ATC110607: Report Budget Vote 3: Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Budget Vote 3: Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, dated 7 June 2011

The Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, having considered Budget Vote 3: Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, report as follows:

 

A. INTRODUCTION

 

The Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs considered the Budget Vote and Annual Performance Plan of the Department of Co-operative Governance and the Strategic Plan of the Department of Traditional Affairs on19 April 2011. The committee considered the Strategic Plans of the entities reporting to it on 19 April and 24 May 2011.

 

B.  PARTICIPANTS IN THE BUDGET HEARINGS

 

Those who appeared before the Committee included a delegation from the:

1)       Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Department of Co-operative Governance;

2)       Department of Traditional Affairs;

3)       The South African Local Government Association (SALGA);

4)       The Commission for the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Commission)

5)       South African Cities Network (SANS); and

6)       Municipal Demarcation Board

 

Briefings by Departments and Entities

 

C.1       DEPARTMENT OF CO-OPERATIVE GOVERNANCE (DoCG)

 

1.1 Mandate:

 

The primary mandate of the Department is to:

• develop and monitor the implementation of national policy and legislation seeking to transform and strengthen key institutions and mechanisms of governance to fulfill their developmental role;
• develop, promote and monitor mechanisms, systems and structures to enable integrated service delivery and implementation within government; and
• monitoring and evaluation of co-operation amongst government stakeholders to achieve improved service delivery.

 

1.2 Vision and Mission:

 

Vision:

 An integrated, responsive and highly effective governance system working with communities to achieve sustainable development and improved service delivery.

 

Mission:

The Departments’ mission is to facilitate co-operative governance and support all spheres of government, the institution of traditional leadership and associated institutions through:

 

• development and implementation of appropriate policies and regulatory mechanisms to promote integration of government development programmes;
• achievement of social cohesion through the creation of enabling mechanisms for communities to participate in government; and
• monitoring and evaluation of co-operation amongst government stakeholders to achieve improved service delivery.

 

 

Department’s Strategic Priorities and Measurable objectives:

 

Approach to the Department’s Strategic Plan:

 

• The Minister signed a performance agreement with the President on Outcome 9, and the MECs and Mayors signed an agreement with the Minister on Outcome 9.
• The Strategic Plan 2011/12 of the Department of Cooperative Governance has been developed as a national plan with national targets and indicators which are informed by Outcome 9.
• This Strategic Plan sets the basis for the development of Provincial Annual Performance Plans in order to ensure expression of Outcome 9 throughout the Provincial Annual Performance Plans.

 

Updated review of the Strategic Plan 2009-2014

 

The 2009-2014 Strategic Plan was reviewed in light of Government’s outcomes- based approach and the Minister’s performance contract with the President.

 

The Department conducted an alignment exercise and reviewed its five Strategic Objectives as set out in the Strategic Plan 2009-2014.  It replaced them with Strategic Goals that are in line with the Minister’s Delivery Agreement.

 

The seven outputs of the Minister’s Delivery Agreement for Outcome 9 are now the new Strategic Goals and the Sub-Outputs are now the Strategic Objectives defined per programme.

 

Strategic Goals

 

The Departments Strategic Goals for 2009-2014 are set out as follow:

 

Strategic Goal 1: To implement a differentiated approach to municipal financing, planning and support;

Strategic Goal 2: To improve access to basic services;

Strategic Goal 3: To implement Community Work Programme;

Strategic Goal 4: To deliver actions supportive of the human settlements outcomes;

Strategic Goal 5: To deepen democracy through a refined Ward Committee Model;

Strategic Goal 6: To improve administrative and financial capability;

Strategic Goal 7: To implement a Single Window of Co-ordination;

Strategic Goal 8: To improve co-operative governance across the three spheres; and

Strategic Goal 9: To strengthen the capacity & capability of the department to deliver on its mandate.

 

Programme Performance Plans

 

Budget of the Department

The Department is undergoing changes to suitably address structural and systemic challenges in local government. The Department had only five programmes in the year just ended and, due to the reorganization, there are currently seven programmes.  This means that there are many budget shifts in relation to programmes. The two additional programmes, albeit the functions are not new, are Provincial and Municipal Government Systems, on one hand, and Infrastructure and Economic Development, on the other.

