SECTION 5: LOCAL ACTION AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR DEVELOPMENT
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Local level planning
- Key challenges need to be addressed at local level including the need to:
- Address the legacy of apartheid planning, which undermines social and economic integration and employment in order to achieve broad socio- economic integration
- Implement poverty alleviation and local economic development programmes including extending basic services, whilst creating adequate social safety nets to protect the most vulnerable in communities
- Develop people-centred and workable service partnerships amongst constituencies that will combine resources and capacity in targeted developmental programmes
- Increase the capacity of communities to participate meaningfully in local development
- Focus on basic community services as well as to address the challenge of social and economic infrastructure development, maintenance and delivery that will sustain development at local level
- Pursue the provision of affordable housing in alignment with overall planning processes in order to support the achievement of more socially and economically integrated communities. In many cases this will require densification in urban areas
- Enhance the capacity of emerging contractors to prepare and submit tenders for infrastructure contracts
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Constituencies agree to work together to:
- Accelerate the pace and implementation of integrated service delivery and development
- Build local development partnerships
- Increase meaningful participation of constituencies in development initiatives and build vibrant communities
- Strengthen local government to achieve its developmental objectives
- Ensure and strengthen integrated planning amongst the National Spatial Development Perspective, Provincial Growth and Development Strategies and Integrated Development Plans
- Ensure effective communication, dissemination and local implementation of the outcomes of the GDS.
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The constituencies note that:
- Government has recently produced a National Spatial Development Perspective, which serves to complement the Provincial Growth and Development Strategies (where they exist) and the Integrated Planning Process of local government at local level, is being implemented.
- A National Spatial Development Perspective is necessary to ensure an integrated and effective approach to economic and social development so that government's infrastructure investment and development spending has better spatial outcomes than are currently being achieved.
- Government has initiated a process of developing a National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) and has submitted a progress report on the implementation of the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme (ISRDP) and the Urban Renewal Programme (URP) which target 21 nodes.
- Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) are critical planning tools for municipalities to realise their developmental objectives, contribute to employment, foster economic development and provide basic services. Local government faces capacity and resource constraints in developing and implementing IDPs.
- Although formalised social dialogue has been successful at the national level it has not been adequately structured at the local level. Government has instituted a number of processes to promote voluntary action, consultation, awareness raising and participation.
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The constituencies agree that:
- Local government capacity to develop IDPs should be strengthened and supported. The capacity of councillors and officials should be developed
- Stakeholders' participation and capacity should be nurtured and developed, paying particular focus to workers and community organisations that typically lack capacity and resources
- Social dialogue at the local level should be strengthened through national guidelines to be developed by government
- The participation of Nedlac constituencies in structures and mechanisms that seek to deepen community participation, such as the following, should be strengthened:
- Imbizos
- Letsema Campaign
- Ward committees
- School Governing Bodies
- Community Policing Forums
- Hospital boards
- Workers forums
- The role of constituencies in the implementation of the Integrated Sustainable Rurual Development Programme (ISRDP) and the Urban Renewal Programme (URP) should be enhanced by establishing formal links between the local authorities and constituency entities in the nodes. Agriculture is particularly important in the context of the ISRDP.
- Corporate social investment can make a significant contribution to the achievement of a wide range of societal objectives and engagement between business and government at local level on development and implementation of the IDPs should be strengthened.
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In relation to local action, constituencies commit to the following:
- Government will establish a framework that will strengthen the participation of constituencies and broaden ownership by communities in the Integrated Development Planning process within the context of the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP).
- Labour will support local action by encouraging locals to help design, mobilise and support development processes and programmes, particularly in terms of Ward Committees and IDPs.
- Community will encourage community structures to help develop, mobilise and support development processes and programmes, particularly in terms of Ward Committees and IDPs.
- Business will:
- Mobilise local business organisations to participate in the Integrated Development Process on an organised basis once a framework for such interaction is established.
- Explore the potential for synergies between corporate social investment and government priorities, by participating in IDPs.
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Local Economic Development
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The constituencies note that:
- Local governments are uniquely placed to ensure integrated infrastructure development for local economic development, and effective support for small and micro enterprise, which is critical for generating employment opportunities and meeting basic needs.
- Local governments can support economic expansion, local job creation and equity through their procurement and employment policies and well as through their economic and infrastructure programmes.
