Members of the South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA) in Limpopo visited Beit Bridge on Monday as part of an exchange programme aimed at cementing ties with the Zimbabwe Local Government Association (ZILGA).

The delegation comprised mayors, councillors, section managers and Speakers from various municipalities in Limpopo. Speaking during the meeting at the Beit Bridge Rural District Council chambers, the executive mayor of the Vhembe District , Cllr Falaza Philemon Mdaka, said there was a need for countries in the region to learn from each other in various areas related to local governance. “The SALGA Limpopo visit to Zimbabwe is aimed at learning and sharing ideas on how best we can run local government structures, so that we enhance service delivery in the SADC region, as we share common challenges,” he said.

Mdaka said there was a need for SALGA and ZILGA to work together in addressing the challenges faced by the local authorities in the two countries. “We want to explore ways to improve on service delivery to our people, because the challenges in Zimbabwe also affect South Africa, hence the need to work together."

Beit Bridge Rural District Council of Zimbabwe has a twinning arrangement with Musina Municipality, while Gwanda Municipality (Zimbabwe) has the same arrangement with the Makhado Municipality "...and we believe that way we will be able to achieve our goals and objectives,” Mdaka said.
He also made a presentation on the South African system of local government, saying poor monitoring and lack of co-ordination between municipalities and provincial departments continued to be a major challenge in South Africa.

The delegation also visited River Ranch Irrigation Scheme, situated about 20km outside of Beit Bridge town. Mdaka, who is also the provincial SALGA chairperson, described the farming project as a shining example of sustainability through agriculture. “Prior to our visit, we had a negative picture in which we were told that people in Zimbabwe were starving, but surprisingly we are seeing a different picture. People are hard workers and we had an opportunity to see it for ourselves when we visited River Ranch Irrigation Scheme, a thriving project with dedicated farmers,” he said.
The president of the Urban Councils Association of Zimbabwe, Cllr Femias Chakabuda, who is also the mayor of Masvingo, said the exchange programme was part of the SADC initiative to help promote and enhance service delivery within the region.

The South African delegation will also visit Gwanda and Bulawayo municipalities for a similar exercise, before winding up the tour by visiting Lusaka in Zambia.