Question NW3066 to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
16 December 2020 - NW3066
Mohlala, Ms MR to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
With regard to the District Development Model being touted as a panacea to address the dysfunctionality of the implementation of the Intergovernmental Relations and Co-operative Governance Framework to deal with concurrent functions of water resources and water services provision in the Republic, what are the relevant details of the (a) risks and (b) mitigation strategies that have been identified by her department to ensure the successful implementation of the District Development Model?
Reply:
Honourable Member, the District Development Model (DDM) will go a long way in ensuring an operational model for improved cooperative governance that promotes the need to shift to a joint development planning approach
The model was launched last year and as we were piloting it in a number of districts, the COVID-19 pandemic befell us and altered some of our plans.
The Departments of Water and Sanitation intends to take advantage of the model and work closely with COGTA to ensure its successful implementation. It intends to employ the following strategies:
- the Department of Water and Sanitation working with COGTA, through the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (MISA), will establish a Project Management Unit at a Provincial level that shall support all District Municipalities to roll out the Model.
- DWS intends to work with District Municipalities in the planning and implementation of Infrastructure Projects, with MISA assisting in a support role for Monitoring and Evaluation of the DDM.
- It will utilise integrated planning to address challenges of misalignment of plans of all Sector Plans, to enable all spheres to focus on One Plan at District Levels, financial resources appropriated correctly for each financial year outputs is crucial.
- Identification of priorities over five-year term period, and development of integrated plans.
- Long term (10 years) implementation plans that are aligned to the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan should also be developed
- A Human Resource Plan to be developed for each District Municipality and Water Services Authorities in relation to critical skills including technical, financial and project management
- Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) must be encouraged for possible funding of the catalytic infrastructure projects.