Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
There appears to be an increase in service delivery around Northern KwaZulu-Natal. But, as noted, municipalities still have a long way to go.
However, a considerable stumbling block faced across the province is protest action stemming from upset community members.
PAID ADVERTISING
This form of response negatively affects facets of the business sector and communities. Therefore, the Endumeni (Dundee) Municipality has gone back to basics, looking at ways to serve the community better and deescalate complaints before protest action ensues.
On 21 April 2021, Endumeni Council and officials from the municipality and sister departments attended a workshop hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) on Rapid Response.
The Endumeni Municipality’s Communications Unit states, “The main aim of this workshop is to ensure that councillors and officials are equipped on how to better manage the affairs and complaints of the community rapidly, to enhance public participation and better manage community unrests before they take place.”
This will also apparently assist the rapid response team in being proactive in terms of identifying the key causes of community protests.
According to KZN CoGTA, the workshop at Endumeni Municipality is part of the department’s efforts to capacitate municipalities to better deal with protests. This, KZN CoGTA says, can be done by adequately coordinating public participation structures within municipalities.
Elaborating further, KZN CoGTA explains that after the Local Government Elections, all Municipalities are required to take a council resolution on the Re-establishment of Municipal Rapid Response Teams as per the COGTA RR Strategy, approved and signed by the Head Of Department.
“Once that has been done, we then embark on Municipal Rapid Response Team workshops, whereby we present the approved strategy and also the Responsible and Peaceful Protesting Campaign launched by the MEC on 11 February 2022 in Ubuhlebezwe Local Municipality,” KZN CoGTA highlighted.
With this in mind, the government entity stressed it had received an invitation from the Endumeni Municipality’s Speaker to workshop their Municipal Rapid Response Team, as the local municipality has taken a council resolution on their establishment to address the matter.
As the Dundee Municipality goes back to basics, what are your thoughts?
Share your views in the comment section below?
RELATED NEWS