 

The total allocation of the Department is R48 billion in the 2011/12 financial year which represents a 9.56% increase from the R41.7 billion in the year just ended.

 

Programme	Budget				NominalRandchange	RealRandchange	Nominal % change	Real % change
R million	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2010/11-2011/12		2010/11-2011/12
Administration	197.9	212.6	216.0	222.3	3.4	-  6.5	1.60	-3.05
Policy, Research and Knowledge Management	48.2	46.0	47.6	50.2	-  2.2	-  4.3	-4.56	-8.94
Governance and Intergovernmental Relations	30 666.4	34 213.9	37 684.1	40 077.5	3 547.5	1 980.5	11.57	6.46
Disaster Response Management	293.2	821.2	558.0	594.3	528.0	490.4	180.08	167.25
Provincial and Municipal Government Systems	251.2	248.3	260.5	274.7	-  2.9	-  14.3	-1.15	-5.68
Infrastructure and Economic Development	10 217.5	12 307.9	14 986.2	15 804.9	2 090.4	1 526.7	20.46	14.94
Traditional Affairs	74.1	83.8	90.4	97.0	9.7	5.9	13.09	7.91
TOTAL	41 748.5	47 933.7	53 842.8	57 120.9	6 185.2	3 989.8	14.82	9.56

 

There are three programmes that take up a larger share of the budget. Governance and Intergovernmental Relations has R34.2 billion which represents a 6.4% real increase from the previous year. The Disaster Response Management programme also received a substantial increase, from R293 million to R821 million in the current year. And finally, the Infrastructure and Economic Development receives R12.3 billion, which increases to R15.8 billion by 2013/14. The municipal infrastructure grant allocation for 2010/11 is R9.5 billion, and it increases to R14.7 billion in 2013/14. The targets for 2013/14 are: basic water: 2 million; sanitation: 1.2 million; roads: 1.7 million; community lighting: 768 150

 

The Annual Performance Plan has been structured according to the following six Programmes:

 

Programme 1: Administration: 

 

This programme is set out to provide for management, leadership and administration of the department by:

 

• managing of the internal financial, administrative and human resource systems;
• providing media engagements and capacitating municipalities in communication;
• ensuring integrated planning and reporting;
• improving the strategic management and governance process; and
• strengthening relations with international agencies.

 

This programme is the apex of the Department.  It is supposed to steer and provide impetus to the strategic direction of the Department in order to achieve the results of Outcome 9, as well as the MDGs. The growth was due to inflation- related salary adjustments and the increase in funded posts.

In the previous financial year the overall budget for this programme was R197.9 million which increased to R212.6 million in the 2011/12 financial year. Over the MTEF period, expenditure is expected to increase from R197.9 million in 2010/11 to R222.3 million in 2013/14, at an average annual rate of 4%. The growth is attributed to the establishment of provincial offices and inflation-related adjustments to salaries. In addition, this programme encompasses the Legislation Review and Drafting sub-programme which receives approximately R10.6 million. Currently there is a plethora of laws that need to be amended to strengthen support to provinces and municipalities

 

Programme: 2 Policy, research and knowledge:

This programme is set out to provide specialized support services in the areas of research, knowledge management, municipal support and ICT by:

 

• developing a revised white paper on local government;
• reviewing legislation affecting service delivery;
• improving performance monitoring and evaluation;
• streamlining reporting requirements;
• providing effective and responsive ICT support to municipalities as outlined in the Local Government Turn Around Strategy (LGTAS);  and
• creating knowledge-based decision making.

 

The budget for this programme has actually declined from R48.2 million in 2010/11 to R46 million in the current financial year. As indicated in the table above, the real percentage change is -9.13%. Increases are accrued in the Information, Communication and Business Technology sub-programme. This increase is mainly for goods and services which are computer services, and which accounts for R5.9 million, and R8.8 million for consultants and professional services.

 

 

 

Programme 3: Governance and Intergovernmental relationships:

This programme is set out to improve vertical and horizontal co-ordination and alignment between the three spheres of government and to promote public participation by:

• improving the Audit Outcomes of municipalities;
• ensuring the effective management of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG);
• reviewing and strengthening the legislative framework for ward committees and public participation;
• providing and implementing a policy framework for the Community Development Workers Programme (CDWP);
• strengthening Anti-Corruption capabilities of municipalities;
• reviewing  Local Government policy and legislation; and
• providing support measures to ensure functionalities of ward committees by 2014.

