The Presidential District Development Model (DDM) Izimbizo are a priority for the seventh administration, as President Cyril Ramaphosa has identified local government as a priority focus area of the Government of National Unity.

This is according to Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who briefed media at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday on the President’s engagement diary.

He said government has an obligation to interact and communicate with citizens in all corners of the country.

‘With the Government of National Unity, this has become more urgent so that all citizens can understand how the new administration is working for them,’ he said.

The Presidential DDM Izimbizo have been held since 2019 after President Ramaphosa indicated that he would like to visit South Africa’s 44 district municipalities and eight metropolitan municipalities.

Magwenya said the Izimbizo – which are attended by all Cabinet members – affords ordinary citizens a platform to voice their challenges and to hear f
rom those that lead government on a national, provincial and local level.

‘The Izimbizo is more than just a feel-good or gig for the President and the Cabinet. It is about identifying a district in conjunction with the provincial governments. Once a district has been identified, the various spheres of government come together, different workstreams are established to drive the process that is coordinated by the political champion.

‘A few days before the actual Imbizo, Ministers and Deputy Ministers are deployed to the district to inspect their respective programmes. New projects are identified. On the day of the Imbizo, the President is accompanied by the Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Premiers, Members of provincial governments, Mayors and Councillors and the community engages them. It does get heated at times and emotional,’ Magwenya said.

He highlighted that public participation in the country has been a hallmark of South African culture since the dawn of democracy 30 years ago.

‘Public participation is
intrinsically part of the DNA of the democratic South Africa. To be exact, it was initiated by the Constitutional Assembly in 1994 to consult and keep South Africans abreast of the Constitution writing process.

‘It is against this background that the President can assert that the Presidential Izimbizo and the public participation programmes are not political gimmicks of the current and previous administrations.

‘Neither is it an extravagant exercise and wasteful expenditure of taxpayers’ money. But it is a caring government which is engaging its citizens across the political divide.

‘It started in 1994 and it is entrenched in the South African public discourse. It has evolved from former President’s to today’s public participation programme of the Presidential Izimbizo under the banner of the [DDM],’ he said.

At the briefing Magwenya hit back at critics of the izimbizo. This after recent reports claimed that government had spent at least R44 million on hosting four Izimbizo over the past 18 months.

While
he conceded that hosting an Imbizo could be costly at times ‘all the officials involved must ensure that procurement processes are conducted within the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act’.

‘Yes, critics will point out the high cost of DDMs and they will motivate how the money could have been utilised elsewhere. Indeed, one cannot quantify the impact of the Presidential Izimbizo in monetary terms, but it should be measured over the medium to long-term of what changes such events will bring to communities.

‘It is mischievous to reduce the Presidential Izimbizo to Rands and Cents. It is about a caring government that is closer to the people, ensuring their right to access to basic services is solidified.’

Source: South African Government News Agency