CREATING SUSTAINABLE - Municipal Institute of … Libr… · and in creating more functionally ......

CREATING SUSTAINABLE

5 DECEMBER 2016

NDP, IUDF & IDP ALIGNMENT DIALOGUE AND

LEARNING EXCHANGE

SALGA HOUSE

LOCAL GOVERNMENT:

Contents

Abbreviations

1. Background 2. Introduction3. Theme 4. Setting the scene: Building a more sustainable local government5. Understanding the National Development Plan6. Getting to grips with the Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF)7. World Cafe 8. Way forward

COGTA – Cooperative Governance and Traditional AffairsIDP – Integrated Development PlanningIUDF – Integrated Urban Development FrameworkMILE – Municipal Institute for Learning MSA – Municipal Systems ActNDP – National Development PlanNPC – National Planning CommissionSDF – Spatial Development FrameworkPMS – Performance Management SystemPSP – Provincial Strategic PlanPSG – Provincial Strategic Goals

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NDP, IUDF & IDP ALIGNMENT DIALOGUE AND LEARNING EXCHANGE

LOCAL GOVERNMENT:

1. Background

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The concept of developmental local government derives from the 1998 White Paper on Local Government. In terms of the White Paper, the notion of developmental local government is comprised of four basic characteristics: maximizing economic growth and social development; integrating and coordinating the developmental activities of the state and non-state agencies in the municipal area; local government becoming the vehicle through which citizens work to achieve their vision of the kind of place in which they wish to live; and municipalities must build social capital whilst finding local solutions for increased sustainability through effective political leadership. In order for the distinct, interdepended and interrelated spheres of government to work towards achieving a common goal, it is thus imperative that the system works as a whole as opposed to a localised focus on components.

Whilst a lot of progress has been made since 1994, South Africa is far from achieving the goals: breaking down apartheid geography; more compact cities and decent public transport to mention a few. There have been some changes in the policy environment guiding planning within the country. The National Development Plan (NDP) as adopted in September 2012 aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. The NDP asserts that South Africa can realize these goals by drawing on the energies of its people, growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities, enhancing the capacity of the state, and promoting leadership and partnerships throughout society.

The IUDF is a policy initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoGTA). The IUDF builds on various chapters in the National Development Plan (NDP) and extends Chapter 8 ‘Transforming human settlements and the national space economy’, and its vision for urban South Africa:By 2030 South Africa should observe meaningful and measurable progress in reviving rural areas and in creating more functionally integrated, balanced and vibrant urban settlements. For this to happen the country must: clarify and relentlessly pursue a national vision for spatial development; sharpen the instruments for achieving this vision; [and] build the required capabilities in the state and among citizens. The policy framework aims to guide the development of inclusive, resilient and liveable urban settlements, while squarely addressing the unique conditions and challenges facing South Africa’s cities and towns. It provides a new approach to urban investment by the developmental state, which in turn guides the private sector and households.

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To move away from the basics, local government has to acknowledge that service provision is not an end in itself but a strategic enabler for socio-economic development, as stated in the Constitution. Therefore, municipal planning through the IDP should integrate equity, social and economic aspects into service provision to give meaning to developmental local government. The MSA necessitates each municipal council to produce a five (5) year IDP which serves as a strategic plan for the municipality. The Integrated Development Plan (IDP) is a five-year plan which local government is required to compile to determine the development needs of the municipality. To this end, IDP’s should be viewed as the tool that integrates the whole of government order to deliver on the desired outcomes. This already suggests that there should be a continuous cooperation and interface between spheres of government and their plans; they need to interact and create synergies. Furthermore, there is an increased need for collective, collaborative, and seamless planning amongst the three spheres of government.

Chapter 3 of the Constitution describes the three spheres as being ‘distinctive, interdependent and interrelated’ and enjoins them to ‘cooperate with one another to address the challenges facing the country. It is therefore critical that a mechanism should be introduced to provide guidance to the spheres of government on how these strategic planning tools can be aligned in a coherent manner. To this end, SALGA Western Cape have engaged the key Provincial Departments in the Western Cape Government (Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning; Department of the Premier and the Department of Local Government) to participate in this initiative. The Western Cape Provincial Strategic Plan aligns with the National Development Plan (NDP). The PSP sets out five overarching Provincial Strategic Goals (PSGs); and introduces eight key “Game Changers” as catalysts for the realisation of the PSGs. As part of the Provincial Strategic Plan (2014-2019), the Western Cape Government has established the Integrated Planning Working Group that is comprised of the provincial sector departments. Its purpose is to ensure collaboration in both planning and implementation of programmes and projects within the Western Cape in a bid to achieve the Provincial Strategic Goals outcomes, outputs and targets. It is against this background that SALGA in partnership with, COGTA and the Planning Commission and the Western Cape Government hosted a Dialogue Session with the proposed theme focusing on the ”Sustainable Local Government: NDP, IUDF and IDP Alignment Dialogue”. The ultimate goal of this Dialogue was to reflect on the challenges existing with regards to the alignment of these policy directives, to determine the framework for implementation and to recommend practical steps towards the implementation of the policies.

