22 May 2013
The South African government and business are set to work together to improve service delivery, with a major announcement of capacity-building partnerships between business and municipalities expected to be made in August.
This was announced by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi during his department’s budget vote in Parliament in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Baloyi said that business formations were polishing their offers for massive engagements to enhance the capacity of municipalities to deliver better services.
A major launch of partnerships between municipalities and business organisations is due to take place in August. Some of these partnerships will address basic service delivery through turn-key initiatives to deliver water, sanitation and electricity.
Business Unity South Africa has also offered to partner with municipalities. The organisation will assist in local economic development, with private companies being mobilised to support local government; energy and climate change; capacity-building to improve service delivery; public and private partnerships; and the promotion of good governance.
Already, Absa Bank has committed itself to focus on developing effective financial skills for local government managers, on promoting effective and transparent procurements, and on leadership building in affordable housing.
Baloyi said his department, in partnership with the Department of Higher Education, would soon launch a programme to improve the skills of councilors and traditional leaders. Details of this project will also be made known in August.
On the fight against corruption, Baloyi said his department was finalising an agreement between the Local Government Inspectorate and the Special Investigations Unit.
The department had also recommitted itself to its Local Government Turnaround Strategy Budget as a roadmap for effective support to the local sphere. Reflecting on the results of this strategy, Baloyi said a number of provinces were pushing hard towards achieving a clean audit by 2014.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
