This was the message from Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Pravin Gordhan who was speaking during a seminar ahead of next year’s Africities Summit, where he urged leaders to respond to the rising populations in African cities.
The UN predicted that Africa’s urbanisation rate would double over the next 20 years and triple over the next 40 years.
Currently Cairo, Kinshasa and Lagos were the most populated cities in Africa. Johannesburg was expected to join this rank with a projected 10 million-plus residents by 2030.
During the seminar, which served as a precursor to the Africities Summit themed, Shaping the future of Africa with the People, Gordhan told leaders that inclusivity and sustainability needed to be included in their agenda to respond to urbanisation.
Gordhan said local government had a critical role to play to ensure the continued development of Africa’s people, adding that the political management of municipalities needed to be improved to effectively respond to the needs and aspirations of local communities.
“As the sphere closest to the people, effective local government is critical for ensuring that citizens have a positive experience of government,” said Gordhan. “Public satisfaction is a key pillar for developing responsive, effective and accountable local governments.”
Cities that were committed to inclusive urbanisation prioritised the delivery and maintenance of urban infrastructure, services and facilities that serve the majority of the citizens, Gordhan said.
“Exclusive urbanisation benefits the elite leaving behind the informal economy and the majority of the population stuck in sprawling slums.”
Gordhan proposed that leaders should implement governance systems which were geared towards prioritising its people and their concerns, promoting transparency and accountability, and using technology to advance accountability.
Joburg Executive Mayor Parks Tau said residents needed to play a critical role in developing local government policy.
“Inclusivity is about giving people a voice and not just a voice but a stake in the game,” Tau said.
According to Tau, establishment of ward committees afforded people to be active participants in local government by making representations to the municipality.
Further, he said the city council’s Jozi@Work programme sought to move residents from being consumers of services to producers of services.
About 5 000 participants were expected to attend the summit in December next year to discuss the vision for the continent for the coming 49 years including urbanisation and climate change.
