MSUNDUZI MUNICIPALITY
Library in Pietermaritzburg

Pietermaritzburg has come a long way from the quiet, colonial outpost it once was\. home to great international events, such as the Comrades Marathon, the Duzi Marathon, the Midmar Mile, the Royal & Garden Show, Art & Cars in the Park and International cycling events like the UCI BMX World Championships. Here one can walk in the footsteps of Gandhi, Mandela and Paton, and many other truly great South Africans. Pietermaritzburg is a vibrant South African city in the breath-taking Kingdom of the Zulus. It is rich in history and heritage, with South Africans mainly speaking IsiZulu, Afrikaans, English and Indian influences. The City is a cultural treasure-trove brimming with diversity. It offers a range of architectural heritage sites and close association with highly respectable individuals such as Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Alan Paton and many more. It's location has a strong influence on regional channels of investment, movement and restructuring of the Provincial Spatial Framework for growth and development Despite all the above competitive advantages, the City is challenged with growing unemployment, poverty and uneven development and infrastructural backlogs owed to apartheid spatial planning in the urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Integrated Development Planning is a tool or process that the Municipality uses to produce an Integrated Development Plan (IDP), which guides and informs all planning, management and decision-making to ensure that the Municipality fulfils its service delivery, constitutional mandates and performance score-card. the municipal council'; vision for the long term development of the municipality with special emphasis on the municipality's most critical development and internal transformation needs. an assessment of the existing level of development in the municipality, which 20 must include an identification of communities which do not have access to basic municipal services\. the council's development priorities and objectives for its elected term,including its local economic development aims and its internal transformation needs\. the council's development strategies which must be aligned with any national or provincial sectoral plans and planning requirements binding on the municipality in terms of legislation\. a spatial development framework which must include the provision of basic guidelines for a land use management system for the municipality\. a financial plan, which must include a budget projection for at least the next three years; and. Compiling existing data; consultation with communities and other stakeholders; analysing and agreeing on priorities. Agreeing on vision and objectives on priority issues; debate/decision on appropriate strategies; application of policy guidelines in local content. Project targets; location; time schedules; outputs; budget estimates; performance indicators. Screening, adjusting, consolidating and agreement on project proposals; compiling Integrated programs. Through these inputs, a consolidation process is undertaken to develop and refine developmental strategies and various operational plans to bring about financial, technological, infrastructural, social, institutional, environmental and spatial solutions towards the realization of the municipal strategic vision. In order to transform some of the public needs, complaints and concerns raised by members of our communities, the Community Based Process (CBP) as a development tool will be used to channel our development energies towards ward based development plans and budgeting process. This approach will be based on reputable statistical data and feasibility studies conducted to respond to our developmental challenges and needs. Where do you think are the most priorities of the City and why? If you can be requested to assist the City to achieve its Vision, what role and expertise that you can share to realize our City's objectives.