Keywords
local government
South Africa
integrated development planning
How to Cite
Abstract
With the advent of democracy in South Africa, local government was targeted for transformation to be more representative of and responsive to local communities’ needs. Boundaries were extended such that all areas in the country fell within a municipality. In addition to providing essential services such as water and sanitation, municipalities must promote social and economic development. They must also prepare an Integrated Development Plan that informs the municipality’s activities, budget and should ensure focussed and coordinated delivery of services.
However, local government has been plagued with severe problems such as a lack of capacity and resources, poor governance and limited intergovernmental and intra-municipal coordination. President Ramaphosa (Current term 2018–2023) in his 2019 budget speech announced a District Development Model (DDM) intended to spatialise and coordinate government interventions and support municipalities in response to these issues. This paper describes the challenges facing local government and outlines the DDM concept and its rationale in the context of these challenges. We consider the potential of this model to improve the performance of local government, improve spatial governance and promote social and economic development. We conclude that the DDM may not be sucessful as it does not address the core problems of local government. A candid review of the current concept of local government, its powers, responsibilities, capacities and relationships is required.
References
Auditor General of South Africa 2020. Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Consolidated General Report on the Audit Outcomes of Local Government 2018-2019 (https://www.agsa.co.za/Portals/0/Reports/MFMA/201819/GR/MFMA%20GR%202018-19%20Final%20View.pdf ).
Auditor General of South Africa 2021. Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Consolidated General Report on the Audit Outcomes of Local Government 2019-2020 (https://www.agsa.co.za/Portals/0/Reports/MFMA/201920/2019%20-%2020%20MFMA%20Consolidated%20GR.pdf ).
Businesstech 2021a. Fed-up South Africans are Taking More Municipalities to Court Over Failed Service Delivery. Businesstech 11 June 2021 (https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/497833/fed-up-south-africans-are-taking-more-municipalities-to-court-over-failed-service-delivery/ ).
Businesstech 2021b. Alarming Number of South Africa’s Municipalities are on the Brink of Failure. Businesstech 22 June 2021 (https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/500115/alarming-number-of-south-africas-municipalities-are-on-the-brink-of-failure/ ).
Chigwata T.C., O’Donovan M., Powell D.M. 2017. Civic protests and local government in South Africa. The Civic Protests Barometer: 2007-2016, 2. Working Paper Series, 2. ACSL, Dullah Omar Institute, Cape Town.
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2009. The State of Local Government in South Africa. Government Printer, Pretoria (http://www.info.gov.za/view/DownloadFileAction?id=110100 ).
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2019. Concept Note: New District Coordination Model to Improve the Coherence and Impact of Government Service Delivery and Development, August 2019.
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2020a. District Development Model: Draft Guidelines, 7 March 2020.
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2020b. Local Government Support Programmes: An Overview (https://edse.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Assessment_of_previous_LG_programmes_final_draft.pdf ).
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2020c. Implementation of the District Development Model. A Report on Lessons Learnt From the Piloting Phase, July 2020 (https://edse.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/DDM_Lessons_learnt_report.pdf ).
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2020d. District Development model. Establishment of DDM hubs, 7 August 2020.
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2020e. District Development Model Implementation Framework (Working Draft 30 August 2020) (https://edse.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DDM-Implementation-Strategy-working-draft.pdf ).
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2021a. State of Local Government Report: Local Government Support and Interventions Package. Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, 24 August 2021 (https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/33432/ ).
CoGTA (Department of Cooperative Development and Traditional Affairs) 2021b. What is the District Development Model? 10 May 2021 (https://www.CoGTA.gov.za/index.php/2021/05/10/what-is-the-district-development-model/ ).
Currie A . 2021. The Reality of Government’s DDM. Infrastructure News 3 March 2021 (https://infrastructurenews.co.za/2021/03/03/the-reality-of-governments-ddm/ ).
DALRRD (Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development) 2019. Draft National Spatial Development Framework (https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202002/draftnsdf20jan2020-compressed.pdf ).
De Visser J. 2009. Developmental local government in South Africa: Institutional fault lines. Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, 2: January 2009 (http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/ojs/index.php/cjlg ). DOI: https://doi.org/10.5130/cjlg.v0i2.1005
Dlamini Zuma N. 2020. Speech Delivered to National Council of Provinces. Local Government Week, 8 September 2020 (https://www.CoGTA.gov.za/index.php/2020/09/08/key-note-address-by-minister-dlamini-zuma-during-the-national-council-of-provinces-local-government- ).
Du Plessis A. 2017. The readiness of South African law and policy for the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 11. Law Democracy & Development, 21: 239-262. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ldd.v21i1.12
Financial and Fiscal Commission 2013a. Rural Municipalities Struggle to Maximise Their Limited Tax Base – Current Own Revenues Insufficient to Support Service Delivery Mandates in Rural Municipalities (http://www.ffc.co.za/index.php/docman-menu-item/policy-briefs-2013/157-2013-policy-brief-1-rural-municipalities-struggle-to-maximise-their-limited-tax-base ).
Financial and Fiscal Commission 2013b. Poor Maintenance and Renewal Threatens Municipal Service Delivery (http://www.ffc.co.za/index.php/docman-menu-item/policy-briefs-2013/158-2013-policy-brief-2-poor-maintenance-and-renewal-threatens-municipal-service-delivery ).
