Thank you, Deputy Speaker, the interministerial committee, IMC, on service delivery at district level is an important institutional mechanism to co-ordinate and aligns government's intervention to support all our municipalities in addressing service delivery bottlenecks and key developmental challenges that continue to negatively impact on the quality of the lives of our ordinary people. The President established the IMC in order to improve the overall performance and
the state of local government in respect of key legislative mandates of governance, integrated development as well as service delivery.
The ongoing work that the interministerial committee is seized with constitutes the core component of the President's Co-ordinating Council, PCC, agenda focusing on providing integrated and holistic support to all our municipalities. Through the participation of premiers and SA Local Government Association, Salga, the PCC remains intergovernmental platform to direct, consolidate and provide rapid leadership responses to challenges facing our municipalities, including the overall financial sustainability and the implementation of revenue enhancement strategies within our municipalities.
Where existing and potential challenges have been identified, the IMC has the responsibility to ensure that rapid intervention plans are developed and implemented within the framework of a district-based delivery model that government has adopted. More importantly, the IMC on service delivery at district level is tasked with political oversight and leadership in the implementation
of the district-based delivery model to foster co- ordination, coherence, collaboration and integration across all spheres of government in the development and execution of the common intergovernmental plan within a defined district municipal space.
In the main, these new models calls for better alignment on infrastructure plans, joined up implementation of sector plans as well as efficient and effective intergovernmental system to deploy our limited fiscal resources for better impact on the ground.
In the process of implementation, government is committed to broad-based community inclusion, participation and empowerment in a manner that deepen social cohesion and stability. The partnership with the private sector and other nonstate sectors are underway to ensure that everyone's contribution is brought to bear in building the country of our dreams together.
Embedded in the work of the IMC at district level is our focus on the integrity and resilience of governance system to give effect to the implementation of key
service delivery and development priorities. This includes the implementation of effective financial management system and controls that ensure the long-term financial stability and sustainability of each and every municipality.
As part of the package of integrated support to improve the performance of municipalities, national and provincial Departments of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, National Treasury and Provincial Treasuries are supporting municipalities in the area of revenue collection to ensure that municipalities are able to meet their service delivery obligation.
I am advised that to date, the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta, has piloted and simplified revenue plan in 42 selected municipalities which is aimed at enhancing the municipal revenue management and debt collection system in local government. The progress on these municipalities is closely monitored by the Cogta as well as National Treasury.
The successful implementation of the revenue plan will obviously result in improved revenue management, reduced municipal consumer debt and protection of municipal revenue. The objective of a simplified revenue plan project is to assist municipalities to review and improve the generic replicable model in the revenue plan. Targeted support is being provided to distressed municipalities to ensure that critical areas of revenue enhancement are strengthened and institutionalised. Some of the key measures include: ensuring revenue policies are in place in some of these municipalities; ensuring that clear credit control policies are implemented; putting in place accurate and credible billing system; ensuring that everyone who should be paying is actually paying property rates and services; monitoring of debtors accounts to ensure that those who must pay, meets their obligation on time; and implementing effective control systems to prevent revenue leakages, wastages and corrupt practices that depletes the money that has been already collected.
With these interventions in place, we are certain that there will be improvements on the integrated development
and delivery of services within our municipalities. Thank you very much, Deputy Speaker. [Applause.]