President Cyril Ramaphosa will conduct the fourth DDM Presidential Imbizo in Gauteng on Friday.
The Presidential Imbizo theme is Leave No One Behind.
The visit helps execute the District Development Model (DDM) and faster service delivery strategies.
The Presidential Imbizo allows all social partners, government, traditional leaders, civil society organisations (labour, women, youth, people with disabilities, business) and communities to cooperatively solve current concerns and build conditions for long-term stability and growth.
At Sedibeng’s Imbizo, representatives from all three spheres of government will connect with citizens on service delivery difficulties and district development objectives.
The District Development Model is based on a “One District. One Plan” approach in which the three domains of government and civil society plan development.
“This strategy intends to solve service delivery difficulties, enhance local procurement, and generate jobs,” the Presidency stated in a statement.
The Sedibeng Presidential Imbizo will be the fourth engagement of this sort after President Ramaphosa’s supervision trips to the North West, Free State, and Mpumalanga since his February 2022 State of the Nation Address.
The Presidency stated the President would visit Sedibeng to examine service delivery and the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan.
Emfuleni, Midvaal, and Lesedi form Sedibeng District Municipality.
All these communities have significant unemployment, skills shortages, and ageing water and sanitation infrastructure, causing sewage clogs, spillages, pump station outages, water leaks, and pipe bursts.
The government has allocated R700 million to Rand Water to repair the Vaal sewage network.
Upgrades to power, roads, water, and sewage are being funded.
The Presidency stated the Vaal SEZ had achieved significant development.
The Presidency stated local investors had pledged R40 billion to the province government and the SEZ may produce 170,000 employment over five years.
The special economic zone will improve skilled labour, consumer access, and supplier and market linkage.
Export-oriented industries and local integration will be promoted.
More than 3,000 hectares of land in Sedibeng District have been obtained for the SEZ.
Growing Gauteng Together 2030 has identified many catalytic investment initiatives in Sedibeng District, including:
- The Savannah City housing development;
- Vaal River City and the Vaal University Village precinct;
- A cargo airport and logistics hub;
- The Vaal Special Economic Zone;
- The AB InBev investment project;
- The Vaal Marina development and logistics and mining investments in Lesedi; and
- The Gauteng Highlands projects.