Opening Remarks by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the meeting of the President's Coordinating Council (PCC), Sefako Makgatho Guest House, Tshwane

Deputy President David Mabuza,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Premiers,
Executive Mayors,
Representatives of SALGA,
Directors-General and other officials,

Good morning,

I would like to welcome you all to this first meeting of the President’s Coordinating Council for 2020.

In the State of the Nation Address two weeks ago I presented the progress we have made as a country in confronting our many challenges. 

We continue to register gains in improving basic services, access to education and health care, rebuilding institutions, attracting new investment and improving the investment climate, and acting against corruption and state capture.

However, there is still much more that needs to be done.

In particular, we need to work with the greater speed to transform our economy so it works for and benefits all our citizens. 

We have a clear roadmap to address our energy challenges, but now we need to implement it, diligently and urgently. 

The quality of service provision continues to be uneven and in some places has even ground to a halt. 

Most importantly, we need to reignite economic growth as a matter of utmost priority. 

The presentation of the National Budget on Wednesday provided a sobering reminder of the formidable constraints we face in implementing our programme of action.

We are committed to reduce the rate at which public spending grows, steadily reduce our deficit, and direct our constrained resources to areas that have a high social impact and have the largest economic multipliers.

Unless we work smarter, all our best laid plans to accelerate service delivery, grow our economy and create employment on a large scale will amount to naught.

Many of the challenges we face are of our own making, and the inevitable outcome of poor planning, fragmented implementation, poor oversight and monitoring, wastage and duplication. 

The Medium Term Strategic Framework 2019-2024 has been finalised, and the process is underway to ensure alignment with the Provincial Growth and Development Plans.

As I said in SONA, this year we fix the fundamentals. 

And we have to do so in a manner that is deliberate and focused with regards to both planning and execution.

That is why this PCC meeting must be focused and business-like. 

We are here to discuss progress made since we met last August, where we collectively endorsed the District Development Model. 

There will be presentations made on the various initiatives to spur economic growth, on infrastructure, on investments and on service delivery.

Our focus on local government is evident in the R426 billion from nationally-raised funds that will be allocated to local government over the MTEF period. 

Local government is not just the engine room of service delivery – it is also the site for the most impactful investment.

Honourable Premiers, I am pleased to note that as you laid out your respective growth strategies, investment pipelines and catalytic projects in your State of the Province Addresses, you insisted that integrated development should not benefit only the cities and metros but also peri-urban and rural areas. 

If we are to make good on our promise that the District Development Model represents a new, improved way of bringing development to our people, we must continue in this vein.

That some provinces have indicated they have begun in earnest with skills audits in your municipalities shows that you have wholesomely embraced the concept.

By putting local government and district development at the centre by stepping up collaboration with SALGA and COGTA, we are harnessing the power of cooperative governance. 

Economic growth and holistic, integrated development go hand in glove, because as our localities flourish, as services improve, as infrastructure is upgraded and built, investment starts to flow. 

As the famous phrase goes: build it and they will come. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since the presentation of the District Development Model last year, three pilot sites have been launched, in the OR Tambo District Municipality, Waterberg District Municipality and Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality. 

Our ultimate objective is to develop One Plan that responds to the needs of communities in the districts and metros. 

I am therefore pleased that our Mayors are here with us today to share insights on their successes and their challenges.

We plan to continue with the roll-out of the model until we have reached all 44 districts and all eight metros. 

We have agreed that in this year we will launch in 23 districts, with all 52 concluded by August 2021. 

This is a feasible timeframe and must be adhered to. 

The Deputy President and I will also be visiting those districts that were not visited during the pilot launches.

At the Cabinet Lekgotla last month we received an update on implementation at the three pilot sites. 

A number of teething problems were identified, pointing to persistent problems around lack of coordination, insufficient clarity on the rationale behind certain projects, and skills deficits to name but a few.

As we progress, aided by the district profiles being compiled by COGTA, we will begin to have a clearer picture of what exactly the developmental challenges are in each locality. 

We must accept that no two districts are the same. 

The most critical need of one may be water reticulation, and in another it could be a shortage of primary schools. 

We can no longer apply a one-size-fits-all approach. 

Once the district profiles are completed and gap analyses done we will have a clear line of sight. 

Many departments have already begun the process of budgetary and programme reprioritisation and must be commended for doing so.

The establishment by COGTA of the National Programme Coordination Unit and District Hubs are slated for the end of March this year. 

Plans are also underway to source and avail technical and other expertise for shared use by the pilot sites and other district municipalities. 

We must also act with speed to implement the Private Sector Participation Model. 

Government cannot solve the country’s economic challenges alone, but is reliant on the participation of all sectors of society including business and labour.

To return again to the imperative of making do with what we already have, it is vital that we open the discussion around using existing programmes and initiatives. 

It serves neither us nor the people to endlessly re-invent the wheel. 

We must wean ourselves off the habit of every year launching one project after another, with fancy names to even greater fanfare, only for them to lose momentum or even disappear a year later.

Fixing the fundamentals means that we should make existing programmes work better, by injecting new resources or redesigning them or realigning them, instead of coming with something new when it is not necessary. 

We must apply ourselves with energy and vigour to implementing our national priorities within available resources, and this necessitates creative thinking.

COGTA for example has been looking at what we can do to align the District Development Model with existing initiatives, particularly as this relates to the creation of employment opportunities. 

Proposals include accelerating the implementation of existing training programmes such as the National Rural Youth Service Corps and redesigning the Community Works Programme.

If new projects are to be implemented, let us ensure there is community consultation, that a needs analysis has been done in that particular locality, that there is no duplication, and that it is aligned to our national objectives. 

Most importantly, and the success of this new model depends on it, let us ensure proper procurement processes are followed, and that we work within budget.

Let us work faster, let us work better, let us work smarter.

The District Development Model will also play an invaluable role in improving governance at municipal level. 

Through the Municipal Recovery Programme we aim to rein in profligate spending through better financial management and administration, and provide targeted support in provinces where municipalities are struggling.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

If we are to realise the objectives we have set ourselves, we cannot be complacent about the public mood, or misunderstand the patience of our people. 

We must arrest the decline facing our municipalities, support those in distress, and put them firmly on the path of recovery. 

In restoring stability and good governance to our municipalities, you can be assured of our full support. 

That is why forums such as this one are vital for us to engage, to solve our challenges together and to ensure we are aligned in all our actions.

Let us now get to the business of the day. 

Let us be deliberate, let us stick to the agenda, and let us remain, above all, focused.

I thank you.