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2. Introduction

3. Theme

The NDP, IUDF and IDP Dialogue Session was held on the 05th of December 2016, at SALGA HOUSE. The participants of the Dialogue were portfolio councillors, Municipal Managers, Executive Mayors, IDP officials, Spatial Planners and Economic Development Practitioners.

The theme of the session was as follows

Sustainable Local Government: NDP, IUDF and IDP Alignment Dialogue

The purpose of the Dialogue was to:

• To determine the value proposition and policy recommendations of the NDP and IUDF; • To reflect on the enablers and disablers of synergy between the conceptual framework of IDPs and the resultant impact; • To reflect on the intergovernmental challenges inhibiting seamless co-ordination; and • To highlight the mutual stakeholder expectations for implementing the NDP, IUDF and IDPs.

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05 DECEMBER 2016 at 08:30 to 15:30

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05 DECEMBER 2016 at 08:30 to 15:30

Time AGENDA ITEM

RESPONSIBLE PERSON

08:30-09:00 Registration & Tea SALGA 09:00-09:15 Opening and Welcome

SALGA: Cheryl

Persensie 09:15-10:15 Setting the Scene SALGA (Marx

Mupariwa) 10:15-10:45 National Development Plan SALGA: Cheryl

Persensie 10:45-11:00 Tea 11:00- 11:30 Integrated Urban Development Framework COGTA (Vincent

Rabothata) 11:30-12:00 Sustainable Local Government through Integrated

Planning

WC DLG (Walton Carelse) & DEA&DP (Gerhard Gerber)

12:00-12:20 Transversal Management, including Public Participation & Good Governance

WC DotP (Clive Stuurman) & WC DLG

(Craig Mitchell) 12:20-12:30 Questions of Clarity

Facilitator: Sogen

Moodley- MILE 12:30-13:15 Lunch 13:15-15:00 World Café

Public Participation & Good Governance Transversal Management Integrated Planning

Facilitators: MILE: Sogen Moodley

Scribes: SALGA Team

15:00-15:30 Tea 15:30-15:45 Feedback from World Cafe MILE: Sogen Moodley 15:45 Closure SALGA: Cheryl

Persensie

4.Settingthescene:Buildingamoresustainablelocalgovernment

Marx Mupariwa outlined the context for the day explaining that the fourth generation of

IDPs are about to be developed. Municipalities are anxiously questioning the extent to

which IDPs are going to be different so that municipalities are able to operationalize the

new national plans. The strategic importance of the IDP process and the core principles

underlying it, including public engagement was explained. Furthermore, the need to

invent spaces for communities to actively participate is critical. A quote that stood out

was that the biggest risk is “planning for communities rather than planning with

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4. Setting the scene: Building a more sustainable local government

Marx Mupariwa outlined the context for the day explaining that the fourth generation of IDPs are about to be developed. Municipalities are anxiously questioning the extent to which IDPs are going to be different so that municipalities are able to operationalize the new national plans. The strategic importance of the IDP process and the core principles underlying it, including public engagement was explained. Furthermore, the need to invent spaces for communities to actively participate is critical. A quote that stood out was that the biggest risk is “planning for communities rather than planning with communities”.

Deep thinking, long-range planning, effective implementation through budgeting and the need for greater alignment (to other strategic plans, budget, SDFs, PMS) was highlighted as critical elements to consider in making IDPs effective tools for creating local municipalities that are sustainable. Another key point that was raised was the disconnect between the IDP assessment tools and the happiness index of communities. Highly rated IDP’s do not imply well serviced communities. It was also acknowledged that the three spheres of government have a complex and complicated system of planning which influences each other. It was stressed that it is critical for a structured engagement to take place for better alignment.

During the discussion session, it was noted that whilst the SDF is a critical tool, the IDP is currently the most important statutory document. The SDF is to be understood as spatial representation of a long range plan and goes beyond the 5 year political term of office of municipalities.

