Ventersdorp- In a bid to help municipalities to strengthen ties with communities in the North West Province and assist capacitate community members, the Department of Local Government and Human Settlements together with Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality held a ceremony to hand Ward Committee Offices and Certificates to honour ward committee members in Ventersdorp.

Ward committee members who were trained in different fields will be assisting and empowering community members in municipal affairs and therefore improving the standard of living through their inputs and guidance. A total number of 1881 ward committee members have been trained in the program, candidates had to pass 8 modules before receiving their certificates.

Only four provinces were identified for this project and North West was fortunate to be among the chosen. The project which has been a success through its pilot stages in the North West aims to arm community members with skills that enable them to assist other community members. The project was funded by European Union through the Department of Cooperative Governance.

The speaker of Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality Mbulelo Zephe officially opened the offices and handed them over to ward committees, committed to assist with the facilitation of the committees and make it easier for them to interact with community members.

Pule Moipolai, Director for Municipal Administration in the Department of Local Government and Human Settlement said the program is unique in its nature as community members will be helping other community members “There is no other project like this in the North West all thanks to Mr Eshmael Lesabe who led the project, all though it has not been smooth sailing all along, we are overwhelmed that the program has picked up” remarked Moipolai.

He continued that successful candidates who received the certificates were encourage to serve their communities with efficiency and be accountable. “It’s very important that communication with the community is maintained, and it should be transparent. Reporting back to the community is also equally vital, whether it is good or bad news” concluded Moipolai.