 

This programme involves transfers to municipalities through the Local Government Equitable Share, as well as transfers to statutory entities such as the South African Local Government Association and the Municipal Dermacation Board. Needless to say, the largest portion goes to transfers, particularly the Local Government Equitable Share, which takes up R34 billion in the current year. Expenditure in this programme is dominated by the equitable share transfers to municipalities, which make up 73.2% of the department’s budget allocation in 2010/11. Expenditure is expected to increase to R40.1 billion over the medium term, at an average annual rate of 9.3%. Over the MTEF period, the programme will focus on contributing to a responsive, accountable, effective and efficient local government system (outcome 9). Expenditure will be directed at the transfers, the management of conditional grants, the development of the Green Paper on Co-operative Governance, and support for the establishment of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) local government desk and the consolidation of the SADC local government agenda.

 

Programme 4: the National Disaster Management Centre:

This programme is set out to promote an integrated and co-ordinated system of disaster risk management with a special focus on prevention, mitigation and preparedness by:

 

• facilitating the development and implementation of disaster management plans in all relevant stakeholders;
• supporting the establishment of disaster management centers in all provinces, districts municipalities and metros; and
• developing of the National Indicative Risk and Vulnerability Model.

 

In January 2011, the country experienced floods and droughts and thus twenty eight municipalities were declared national disaster areas. All sub-programmes had a decrease in their allocations with the exception of the Disaster Relief Transfers, which rose from R214.4 million in 2010/11 to R821.2 million in the 2011/12. Expenditure is expected to decrease to R594.3 million in 2013/14 from R821.1 million in 2011/12, at an average annual rate of 14.9%. The programme is dominated by transfers, at 94% of the budget. Allocations for disaster relief amounting to R1.8 billion have been projected over the MTEF period. The aim is to provide immediate relief for disasters through the disaster allocations to provinces and municipalities. Expenditure on goods and services has also declined from R60.7 million in the previous year to about R24.6 million in the current year.

 

Programme 5: Provincial and Municipal Government Support:

This programme is set out to provide support and oversight programmes to provincial and local government by:

 

• ensuring the availability of the policy framework for differentiation;
• providing more autonomy for the six metros and top twenty-one municipalities in respect of infrastructure and housing delivery;
• reviewing and amending local government legislation and policy to improve human resource management and administrative practices;
• implementation of a new approach to co-ordination of support and capacity; and
• facilitating the development of credible and simplified IDPs informed by the unique nature of municipalities.

 

There are two sub-programmes that have decreased substantially ie Management: Provincial and Local Government Support, which declines from R10.5 million allocation in 2010/11 to only R3.2 million in 2011/1. Another substantial decrease lies in the Development Planning sub-programme which declines from an allocation of R14.5 million in 2010/11 to R5.9 million in the current financial year. The Municipal Systems Improvement Grant has actually increased from R212 million in the year 2010/11 to R219.4 million in the current year and is set to increase further over the MTEF period. The total budget for this programme has declined from R251 million in 2010/11 to about R248.4 million in the 2011/12, which represents a -5.61% decrease.  Over the MTEF period, expenditure is expected to increase to R274.7 million, at an average annual rate of 3%. The increase is mainly due to inflation-related adjustments to compensation of employees, and goods and services.

 

Programme 6: Infrastructure and Economic Development:

This programme is set out to support and exercise oversight, and to promote economic and infrastructure development by:

• establishing mechanism to improve services;
• facilitating the implementation of the densification policy framework;
• promoting Operation Clean Cities and Towns programmes;
• creating jobs through a system supportive of Private Sector Sustainable Employment at local level in all district municipalities; and
• increasing access to basic electricity, refuse removal, water and sanitation.

 

This programme is one of the most critical programmes in order for government to be able to expedite service provision and meet the MDGs by 2014. It is through vigorous infrastructure investment, maintenance and development planning that this will be achieved. The Special Purpose Vehicle or Government Component is expected to eliminate infrastructure backlogs through dedicated technical capacity to municipalities in order to intensify infrastructure development and thus improve service provision as well as the provision of free basic services. This programme has received R12 billion, of which a large portion is for the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, amounting to a total of R11 443.5 billion.

