the Ministers of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs; Basic Education; Employment and Labour; Health; Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation; Police, Small Business Development, State Security as well as Transport.
“In this regard, the IMC had the opportunity to evaluate the state of readiness for the official launch of the Service Delivery Model at District level that is planned to take place this month in the Eastern Cape province,” read the statement.
Furthermore, the meeting received a presentation from Statistician General Risenga Maluleke on the state of service delivery at district level, which analyses the magnitude of service delivery challenges with regards to the provision of safe and reliable water, adequate electricity supply, adequate sanitation and decent housing.
The IMC on Service Delivery at District Level will convene monthly, to access progress achieved in the implementation of the district-based service delivery model. The committee will also work tirelessly towards unblocking service delivery challenges mostly in depressed municipalities. – SAnews.gov.za
