President Cyril Ramaphosa has assured investors that government will cut red tape that stands in the way of development. He was speaking in Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal at the end of three days of discussions between different spheres of government, traditional leaders and the business sector.
They were putting together plans to develop the Wild Coast, which includes some of the poorest areas in the country.
The focus is on a stretch of 120 kilometres of coastline between Margate on the South Coast and Port St Johns. The hope is that settlements, villages and towns will link up over time to become the first post-apartheid city.
“I know that sometimes that when approvals must be given there is a tendency, a lackadaisical tendency, of sitting on applications and getting people to sign and fill in thousands and thousands of forms. Now that, if we really want economic development, we must cut out that chaff. We must make things happen,” says Ramaphosa.
President Ramaphosa leads District Development Model visit to Ugu district in Eastern Cape:
President @CyrilRamaphosa received by KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala @sziks and @NationalCOGTA Minister Nkosazana @DlaminiZuma upon arrival at the Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre for the District Development Model (DDM) visit focusing on the development of the Eastern Seaboard. pic.twitter.com/TJWVOSFEjZ
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) November 12, 2021
Meanwhile, Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says the government’s vision for developing the eastern seaboard between Margate in KwaZulu-Natal and Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape, is being supported by local leaders and businesses.
Dlamini-Zuma was speaking at a meeting outside Port Shepstone where Ramaphosa discussed plans to develop four districts in the South Coast and the Wild Coast.
She says the government hopes that the development of the 120-kilometre stretch of coast will establish the first post-apartheid city in the country.
“We’d like to really build a city here which is poly-centric, which means it will start with different nodes but eventually, hopefully, coalesce into one city. In this city, we would like to see a city that is safe for children and women. Because if it is safe for children and women, it is safe for everyone,” says Dlamini-Zuma.
The time to work together as government, business, civil society and other stakeholders to put plan in action to develop our communities is now. We are acting as one to improve the lives of our people, this development includes the development of new post apartheid cities. pic.twitter.com/NdT6UEzKRH
— Dr Dlamini Zuma (@DlaminiZuma) November 12, 2021
