COGTAINSIDE 4 - 15 JULY 2016

STATE OF THE CITIES

page 3

THE NEW AGE BREAKFAST

BRIEFINGpage 10

WINTER INITIATION

SEASONpage 8

CONTENTSInside CoGTA is an internal magazine

compiled and published by the Chief Directorate: Communication and Marketing. Please e-mail your

comments and contribution in the first week of every month to NkanyisoN@cogta.gov.za

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sibongile Malebye

EDITOR

Nkanyiso Ndadane

PHOTOGRAPHY

Fanie MahlanguSibusiso Mokoena

3 Latest State of the Cities Report released South African Cities Network releases the latest report of the state of the cities.

4 Northern Cape municipalities benefit from R18 -bn water scheme Deputy Minister Bapela attends the launch of a multi-billion rand water scheme.

6 Integrity and Professionalism in Public Service Professionalism, ethics and integrity are key in public

service.

8 CoGTA calls for incident-free initiation season DTA sets in motion measures to ensure safe

winter initiation season.

10 CoGTA hosts a breakfast briefing CoGTA minister and deputy ministers reflect on 15

years of local government.

2

Do you have a lot on your mind?

Share your views. Ignite discussion.Publish your comments and views on departmental issues in this staff newsletter,

deadline is at the end of the first week of every month.

E-mail: NkanyisoN@cogta.gov.za

3

SA cities report released to stakeholders - Sibongile Malebye

The 2016 Cities Report for Metropolitan municipali-ties was launched on 22

June 2016 by the South African Cities Network (SANC).

The report is a product of ac-cumulated wisdom of five years of knowledge and engagement by the South African Cities Net-work and the broader fraternity of urban development practi-tioners, scholars and analysts.

It highlights many achieve-ments and challenges that need to be addressed, the last report of this nature was published in 2011.

There are eight Metro mu-nicipalities in the country: Buf-falo City; City of Cape Town; Ekurhuleni; City of eThekwini; City of Johannesburg; Mangaung; Nelson Mandela Bay and City of Tshwane.

There is a population of more than 20 million that resides in the urban space of these eight Metropolitan municipalities.

As part of local government, cities play a critical role in tack-ling unemployment, inequality, poverty, crime, and other social ills.

These cities are resilient and have recorded many successes despite challenges facing them.

The recent report focusses on the performance of these Metros and also shows progress they have made in financial man-agement.

The recent data shows that cities have improved their finan-cial reporting and audit findings while a significant increase in their revenue and expenditure is also noted.

The 2016 Cities Report

shows maturity by local gov-ernment to deliver services to communities and how the sec-tor is transforming the spatial ills of apartheid.

The recently launched In-tegrated Urban Development Framework assists these Metro-politan municipalities to deliver and discharge their responsibil-ities.

Cities play an important role in the country’s economy as most economical activities take place in the cities, i.e, the City of Johannesburg receives approxi-mately 10 000 people who come to the city to seek economic opportunities.

Some of the report highlights are:

• South African cities are important as they are driving growth and devel-

4

opment.• They are performing but

under dynamic and dif-ficult circumstances and with mixed performance.

• Our institutions and sys-tems need to reconfigure to support cities.

• Spatial transformation continues to be the key lever for achieving in-clusive and sustainable growth and development.

• Everyone has a role to play - all spheres of gov-ernment, private sector, knowledge industry and civil society.

The second session of the

launch involved all spheres of government, private sector, knowledge industry and civil so-ciety who extensively discussed the report and ways to address identified challenges.

Citizens were called upon to play an active role in shaping their cities and build a better country.

In practice, communities can start by improving cleanliness of a street, greening public spaces, supporting community safety, catalysing economic develop-ment and promoting environ-mental sustainability.

This ensures that communi-ties look after the environment,

contribute to economy and are active in their own development.

The above echoed in the words of the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon who said: “Sustainable de-velopment is the pathway to the future we want for all.

It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance”.

The State of the Cities Re-port, can be downloaded from http://www.sacities.net/socr

Amid the ongoing wa-ter shortages across the country, CoGTA Depu-

ty Minister Obed Bapela visited Northern Cape where six mu-nicipalities stand to benefit fromthe water infrastructure project which includes the R18 – billion Vaal Gamagara Water Scheme.

