By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

26 March 2025- The North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi has called on senior managers of the department to ensure the institutionalisation of District Development Model (DDM), to address challenges faced by municipalities in the province. Molapisi was addressing the strategic planning session of COGTA, held recently in Mahikeng to draft plans with clear targets, aimed at changing the face of local government and upscale support to institutions of traditional councils.

He further said service delivery challenges that as experienced by the communities, rest on ineffective local government. Molapisi added that, many municipalities lack the technical skill and resources to deal with unmaintained roads, frequent disruption in the supply of water and electricity, uncollected refuse as well as sewerage that runs in the streets.

“I demand immediate actions on amongst others the filling of vacant funded positions, inputs to the White Paper on Local Government, finalisation of policy on Traditional Leadership, particularly on issues of coronational and tools of trades as directed. 

“The department must play a leading role in the institutionalisation of the DDM as the key vehicle for service delivery. We will host the local government focused summit soon to discuss how best we can institutionalise the DDM approach. The DDM is more than a policy. It is a call to honour our constitution,” he said. 

Molapisi said they must never tire, but continue to work to resolve key challenges in the municipalities. He said they might consider aligning their strategic documents with One District Plans.

“We must also develop a tool to monitor the implementation of DDM across four districts. We need to take the lead in ensuring full participation of National and Provincial champions. We must ensure DDM champions take the lead in various interventions and programmes within their respective deployments. 

“Local Economic Development leg of our interventions will also be upscaled to deal with socio-economic challenges faced by different communities. The priorities of the government include driving inclusive growth and job creation, to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living and to build a capable, ethical and developmental state,” said Molapisi. 

He said, therefore, they need a leverage on this commitment to improve the state of local economic development in the municipalities. Molapisi said all officials were urged to do everything humanly possible to ensure that “Every Municipality Must Work” as local government it is the closest sphere of government to the people.
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