Msukaligwa Local Municipality 2008/09 - Co-operative Governance ...

• Entrepreneurship training and SME support programsThe city’s mainstream programs could be adapted to meet the specific needs of the target group within the area of regeneration.• Community confidence buildingThis can include many measures such as promoting local success stories, encouraging the community to develop its own newsletter, to developingarts and crafts initiatives.• Crime and safety measuresThese measures can include a wide range of activities increased policing installation of closed-circuit television, increased bus services at night, andneighborhood watch schemes, to installation of more lights in dark streets.The Social FundThe Msukaligwa Municipal area of jurisdiction and its people suffered large-scale job losses in the past years. With the closure of major employers suchas Camden Power Station, the Ermelo Mines and other mining companies within the region, a large number of skilled and un-skilled people were facedwith job losses.Some of the other employment providers such as Telkom, Spoornet and certain forestry companies also instituted major down-scaling on labour forcesin the recent past. Nearly all towns in the Msukaligwa Jurisdiction suffered job losses and socioeconomic setbacks as a result of this.A decline in employment figures resulted in an intense burden on socio-economic service providers such as housing, welfare, health services etc.One of the key instruments of the ‘Regenerating Local Economies’ programmed is the “The Social Fund”. The aim of the fund is to provide financialassistance to municipalities to undertake a “Local Economic Regeneration Study’ within their area of jurisdiction. The fund makes a grant of REQ 000available to municipalities to conduct such a study. The main outcome of the study is a ‘business plan’ for the municipality that can be submitted to the‘Regenerating Local Economies’ steering committee, which has representation from key government departments, donors, private investors andfinancial institutions.The Local Economic Regeneration Study should have the following outcomes:• An in-dept understanding of the local economy• Identification of alternative sources of employment for those retrenched• Identifying employment programs such as the LED Fund, Community Based Development Programs etc.The Social Fund allocations can also be used to develop art Early Warning System” to identify potential economic problems within the area, Businessperformance surveys, conducted on a 6 month interval, can be proactively used to address economic problems.It is recommended that the Msukaligwa Municipality investigate the possibility of applying for the R50 000 Social Fund grant to be used to conduct an intensiveRegeneration Study.The results of a regeneration study for the entire Msukaligwa area will highlight the key focus areas to base an Urban Renewal Strategy upon. The followingissues will be some of the anticipated development priorities in terms of an Urban RenewalStrategy:Msukaligwa Municipality: Integrated Development Plan 2007/2012 259