The scheme was launched by the province’s Premier Sylvia Lucas and Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane at Delpoortshoop.

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch, Deputy Minister Bapela said the multi-billion rand scheme which includes the refurbishment of the Vaal Gamagara Water Treat-mentPlantwouldbenefitDikgat-long, Kgatelopele, Tsantsabane, Gamagara, Ga-Segonyana and Joe Morolong municipalities in the Northern Cape.

The project includes:• the refurbishment of the

Vaal Gamagara Water Treatment Plant;

• the upgrading of pump sta-tions;

• the construction of a 430 km pipeline from Del-poortshoop to Black Rock; and

• the equipping of three borehole sites in Dan-ielskuil, Groenwater and Hotazel.

“The scheme is a technological masterpiece. It consists of a raw water pump station, purificationworks, six booster pump stations, several reservoir facilities and a pipeline network,” said Deputy Minister Bapela.

Minister Bapela said the Vaal Gamagara water scheme is criti-cal for water supply to many vil-lages in these municipalities and the sustainability of iron ore and manganese mining operations in the province.

Northern Cape municipalities to benefit from R18 -billion water scheme project - Nkanyiso Ndadane

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LATEST TRAINING COURSES

HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT HAS ORGANISED THE FOLLOWING EMPLOYEES TRAINING COURSES FOR JULY AND AUGUST.

• PROJECT MANAGEMENT BASIC (Open to all) • DEPARTMENT INDUCTION PROGRAMME (For new employees) • CIP PROGRAMME LEVEL 1-5 (For SR 1-5) • CIP PROGRAMME LEVEL 6-12 (For SR 1-5) • BREAKING BARRIERS TO ENTRY (For interns)

TO PUBLIC SERVICE • MENTORING & COACHING (For mentors)

• CIP PROGRAMME LEVEL 1-5 (For SR 1-5) • CIP PROGRAMME LEVEL 6-12 (For SR 6-12) • DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT (Open to all) • PROJECT KHAEDU (For senior managers) • ADVANCED MANAGEMENT (For middle managers)

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME• BID COMMITTEE PMFA (For BID Committee

members)

Training dates will be communicated at a later date. For enquiries and information about the booking formscontact Lindile Mzele: LindileM@cogta.gov.za or extension 0626.

JULY

AUGUST

6

Government has a duty to proactively promote a culture of integrity, hon-

esty and clean governance.This will in turn lead to effective and efficient service delivery.

However, a professional and ethical public service that per-forms its duties and tasks with integrity and an active citizenry with high standards of Integrity to hold government accounta-ble is required.

With the Back to Basics pro-gramme that the department has adopted to - amongst oth-ers - call for the promotion of governance in municipalities and the department, the pro-motion of integrity becomes one of the key elements of the programme’s good governance pillar.

A need exists to shift from a rules-based compliance envi-ronment to a one based on the pillars of transparency, account-ability and integrity that builds

trust and public confidence.

Integrity

Integrity means adherence to values and norms; strict moral or ethical code, poli-cy or legal instruments and preceding codes.

This entails following your moral or ethical convictions and doing the right thing in all circumstances, even if no one is watching you.

Having integrity means you are true to yourself and would do nothing that de-means or dishonour you.

Integrity Management

Integrity management is about applying the highest ethical standards to every aspect of what an organisa-tion does i.e. policies, project implementation, recruitment, procurement and engage-

ment with stakeholders. Integrity management re-

sponds to the demand for government to respond to increasing awareness of eth-ical misconduct and resulting expectations for transparen-cy and accountability.

Professionalism

Professionalism is defined as the strict adherence to courtesy, honesty and re-sponsibility. It includes a high level of excellence - going above and beyond basic re-quirements. it also involves work ethics which concerns personal values and the completion of tasks in a time-ly manner with the highest quality possible and pride.

It’s the way a person con-duct himself or herself in the workplace.

Integrity and Professionalism Public Service - Mpho Mphohoni

7

Integrity v/s Anti-corrup-tion

Integrity is a broader con-cept than anti-corruption. It has everything to do with so-cial and professional inter-action and co-operation be-tween people. It is also about acting in compliance with the accepted values and stand-ards.

