Durban - The new government’s District Development Model (DDM), which President Cyril Ramaphosa is launching across the country, will fast track service delivery, hold civil servants accountable and help fight corruption.
Speaking during the launch at
Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu, north of Durban, Ramaphosa described the DDM as the best strategy to support the National Development Plan. He said the model had already been introduced in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape.
He said the system would help him to monitor implementation as “it is no use to have plans and budget without implementation”.
“Implementation has to be there, and it must now be clear to everyone that with this new way of working, all of us working for the government are now going to be evaluated on our performance,” he said,
He said those who were not prepared to implement “should step aside” to be replaced by compliant people.
“If you don’t step aside you will be removed,” he said.
Ramaphosa was accompanied by his Cabinet, including his deputy David Mabuza, to the launch, which followed consultation with businesses and ANC structures on Thursday.
“This model will bring corruption to an end,” he said.
He said the district model, which was formed through the combination of successful development programmes of various provinces, will see district, provincial and national governments pulling together and combining
their budgets for any form of development.
“We will be able to see what is happening in eThekwini. If the plan says there is” construction of a bridge or school or road all that will appear on the eThekwini plan, and we will be able to see everything while sitting in Pretoria.”
He said during the process of formulating the district model, he established that 3.9 million residents of eThekwini were unemployed and poor and as a result the government had invested R35 billion to the city.
The money would be spent especially on tourism and the oceans economy.
KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leaders Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza said amakhosi had accepted the plan after it was explained to them.
“We fully support it, and we are going to make sure that it received support. Among our inputs was that ward committees and traditional council structures should be combined,” he said.