Deputy Chairperson, this is a question that has been raised by the Chief Whip.
On the issue of integrated development plans, IDPs, I can inform the House that the department conducts assessments of IDPs on an annual basis. We have done that from April to June and found that 85% of IDPs are credible. This is an improvement over the previous year in which we found that the level of credibility was 79,5%. This means that we are moving forward.
However, one could say that there are still challenges. One of the challenges is the issue of the link between IDPs, provincial growth and development strategies, as well as national priorities. There is also the involvement of national departments, provincial departments and state-owned enterprises in the IDPs. They do not participate. If they do participate at all, they send junior officials. This is a situation we want to improve, because we believe that IDPs are the cornerstone of any development. If it is not in the IDPs, it cannot be implemented. We believe that IDPs must be like the Torah to the Jews, the Qur'an to the Muslims and the Bible to the Christians. It must be something that is followed by all. We are trying to create that type of coherence.
We are also looking at a situation where even other government departments can play their role in the same way that municipalities do in ensuring that this process is taken care of. This is because there is a disjuncture between IDPs within municipalities with regard to priorities and the budget - how these are linked and implemented.
We will be working with the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission to ensure that these things are done so that in South Africa there is one planning system and a framework that is followed by all wherever they are, including state-owned enterprises and the private sector.
In that respect, this process of IDPs is quite important. It is going to be given credibility. We believe that if legislative amendments must be made to strengthen it, we will come to the NCOP and to Parliament to assist in that respect. Thank you very much.
Madam Deputy Chairperson, I would like to ask the Minister if he doesn't think that the link between IDPs, the budget and the implementation plan should also be a document which will actually be taken seriously and be monitored by his department. As it stands now, you find that municipalities only submit budgets and IDPs and not the budget and the service implementation plan. Thank you.
Chairperson, what one can say is that this is an issue of concern, even to us. IDPs are supposed to be plans of action. A plan of action is supposed to be credible and should not become a wish list. It is supposed to be something that is implementable. That is why we came up with a concept that says we must have a service delivery budget implementation plan so that a dynamic link can happen.
Of course, we find that people are still using consultants in some municipalities. That is why you still find a situation where people are protesting. This is because they feel that they are being excluded in the way they are being governed; they want to partake. They feel marginalised because only consultants are doing the work. But if people were included in the development of plans and programmes for development, they would feel part of it. We believe that we are coming with revolutionary ideas even on issues of ward committees. These are ideas that are going to give power to the people as we go forward, because we believe that governance must happen at a ward level. This is the lowest level at which things are supposed to happen. This means that the way in which things are being done is going to change dramatically.
You would know that on 21 and 22 October last week we had a national indaba on local government. A lot of serious changes that must be made in the system emerged at that indaba. Those changes are going to be effected, because we will be concluding a turnaround strategy by December this year. We will be taking municipal draft turnaround strategies to each and every municipality for engagement next year, from January to March. We are going to have a situation wherein people will participate in the issue of IDPs at ward level so that, by June, when budgets are being adopted, there would have been involvement of the people of South Africa. Therefore, when the budget is being implemented in July, people will know that it is the budget they have participated in.
Members of Parliament all hail from municipalities. We are requesting them to participate in the areas where they live. We can't expect Members of Parliament to complain as if they are ordinary citizens. You have a responsibility and a duty to ensure that municipalities are functioning better where you are. Sometimes even when you want things for selfish, narrow interests as a citizen of a particular area - where you want to have water, electricity and so on - you have a political responsibility to ensure that all of the people in that area also benefit from those interests.
In this respect, we request everybody to work together. We believe that local government is everybody's business. We can't deal with it alone, as a department. We require all South Africans to come and join the party. Thank you.