Legislation framework

Section 195 of the Consti-tution of the Republic of South Africa sets out the basic values and principles that govern public administration across all spheres of government.

Integrity and professionalism matters are also covered with-in the Code of Conduct for the Public Service and Public Sector Integrity Management Frame-work.

Section 4.4 of the Code of Conduct, contains some ele-ments that can assist employees in promoting integrity and ethi-cal behaviour.

This includes:• Executing duties in a pro-

fessional and competent manner.

• Being punctual in the exe-cution of duties.

• Not engaging in any trans-action or action that is in conflict with or infringes on the execution of offi-cial duties.

• Recusing yourself from any official action or deci-sion-making process which may result in improper personal gain. This should be properly declared.

• Being honest and account-able in dealing with pub-lic funds and usesing the public service’s property

Ms FTN Kabeni

Rank : Deputy DirectorUnit : Intermediate Cities Spatial PlanningLast : 30 June 2016

Mr GP Mazibuko

Rank : Chief DirectorUnit : Dept Traditional AffairsLast : 30 June 2016

Ms M Pheko

Rank : Deputy DirectorUnit : LED Policy and PracticeLast :30 June 2016

Mr MD Shelembe

Rank : Snr Internal AuditorUnit : Community Work ProgrammeStart : 1 August 2016

Mr M Madidimalo

Rank : Assistant DirectorUnit : FinanceStart : 1 August 2016

Ms Gigi Gosnell 01 JulyMr Sipho Mgidi 01 JulyMr Sibongile Douglas 04 JulyMs Nothemba Mtshakazana 05 JulyMr Thembinkosi Laat 05 JulyMs Ane Bruwer 05 JulyMr William Nyoffu 05 JulyMr Thembhani Chauke 07 JulyMs Lucia Mphuthi 08 JulyMr Masedi Malatjie 09 JulyMs Lerato Thwane 09 JulyMs L Tonjeni 10 JulyMr Sunil Gopal 11 JulyMr Justice Mohlala 10 July Ms Shanti Coetzer 12 JulyMs Avhavhuzani Khangale 12 JulyMs RNMaponya 13 JulyMs Thabile Mathebula 14 JulyMs Vespa Mabitsi 15 JulyMr David Madurai 15 July

01 - 15 July Birthdays

Staff Appointments & Resignations

and other resources ef-fectively; efficiently; and only for athorised official purpose.

• Striving to achieve the objectives of the institu-tion cost-effectively and in the public interest.

Some of the benefits the de-partment will derive if em-ployees have integrity and

act in an ethical manner in-clude: • Professionalism and in-

tegrity which can benefit the department through increased reputation, im-age, morale and success.

• Improved service deliv-ery.

• Restored confidence in the public service.

8

The 2016 winter initiation season commenced in var-ious provinces in the coun-

try with Deputy Minister Bapela calling on all traditional leaders and those overseeing initiation schools to work together to minimise the associated deaths.

He unveiled the government’s theme to encourage parents and all stakeholders to get involved and take interest in the well-being of young boys.

He said all stakeholders should rally their support behind govern-ment’s efforts under the theme: We Love Our Tradition, We Value Life of Our Youth in pursuit of the “Zero Deaths campaign”.

Deputy Minister Bapela further highlighted that this season would be guided by the recent approval of the initiation policy by Cabinet and the National Twelve-Point Plan which was adopted by stakehold-

ers at the Initiation Indaba in 2012. Meanwhile, the public is encour-

aged to report any wrong doing or illegal initiation school to authori-ties. A dedicated hotline - 086 11 11 66 - has been established to handle all issues associated with initiation

On behalf of government, the Ministry of CoGTA has con-demned any deaths associated with initiation which have become a trend in some parts of the coun-try that do the traditional practice. The ministry said getting the ini-tiation policy approved would go a long way in responding to the known challenges.

Provinces are also on board with the establishment of the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Teams which work tersely to en-sure that communities are well informed about procedures to be followed before children are taken to initiation schools.

The ministry has noted that many of the provinces have pre-pared significantly to ensure thesafety of those attending the initia-tion schools.

Initiatives like initiation cam-paigns, visits to schools and strengthening effectiveness of structures such as the National Initiation Oversight Committee led by the National House of Tra-ditional Leaders’ Deputy Chair-person Ikosi Mahlangu and the Provincial Initiation Coordinating Committees have been set in mo-tion.

