Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
MATABELELAND South province has intensified efforts to meet development targets and priorities to ensure meaningful contribution to realisation of Vision 2030, which seeks to achieve an empowered upper-middle-income society.
Speaking during a recent Provincial Development Committee (PDC) meeting Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mrs Lathiso Dlamini-Maseko urged ministries, departments and agencies to align their activities and plans with national and provincial development frameworks, particularly Vision 2030, the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and local economic development plans.
She said these frameworks provide the roadmap for achieving sustainable economic growth and improved livelihoods for citizens.
“The Provincial Development Committee remains a critical platform for deliberation, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of the projects and programmes being implemented across the province.
“Through this forum, we are able to reflect on our performance, identify challenges, share best practices, and develop practical solutions that will accelerate development and improve service delivery,” said Mrs Dlamini- Maseko.
“There is need to constantly review the progress made since the beginning of the year and to assess the extent to which we are achieving our development targets and priorities as a province.”
Mrs Dlamini-Maseko said ministries, departments and agencies are leaders entrusted with the responsibility of driving the province’s development agenda. She said the PDC should be a platform to generate meaningful discussions and actionable resolutions that will strengthen implementation and improve development outcomes across all sectors.
“As decision-makers, innovators and change agents, we must remain committed to delivering tangible results that contribute towards the realisation of Vision 2030 and the attainment of an empowered upper-middle-income society,” she said.
Mrs Dlamini-Maseko said the successful implementation of Government policies, programmes and development projects depends on collective efforts. She said whole-of-Government and multi-sectoral approach remains critical in ensuring efficiency, avoiding duplication of efforts and maximising the impact of interventions.
“The time for working in silos has long passed. The challenges confronting our communities are interconnected and our responses must be equally interconnected. This platform must be results-oriented and responsive to the needs of our province and its people. Today, we gather not simply to review reports or fulfil an administrative requirement.
“We are here to ask ourselves important questions: Are we making the desired impact? Have we achieved the targets we set for ourselves during the first and second quarters? Where progress has been made, how do we sustain it? Where gaps remain, what must we do differently,” she said.
Mrs Dlamini-Maseko urged development partners to continue supporting coordinated monitoring initiatives saying such support does not only enhance accountability and evidence-based decision-making but also strengthens the collective ability to track progress and address implementation gaps in a timely manner.
“Where targets have been achieved, we must celebrate progress while identifying lessons that can be replicated elsewhere. Where targets remain outstanding, we must candidly interrogate the reasons and agree on corrective measures,” she said.
“More importantly, we must strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems across all ministries, departments and agencies. Effective monitoring is not about fault-finding, it is about ensuring that commitments translate into results. It allows us to identify challenges early, make informed decisions and remain focused on outcomes rather than activities,” she said.
-@DubeMatutu
