President Cyril Ramaphosa led the tenth and second rounds of the District Development Model (DDM) Presidential Imbizo, which started in the North West Province.
It was held at the Ikageng Stadium in Potchefstroom in the JB Marks Local Municipality, within the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District last week Friday, under the theme "Leave no one behind."
The visit to the province was meant to assess progress made on commitments the government undertook during the previous and first Development Model Presidential Imbizo of the 6th administration which was held in Mahikeng in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District on March 12 last year.
According to the Presidency, public participation engagement provides the opportunity for the community to address various service delivery challenges and for the national, provincial, and local leadership to respond to concerns raised by the residents.
Some of the concerns raised by the residents included a lack of service delivery, which accounts for infrastructure maintenance, government administration support for training and development, crime prevention, unemployment, housing, electricity, and a lack of water.
Olebogeng Matebesi from the Greater Stilfontein Socio-economic Empowerment Foundation said companies mining in their area are not complying with the Mineral Petroleum Resource Development Act (MPRDA), which ensures that companies mining in an area, must ensure that the communities in mining areas should benefit from the mainstream of the economy.
"We are the preferential community, and we qualify to apply for mining rights, but the law is not favoring us because we need a lot of money to enter that mainstream. It is not fair for us as the disadvantaged community from the mining areas," he said.
