Pretoria – KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu and members of the executive councils will today oversee the first sitting of councils in various municipalities across the province.
The Premier will be in Mtshezi, Escourt, in his capacity as a champion of Operation Sukuma Sakhe deployed to the district to champion solid service delivery.
Premier Mchunu has called on all political parties in various municipalities to remember that they represent the interests and aspirations of millions of people who voted on 3 August 2016.
He reminded the political parties that time to advance narrow political interests are over now, emphasising that once elected into office, partisanship should be placed in the back burner.
“We should act in unity in order to fulfil the mandate given to us and we need to take joint ownership for the development of our respective municipalities. Acting in partnership with our communities, we need to see to it that councillors hold regular meetings with their constituents.
“Communication is a vital tool in ensuring that the right kind of service is delivered to the right kind of community, and we cannot operate remotely. Once left behind, communities feel neglected that their needs are not being met. Thus they take up arms, in a manner of speaking,” said Premier Mchunu.
He added that service delivery protests can be prevented by constantly engaging communities, so that the municipalities have their feedback on whether their efforts are serving their needs.
“For all the stakeholders, working together and having constant dialogue means joint ownership of local development. We need to harness the local energy by engaging in an inclusive exercise of forming ward committees. These are a vital element in ensuring that the voices of even the most remote members of the community are heard.”
The Premier further emphasised the need for local municipalities to form partnerships with local business in their day-to-day activities.
“Across the country, reports are coming out that businesses are heeding the call for joint ownership of local economic development in partnership with local municipalities. Let us harness this show of goodwill in order to enhance development and service delivery,” the Premier said. – SAnews.gov.za
