Executive Mayor's Foreword

The IDP and community engagements

I am proud to present to you this Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The IDP is an important document that takes the Municipality forward into the next five years and beyond. IDP's are adopted by councils after a municipal election and is valid for the council's term of office.

The IDP has been developed through a participatory process that involved input from various stakeholders, including residents, businesses, and civil society organisations. It afforded them the opportunity to become involved in shaping Swartland’s short-, medium- and long-term future.

The participatory process ensures that the IDP reflects the needs and aspirations of our community and is aligned with their priorities.

I believe the community engagements were very successful. I wish to highlight the following:

• The information that was presented to the community and other stakeholders gave people a better understanding of the IDP.

• The way in which we interacted was generally well received and residents participated in a very positive manner.

• We received a very good response via our Google Forms survey (874 responses).

The following issues were raised at almost all of the engagements:

• Community safety

• Unemployment and skills development

• Social challenges

• More interaction with the youth as they can provide valuable contributions

The way forward

Although an organisational culture is in place to implement the IDP, we need the willingness of each and everyone including the community.

We will need to make a concerted effort to prioritise and plan in order to address short-, medium- and long-term goals. The IDP is our business and blueprint for the next 5 years, 10 years and beyond.

During the first 5-year period we should look at what can be repaired, replaced or upgraded in each ward in a short time frame and with a limited budget.

During the next 10 years high priority should be given to a skills development centre and municipal court.

Over the longer term the following, amongst others, should be given our priority:

• A municipality that governs well.

• The three important Sustainable Development Goals for 2040 i.e. water, green energy and mobility.

• Transition of our towns into smart cities or small town regeneration areas that are safe, green, internationally connected, economically productive and spatially integrated.

• Adequate planning for disasters.

• International investments in our towns.

There will be doomsayers who will predict that our plan will not materialize. There will be those who won’t support it. Then there are the rest of us who will keep on trying.

I am confident that the IDP will provide the guidance and direction that we need to achieve our dream of a vibrant, prosperous, and inclusive municipality. I am committed to working with our community, government partners, and stakeholders to ensure that the IDP is implemented effectively and that we deliver on its promises.

ONE THING IS FOR SURE: OUR PLAN WILL CREATE A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL OF US.