 

Expenditure is expected to increase from R10.2 billion in 2010/11 to R15.8 billion in 2013/14, at an average annual rate of 15.7%. This is mainly in the Community Work Programme, in which expenditure grew by R406 million, as part of government’s job creation initiative. The Special Purpose Vehicle is allocated R192.1 million which increases to R202 million over the medium term. The programme will spend a total of R253 million on goods and services of which R193.4 million is allocated to materials and supplies.

Under this programme the Department will support the distribution of basic water services to 96% of households.
 

C.2       DEPARTMENT OF TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS (DTA)

2.1 Mandate

The new Department’s mandate is a multi-faceted mandate. This mandate has been expanded, and the approach to traditional affairs has been broadened to incorporate the following:  

• Developmental role of Traditional Leaders;
• Service delivery needs of rural communities;
• Developmental needs of Traditional and Khoi-San leadership and communities;
• Review of governance within the National and Provincial houses;
• Mechanisms enabling access to indigenous knowledge systems;
• Mechanisms integrating traditional courts and indigenous law into the broad government justice system; and
• Recognition of traditional healing and medicines.

 

Upon realization of these new imperatives, the Executive Leadership decided to review the 2009 – 2014 strategic plan and align it with this new mandate. This

process provided an opportunity to review the vision, mission, and values, and develop new strategic objectives for the department.

 

2.2 Vision and Mission

 

Vision

An effective and efficient institution of traditional affairs that enhances sustainable development and service delivery

Mission statement

To co-ordinate Traditional Affairs activities across government through:

• the development of appropriate policies, systems and regulatory framework governing Traditional Affairs;
• the enhancement of organisational efficiency and effectiveness;
• the establishment of capacity development systems and partnership models;
• the undertaking of periodic research and development on Traditional Affairs matters; and
• the monitoring and evaluation of performance of DTA and its entities.

 

2.3 Department’s Strategic Priorities

 

Three main programmes namely: Administration; Research, Policy & Legislation; and Institutional Support and Coordination programmes have been established.

This establishment phase is expected to be concluded in 2013/14 financial year with a fully functional department.

The entrenchment of Chapter 12 of the Constitution and the White Paper on Traditional Leadership and Governance and the enactment of national and provincial legislation heralded a new era, which added a new dimension in the evolution of the governance systems in South Africa.

 

The Constitution, policy and legislative frameworks accord a place and role of the institution of traditional leadership within the broader system of governance and require that the institution be fully integrated into the democratic governance system, as well as being integrated within the development and service delivery processes.

 

The following focus areas were identified and confirmed for the Department of Traditional Affairs:

• To build organizational capacity of the Department and strengthen the capacity to deliver on its mandate
• To develop, review, monitor and implement legislation and policies relevant to traditional leadership nationally and to co-ordinate and monitor the review and implementation of legislation relevant to traditional affairs by national and provincial departments
• To adopt a broader perspective on the concept of traditional affairs, beyond traditional leadership
• To build the capacity and capability of the institution to play a meaningful role in development and service delivery and also the preservation of customary law and traditions, and
• To  support the following entities and to ensure that their programmes are aligned to the department’s programmes:
• National House of Traditional Leaders
• Commission on the Traditional Disputes and Claims
• The Commission on the Protection of the Rights of the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Community 

 

Earlier in 2011, the Department embarked on a process of assessing the state of governance within traditional affairs in South Africa to establish baseline information. To this end, the Department has concluded a series of consultative workshops covering six provinces. There has been overwhelming support received from different provinces during the assessment process. The results of the assessment process will lead to the development of the state of governance report, the partnership strategy, the capacity-building strategy and, where necessary, a review of legislation and policies. Furthermore, the findings will support Outcome 9, which focuses on a responsive, accountable, effective and efficient local government system by co-ordinating amendments to section 81 of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act of 117 of 1998. The findings will also support  Outcome 12, which focuses on an efficient, effective and development-oriented Public Service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship by establishing effective partnership models at local government level, promoting collaboration and constructive dialogue and protocols between elected officials and traditional leaders, including development of capacity-building systems and promoting best practice models, as well as interventions to strengthen the institution of traditional leadership.

