The Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, today, hosted the National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF) Indaba at Gallagher Estate, Midrand under the theme: "Moving South Africa forward, towards the desired Spatial Future".
Addressing the delegates, the Minster of DRDLR said that Spatial Planning is important in a young democracy. "As a young democracy, we have inherited a fractured spatial plan and, therefore, we need to address this spatial inefficiencies and inequalities," she said.
"We need to use this NSDF as a transformative tool to deal with the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality by bringing key stakeholders from the various sectors of society together, to share knowledge and exchange learning," said the Minister.
"Communities and societies need to be discouraged not to build along the flood lines. Our work is to protect the communities and to capacitate them on which land is suitable to build their houses and which one is not suitable for building," highlighted the Minister.
"The DRDLR, in collaboration with the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), are working together to develop the first NSDF for the country, to respond to the challenges of efficiently managing resources, land and driving and accelerating spatial change and transformation."
"The NSDF will enable a changing course by providing a new spatial and development vision and logic. It is not only about fixing the past but having a strategic handle on shaping the future. It will inform and energise the posture of a developmental and capable state posture to lead society in changing the course towards a new desired spatial future. The drive for spatial transformation in South Africa is a huge undertaking that can only be driven by a capable developmental state. Spatial planning can only be relevant and effective as part of a conscious developmental state transformation programme. We, therefore, need to get our hands dirty and work. After we have gone into rigorous planning there must be implementation. The difference I want to see is the difference I am willing to do," concluded the Minister.
The Indaba also gave the department an opportunity to update stakeholders on the NSDF's progress and share the work done with regard to the its development. The Indaba platform was also used as part of the consultation process required in terms of the Act, to solicit inputs from leaders within Community Based Organisations (CBOs), Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and the private sector.
Opening the Indaba, the Acting Director General (ADG), Ms. Rendani Sadiki ,said that the undoing of the dreadful spatial legacy of these systems, engineered to exclude the African majority from the wealth of the nation, was never going to be an easy task. At the core of these systems lay a well-planned and malicious use of space to cement the intent of excluding, suppressing, exploiting and marginalising black South Africans. This culminated in two forms of segregation: 1) the Bantustans –and fragmented and unequal towns and cities, 2) the development of townships as we know them.
"The National Development Plan (NDP) signaled the beginning of a different approach to rectifying the past and creating a different future for all who call South Africa home. Through its comprehensive, systematic and integrated engagement with a range of sectors of South African society and economic life, it opened up a passage from the past into the future. The NDP identified a key area to attend to, i.e. the preparation of a national spatial framework. It recognised that such a national spatial framework is required for the realisation of the progressive social and economic development objectives as espoused in government driven policy.
The DRDLR Department of Rural Development and Land Reform responded to the call in the NDP, and made provision for the preparation of a NSDF in its 2013-Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act, also known as SPLUMA. After four years of hard work in collaboration with the departments of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and National Treasury, together with extensive research and many workshops, we stand here today to witness history in the making with the first Draft NSDF," she said.
"The NSDF signals a clear break with the past and the way we have been doing things. It will require a radical and decisive change in the way investment and spending have been planned, budgeted for and done in the national space, as well as in the sub-national, provincial and municipal space. While these changes will not always be easy, and entail very different ways of engaging, collaborating and investing and spending in space, the rewards of doing so will far outweigh the sacrifices – a peaceful, prosperous and truly transformed South Africa by 2050, whereby we move South Africa forward towards our desired spatial future, not just for us but, more importantly, for our future generations," concluded the Acting DG.
To schedule Interviews and broadcast requirements, kindly contact the DRDLR Media Liaison Officer: Mr Moses Rannditsheni on 082 448 2450.
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