The Eastern Cape province which experiences a number initi-ates deaths has launched Initiation Forums and received vehicles to be used by the monitoring teams through the season.

Gauteng has embarked on the Shanyela campaign where differ-ent initiation schools around the provinces were visited to check

CoGTA calls for incident-free initiation season - Modiegi Madiga

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the legitimacy and the safety of the children.

Despite all the efforts, illegal schools still remain a challenge for government as it is often not able to identify these schools. These are normally set up in secluded places that are not easily accessible by the law enforcement agencies or the monitoring teams.

Initiation practice is an old South African customary practice performed every year in winter and summer by both males and fe-males, however, this differ accord-

ing to cultural practices. The initiation practice is be-

lieved by many to be a rite of pas-sage from boyhood to adulthood.

According to initiation custom-ary practice, boys are ushered by elders into the adult world where after the schooling they are al-lowed to participate in the affairs of the community to a certain de-gree.

The initiation practice is used by many communities as a mecha-nism to ensure the legacy of their forefathers is passed from father

to son through the teaching in the initiation schools.

To date, the practice is still aligned to one’s Constitutional right to belong to a cultural, reli-gious or linguistic community and to enjoy a culture, practice, reli-gion and the use of language.

However, the right must also be read concurrently with the Bill of Rights which states that provid-ed that such rights may not be in-consistent with the Bill of Rights.

n In pursuit of the Zero Deaths n Tell number - 0800 111 166 n #zero tolerance on initiation deaths INITIATION - sacred path and a rite of passage towards respon-sible, community-oriented adults Before Initiation checks:

n Did your child undergo Medical checks?n Is the initiation school legal? - (did you see the authorising letter)n Is the traditional surgeon trained? – (did you see authorising permit)n Is your child drinking lots of water?n Is your child not using drugs? INITIATION – has been a central element of traditional African cultures since time immemorial and a necessary part of many African communities.

We Love Our Tradition

We Value Life of Our Youth

Traditional AffairsDepartment:

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

traditional affairs

CoGTA TNA Business Breakfast Briefing -

With few weeks left before the 2016 Mu-nicipal Elections which are scheduled to take place on 3 August 2016, the Minis-

ter of CoGTA has appealled to participating political partiestofieldcandidatecouncillorswhoarebeyondreproach and capacitated to serve communitie.

Minister van Rooyen made this appeal at the TNA BusinessBreakfastbriefingwhichwashostedbytheministry in the last week of June to discuss 15 years of local government.

Addressingguestsatthebreakfastbriefingwhichwas broadcast live on SABC 2’s Morning Live pro-gramme, Minister van Rooyen cautioned the munic-ipal elections canditates that communities deserve better from local government while calling on politi-cal parties to invest in their candidates.

Theministerhostedthebriefingjointlywithdep-uty ministers Andries Nel and Obed Bapela where many topics in relation to cooperative governance and traditional affairs were discussed:

TALKING POINTS:

DEPUTY MINISTER BAPELA

Deputy Minister Bapela told the guests that tradi-tional leaders would continue to play a complimenta-ry and cooprative role to new councils which will be elected during the 2016 Municipal Elections.

He said issues of cooperative model and the role of traditional leaders after 22 years of democracy would be put on a table for discussion when the De-partment of Traditional Affairs convenes a summit towards the end of the year.

Bapela said the issue of urbanisation adds a tra-ditional dimenssion to municipal governance as ru-ral people do not necesarily discard their traditional practices when they move to cities and towns.

A relevant cooperative model between munici-palities and traditional leaders will take all this into considertion, he said.

DEPUTY MINISTER NEL

Deputy Minister Nel warned of a rapid rate of ur-banisation and threw a challenge at South Africans to find innovativewaysofrespondingtothechallengeasoldmethodslikeinfluxcontrolwhichwereusedinthe past were no longer an option in the democracy.

He said towns and cities were not doing badly with approaches like integrated transport system to link different parts of the cities.

On the prevailing economic climate and its effect, Deputy Minister Nel said programmes like CWP were making contribution in skilling poor and mar-ginalised people and it gives them opportunity to be employable.

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CoGTA TNA Business Breakfast Briefing - Nkanyiso Ndadane

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