 

The following six strategic objectives will inform the work of the DTA during the 2011-14 MTEF period:

 

Ø       To ensure the functionality of the Department of Traditional Affairs by establishing its capacity and capability to deliver on its mandate;

Ø       To enhance alignment and standardization in the regulatory, institutional and support framework for traditional affairs across provinces and municipalities;

Ø       To ensure that Traditional Communities and Khoi-San Communities are empowered by reviewing and developing the National Support Programme for Traditional Communities and Khoi-San Communities and their Governance Structures;

Ø       To promote and integrate the role and place of traditional affairs and the institution of traditional leadership, including Khoi-San leadership, in the South African governance system by establishing synergetic relations with the governance structures across the three spheres of government;

Ø       To support DTA entities by ensuring that they play a central role towards development and service delivery; and

Ø       To enhance Knowledge Management within traditional affairs.

 

Ø       The function, therefore, of this programme is to manage the transition period in order to ensure a functional Department and thus enhance synergetic collaboration with other spheres of government as well as departments.

 

Expenditure is expected to increase to R97 million in 2013/14, at an average annual rate of 9.4%. This growth is the result of building capacity over the medium term for the programme to establish itself as a standalone department. The bulk of the increase is reflected in spending in compensation of employees, which is expected to grow by R13.7 million over the medium term.

 

C.3 SOUTH AFRICAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION (SALGA)

 

The main focus of SALGA in the first quarter will be to manage the transition of leadership in municipalities. The new leaders will be trying to implement their elections manifestoes, while the public continually demands better service delivery. Part of this process would be the management of labour relations. It is the third year of the three-year wage agreement between SALGA and SAMWU and related unions. SALGA, together with other role-players, will have to manage the process of wage negotiations.
 

SALGA’s achievements in 2010 were in terms of municipal service delivery, social cohesion, economic development, labour relations, municipal governance and inter-governmental relations, capacity building and institutional development, climate change response, and internal capacity and corporate governance. The SALGA Annual Performance Plan 2011/12 was aligned to the delivery agreement of the Minister: COGTA. The ten priorities and their outcomes were outlined. For each priority, five targets had been set and these were explained. Finally, its role in the local government elections was discussed. SALGA had developed a Transition Management Framework to support municipalities through this period: both pre-, during and post- election.

 

The councillor induction programme will commence in July with various learning events to cross-pollinate municipalities on areas of HIV/AIDS, climate change and public participation. SALGA is involved in various climate change events like COP17, for which the city of Durban will be the next host. SALGA has contributed to the Green Paper on Climate Change, bringing to the fore the implications for local governments in the Climate Response Plan. SALGA has been involved in various climate change initiatives, amongst others the COP17, the Greening Summit and an expo focussing on entrepreneurial opportunities around climate change.

SALGA has a pre-, during and post-election plan. Post election, the councilor- induction plan will be implemented. SALGA‘s work is undermined by its dire lack of resources. It has to scrounge for resources in order to perform its constitutional role. SALGA is engaging with CoGTA and National Treasury in its quest to resolve its financial difficulties. It has some relief in certain instances when there are challenges. It has developed a comprehensive funding model. It remains optimistic about a positive outcome.

On 19 April 2011, it had received only 7% of levies due. Only after municipalities have passed their budgets, some as late as August, will levies be paid. Even then, municipalities might not pay the full amount. SALGA’s membership is voluntary. This places SALGA in a compromised situation. SALGA has appealed for collective support to reverse the current untenable situation.

The 61 municipalities in KZN form KWANALOGA). This organisation operates as an entity on its own and does not pay membership fees to SALGA. Political processes have been deployed in order to resolve the situation. Thus far it has caused a lot of harm. The City of Cape Town has also stopped paying SALGA membership fees;

 

C.4 MUNICIPAL DEMARCATION BOARD (MDB)

 

MDB has existed for 11 years and has sometimes carried out contentious work. The Board carried out demarcation work prior to the local government elections and were the silent partners to the Independent Electoral Commission in the conduct of those elections. The Board aims to restructure itself to optimise its work in future. The Board needs to have interaction with COGTA in order to discuss legislation needed to assist in the process of municipality demarcation. The issue of demarcation is emotive and the process needs to be streamlined. 

The Board aims to perform in such a way as to empower municipalities to fulfill their constitutional mandate.

The MDB established six themes for its strategic plan.

