Media Release: Province Strives to Make Municipal Planning Everyone's Business | Western Cape Government

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Media Release: Province Strives to Make Municipal Planning Everyone's Business

6 February 2013

The issue of misalignment and fragmentation in terms of planning, budgeting and implementation of projects between municipalities and other spheres of government is a burning topic in government boardrooms countrywide. 

For many years municipalities, through the public participation processes of their Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), have experienced challenges in garnering collaboration and co-operation from other spheres of government to develop informed development agendas and to implement certain projects that require other spheres of government to come to the party. 
 
 
In response to this, the Western Cape Department of Local Government (DLG) has pioneered a fresh, practical approach to intergovernmental planning via the establishment of District IDP Indaba platforms. This is the first of its kind and may set a benchmark for the other provinces in the country.  
 
 
The IDP Indaba engagements are held twice in a financial year. The first IDP Indaba engagement, termed IDP Indaba 1, takes place during the month of July or August. The second IDP Indaba, IDP Indaba 2, is held in the month of February.
 
 
The content, objectives and outcomes of each of these engagements set these two apart.
 
The IDP Indaba 1 is a platform of engagement between the municipalities and the Sector Departments (Provincial and National) on alignment of development strategies, plans, policies and programmes.
 
 
On the other hand, the IDP Indaba 2 is a platform that aims at fostering co-ordination, support and alignment between municipal and provincial project implementation as part of Intergovernmental Planning.
 
 
The Western Cape Department of Local Government, as part of the Provincial Strategic Objective 10 process, began hosting these IDP Indabas in all Western Cape municipal districts from the end of January and will conclude at the end of February. The main purpose of the Provincial Strategic Objective 10, linked to National Outcome 9, is to provide provincial mechanisms and processes that will co-ordinate the planning, budgeting, and implementation of the three spheres of government, and municipal support programmes of national and provincial government.  
 
 
National Outcome 9 sets Local Government at the core of co-ordination of government investment between spheres of government in order to promote integrated and sustainable service delivery. IDP Indabas have been identified as one of the key vehicles through which integrated planning and budgeting between spheres of government can be achieved.  
 
 
While the Department of Local Government is the first to admit that the process has not matured enough to realise its ideals, it has however made significant strides and yielded tangible outcomes since its inception in 2010.  
 
“Other than unblocking of service delivery challenges projects in some districts, it has successfully brought relevant stakeholders together and has begun to meaningfully influence the manner in which government business is conducted in the Western Cape,” comments Provincial Minister Anton Bredell of Local Government. 
 
 
The current engagements will see municipalities engaging and bargaining with sector departments on the prioritisation of the key projects in the short to medium financial term. This important engagement will be attended by the senior officials from both municipalities and the sector departments including, but not limited to, municipal managers and heads of departments and parastatals such as Eskom. 
 
“The Western Cape Government’s approach to integrated development planning is to respond to the communities’ needs through the co-ordination of a single municipal investment plan. This 'Better Together' approach strives to harness the resources of stakeholders for maximum change and impact,” believes Minister Bredell.  
 
 
Schedule of IDP Indabas:
Central Karoo – 31 January 2013
Overberg District – 06 February 2013
West Coast District – 12 and 13 February 2013
Cape Winelands – 19 and 20 February 2013
Eden District - 26 and 27 February 2013
Media Enquiries: 

Caitlin Nash
Cell: 084 945 3728
E-mail: Caitlin.Nash@westerncape.gov.za