- The capacity of local governments, especially outside the metropolitan areas, to support local economic development must be strengthened. The IDP process is a critical tool to achieve this aim.
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The constituencies agree:
- Mechanisms should be explored to make it easier for SMEs and co-operatives to tender for local government work, including improving the turnaround time on payment.
- Local government procurement should support the Proudly South African campaign. To that end, municipalities should commit to the campaign.
- Local government procurement strategies should endeavour to promote local economic development and simpler, standardised tender procedures.
- Local governments should seek to streamline applications for operating permits and other approvals.
- Mechanisms should be developed to link Local Economic Development sub-sector strategies with sector strategies.
- Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCCs) should ultimately be operational in all 284 municipalities.
- MPCCs should be used to support the development of SMEs and co-operatives.
- Mechanisms to facilitate access, including through local government to national economic incentive schemes for local enterprises must be explored.
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Commitments
- Government will extend the number of MPCCs from 37 to 60 over the next eighteen months.
- Labour will support, through the Job Creation Trust, qualifying small-scale projects that contribute to employment and skills development based on applications from NGOs, community groups and co-operatives.
- Business will mobilise the capacity of business entities at local level to work with the dti to provide services to established and emerging businesses, within the principle of united business formations. The use of the MPCCs as a focal point for information will also be explored.
- Business will explore synergies between local economic development sub-sector strategies and sector strategies. Examples are the chemical industry that commits to working with local authorities, which have identified sub-sectors of the chemical industry as part of their local economic development strategy, to explore links between potential investment projects identified by the sector and the local authority, in order to maximise the synergies in terms of raw material supply and downstream sector development and mining which has incorporated participation in IDPs into the mining charter.
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Provision of infrastructure and access to basic services
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The constituencies note that:
- As national legislation confirms, local governments are responsible for the provision of basic infrastructure and public provision of infrastructure is the preferred option.
- In this context, there is space for co-operation between local governments and other stakeholders, especially to develop new infrastructure and improve existing infrastructure. Co-operation of this type must:
- Strengthen, not undermine basic services for poor communities.
- Therefore be carefully assessed in terms of medium term costs and sustainability; the implementation of progressive tariff structures; and the overall impact on employment and equity.
- Maintain the participation of local communities in decision making on service delivery.
- Align with national policies on the affordability of basic services and on PPPs in general.
- v. Enhance the capacity of emerging contractors to respond to opportunities presented by greater availability of infrastructure funds.
- Municipal Service Partnerships provide a framework within which investments in municipal infrastructure, risk management and capacity building must be implemented.
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Service delivery mechanisms
- The constituencies agree that:
- Employment opportunities for the poor, vulnerable and marginalised groups should be facilitated and created through an integrated and co-ordinated labour-based approach to government infrastructure delivery and service provision.
- Proposals for public employment programmes provide for a strong role for local government, community organisations, union locals and regions, and local businesses.
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Commitments
- Government will:
- Provide for increased service delivery through the improvement of municipal infrastructure, particularly for the poor as elaborated in government's programmes.
- Continue to increase investment in basic municipal infrastructure throughout the country.
- Through the National Home Builders Registration Council, commit to capacity building programmes for emerging contractors.
- Local authorities will work with the national SA Building Industries Federation and regional Master Builders' Associations to try and solve the backlogs in planning approvals.
- If appropriate financial mechanisms are established, labour will support the direction of financial resources, including retirement funds, to low-income housing programmes that support the densification and integration of our communities.
- Business:
- The South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC) will launch a Mentor program in collaboration with the Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Program and the Construction Education and Training Authority to enhance the capacity of emerging contractors.
- The construction industry is working with the Construction Industry Development Board to compile a follow-up document to address the confusion amongst potential participants in construction contracts and bring a modicum of standardisation to the delivery process. The product, known as a "Toolkit," aims to provide a simple guide or checklist to public servants involved in delivery about what to do at each phase of the process and to show clearly which acts, regulations etc. have to be complied with at each stage.
- The South African Institution of Civil Engineers (SAICE) has, in conjunction with several public stakeholders, developed a programme to address the capacity problem with regards to human resources to run delivery processes, at local level. The objective is not only to enhance understanding and capacity amongst local civil servants involved in the process, but also understanding between bureaucrats and local councillors. Numerous tutors/mentors are ready to be deployed once funding is in place.
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