Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says there is a great need for councillors to be educated.
Mkhize says the fourth industrial revolution requires leaders from all government levels to be equipped with knowledge and skills.
He was speaking at the graduation ceremony of over 200 female councillors in Durban.
Local government is the third tier of government; this is where people connect directly to government. However,service delivery protests in communities have become a daily occurrence for many.
Thirty six-year-old Phumelele Dube from ward nine in KwaDukuza hails from such a community.
She graduated after completing a yearlong leadership course. She says this will enable her to work better with her community of over 4000 residents.
“It is important to go to school and get education so that we can understand the documents that we work with. So that we can take back the messages to our communities.”
Research conducted by the provincial government in the province in 2016 shows over 200 councillors did not have matric.
Government says this will go a long way towards curbing incidents of maladministration in municipalities.
Dr. Zweli Mkhize says: “There’s a huge need for us to upgrade the level of education for councillors on a continuous basis because that’s the one guarantee we have to ensure that they will be able to ensure proper oversight, to ensure proper accountability.”
Mkhize says the program will be rolled out nationally.
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