Harrison P. 2001. The genealogy of South Africa’s integrated development plan. Third World Planning Review, 23(2): 175-193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/twpr.23.2.q4172h26466148n3
Harrison P., Todes A. 2001. The use of spatial frameworks in regional development in South Africa. Regional Studies, 35(1): 65-72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00343400120025682
Koma S.B. 2016. Rationalisation of municipalities: a panacea for improved local governance in South Africa? African Journal of Public Affairs, 9(2): 127-139.
Kroukamp H. 2014. South African local government in a quandary: how to overcome ever-increasing challenges to excellence in service delivery. Journal for New Generation Sciences, 12(1): 103-114.
Marais L., Nel V., Rani K., van Rooyen D., Sesele K., van der Watt P., du Plessis L. 2021. Economic Transitions in South Africa’s Secondary Cities: Governing Mine Closures. Politics and Governance, 9(2), 381-392. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v9i2.4032
Mashego P. 2021. Clover Closes S.A.’s Biggest Cheese Factory Due to Municipal Woes in the North West. Fin24, 8 June 2021 (https://www.news24.com/fin24/companies/clover-closes-sas-biggest-cheese-factory-due-to-municipal-woes-in-the-north-west-20210608#:~:text=Clover%20is%20closing%20South%20Africa’s,more%20supportive%2C%20the%20company%20says ).
Mashinini G. 2021. Final Results of the Municipal Elections. 4 Nov 2021 (https://www.gov.za/speeches/glen-mashinini-final-results-municipal-elections-4-nov-2021-0000 ).
Mboweni T. 2021. Budget Vote 8: National Treasury: The Pillar of the State Address to Parliament. 20 May 2021 (http://www.treasury.gov.za/comm_media/speeches/2021/Budget%20Vote%20Speech%20by%20the%20Deputy%20Minister%20of%20Finance%20Dr%20David%20Masondo,%20MP%20-%20National%20Treasury%20The%20Pillar%20of%20the%20State%20-%2020%20May%202021.pdf ).
Municipal Demarcation Board 2018. Municipal Powers and Functions Capacity Assessment 2018 National Report: Executive Summary (http://www.demarcation.org.za/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MDB-capacity-assessment-Executive-Summary-FINAL-1.pdf ).
Municipalities of South Africa 2022a. Overview. Yes Media. (https://municipalities.co.za/demographic/1167/hantam-local-municipality ).
Municipalities of South Africa 2022b. Johannesburg Overview. (https://municipalities.co.za/overview/2/city-of-johannesburg-metropolitan-municipa l).
Nkuna N.W., Nemutanzhela T.L. 2012. Locating the role of service delivery within powers and functions of local government in South Africa. Journal of Public Administration, 47(si-1): 355-368.
Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) 2021. Department of Cooperative Governance on State of Local Government Report – Local government support and interventions package; with Minister. 24 August 2021 (https://pmg.org.za/committee-meeting/33432/ ).
Powell D. 2012. Imperfect Transition – Local Government Reform in South Africa 1994-2012. SUN Press (http://repository.uwc.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10566/551/PowellLocalGovernment2012.pdf? ).
Pycroft C. 1996. Local government in the new South Africa. Public Administration and Development, 16: 233-245 . DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-162X(199608)16:3<233::AID-PAD878>3.0.CO;2-E
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1993a. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 200 of 1993. Government Printer, Pretoria.
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1993b. Local Government Transition Act, 209 of 1993. Government Printer, Pretoria
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1994. White Paper on Reconstruction and Development. Government Printer, Pretoria.
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1995. Development Facilitation Act (Act no. 67 of 1995). Government Printer, Pretoria
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1996. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Government Printer, Pretoria.
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1998a. Local Government Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998. Government Printer, Pretoria.
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 1998b. Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act 27 of 1998. Government Printer, Pretoria.
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 2000. Local Government: Municipal Systems Act (Act no. 232 of 2000). Government Printer, Pretoria.
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 2005. Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act (Act 13 of 2005). Government Printer, Pretoria.
Republic of South Africa (RSA) 2013. Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013). Government Printer, Pretoria
Sihlobo W. 2021. Small Towns Are Collapsing Across South Africa. How It’s Starting to Affect Farming. The Conversation. 18 June 2021 (https://theconversation.com/small-towns-are-collapsing-across-south-africa-how-its-starting-to-affect-farming-162697).
Sihlongonyane M.F. 2015. Empty Signifiers of Transformation in Participatory Planning and the Marginalization of Black People in South Africa. Planning Practice and Research, 30(1): 83-100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02697459.2015.1008803
Stats SA (Statistics South Africa) 2012. Census 2011. Statistical Release P03014 (http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P03014/P030142011.pdf ).
Stats SA (Statistics South Africa) 2020. General Households Survey 2019. Statistical Release P0318 (http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0318/P03182019.pdf).
Stevens C. 2019. Provincial Governments Are Not Intervening When They Are Supposed To: The Case Study of Emalahleni Local Municipality. Local Government Bulletin, 14(1), September (https://dullahomarinstitute.org.za/multilevel-govt/local-government-bulletin/volume-14-lgb ).
The Presidency 2014. 20 Year review background paper: Local government. The Presidency, Pretoria.
van Donk M., Pieterse E. 2006. Reflections on the design of a post-apartheid. [In:] U. Pillay, T. Richard, J. Du Toit (eds.), Democracy and delivery: Urban Policy in South Africa. HSRC Press, p. 107-134.
van Wyk J. 2012. Planning Law. 2nd ed. Juta, Cape Town.
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Verna Nel, Stephanus Minnie
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.