SALGA hosts National Rural Development Indaba

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) hosted the National Rural Development Indaba at Black Horse Lodge last week.

It was a two-day programme on Thursday and Friday that featured a host of dynamic speakers and stakeholders. There were energising discussions, inspiring keynote speeches and invaluable knowledge-sharing. The delegates were ready to deliberate on matters to advance rural development and improve the lives of people in rural areas.

The sole purpose of the indaba is to create a platform of engagement between government, businesses, citizens and other stakeholders to address the pressing challenges of unemployment, poverty and inter-generational inequality.

Zululand District Mayor Thulasizwe Buthelezi welcomed all the members and applauded SALGA’s efforts in contributing to local economic development and the empowerment of women.

The event was hosted under the theme ‘Effective co-operative governance, spatial transformation and sustainable rural development’. Different members spoke about the proposed National Integrated Rural Development Framework, saying that it should guide land, governance, roads, infrastructure, planning and development management across rural spaces in South Africa.

There were consultations aimed at enhancing inter-governmental relations between state and traditional authorities for the advancement of rural development goals, as well as to identify suitable mechanisms to be explored for the sustainable funding of rural development.

A panel discussion also took place, facilitated by Vuyo Mvoko. During this discussion, members debated the challenges and possible solutions to unlock rural development as they shared different ideas.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.