By David Masango, tel: (012) 314-2230

Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool has warned that the provincial government is aware of those seeking to enrich themselves through "back-door" deals with unscrupulous developers.
 
He said there was a great moral responsibility on politicians and government officials as well as developers to be clean.
 
"This moral and legal responsibility belongs also to developers. We cannot have a benign attitude to corrupt developers and expect that it has to be in their nature to exceed legal boundaries in the pursuit of development opportunities," Premier Rasool said.
 
Mr Rasool was addressing the two-day Provincial Spatial Development Framework (PSDF) Summit, currently underway at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town.
 
The objective is to find ways to make planning predictable in order to achieve sustainable economic development and social cohesion in a corruption free environment in which all role players share responsibility.
 
"By making development decision-making more predictable and by reducing the zone or discretion for decision-makers, the PSDF will help us overcome the legacy of corruption with which we are saddled.
 
"We must minimise the instances in which such decisions are disputed and the foul stench of corruption that is left behind after many decisions," said the Premier.
 
Mr Rasool said the PSDF as a methodology and priority intervention stemmed from the leadership of the Presidency that developed the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) in 2002.
 
The NSDP amongst others aims to ensure an integrated and effective approach to economic and social development so that government's infrastructure investment and development spending has improved spatial outcomes.
 
The PSDF seeks to "rigorously" implement the principles of the NSDP, he said.
 
Mr Rasool said the PSDF offered tools to address the legacies of the past and plot out way towards a more sustainable future.
 
"It is an expression of our commitment to sustainable development, particularly in our province with its sensitive natural and built environments and reinforces the importance of partnerships between all social partners and the public at large.
 
"It is a vital building block towards the full realisation of iKapa Elihlumayo, the emergent Provincial Growth and Development Strategy," he explained.
 
He said government would mobilise all its resources and power to facilitate appropriate and socially just development patterns.
 
"This creative challenge, we believe, lies at the heart of achieving both vigorous economic growth and social cohesion.
 
"The PSDF provides us with the checklist to make sure that our actions as government, the private sector and ordinary citizens at a household level add up to a more sustainable and inclusive future: our dream of A Home for All," said the Premier.
 
The summit has brought together all role players in development including departments of housing, economic development, tourism, environmental affairs as well as developers. - BuaNews