The lack of proper coordination has been raised as a serious concern by the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature that delays service delivery. Members of the Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs recently visited an integrated human settlements project at Mashishing Extension 6, Thaba Chweu Local Municipality to assess progress on the implementation of the project. The committee also made a call that government departments and relevant stakeholders should not to work in silos.
Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Ms Gabisile Shongwe said that the committee has noted the pattern of operating in silos between government departments and municipalities which is a huge challenge hampering service delivery. “The challenges can only be resolved through joint planning with all the affected stakeholders, it is unacceptable that there seems to be a continuing lack of collaboration in planning between the spheres of government” retaliated Ms Shongwe. She further said despite progress made in the current planning, more still needs to be done to ensure local government is better integrated.
Given the lingering challenges, Department of Human Settlements, Chief Director for Programme and Project Management, Mr Uno Okon emphasised the importance of integrated planning and the District Development Model (DDM) for guidance. "The District Development Model remains an important pillar of planning and the implementation of policies and programmes at the local government level with the support of other spheres of government," said Mr Okon. He concluded by mentioning that the department will improve coherence in planning and implementation with municipalities.
The integrated human settlement project which the portfolio committee visited will deliver 1500 government subsidised houses, 800 bonded units, 1700 open stands, and provide public and commercial sites. The project is to address the mushrooming of informal settlements in the locality due to the mining activities in the area. The week-long Taking the Legislature to the People programme (TLP) conducted an oversight to some government projects to assess progress on implementation and oversight exercise. They also held public participation and stakeholder engagements sessions at various areas throughout the municipality to hear community concerns on various issues and discuss possible solutions as well as allowing Members of the Executive Council to respond to such issues.
ISSUED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORATE
MPUMALANGA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
CONTACT PERSON: FREDDY NGOBE – 013 766 6014 / 082 859 4630