Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo

21 October 2022

Govan Mbeki Municipality held its Integrated Development Plan (IDP) Representative forum at Lillian Ngoyi centre on Thursday, 20 October 2022.

The purpose of the IDP was to reflect and report on progress made with respect to the strategy of the municipality in the five (5) year plan cycle, to also make adjustment to the strategy is necessitated by changing internal and external circumstances that impact the appropriateness of the IDP.

Thereby determining the targets and activities for the next financial year and also informing the municipality’s financial and institutional planning.

The Executive Mayor, Cllr Nhlakanipho Zuma said this journey called the “Model City of Excellence”, is the one that is going to release opportunities for each and every young person also ensure a prosperous education which will guarantee young people a bright future in Govan Mbeki Municipality.

He further mentioned that for all this to be possible no one will come from elsewhere to deliver this particular kind of municipality but the residence within the municipality will do.

The municipality invited to the IDP sector departments and stakeholders from the municipality to engage with the public on what projects they are doing towards uplifting Govan Mbeki communities.

Only a few Departments showed up to participate in the IDP.

Ms Levhuwani Ramuedzisi from Pan African Resources also known as the Evander Gold Mine outlined their community outreach programmes which included solar powered high mass lighting for the Sakhisizwe settlement referred to as Enkomeni which was handed over in October 2021 and public high mass lighting in Embalenhle.

‘’We further engaged with the department of education which they identified two (2) MST schools which lack of laboratories, which are Thistle Grove combined school that is already in the process of constructing the state of the arts computer lab and science lab also Thomas Nhlabathi Secondary school,’’ said Mrs Ramuedzisi outlining more of the projects including bursaries, trainings, learnerships and other community commitments they currently running towards accommodating Govan Mbeki communities.

The department of education outlined their challenges as shortage of schools as most schools are overcrowd.

“We have three projects in this municipality. The first project is the building of Trichardsfontein primary school which is currently operating on mobile classrooms, which is now on the planning and design process. The second project is the building of Osizweni Secondary School where currently the conditions of the school are not safe nor good, the school will be relocated to Evander and lastly we have Sharpeve primary school which is the most overcrowded school in the province which will be built in Embalenhle extention 25,” said Bongani Xaba from the department of Education.

Different stakeholders and sector departments presented their projects towards the municipality. Questions and inputs were allowed throughout the consultation.