Marx Mupariwa presenting on IDP’s

5. Understanding the National Development Plan

Cheryl Persensie, outlined the background of the evolution of the NDP over the last six years. A diagnostic report was produced that outlined 9 key challenges. At the heart of the NDP, it was noted, is both the reduction of inequality and poverty. The development of a spatial vision, crafting of clear instruments and building capabilities are the three key proposals of the NDP. A call was made for municipal IDPs to strategically translate the intent of the NDP through creative strategies to reduce sprawl such as reducing travel times to work, reducing the cost of business, small farmer support. A set of five key recommendations for NDP alignment to the IDP was provided.

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5.1 National and Provincial government: take heed of our IDPs please!

The IDP is indeed the most important plan for municipalities and that the NDP must be localized to suit the municipal context. There was a call for national and provincial sector departments to recognize this and to ensure that sufficient budgets are made available from national to municipalities. This is because national programs have ramifications for municipalities and proper engagements between national and municipalities need to take place.

5.2 We can make holistic development happen, but who pays: The challenge of unfunded mandates

Similarly, greater conversations need to be held to talk about unfunded, under-funded and funded mandates



LOCAL GOVERNMENT:

Cheryl Persensie presenting on NDP

TALKING POINTS

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to prevent the challenges of protests experienced on the ground. At the same time, it was also noted that municipalities themselves have to think creatively about how they access national funding, how they partner with business, how they make provisions to respond to challenges. It was stressed that institutional arrangements are put into place so that the alignment required is achieved.

5.3 Aren’t there just too many plans: A time to rationalize perhaps?

There was also a call to look for a rationalization of plans – whilst new tools are being introduced, should others still remain? There is a need to think about how these relate to each other.

5.4 Let’s move beyond this painful uncertainty!

There is a sense of much uncertainty at municipal level which has to be addressed. There is a need for us to learn from each other to be inspired by work that other municipalities are doing, so as to prevent the confusion prevailing at some municipalities.

5.5 What is the exact role of LED in municipalities?

A call was also made to think long and hard about how to structure and institutionalize LED in municipalities. Local government’s role is certainly to create enabling environments for job creation and to promote local economies. It was agreed that LED is not only for the LED Unit, but should be an imperative that all departments are thinking about.

6. Getting to grips with the Integrated Urban Development Framework (IUDF)

Vincent Rabothata (COGTA) explained the background and the process of the IUDF unpacking the 5 phases that unfolded since 2012. The alignment of the IUDF to the SDG globally and the NDP nationally was explained before unpacking the core elements of the IUDF with its focus on spatial transformation and the 3C model; creating compact, connected and coordinated cities. A set of 9 levers were also presented to achieve the goals of the IUDF and the priority actions for the next 18 months was also outlined. The support structure on how to ensure the IUDF is rolled out was also shared. “Spatial transformation is more than spatial restructuring” was a useful quote that stood out.

6.1 Addressing social ills

There is a danger that the ordinary citizens who are unskilled and facing social challenges (substance abuse in particular) may not be considered by our plans. We need to look at how to be in touch with our citizens and assist them to address the social ills facing them locally. There was a call for municipal policies to be relooked at, as the current policies sometimes do not facilitate social development.

6.2 Urgent need to move away from reacting

If the IUDF is to work, we need to be proactive and look at how we are structured as municipalities to make the IUDF work. More attention needs to be given to dedicated capacity in municipalities to implement

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Vincent Rabothata presenting on the IUDF

TALKING POINTS

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the IUDF and for thinking about how to mainstream it into all municipal activities.

6.3 Need for more municipal support

National and Provincial governments have to be actively supported if the IUDF is to be realized. Participants are making the call for much more funding, greater will and more technical support to make our plans happen.

7. Sustainable Local Government through Integrated Planning

Gerhard Gerber (DEA & DP) commenced with lamenting the challenge of denialism or doing the same things over time expecting different results. Integrated planning, it was suggested can be achieved through an 8 step change management process that was outlined. The “what” has been redefined and it is now about understanding the how, which is more about cooperating, assisting, supporting, consulting and coordination. The power of the IDP as a tool to integrate

was re-affirmed in order that it drives the budget and ensures integrated development on the ground. We need to focus on what can be done, rather than what cannot, and really be more efficient with the resources that we have. Partnering solutions, it was also mooted is key to achieve integration, however it is important to clarify roles and responsibilities. Moving forward the introduction of outcomes based auditing will be able to measure impacts which is a breakthrough in local governance.

