Govan Mbeki Local Municipality 2011/12 - Co-operative ...

• Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe
drinking water
• Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by
2020
• In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for
decent and productive work for youth
• In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable
drugs in developing countries
• In cooperation with private sector, make available the benefits of new technology,
especially information and communications
2.1.7 Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS):
Another important government initiative implemented during the past few years is the
Provincial Growth and Development Strategy programme. The Provincial Growth and
Development Strategies were compiled within the parameters set by the National
Spatial Development Perspective, as well as the Integrated Sustainable Rural
Development Strategy as defined by national government.
A PGDS is a “strategic and integrated provincial development plan that provides
direction and scope for province-wide development programmes and projects, within
the context of a long-term perspective and taking into consideration resources
available and constraints.” Furthermore, a PGDS provides “a spatially referenced
framework for both public and private sector investment, indicating areas of
opportunity and development priorities and enabling intergovernmental alignment.” In
essence then, the Provincial Growth and Development Strategies are aimed at
providing strategic directives to District and Local Municipalities in formulating their
more detailed Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), and Spatial Development
Frameworks (SDF). It is thus essential that the issues and directives emanating from
PGDSs’ be compatible with the vision, priority areas, and guidelines of SDFs of local
and District municipalities.
Flowing out of a thorough SWOT analysis and identified trends, the Province has
identified six priority areas of intervention as part of the PGDS, namely:
• Economic Development (i.e. investment, job creation, business and tourism
development and SMME development);
• Infrastructure Development (i.e. urban/rural infrastructure, housing and land
reform);
• Human Resource Development (i.e. adequate education opportunities for all);
• Social Infrastructure (i.e. access to full social infrastructure);
• Environmental Development (i.e. protection of the environment and sustainable
development); and
• Good Governance (i.e. effective and efficient public sector management and
service delivery).
In line with strengthening the intergovernmental planning system and to ensure that
there is sustainable growth and development in the province, the PGDS has adopted
the following as guiding posts:
• Internationally, the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); and
• Nationally, the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa
(ASGISA) and the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) of South
Africa
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