King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Municipality Executive Mayor, Nyaniso Nelani, has expressed gratitude to the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) for having selected the municipality to be one of six local municipalities in the Eastern Cape to participate in the Building Inclusive Green Municipalities (BIGM) programme, a partnership between SALGA and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
Nelani made the remarks at the KSD/City of Surrey partnership mini closing conference signalling the end of the partnership held at Mayfair Hotel on June 14.
One of the success stories shared by the KSD Municipality from the partnership includes the development of a local economic development strategy. The strategy focuses on agriculture, tourism and creative arts as economic drivers and investment attraction.
“It has been an honour to partner with and learn from the City of Surrey and it is our hope that we will continue to work together beyond the end of the partnership,” Nelani said. Through the partnership, the KSD Municipality was partnered with the City of Surrey in Canada, which involved mentorship and exchange programmes between the two, focusing mainly on poverty reduction, local economic growth and reducing the impact of climate change.
“The municipality overlooked the issue of vulnerable groups to participate in the economic activities and the BIGM programme has assisted with that aspect,” Nelani said.
He further expressed the need for the continuation of the mentorship and relationship with the City of Surrey and for other possible partnerships that SALGA can provide that will change the lives of KSD citizens.
SALGA Eastern Cape director of operations, Sonwabo Gqegqe, implored the KSD Municipality management to use the knowledge gained from the partnership with the City of Surrey to turn the municipality around for the better.
