Deputy President Paul Mashatile met with King Ndamase of the Amampondo aseNyandeni on Tuesday, promising stronger government action to address service delivery failures and boost development in rural areas.
The meeting, focused on placing traditional leadership at the center of the development agenda, aimed to improve collaboration between the government and traditional leaders to tackle poverty, unemployment, and infrastructure backlogs.
Mashatile, who leads a government task team on traditional leadership, pledged accelerated efforts on land rights, rural infrastructure, and skills development. His delegation received updates on current projects, including water access, road maintenance, and programs to fight crime and substance abuse in the region.
“This is not a ceremonial visit,” Mashatile stated. “It’s a call to action.” He promised ongoing support, assuring the community that ministers and deputy ministers would continue to engage with the area to address all raised issues.
The visit is part of President Ramaphosa’s District Development Model, which emphasizes coordinated governance at the local level to fix municipal failures and deliver tangible results to communities. Mashatile stressed that traditional leaders must be central to these development plans.