KZN COGTA leads the way country-wide in municipal capacity building

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube assured the community of KwaNokweja and eMazabekweni in the Ubuhlebezwe Local Municipality under the Harry Gwala District Municipality, that before the end of July this year, they will definitely have access to clean water. The MEC met with the communities on June and they urged government to move with speed to provide clean water.Dube-Ncube was accompanied by the Transport MEC Mxolisi Khawunda and Human Settlement MEC Ravi Pillay; who, also responded to issues of Roads, safety and Housing during a community engagement meeting in the area on 08.07.18

KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is hosting representatives of the country’s eight other provinces who have shown interest in KZN’s exemplary municipal capacity building strategy. The department has authored a comprehensive strategy for enhancing the political and administrative capacity of municipalities that has since been labeled as national best practice.

“It is an honour to lead the way in such an important field as capacity building and we are humbled that we are doing something other provinces consider worth replicating. Our municipal capacity building strategy is rooted in our hands-on experience of dealing with day-to-day challenges faced by municipal councilors and officials in the execution of their mandate,” said KZN MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

While drafting its municipal capacity building strategy, KZN Cogta recognized that over time a great deal of resources had been invested into strengthening the capacity of municipalities yet some municipalities had continued to perform below the expected standard. In some cases, there has been competition between stakeholders in implementing very similar projects.  

“It has been noted in certain instances that training programmes and workshops for municipal office bearers and officials target the same beneficiaries at the same time leading to the duplication of the scarce resources. Training is often equated to capacity building. While training is part of capacity building, training on its own may not strengthen the capacity of a municipality,” said Dube-Ncube.

KZN Cogta has therefore looked at capacity building in its entirety, considering the appointment of adequately skilled personnel and pay attention to the institutional capability by ensuring that there are adequate resources such as human resources, equipment, vehicles, policies and organisational structures that are aligned to the Integrated Development Plans as well as the powers and functions of municipalities.

“It is this all-encompassing nature of our municipal capacity building strategy that has made it attractive to our counterparts in other provinces who are now drawing on our experience in devising their own capacity building strategies that are tailor-made to their unique circumstances. It is only when all provinces work optimally, we will see wholesale change in municipalities country-wide,” said Dube-Ncube.

For more information contact: KZN Cogta spokespersons Lennox Mabaso, 082 884 2403; or Msawakhe Mayisela, 060 966 4220

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