CAPE TOWN - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday, urged his government to speed up service delivery to the poor and to reverse apartheid-era spatial planning.
The presidency said Ramaphosa met the minister and deputy minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta), Zweli Mkhize and Andries Nel, as well as senior officials in the department and stressed that it had to lead efforts to overcome challenges in the delivery of basic services.
“We were here to listen to the top management on what challenges the department is facing and how we can work together to address those challenges to ensure that government functions efficiently," Ramaphosa said, according to a statement issued by his office.
"Cogta is an engine of government as it is the glue between the people and government....As we experience protests in some part of the country, which are reportedly caused by lack of service delivery, this department is very key in addressing those issues and ensuring that municipalities deliver adequate and quality services to our people."
He then urged the department to "lead the charge around integrated urban development to decisively dismantle the legacy of apartheid spatial planning".