The Department of Strategic Planning and Management (Strat) led by Director Ntsikelelo Sovasi are in a direction of finding strategic catalytic solutions to support delivery of water and sanitation services that are efficient and sustainable to the ADM communities.
Held at the ADM Mayoral Building in Quigney, Strategic Planning and Management Department Portfolio Head, MMC Bandile Ketelo spoke greatly on the importance of an overall brand positioning of the institution, further commending the role played by Communications and Customer Care unit, that was led by the late Nonceba Madikizela-Vuso as one that has been and continues to be at the forefront of repositioning the institution’s brands and central to the operations of the municipality.
“The level of work that this unit has done is commendable and should continue to be elevated to greater heights. It is one of the vital tools we utilise to reach and engage with the communities that we service” – he said.
Ketelo concluded by encouraging the department, saying clear and implementable plans that will assist in bettering ADM need to be devised in this session and only that way the institution will be steered in the right direction.
Municipal Manager Dr. Bhekisisa Mthembu also took the opportunity to address the sitting where he said
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e (ADM personnel), needed to work hard to put the institution back on its feet so as to enable it to discharge its institutional responsibility of providing quality services to the people of ADM.
“We are all here to make a positive contribution that will ensure the tomorrow of ADM will be different from today. Things must change in such a way that our thinking and planning is impact driven” - said Mthembu.
In reference to the District Development Model (DDM), Mthembu also added that colleagues should stop the norm of wanting to compete with one another as individuals, units and departments and rather work with one another in unison. Concluding on this, he said when it comes to strategic planning, we cannot plan for what we don’t have.
“Let us go by the concept less is more and make use of what we have to get more. Let this be a paradigm shift of how things should be done and that way we will be headed in the right direction” – concluded Mthembu.
Additional to this, the session itself will look to discuss matters that have a detrimental effect on the functionality of the department which include as highlighted by the Chief Financial Officer CFO Mr. Ncedile Zengethwa, a disjointed work structure; understaffing in various divisions; municipal financial recovery plan and audit outcomes to mention a few and how best these can be improved upon.