 

Theme 1: determination and re-determination of municipal boundaries and categorisation and re-categorisation of municipalities.

The Board has resolved to adopt the position on the size of municipalities as espoused by the research work submitted. It will develop and clarify the work on demarcation criteria to enhance buy-in from stakeholders and hold public hearings for every boundary re-determination request case. In 2011/12, the MDB allocated a total of R6.5 million to the accomplishment of Theme 1

Theme 2: assessment of the capacity of metropolitan, district and local municipalities.

The Board will shift to a new and revised model of municipal capacity assessments following a comprehensive review of the previously used model. The Board will pursue a new approach to capacity assessments that will seek to address the limitation that there is insufficient information on which to make recommendations on reassuring a function. It will position capacity assessment as a strategic resource and revise the capacity assessment model. The Board will allocate R5.1 million to the attainment of Theme 2.

Theme 3: implementation of effective and efficient organisational processes, systems and practices.

MDB will seek to build its internal capacity to meet Theme 3. It will outline a plan of action to implement changes to its organisational structure. It will lead a full process to effect the changes that will be needed to restructure the Board’s internal machinery. The Board will allocate R13 013 million on staff salaries and R195 205 on staff training from a total allocation of R13 2 million set aside for Theme 3. The Board will allocate R5,9 million on administration

Theme 4: ensure good governance.

MDB will improve compliance with legal frameworks. It has put in place actions which will continue to solidify IT governance and contract management, as well as risk assessment and risk management

Theme 5: ensure sound financial management.

The Board will allocate R4.2 million for this programme. The Board will institute sound financial management by managing resources to accomplish strategic goals in accordance with Theme 5. It will improve its financial planning and continue to ensure the adherence to laws, regulations and contractual obligations. The Board has allocated R2.9 million for 2011/12 for this theme.

 

Theme 6: improve stakeholder relations.  

The Board will prepare a stakeholder management and governance framework. It will set up a stakeholder management unit including a budget for the entire service.   

The MDB has received a budget allocation of R37,1 million for the 2010/11 MTEF period and has reported R37,9 million at its disposal as of 31 March 2011. The MDB has spent R36 million of its budget allocation and has a surplus of R1,9 million. The Board has spent within its budget. The Board has been allocated R39,9 million for the 2011/12 MTEF period, R40,8 for 2012/13, and R43,058 for 2013/14. 

 

C.5 COMMISSION FOR THE PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS AND LINGUISTIC COMMUNITIES (CRL COMMISSION)

The Commission is mandated to strengthen constitutional democracy and to protect and promote cultural, religious and linguistic community rights. The Commission will seek to institute seven programmes in order to meet its strategic objectives. The Commission was unable to provide budget allocations for each of its proposed programmes. The business plan will be formulated after the Commission has received additional funds which it anticipates.

 

Programme 1: Investigation and conflict resolution will focus on complaints submitted to the Commission. The aim will be to investigate 80% of complaints it received within a 60-day period.

Programme 2: Research and Policy development the aim is to develop policies which could improve the focus and work of the Commission.

Programme 3: Public Education and Advocacy aims at creating more public awareness of the work of the Commission in communities.

Programme 4: Community Engagement aims at increasing recognition of the values and impact of cultural diversity and increasing community engagement in the work of the Commission.

Programme 5: Secretariat and Corporate governance focuses on increasing the Commissions compliance with governance rules and implementation of approved decisions by management. The Commisssion aims at having four plenaries.

Programme 6: Corporate Services aims to fill funded vacancies within the Commission.

Programme 7: Financial Administration will seek to align the Commission with financial regulations and practices.

 

The biggest challenge for the Commission has been funding. As a result of this the Commission could not perform its constitutional mandate. The Commission is looking at ways of cost cutting and one of its suggestions is to cut telephone costs by cutting out outgoing calls.

CRL Commission stated that it had received R3 million after the intervention of the committee towards the end of 2010. The allocation had been spent by the Commission within two months.

 

C.6 SOUTH AFRICAN CITIES NETWORK (SACN)

 

The SACN exists to promote good governance and management in South African cities, to analyse strategic challenges facing cities, and to promote shared learning partnerships between the different spheres of government to support the management of South African cities.

