15 April 2015
The Second National Imbizo Focus Week took place from the 7th to 12 April 2015 under government’s five year theme “Together we move South Africa forward” has come to an end.
The Focus Week saw political principals from all three spheres of government engaging in dialogues with community members and stakeholders across the country. The main purpose of these engagements was to unpack the pronouncements made by President Jacob Zuma during the State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on the 12th February 2015 and to promote active democratic citizenry as envisioned in the National Development Plan (NDP).
During the National Imbizo Focus Week, political principals also had an opportunity to share government plans to improve service delivery and eradicate issues facing communities and South Africa as a whole.
The NDP was also discussed at length by political principals, community members and key government stakeholders. Prominent events included the official launch of the Focus Week on 07 April in the North West Province at Montshiwa Stadt Village in Mahikeng. The purpose of National Imbizo Focus Week was to encourage citizens to make use of this programme to address issues in their areas.
There was also a community engagement on 07 April at Siqhingeni Village, Alfred Nzo District Municipality in Eastern Cape Province. The Imbizo took place during the launch of Siqhingeni water scheme as part of post-State of the Nation Address briefings through the government's National Imbizo Focus Week. The water scheme is set to benefit about 15 522 villagers covering 10 deep rural villages of Mt Frère.
Another notable event was held on 10 April 2015 at Harrismith Town Hall in Free State Province. The Imbizo focused primarily on finding solutions to the Harrismith Hub and N3 De Beers Pass developments. The Free State Provincial Government, through its Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, identified the Harrismith Logistics Hub as a key driver for economic growth in the province. The Imbizo set in motion a process for more consultation and communication between all stakeholders and affected parties.
On the 10th of April 2015, a woman Imbizo in Bela Bela, Limpopo was attended by about 250 women, representing women’s organisations and people with disabilities. This imbizo focused on challenges confronting women and people with disabilities in co-operatives and small businesses, and sought to empower them to access opportunities and services that government has availed to them. It was noted during the Imbizo that access to information remains a critical challenge for citizens as many people are not aware of the programmes, services and opportunities that are meant to assist their small businesses and co-operatives.
A visit to the community of eMadlangeni in Newcastle on 7 April 2015 was held to respond to some of the issues relating to agriculture. The highlight of the event was food security, economic growth and job creation. The community was urged to use agriculture to alleviate poverty, generate income through creating employment opportunities.
A stakeholders and experts Imbizo was held in the cyber technology sector, including think tanks, policy commentators and political analysts in Pretoria on Friday 10 April 2015 to discuss issues relating to the advancement of technology in safeguarding national security.
The closing of the Imbizo Focus Week was anchored from the GCIS national office in Pretoria on 12, April 2014 with a video link up to a site in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga The event was streamed live on the GCIS web streaming platforms with interactions from social media platforms.
During the National Imbizo Focus Week, government representatives embarked on over 70 Izimbizo events country-wide and noted issues that were raised during the engagements with the public and made commitment to make interventions.
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Acting Cabinet Spokesperson
Phumla Williams
Cell: 083 501 0139
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