Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma will this morning address executive mayors and mayors from all 283 municipalities in South Africa to discuss the strengthening of the local government sphere.
The meeting, which will include executive mayors, mayors and municipal managers from all municipalities as well as director generals, is expected to take place at the Oliver Tambo Hall in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, 11 national ministers, the nine provincial premiers, all nine MECs responsible for local government, as well as the South African Local Government Association are also expected to attend the meeting.
Government spokesperson Themba Maseko said the meeting highlighted government's determination to improve local government capacity.
"It forms part of government's commitment to search for solutions to these challenges, building on progress made over the past few years, but acknowledging that a lot more still needs to be done," Maseko said.
He added that the meeting was a sequel to previous service delivery improvement sessions that the President has had with various stakeholders to improve dialogue and action within the public service.
This includes the recent meetings with school principals and the police station commanders.
During the Presidency's Budget Vote, President Zuma indicated the need to re-organise government to ensure coherence in the way it carries out all its functions.
"The last 15 years have exposed serious gaps in inter-governmental coordination, too often we have observed different spheres of government acting in a manner that is sometimes contradictory," President Zuma said at the time.
