"Decision making in Durban involves management, political leadership, staff and communities," said City Treasurer, Krish Kumar, accepting the award.
"I think this is a miracle for our city where everyone is able to join hands in fostering the spirit of togetherness and unity. The municipality is filled with people who are positive about the future because they are participants in creating a better tomorrow."
Kumar also suggested that the rapid economic growth of KwaZulu Natal has been catalysed by eThekwini's approach to social and economic issues, including the use of Area Based Management.
With its 2007/08 budget, the city has struck a favourable balance between social expenditure and economic growth. Within the context of limited resources, this year's budget has been executed in a manner that is both responsible and sustainable. At the heart of the budget is the Long Term Development Framework (LTDF) which informs it.
The LTDF maps out the strategic vision for the city over the next 20 years. Taking this strategic framework as a starting point, the city's budget is pro-growth, meets basic needs, and builds on existing skills and technology.
Since 1994, the city has shifted its economic and business focus dramatically with a view to serving the people of eThekwini better and more inclusively. In order to achieve this aim, the perceptions of the city's residents are canvased on an ongoing basis, with a view to providing a better quality of life for all.
Kumar said: "There is no doubt that Durban is a smart city. That is because we have smart citizens. I am also very proud of the smart leadership team of the eThekwini Municipality and my comrades and colleagues on the eThekwini council.
"Major projects such the ICC complex, uShaka Marine World, the regeneration of the CBD and other projects like River Horse Valley, Bridge City and Umlazi Mega City have are doing what they were supposed to - creating a ripple effect that is stimulating economic development and growth all around them."
Mayor Obed Mlaba reaffirmed Kumar's sentiments, saying that budget items aligned to the 2010 World Cup, port infrastructure and the Western Aquaduct must be seen as opportunities for the city - not only to grow the local economy but also to transform the city into an effective service delivery mechanism.
"The municipality never loses focus," said Mlaba, adding that the municipality's mandate "to push back the frontiers of poverty and to provide a better life for our all people" is both urgent and absolute.
"We can see that at last the tide is beginning to turn. As we manage to accelerate service delivery and create sustainable development and growth, we know people are already eating the sweet fruits of liberation for which they waited so patiently."
The economic growth of the city's poorest sectors are seen as a different side of the same coin that also includes large scale projects taking place in the run up to the World Cup. The areas around the 2010 soccer stadium will need extensive redevelopment and new transport hubs to service them.
Opportunities abound for private sector participation to profit from the multiplier effects of the massive infrastructure spend.
The municipality has produced a booklet that shows investors and the public how budgeting and planning is executed, and how the city's funds are allocated.
City Manager Michael Sutcliffe said: "I believe that improving the quality of life for our citizens is probably our ultimate aim and we know that we are doing it - year by year."
Source: durban.gov.za
Presentation for Seminar
