Ramaphosa to lead Presidential Imbizo in KZN

The 7th instalment of the Presidential Imbizo is expected to give an overview of how the District Development Model (DDM) has progressed throughout all the municipalities in the country.

The Presidential Imbizo that was first piloted in KwaZulu-Natal has toured six provinces so far in a bid to engage communities directly on the issues they face.

On Friday the Imbizo descends on Ladysmith in the Uthukela district, where President Cyril Ramaphosa will interact with residents.

The district has been marred by a water crisis that has been exacerbated by among other things, drought and frequent vandalism of existing water infrastructure.

There are also service delivery challenges including the non-electrification of certain areas in the district.

Residents in Ladysmith are expected to raise their concerns with the President about the ongoing water crisis in areas such as eZakheni township and Weenen.

Residents of Weenen say they are one of the forgotten communities in KZN:

Inadequate healthcare services

Many residents have lamented inadequate healthcare services too. Over 60% of the population in the municipality lives below the poverty line.

Communities in the district will know in real time which actions or interventions will be employed to address their concerns and issues they raised.

Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong explains, “The President will give an in-depth analysis of the work of the District Development Model. You would remember that KZN is one of the first provinces to have piloted the DDM and as I have said the intention is to make sure that we do away with fragmentation when it comes to planning and that government works in unison in all three spheres of government with respect to planning budgeting and implementation. The President will give an overview of the strides made since the conceptualisation of the DDM in 2019.”

7th Presidential Imbizo to be held in Uthukela District of KZN today:

6th Presidential Imbizo

In May  Ramaphosa, accompanied by national and provincial leaders, hosted his 6th Presidential Imbizo in the Winelands District Municipality in the Western Cape

The district which consists of towns such as Paarl, Worcester, Stellenbosch, and Wellington is well-known for producing about 70% of South African wine and using its vineyards to attract tourists from all over the world.

The district is under the leadership of the Democratic Alliance (DA) after the Local Government Elections of 2021.

Amongst its challenges are high levels of poverty with at least 454 households being child-headed, about 10% of the number in the Western Cape.

About 45% of these households live in informal shacks, nearly double the rate in the province which has approximately 25% of people living in informal housing.

Drug-related crime also remains a perennial problem in the community

Outcomes of the 6th Presidential Imbizo: Natasha Phiri: