5 Apr 2016
Today, the Acting Minister of Communications, Mosebenzi Zwane officially opened the National Imbizo Focus Week at Ga-Seleka Community Hall in Lephalale, Limpopo Province.
This is the fourth in a series of Imbizo Focus Week programmes since the current administration took office in 2009. The Imbizo Focus Week started on Monday the 4th and runs until 10th of April 2016. Around forty events are planned in the week ahead.
In keeping with the fundamental principles of the Imbizo programme, Minister Zwane’s visit to Ga-Seleka was a follow up visit to a visit done by Minister of Communications, Faith Muthambi who visited the area in November last year. Minister Zwane has observed for himself significant progress on service delivery.
Some noteworthy interventions include houses that are being built by the municipality for families who were found to be destitute previously. Furthermore, Minister Zwane officiated a switched-on the electricity grid that connected 749 households in Ga-Seleka. All of these issues have been raised by the community during the November 2015 Imbizo.
Minister Zwane, accompanied by provincial and local leadership also held a community Imbizo at Ga-Seleka Community Hall to provide feedback on issues raised previously. Evidently the Imbizo has managed to yield positive results, giving credence to a responsive and accountable government of the people.
“I am encouraged and pleased that progress has been made in this community and that Imbizo has facilitated for change to occur. It is pivotal that communities embrace the Imbizo Focus Week as it gives a chance to work together with government in bringing sustainable resolutions to their needs “said Minister Zwane.
The Imbizo Programme is uniquely a South Africans formulation and sees elected public representatives from all three spheres of government interacting with communities and stakeholder on a regular basis about their own development in their own localities. “I am very grateful to the government for building this house for me and my four kids. I am grateful for the work done by the Lephalale Social Workers in identifying poor families in our community and in ensuring that we receive government services and proper houses” said Sara Madibane.
Otsweleng family also benefitted from this programme. “I am very happy that government has built a house for my mother, we will now be able to sleep at night without worrying about the leaking roof on rainy days” said Lydia Otsweleng.
The Lephalale Local Municipality has been identified as one of the key mining areas in respect of the Special Presidential Package for the Revitalisation of Distressed Mining Towns. Minister Zwane provided an update on mining projects underway and in the pipeline in the Waterberg District Municipality, which will contribute to Government's Nine Point Plan to grow the economy.
Members of Ga-Sekela community also had an opportunity to register for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) set top boxes as part of the Department of Communications registration drive towards digital broadcasting. Different government departments were also in attendance to render services and provide government information.
For updates during Imbizo Focus Week, follow at @GCISMedia @SAGovNews and @GovernmentZA, join the conversation using the #ImbizoWeek or #9PointPlan. The full programme can be found on the government website www.gov.za.
Enquiries:
Phumla Williams (Acting Cabinet Spokesperson)
Cell: 083 501 0139
Issued by Government Communication and Information System