Barkly East, 15 August 2025 – The Joe Gqabi District Municipality (JGDM) Executive Mayor, Councillor (Cllr) Nomvuyo Mposelwa, has emphasised the importance of coordinated planning between the three spheres of government to fast-track the realisation of the district’s development priorities.
The Executive Mayor made the remarks during the District Development Model (DDM), Integrated Development Planning (IDP) and Budget Representative Forum meeting held at the municipal head office in Barkly East on Thursday, 14 August 2025.
The forum brings together sector departments and municipal entities to coordinate programmes and budgets with municipal development priorities, aiming to avoid duplication and address service delivery gaps. It also monitors the implementation of the District Development Model (DDM) Intergovernmental One Plan.
“This forum is significant to improve service delivery and track progress in the implementation of resolutions taken at the last meeting so that we may intervene where there are bottlenecks. Furthermore, the forum aims to promote collaborative planning to ensure that our development plans are aligned to the needs of our communities,” said Cllr Mposelwa.
The meeting was attended by councillors, traditional leaders, Department of Social Development, Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the Office of the Presidency represented by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DME), South African Police Service (SAPS), Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Department of Home Affairs, Department of Transport, Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), Department of Agriculture, Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT), Eskom, and the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC).
Deliberations were on issues including the process plan for the annual IDP reviewal, Social Development outreach programmes, SASSA disaster relief efforts, DEDEAT funding for entrepreneurs and cooperatives, Department of Agricultureprojects including multi-purpose centres, shearing sheds, fencing projects and the unemployed graduate programme, DSRACprojects, SAPS district crime stats, DoTroad infrastructure maintenance programme, Home Affairs smart ID cards campaign, and Eskom on its electrification programme.
Contentious issues impacting on service delivery in the district include increasing vandalism to government infrastructure, rising attempted hijackings of government vehicles, gender-based violence and stock theft which are leading crimes, scholar transport and road infrastructure backlogs, non-collection of identity documents and electrification backlogs in villages.
The Office of the Presidency noted that there is continued silo planning, budgeting and implementation in the district and encouraged for more coordinated planning, as well as continuous monitoring and reporting on the DDM One Plan.
In concluding the session, the Executive Mayor reiterated the government’s dedication to addressing the needs of the district’s residents and executing the forum’s decisions to achieve measurable results. She encouraged forum members to diligently address urgent service delivery issues and emphasised that maintaining high standards of service is essential to mitigating potential protests.
“We have taken significant steps towards aligning our development plans with the District Development Model, ensuring a coordinated approach to development in our district. We have also witnessed commitments from various stakeholders, including government departments, to support our development plans and initiatives. We remain committed to the needs and priorities of our people and we reaffirm our commitment to unlocking any bottlenecks,” said Cllr Mposelwa.