In the period 2011-16, the SACN will endeavor to understand member city typology. It will place emphasis on broadening its programmatic reach to non-traditional SACN member cities including cities in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Network will seek to change policy response and practitioner behavior across the spheres of government by deepening knowledge-sharing. The SACN has been allocated R26 million for the 2011/12 fiscal year and has stated that this is R1.2 million below its required target. Member municipalities have mostly paid up their subscriptions, with some exception.

The SACN described how it views the typology of South African cities. There are five categories which exist in the typology of the country. The first is city-regions characterised by large multi-nodal urban complexes with more than one million people and with significant and diverse economies. The second is cities characterised by multi-nodal areas with more than 400 000 people serving a bigger region and with high service indexes. The third is regional service centres made up of medium or high order towns, relatively high service indexes and towns which offer key service functions in more remote areas. The fourth is service towns with a narrow range of services and serve to fulfill a service function for communities within the vicinity of that town. The fifth is local/niche towns, smaller in terms of population and economic activity and which differ in economic rates.

The SACN highlighted the urban corridors and mega-regions in the world and showed how South Africa and the SADC region compared to the rest of the world in terms of urbanisation. The Network highlighted the spatial and population density gaps in certain municipalities where services were not provided to people living on the outskirts of urban centres due to a disparity in infrastructure development. Most major urban centres receive more funding than rural centres.

The Network identified three key research agenda issues for local government in the form of three work streams:

Workstream 1 (Acting with Better Understanding)

This aims at acting with better understanding by:

• Adopting an urban development policy regime which strengthened productive and sustainable urban spaces.
• Providing local government indicators that allowed better governance and interpretation at varied scales. 

Workstream 2 (Changing Built Environment Function)

This aims at changing the built environment function by:

• Addressing issues of land and land-use management and increasing city efficiency by improving public transport.

Workstream 3 (unhesitant in dealing with Vulnerability)

This aims at understanding better and improving its financing model, improving management of its natural resource base and improving its understanding of rural/urban interdependence & interface. It will have to build dedicated and focused human capacity and promote socio-political stability. It will have to address land and land-use management. It will have to ensure dedicated and focused human capacity for local government. It will have to improve the public transportation system, and work with the Department of Human Settlements to create social cohesion.

The SACN will look to implement four programmes which will target different areas to help it conduct its operations. Programme A will target metro cities; Programme B will target 21 of South Africa’s large municipalities.Programme C will target SADC and the African Continent and Programme D will target international cities.     

 

D. COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS

 

The committee made the following observations:

 

1)       Assistance to municipalities where disasters occurred, moves at a slow pace.

2)       Compliance with the Disaster Management Act, No 57 2002 has been poor, eg not all provinces and districts have disaster management centres.

3)       Senior Management level in the Department of Co-operative Governance was not gender representative.

4)       The management and treatment of the Khoi-san community by the Department of Traditional Affairs has not been decided upon.

5)       Some of the policy that they want to make an input on, like ukuthwala and initiation, is within the scope of other departments like the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Health.

6)       Funding allocation to the CRL Commission is not sufficient even for basic resources.

7)       The committee notes that Kwanaloga operates as a separate entity from SALGA.

8)       The committee notes that amongst the huge amounts of outstanding monies owed to municipalities, there are debts by government departments (inter-governmental debt)

9)       The committee also notes that some of the infrastructure constructed is of poor quality as a result of poor supervision and monitoring.

 

 

E.  RECOMMENDATIONS

1)       Steps should be taken to speed up post-disaster assessment processes, so that resources are speedily sent to disaster areas to avoid the late disbursement of resources. The question of outstanding disaster management funding should be resolved within three months.

2)       After completion of the report of the commission dealing with traditional leadership, the committee must be briefed on the commissions’ findings.

3)       The role and effectiveness of the CRL Commission, and its funding, must be reviewed.

4)       The matter of Kwanaloga’s relationship with SALGA should be resolved by September 2011.

5)       Debts owed to municipalities by government should be paid in the first year of the new councils’ existence. New councils should sort out the billing systems, etc., and a progress report should be submitted to the committee by October 2011.

6)       The monitoring and supervision of infrastructure rolled out must be monitored more robustly and on a regular basis. Pro-active planning on where people should reside when moving from rural areas to cities must be done. Areas identified must be people sensitive.

 

Report to be considered.