The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma today, 09 November 2020 participated in the Zululand District Command Council meeting as part of a series of her District Development Model (DDM) working visit. Minister Dlamini Zuma was accompanied the MEC of CoGTA, MEC of Trasport, Community Safety and Liaison, Chairperson of the Zululand House of Traditional Leaders, District Mayor and local Mayors as well as traditional leaders. These ministerial DDM working visit is in line with the mandate of CoGTA as expressed in Chapter 3 of the Constitution and further facilitated through the Inter-Governmental Relations framework. Minister emphasised that further to the effectiveness of municipalities is the role of Traditional Leaders as part of government. The District Development Model (DDM) therefore becomes a logical conduit of coordination and cooperation which advocates for the elevation of active participation all sectors of society. The meeting emphasized the importance of the DDM as an all of government and society approach which will surely turn around the way communities experience government. Being at the coal face of service delivery, municipalities are expected by communities to meet all their needs. It is within this context that section 154 of the constitution enjoins provincial and national spheres to support municipalities. The Zululand district transition from relief to recovery hinges on exploiting its endowment in tourism, agriculture and forestry as well as the revival of the Prince Mangusuthu Buthelezi regional airport. A concern was noted that in some areas, access to water is a huge problem, especially in areas of Amakhosi. Minister encouraged the leadership of the district to also explore the harvesting ground and spring water for communal use. In an effort to ameliorate the water challenges in the Abaqulusi municipality, CoGTA through its agency the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA) and provincial CoGTA facilitated technical and funding support for water supply infrastructure projects to the community of eBhokwe and are currently upgrading the waste water treatment plant in eMondlo. The eBhokwe and eNyathi water reticulation project comprise of abstraction work from the stream, package treatment plant for purification of water to drinkable standard, a 0.3 Mega litres storage reservoir for storing and distribution of water and gravitational pipelines and standpipes for reticulation. A total of more than 250 households will benefit from this project. The eMondlo waste water treatment works comprise an upgrading and replacement of sludge drying beds, clarifier, return activated sludge pump, aerators and a chlorination tank. This catalytic infrastructure intervention comes at a point where the country is fighting the novel COVID-19 virus in which one of the most basic non-pharmaceutical interventions is to observe good hygiene practices by washing hands regularly to mitigate against the spread of the coronavirus. The estimated budget spent for eBhokwe and eNyathi water supply infrastructure is R19,3 mil. Whereas R40 mil has been set aside for eMondlo waste water treatment works project, R20million being funded by the KZN CoGTA. Through the implementation of these projects over 100 job opportunities were created for local residents. Minister Dlamini Zuma concluded by calling for an end to gender-based violence which is foreign to our culture. Within this context, Minister urged all sectors, especially traditional leaders to partner with government in reversing the GBVF pandemic. Minister called for adherence to all Covid protocols during the festive season. Media Enquiries: Lungi Mtshali 082 088 5060 CoGTA Ministerial Spokesperson Issued by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs