The North West Provincial Government is finalising a bill that will ensure that all forms of planning across the province are coordinated, equitable, inclusive and efficient.

The process to align the Provincial Spatial Planning and Use Management Bill to the Spatial Planning and Use Management Act  16 of 2013 was endorsed in the meeting of the Executive Council(Exco) held in Mahikeng on Wednesday.

Premier Thandi Modise says that the proposed bill will provide a framework that will effectively facilitate land use decision making within the province that is reflective of national policies whilst responding to the unique local challenges.

Premier Modise says the main aim of the proposed North West Land Use Management Bill is to streamline, consolidate and improve the provincial spatial planning and land use management system in a sustainable manner, taking into consideration the unique challenges and legal requirements applicable to the province.

“Given that Section 33 of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act requires all land use planning to be dealt with at municipal level, the provincial government will as a transitional measure and in order to build capacity fund the employment of qualified and registered Town and Regional Planners for our District municipalities for a period of two years. This will cost us over R5 million” assured Modise.

The processes leading to the NWLUMB were funded by the Finnish Government and supported by the Support the Environment and Sustainable Development in North West (SESDNW) Project.-TDN

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Klerksdorp-The annual Provincial Early Childhood Development (ECD) awards ceremony scheduled for Thursday is a means to promote excellence, dedication and investment in the future of children by individual practitioners and various organisations involved in the early stages of child development, 

North West MEC for Social Development Collen Maine said on Wednesday.

“This awards initiative which has been taking place since 2003 is implemented in partnership with the departments of Social Development and Basic Education, the South African Congress of Early Childhood Development and UNICEF,” Maine said, adding that the awards will raise awareness of the ECD sector’s goal to break the cycle of inherited poverty.

More than 600 submissions for this year competition, Maine said were received in the North West province alone and were compete for the best practitioner of the year and ECD centre of the year categories.

The awards ceremony will be held on Thursday at Makhado lodge in Matlosana at 10h00.-TDN

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