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NDP CONFERENCE (SPL): 21-23 NOVEMBER 2013
“Translating Vision 2030into local reality: making development
work”
1. INTRODUCTION
Our transformation, from a society rooted in discrimination and disparity, to a
constitutional democracy posed, and continues to pose, particularly profound
challenges at local level.
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It is here that acute imbalances in personal wealth, physical infrastructure and
the provision of services are often most visible.
The reality is that the full scope of the transformation project and its historic
and systemic complexities falls primarily on local govt.
It is local govt that is expected to convert policy and constitutional objectives
into practical development and reality.
The introduction of the NDP merely reinforces the notion that govt should be
developmentally orientated and inclusive in its focus and design, requiring
collaboration between all sections of society and effective leadership by govt.
2. LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
The notion of developmental local government was first introduced by the Constitution
and then the 1998 White Paper on Local Government.
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The White Paper on Local Government in fact calls on local government to be
developmental by “leading by learning”.
In fact, the local government sphere is premised on the notion of being
developmental in nature and developmentally orientated in exercising its
powers and performing its functions.

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Even in our design, section 153 of the Constitution is in fact entitled
„developmental duties of municipalities‟ and enjoins Municipal Councils to
structure itself to fulfil that purpose. Local government, structurally at least, is
then supposed to de developmentally orientated.
It is critically important, in our view, to bear in mind the tremendous strides and
progress that government has made (with local government as the implementing
sphere) in expanding the provision of services to our people.
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We all live and work in municipalities – in most instances we have water,
electricity, roads and clean towns and cities – this is local government at work
and being developmentally focused.
Yet, poor service delivery and compliance driven institutions, rather than
developmentally orientated ones, continues to characterise South African
government, and municipalities in particular.
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Why is this the case and what can be done to ensure that we fast track
development at local level?
3. KEY CHALLENGES
While local government has been given significant development responsibilities, there
are a number of key challenges which must be addressed if the potential of the sector
is to be fully unlocked to play that game-changing role.
First, there is a fundamental tension in the system which is espoused in two opposing
constitutional principles, namely:
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Municipalities‟ “right to govern, on its own initiative, the local government
affairs of the community”; and
The duty of both the national and provincial governments to oversee local
government through regulation, monitoring and supervision.
The power to regulate may not, however, “compromise or impede a municipality‟s
ability or right to exercise its powers or perform its functions.”
• However, this has been the (unintended) consequence of local govt regulation
to date, resulting in compliance driven institutions that are unresponsive and
unaccountable in many respects.
o Form has overtaken substance in many instances.
• There is clearly a balance to be struck between regulation (to prevent
mismanagement, corruption and incompetence) and local initiative and

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innovation (right to govern on our own initiative), particularly to be
developmental.
We need to make the regulatoryframework as complex as is necessary, but as
simple as possible.
Second, one of more pervasive and popularised challenges experienced has been
the interface between councillors and officials.
• Inappropriate political interference in administrative matters and strained
relations between key political and administrative officials has hamstrung many
municipalities.
• Relations between political–administrative arms of a municipality should not be
viewed as a master / servant relationship, but is rather a multi-faceted and
complex one.
• There is obviously an inherent tension in councillors wanting to ensure that
their decisions are implemented effectively, but it must be managed to such an
extent that councillors take decisions, and officials are allowed to get on with
the job of implementing them.
• Political and administrative leadership of municipalities and political structures
must be acutely aware of the consequences that inappropriate political
leadership has on functioning and therefore on service delivery.
• Political leaders must take responsibility for ensuring that there are adequate
policies that guides administration on service delivery implementation and put
necessary oversight mechanisms in place, whilst allowing the administration
the necessary space to exercise its technical expertise.
Third, one of the other key challenges that the NDP highlights is recruitment and
selection capability, as this largely determines public sector capability to execute
developmental objectives.
• The local government sector has always aspired to recruit and retain qualified
and skilled personnel, but the strategy has faced numerous challenges.
• Municipalities in cities have been able to recruit and retain skilled and qualified
people because they have enough resources and to compete in the job
market, and their attractive locations, as opposed to the peri-urban and more
rural municipalities that have been decidedly disadvantaged.
• Moreover, the foundations of a professional local government system – that
responds to the Constitutional call for an efficient, development-oriented,
responsive local government that is accountable and transparent – have been
put in place with the development of a Local Government Professionalization
Framework.
• A multi-year inflation based wage agreement with the unions has been
concluded which provides certainty in terms of municipal budgeting during this

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medium term period. This is a major step forward with regard to creating an
environment conducive to labour peace and stability in the sector.
Finally, renewed efforts at reconnecting communities with their municipalities are
therefore necessary.
• Compliance with the spirit of the law giving effect to participatory democracy is
as important, if not more so, than the letter thereof.
• As much as anything else, it requires a change in attitude, approach and
development of an institutional culture of participatory democracy, including
community oversight. A political „culture of participatory governance‟ is vital if
the vision of development local government, so eloquently articulated in the
White Paper on Local Government, is to be realised.
• The development of such a culture is vital for the sustainability of the institution
of local government and the enhancement of accountable, responsive and
vibrant local democracy.
4. RECOMMENDATIONS
While we have made significant strides in extending the provision of services to many
more of our people, persistent underdevelopment and reversing the legacy of
apartheid must be our focus in realising Vision 2030.
• While all spheres of government are required to align their plans with the
strategic vision, it is local government, as the sphere closest to the people and
the implementation level of government, that must play a fundamental role in
building a capable state and is for that reason the key pillar in a capable state
that we wish to construct.
• Ultimately, it is the ability of local government to convert the aspirations of our
people and policy priorities into local reality, which will determine the success
or failure, of our development growth path (vision 2030).
The march towards developmental local government is not, and will never be, a linear
one. Key to this effort revolves around solving the internal governance issues and
creating conducive conditions for our local economies to be developmentally
orientated.
• In our response initiatives, we must pursue the advancement and investment
in developmental local government, if our reform and long-term objectives is to
be sustainable and add value to our development process.
CLLR THABO MANYONI
CHAIRPERSON: SALGA