Calls mount for public, private partnerships to focus on SA's most vulnerable
by ANA Reporter
Cape Town - Partnerships between government and the private sector should focus on creating a conducive environment where citizens could sustain themselves, social development minister Lindiwe Zulu said.
Speaking at a build-up to Thursday's state of the nation address for GovChat - government's official citizen engagement platform - Zulu highlighted the role the private sector could play in "re-imagining" social development.
“I believe that the continual collaborative engagements and interactions will foster a better appreciation and the need for new and creative projects in re-imagining concepts and programmes for the advancements of social development,” Zulu was quoted as saying in a statement.
"We must say yes to creating a better South Africa and to partnering with each other, as this will add to creating a conducive environment to ensuring that citizens can sustain themselves."
Her department said that in collaboration with the ministry, GovChat would document and publish a White Paper to serve as a "guide to define mutually identified actions and to underpin ongoing agendas and discussion".
Zulu encouraged the sector to be responsive to the new ideas brought in through the engagements and to embrace change.
She encouraged the private sector to open up opportunities to help communities grow.
"She emphasised that these partnerships must have a proper coordination approach and this starts with a platform such as that of GovChat and highlighted how this reach-out should be continuous," the department said.
GovChat was founded in 2016 and allows citizens to connect and communicate with national, provincial and local government representatives in real-time, via chatbots. It is expected to enable the department to interact with 17 million grant beneficiaries from March 1.
African News Agency (ANA)