Question NW1326 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
14 October 2021 - NW1326
Brink, Mr C to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Whether, with regard to the six District Hubs that are envisioned as part of the implementation of the District Development Model, she will furnish Mr C Brink with a plan and/or estimate indicating the (a) capital cost of establishing each of the District Hubs, (b) annual operational cost of running each of the District Hubs and (c) total number of personnel that will be required to operate each of the District Hubs; if not, what is the position in each case; if so, what are the further relevant details in each case?
Reply:
DDM Hubs are part of the overall institutional arrangements for the implementation of the DDM. They are an extension of CoGTA capacity deployed in districts for purposes of driving the institutionalisation of the DDM and facilitating the formulation, adoption, implementation, monitoring and review of the One Plans. A DDM Hub is conceived as a functional network of support and a facilitation system for Intergovernmental Planning in relation to a specific district or metropolitan space or a combination of district spaces or metropolitan spaces. These Hubs will be established in a phased and differentiated manner across the various districts and metros taking into account the dynamics of each district and metropolitan spaces. DCoG in consultation with provinces and municipalities will determine where such hubs are needed and could potentially be established provided the required financial and funding resources are available.
To date, fully-fledge DDM Hubs have been established in the three DDM pilot sites of eThekwini metro, OR Tambo, and Waterberg districts. The Hub Managers for all three pilots are in place. Seven out of the eight approved positions have been filled in OR Tambo, the Senior Development Planner commenced duty on the 16 August 2021. Seven out of the eight positions were filled in the Waterberg District, there are challenges in filling the position of the Capacity Building Coordinator. Two out of the four approved positions for eThekwini have been filled. The Implementation Support Specialist position will be advertised based on the recruitment plan.
a) The design and composition of a DDM Hub will differ from district to district and metro to metro as demonstrated by the experiences in the three DDM pilot sites, thus influencing the capital costs for establishing these Hubs.
b) Following from the above, annual operating costs are dependent on the design and composition of a DDM Hub in terms of staff size and associated overhead costs.
c) The staffing compliment for each DDM Hub is informed by needs and skills analysis informing a recruitment plan for each of the DDM spaces in collaboration with the respective provinces and municipalities.