A key challenge across all the spheres is the short term needs vs long term planning. It is imperative to not ignore one over the other, as one needs to also provide for future generations hence giving life to “Sustainable Local Government”.

Gerhard Gerber presenting on Sustainable Local Government

8. Transversal Management, including Public Participation and Good Governance

Clive Stuurman (Department of the Premier WC) shared the Western Cape Provincial Strategic Management System (PSMS) that was designed as an innovative institutional response to break down silos and foster greater cooperation and collaboration. Interestingly, indicative of the silo mentality, the PFMA does not provide a platform for transversal management. Transversal management is critical for enhancing socio- economic development. Each PSG has a Steering Committee comprising MECs, staff and external stakeholders with Working Groups that develop and monitor the implementation plans. The Coordinating Committee is responsible for the overall monitoring of the PSMS and has been effective over the last 7 years in the Western Cape.

Buyiswa Jack (Western Cape DLG) provided a good overview of the preparation for the 2016 Ward Committee establishment process. It was explained that through a process of reflection on the previous functioning of ward committees at a Public Participation Conference it was decided to conduct an assessment, which was carried out by a service provider. The methodology utilized was to choose a sample of municipalities and wards per district that cut across all economic and demographic categories. A diagnostic assessment was conducted culminating in a set of key recommendations to improve the participation process.

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Clive Stuurman presenting on Transversal

Management

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8.1 Leadership

A good strategy management system is required. One can have great plans, strategy, working groups etc. However it is imperative that Leadership understands that day to day decisions are what makes the largest impact in terms of the success of the strategy. There should not be a disconnect between the strategies and day-to-day decision making.

8.2 Listen to the community!

Listen to what the community has to say, as they are at the ground level and will know very well the real needs eg the location of a clinic, library etc. Change management is required to change the mindset in order to do things differently.

Buyiswa Jack presenting on the 2016 establishment of Ward Committees

TALKING POINTS

9. World Café Conversations: A summary

Integrated development planning in a democracy must be underpinned by community participation and communities must play a meaningful role in diagnosing their developmental problems, with officials and “experts” acting as facilitators. IDPs prepared by consultants irrespective of being technically sound may be unlikely to inspire communities to meaningfully participate in development planning, let alone take ownership of the outcomes of development. The traditional ways of engaging with communities has over time become less effective. The key question which was asked to participants was to suggest some new, dynamic and exciting ways for stakeholders to participate, including the creative use of technology.

Most participants mentioned that the use of social media for planning and participation can be used to ensure everybody’s voices are heard. Some municipalities already make use of ‘whatsapp’ groups and this has been working very well. Communities can also use whatsapp message through a voice clip to tell their stories and convey key issues of concern. This will improve participation and encourage people to become involved in the affairs of the municipality. It also creates a platform where the “noises” are separated from the key issues. However, it was highlighted that this might not work for all communities as they are very different from each other. There is a need to think about different methods which could work in different communities and not apply a one-size-fits all approach.

A range of creative suggestions were made. One idea was that municipalities should go back to undertaking street meetings as they were proven to have worked very well in the past. Focus groups are another way to discuss issues of concern to particular groups. These focus groups could be constructed based on demographic data which will allow the scientific prioritization of issues. A third suggestion was that communities need to take ownership of developmental issues in their areas and community based planning can be an effective way to do this.

The institutionalisation of public participation was raised as a key issue as in many municipalities each department has its own public participation official. A suggestion was made that the public participation unit is strategically located within the office of the Municipal Manager. This will assist to mainstream public participation throughout the municipality, preventing uncoordinated responses and potentially diluting this important function.

Secondly, in addition to its strategic location it is important to ensure that public participation units

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Public Participation/Good GovernanceTheme 1:

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have the requisite resources to undertake their function effectively. Thirdly, another pragmatic idea raised was to make stakeholder engagement part of every manager’s KPI’s.

An issue which was raised was the fact that there is no coordination between national, provincial and local government when it comes to communicating with communities. The suggestion made was twofold. Firstly, national and provincial government coordinate their local government activities through a calendar of events. Secondly, municipalities should have a central point where national and provincial activities are communicated to.

The second question which was asked to participants was to suggest some creative, innovative ways for improving effectiveness of ward committees. A few pragmatic suggestions was made. As a point of departure, it was agreed not to tamper where things are working. A suggestion was made that ward councillors need to start to play a much better coordination role and that ward councillors need to be empowered to undertake their roles and responsibilities and then held accountable. Furthermore, concerns were raised about the manner in which ward councilors are elected to serve on ward committees.

