Update on Presidential eThekwini Working Group

The Presidency has provided an update on the work of the Presidential eThekwini Working Group.

The group was announced following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the area earlier this year and is aimed at improving service delivery, improving business confidence, and repositioning eThekwini as an investment and tourism hotspot.

READ | Presidential Working Group to accelerate resolution of issues impacting eThekwini

It is co-chaired by the Director-General in the Presidency and Secretary of Cabinet, Phindile Baleni, and former KwaZulu-Natal MEC of Economic Development and Tourism, Mike Mabuyakhulu.

“On the 8th of April 2024, Director-General Phindile Baleni and Mike Mabuyakhulu led a series of follow-up engagements with the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, organised labour in eThekwini, and the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry to discuss the Working Group’s eight priority focal areas.

“The focal areas are the outcome of a deliberate consultation process within government and with social partners in eThekwini. The municipality, organised labour, and the business community expressed their commitment to leverage their expertise to support turnaround strategies across the identified focal areas.

“The Working Group represents an intergovernmental collaborative approach to addressing challenges in local government and will include active participation from all levels of government, the private sector, state owned enterprises, organised labour, and civil society,” the Presidency said in a statement.

The group’s focal areas are:

• Governance and financial sustainability 
• Water and sanitation
• Safety and security
• Tourism revitalisation
• Roads, bridges, and transport
• Human settlements
• Disaster response
• Communication and stakeholder management.

The statement said the intervention is expected to last some 24 months.

“The Presidential eThekwini Working Group will be responsible for reporting progress on the implementation of turnaround strategies to the President and Minsters every three weeks. The intervention will last 24 months and focus on both short-term and long-term interventions.

“The learnings and outcomes of the Presidential eThekwini Working Group will inform similar interventions in other municipalities facing service delivery challenges,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za