Details regarding the abolition of district municipalities
51. Mr D A Worth (DA) asked the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs: (1) Whether district municipalities are to be abolished; if so, (a) when is this envisaged to take place and (b) what are the further relevant details;
(2) whether the existing councillors from the district municipalities will be incorporated in the surrounding municipalities; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether the functions and powers will be given to the local municipalities; if not; why not; if so, what are the relevant details; and
(4) what is the estimated savings expected in respect of abolishing district municipalities? CO179E
Deputy Chairperson, the issue raised by hon Worth is whether district municipalities are going to disappear from the face of the earth. In response I would say that the national government has been involved in a process of reviewing the system of governance in South Africa. We call this the macroreorganisation of government. Cabinet is still engaged in this process of review. Therefore no decision has been taken by Cabinet on this matter. Subsequent questions therefore fall away, because the first question implied that we did not have any views on these matters. We can promise you, as South Africans and as Members of Parliament, that once Cabinet has pronounced on these matters, everybody will be taken on board. We want to ensure that you participate in the reorganisation of governance.
This is quite important, because it might require constitutional amendments at certain times and legislative amendments at others. You must therefore be party to this process. Thank you very much, Chairperson.
Deputy Chair, as a follow-up to the question, I would like to ask the hon Minister whether he foresees this consultative process regarding district municipalities taking place before the 2011 municipal elections.
Deputy Chairperson, our point of view is that we don't think that there will be any reorganisation of the local government before the 2011 elections. The reason for this is that we, at the Ministry, are required to devise a formula to be used by MECs to determine the number of municipalities. That formula is based on the current configuration. We did this in May. MECs have already pronounced the number of councillors. This means that it is "all systems go". As we speak here today, nothing can actually be changed. It therefore means that any changes that might happen will happen after 2011.
However, discussions are going to take place. South Africans are going to participate and say what they think about the country's system of governance.
Once Cabinet has pronounced in this regard - and we hope this is going to be done next year - we will then be able to allow South Africans to engage in the process because we believe that they are important. Members of Parliament will be the most important persons to engage with this process. Thank you.
Madam Deputy Chair, in view of what the Minister has just said - that no restructuring will take place before 2011 - I would like to ask him whether I can assume that the demarcation done by the Municipal Demarcation Board for two municipalities in the Metsweding District Municipality, Nokeng tsa Taemane and Kungwini - which, according to the demarcation board's present demarcation, have been included mostly into the Tshwane Metropolitan area but also into Ekurhuleni - is an exception or whether it will also be dealt with after the election. This is because if one looks at the present demarcation, these municipalities will actually be incorporated into Tshwane and Ekurhuleni before or by the date of the 2011 election, thereby diminishing the Metsweding District Municipality.
Hon Watty, yes, the issues of Metsweding as a district in the east of Pretoria - Tshwane is the new term, if you want to be politically correct - were decided in 2006. The demarcation board at that time took the view and decision that the municipality or district does not justify its existence in terms of numbers or any other criteria. As we speak, the MEC in Gauteng is considering intervening in one of the municipalities, Nokeng tsa Taemane. The other municipality, Kungwini, has been investigated, and the report has been released. The management of this municipality has actually caused it to struggle and limp along. Therefore that decision was taken some time ago. But the process of engagement is ongoing.
Another municipality that might incidentally be affected if anything happens is a municipality in the Alfred Nzo district in the Eastern Cape. There are only two municipalities in that district - the Umzimvubu Local Municipality and the Matatiele Local Municipality. If the majority of the people are of the view that they want to be incorporated into KwaZulu- Natal, it means that there will be no justification for the existence of that metropolitan municipality if it has one municipality; it will have to be reconfigured in some way.
So, the two areas we have mentioned are exceptional cases. Generally the system is in place and it is moving. We are looking forward to the elections.
I want to conclude by saying that the Cabinet took a decision last week around issues of preparations for local government elections and the system which will be used. We want to share this with members of the NCOP, because issues of delimitation of wards are at the centre of what they do. Members of the NCOP are supposed to participate in these processes because, more often than not, these processes become technical; they do not involve Members of Parliament. Therefore, we want to call upon Members of Parliament to participate in this process. We will make information available so that you are able to contribute to the way wards are designed in the area where you reside. Thank you very much, Chair.
Measures to eliminate problems of municipal managers occupying positions in the majority party that are senior to Executive Mayors and Speakers of Municipal Councils
52. Mr A Watson (DA) asked the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs:
In light of the launch of Operation Clean Audit, what measures does he intend to introduce over the (a) short term and (b) long term to eliminate the problem of municipal managers occupying positions in the majority party structures that are senior to Executive Mayors and Speakers of Municipal Councils?