National Council of Provinces
151 Mr A G Matila (ANC-Gauteng) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether the Government is considering taking steps to minimise
or incorporate the number of provinces; if so, (a) what is the
process thus far and (b) what are the further relevant details;
(2) whether the current arrangement of nine provinces is a suitable
mechanism for governance and service delivery to communities, as
well as for redressing historical imbalances?
CO236E
REPLY
Government is currently finalising a Policy Review of Provincial and Local
Government. While Cabinet has not yet received a formal report on this
work, the Review is expected to reflect on key governance lessons of the
past 15 years as they relate to the role and performance of provincial and
local government and the implications of these lessons. It is quite
possible that issues related to the number of provinces may indeed emerge
from this Review. Thus, this Policy Review is likely to stimulate robust
discussions and debate.