Middelburg — The Steve Tshwete Municipality hosted an Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Local Economic Development (LED) Representative Forum on 11 March 2026 at the Eric Jiyane Community Hall, bringing together government departments, stakeholders and community members to discuss development priorities for the 2026/27 financial year.
Municipal Manager Mandla Mnguni presented a strategic overview of the municipality, explaining that the IDP serves as a five-year development framework aimed at integrating planning and service delivery across the municipality’s 29 wards.
Assistant Director for IDP, Tlami Nkambule, presented the needs identified by communities for the 2026/2027 financial year, focusing on issues raised during public consultations.
The Department of Social Development reported on its fourth-quarter progress for 2025/2026, while the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development highlighted ongoing agricultural initiatives and multi-year development programmes.
Infrastructure development was also discussed, including the D20 road project linking the R555 to Presidentsrus, presented as part of efforts to improve connectivity and support local economic growth.
Mining company Seriti Mine outlined its Social and Labour Plan for 2026/2027, which includes local economic development initiatives, skills development programmes, corporate social investment projects and updates on community trust projects.
Resident Thabo Mokoena, welcomed the engagement but emphasised the need for faster implementation of projects.
“We appreciate that the municipality is involving the community in planning, but residents want to see these projects being implemented as soon as possible,” he said.
Another resident, Nomsa Dlamini, said the forum provided useful information about development programmes in the area. “Meetings like this help us understand what government departments are doing and how communities can benefit from the programmes,” she said.
