The province of KwaZulu-Natal has been a hive of activity ahead of the District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo taking place on Friday.
Ministers, Deputy Ministers and provincial government officials have been visiting various communities to check on service delivery deliverables.
Friday’s DDM will be held in conjunction with South Africa’s 30 years of freedom and democracy celebrations.
On Wednesday, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Kenny Morolong, visited the Old Prison in Pietermaritzburg, the nearby Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) train station and the Nelson Mandela Capture site in Howick.
Addressing locals in Pietermaritzburg, Morolong said that as the country celebrates 30 years of democracy, it is also reminded of its painful past.
“We share our appreciation to those who laid their lives for our democracy. We convey our appreciation to the families of those who laid [down] their lives for democracy. We are reminded of our men who were brave and able to face the then apartheid regime. We are reminded of Nelson Mandela and others who stood firm and face[d] the apartheid regime so we could enjoy our democracy today.”
He emphasised the importance of preserving the Old Prison’s (which has been declared as an official heritage site) history for future generations.
According to Project Gateway, the prison houses “both a National Monument and a museum documenting some of South Africa’s diverse history.”
“The Old Prison dates back to Voortrekker times, with more than 160 years of history, including the Colonial times, Apartheid, the Liberation Struggle, the Political Struggle and ultimately to the dawn of democratic South Africa in 1994,” said Project Gateway.
“Today we are a nation proud of its democracy. Today we are proudly celebrating 30 years of democracy. But we should not forget that our democracy did not come cheap. Sacrifices were made to achieve our democracy.
“We are also reminded of those women who were brave who fought for our democracy. We should be proud of our democracy. We should be proud of our government which is taking care of its people,” Morolong said.
Meanwhile, representative of the Ghandi Foundation, David Gangen, spoke passionately about events which led to South Africa’s democracy.
Gangen said what happened to Ghandi was the beginning of South Africa’s democracy.
“So having come to SA to fight a case, [Mahatma Ghandi] was to stay for 21 years, during which time he established the first formal political structure in SA in 1894, the Natal Indian Congress (NIC).
“The NIC celebrates its 130th anniversary this year. It was during this time that he experimented with truth and developed the core tenets of his philosophy in all aspects of life,” Gangen said.
Mayor of Ungungudlovu, Nzi Zuma Nxamalala, said he appreciated the visit by the Deputy Minister.
“As we do in our work, we keep on reflecting back to remind ourselves of our past. We appreciate being part of the celebrations [of] our democracy,” Nxamalala said.
On Tuesday, the Deputy Minister and a delegation visited the Open Gate Special School, a school with special educational needs for the disabled.
The visit to the school coincides with the commemoration of Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) which is observed from 3 November to 3 December 2024.
The Deputy Minister also visited households that benefitted from Set-Top-Box installations and mobilised qualifying community members to apply for the set top boxes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to lead the second DDM Presidential Imbizo under the Government of National Unity (GNU), in Umgababa, at the Umnini Sportsfield in Ward 98 on Friday.
Cabinet adopted the DDM in August 2019.
The DDM is an integrated planning model for cooperative governance which seeks to be a new integrated, district-based, service delivery approach aimed at fast-tracking service delivery. It also seeks to ensure that municipalities are adequately supported and resourced to carry out their mandate. – SAnews.gov.za
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