PROGRESS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRESS ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

TURNTURN--AROUND STRATEGY & OUTCOME 9AROUND STRATEGY & OUTCOME 9

iLGM Conference: 10th Anniversary of the Current Municipal Governance Dispensation

MR G SEITISHO

CONTEXT: THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS 2000 CONTEXT: THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS 2000

-- 201020101. Core pillar of the RDP (1994) was to “democratize state and society”. Local

government transformation - central to the democratization project.

2. From 1994, two distinctive / complementary phases:a) Interim Phase: 1993/4 – 2000; b) Final Phase: Post-2000 (establishment, consolidation, sustainability).

3. White Paper on Developmental Local Government (1998)

4. Local government legislative framework (post-1998)

5. 1st democratic municipal elections, 5 December 2000

6. Project Consolidate (2004 -2006): “hands-on support”

7. 5 Year Local Government Strategic agenda (2006 – 2011): three strategic priorities

8. The Local Government Turnaround Strategy (2009 – 2014): ‘working together to turn the tide in local government’.

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Overall the system of local government is working, but it is in distress. There are many failures & weaknesses that stem from external factors to internal ones in municipalities.

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Key findings of the State of Local Government Report 2009

The root causes of these problems are related to both external factors and internal factors

There are serious leadership and governance challenges in municipalities including weak responsiveness and accountability to communities;

The financial capacity and management of many municipalities is very poor

Many municipalities are unable to deliver basic services or grow their economies

The legacy of apartheid spatial development patterns and inequity has not been arrested and reversed

There is inadequate human resource capital to ensure professional administrations, and positive relations between labour, management and Councils.

What quick wins should government undertake to improve public sentiment

on local government before 2011?

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Reflection: root-cause analysis: LGTAS

Systemic factors, i.e. linked to model of local government

Policy and legislative factors

Political factors

Weaknesses in the accountability systems

Capacity and skills constraints

Weak intergovernmental support and oversight

Issues associated with the inter-governmental fiscal system

What are the key policy, legislative & systemic areas that require review?

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Reflection: The LGTAS and a new trajectory

The LGTAS is aimed at propelling our municipalities towards the ideal state envisaged in the RDP and White Paper on Local Government (1998) and

subsequent legislation, e.g. the Municipal Systems Act (1998)

The over-arching objectives of the Turn-Around Strategy are to:

Restore the confidence of the majority of our people in our municipalities, as the primary delivery machine of the developmental state at a local level

Re-build and improve the basic requirements for a functional, responsive, effective, and efficient developmental local government

Municipalities to become the nation’s pride

To ensure that public representatives are truly accountable to the people.

1. Lack of commitment by some municipal leadership to genuine public participation

2. Lack of trust between municipalities and communities/ stakeholders due to unrealised promises - perceptions that provision of services and partnerships or relations are dependent on political or factional allegiances.

3. Limited investment by municipalities in public participation strategies, structures and processes (e.g. ward committees, IDP and budgeting, communication systems and complaint management systems)

4. Weak civil society organs at local level

are unable to engage effectively with

municipalities

5. Ward Committees as organs of

people’s power are largely not

functional (i.e. fail to call councils to

account; failure to involve

communities in decisions about

service delivery. Their reports don’t

find expression in Council agendas)

6. Poor application of measures to

facilitate public involvement - in spite

of well-developed policy and legislative

framework, Ward Councillors are

unable to communicate effectively and

consistently with communities

STATE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT REPORT 2009: Breakdown in Local Democracy as one of main causes for ‘distress’

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Differentiated approach

Access to basic services

Support Support

Community Work Programme

DELIVERY AGREEMENT: PRIORITY FOCAL POINTSDELIVERY AGREEMENT: PRIORITY FOCAL POINTS

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Support to Human Settlements Refined Ward Committee

Model

Municipal Finance & Administration

Single window of coordination

PROGRESS WITH DELIVERY TARGETSPROGRESS WITH DELIVERY TARGETS

Outcome 9 is principally focussed on four cross-cutting priorities:

the provision of basic services to our people;

the creation of job opportunities to fight poverty and unemployment;

the involvement of people and communities in matters of local governance and local government;

driving the institutional transformation and development of municipalities

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PROVISION OF BASIC SERVICES TO OUR PEOPLEPROVISION OF BASIC SERVICES TO OUR PEOPLE

1. Water and Sanitation: Progress at the end of September 2010 for access

to water and sanitation improved to 93% for water, and 70% for sanitation.

2. Access to Basic Electricity: Latest progress indicates that 42 419 (28%)

house connections for electricity were done between April and August

2010, whilst 58% of households were receiving free basic services at the

end of March 2010.

3. Access to Basic Refuse Removal: A national report on the State of Refuse

Removal was completed by the end of September 2010. A national

coordinating structure has been established and all relevant sector

departments and provinces participate in this structure. A National

Support Plan will be finalized by December 2010.

4. Bulk Infrastructure Fund: A joint proposal was developed with the

Department of Water Affairs and was submitted to National Treasury as

part of the 2011 MTEF process

5. Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV): A comprehensive Business Case has been

developed, together with draft legislation to establish the SPV

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CREATION OF JOB OPPORTUNITIESCREATION OF JOB OPPORTUNITIES

1. The programme has achieved a 70 469 participation rate to date. The smooth hand-over of the programmefrom the Presidency to DCoG was a major achievement as it ensured continuity without any disruption to site management.

2. Currently 33 Municipalities are implementing the CWPin at least 2 wards per municipality.

3. Draft Ward-based Cooperatives Programme (WBCP) concept document has been developed, thereby ensuring that cooperatives become the primary and preferred vehicle for CWP job creation in wards

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INVOLVEMENT OF COMMUNITIES INVOLVEMENT OF COMMUNITIES ININ GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

1. Refined Ward Committee Model has been developed. It

contains key proposals regarding revised roles and

responsibilities for Ward Committees and amended

institutional arrangements.

2. National Ward Committee Funding Framework was

developed and gazetted in October 2009. Some

resistance is still experienced due to the perceptions that

this will create a financial burden for municipalities.

3. Government will need to consider re-prioritising existing

funds and also make it compulsory for municipalities to

set aside dedicated funds to deepen and sustain

democratic participation at a local level.12

INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONINSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION

1. First key priority is to review and amend local government legislation, policy and regulationswhere necessary in order to better coordinate the support and oversight of municipalities by national and provincial government.

2. Second priority is improving municipal human and managerial capacity.

3. Third priority is to improve municipal financial management & implement Operation Clean Audit 2014.

4. Fourth priority is fighting corruption.

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DELIVERY AGREEMENT: IMPLEMENTATION DELIVERY AGREEMENT: IMPLEMENTATION

PLANSPLANS

1. Implementation Plan workshop was convened by the Department on 25-26 October 2010

2. During this meeting, provincial representatives and DCoGsenior members worked on the development of the Implementation Plans for each Output.

3. Way forward was mapped and agreed to by the workshop: Provinces should develop a process for finalisation of the

implementation plans. This should include the processes for engaging the relevant national/provincial sector departments e.g. Public Works, SOEs, municipalities and SALGA.

Each province has been allocated a DCoG Provincial Coordinator to provide technical support. These coordinators must be invited to all provincial meetings and municipal support visits.

All plans must be signed off by the MECs and submitted to DCoG by 8 November 2010.

The provincial implementation plans will be presented by provinces to the COGTA Minmec scheduled for 3 December 2010.

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