The following key suggestions were made: • training and mentoring of councilors; • assist councilors to think beyond their immediate communities/wards and start working across towns/regionally; • Ward councilors obtaining public written inputs from communities when they are unable to attend public meetings; • putting systems in place for better monitoring and evaluation; • national government to review ward committee policy; • Councils should develop and adopt ward committee policies and standard operating procedures as this will assist to improve accountability of ward committee members.

A very bold suggestion was made, calling for the removal of ward committee member stipends, thereby ensuring that members of the ward committee are actually there to serve the communities and not their own needs. Another issue was raised about how public participation is defined as the concept means different things to different people. It was suggested that as per the Municipal Systems Act, the term community engagement should be utilized.

A dynamic and robust discussion ensued amongst the 3 groups during the café session on Integrated Planning. The theme for discussion was that the IDP’s are meant to be an enabling tool to promote Sustainable Local Government, however in reality this is not the case. The delegates were asked to discuss the underlying causes that inhibit the promotion of sustainable Local Government and provide creative solutions to turn this disjuncture around.

There was a call to reinvent Local Government in order realise long term sustainability. Three broad strategic areas for action emerged. The first area was the need for a reconceptualization, development of new understandings and creating awareness of truly developmental local government. The second involved the need for rethinking institutional and policy mechanisms. The third area involved the imperative to re-vitalise and increase human agency and governance. Each of these will be summarised by highlighting underlying causes and related strategies:

a) Reconceptualization, development of new understandings and creating awareness

From the table discussion, it emerged that the age old problem is that local government has been too narrowly focused on just providing basic services over time. The time has now come for local government to look at innovative ways to generate income apart from just a rates revenue base, which in many instances is subjected to poor collection rates. This will definitely contribute towards promoting sustainability. Seemingly another challenge emanating was that the integrated planning process does not cover all socio- economic challenges. In order to combat this, it is necessary to have a much more inclusive planning process. What came out very strongly was that there was a lack of government understanding of integrated planning (both vertical and horizontal). One way to overcome this was to consciously create planning synergy across all spheres of Government.

Often the imbalance in developing the 4 pillars of Sustainable Local Government creates quite a stumbling block towards achieving sustainability. There is often an over-emphasis on the economic environment whilst the other pillars of sustainability are neglected, especially the social issues. A proposed way to overcome this stumbling block is to have a more holistic approach to developing all 4 pillars so that the social development is not relegated. This point is critical as it was raised as a recurrent theme during the dialogue. Another critical point that emerged in this thematic area is that there appears to be insufficient awareness at a political level regarding planning. As a result communities may be inadequately informed of realistic planning processes. A suggestion was made to create awareness programmes and capacity building sessions for councillors. In this way, they can educate communities to promote realistic planning for sustainable local government.

b) Rethinking Institutional and Policy mechanism

The first key point in this second thematic area was that there appears to be conflicting legislative

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Integrated PlanningTheme 2:

& policy frameworks which actually hamper the planning process. A suggested way to overcome this is to determine exactly which legislative and policy frameworks needs to be reviewed.

Secondly, it was raised that the lack of proper institutional arrangements of the IDP and socio-economic development is definitely a hindrance to achieving sustainable local government. It was proposed that there needs to be clear guidelines of how each department can contribute towards achieving municipal objectives. It was also suggested that there must be a holistic Implementation Plan for each department so they are able to take ownership of the implementation of municipal strategic objectives to improve accountability.

As part of a proactive institutional response, was the acknowledgement that the poor monitoring and evaluation of implementation including lack of return on investment assessments does not provide a yardstick of municipal performance in terms of sustainability. It is therefore imperative to improve implementation of monitoring and evaluation systems. It is also necessary to conduct periodic assessments on investment returns.

Another important underlying cause identified in this thematic area is the lack of zero based budgeting by all spheres of government that makes the budgeting process unrealistic. As a solution, a proposal was made that proper analysis of all existing budget allocations be conducted to identify all projects that should be sustained and those that should be reprioritized.

The final area identified was that there are always huge expectations from communities on the municipality to deliver, however this comes without adequate budgeting available at a municipal level. It was mooted that the Local Government sector must conduct proper analysis of needs of the communities, being at the cold face and act as a conduit by referring/elevating to relevant stakeholders (provincial and national) to prioritize and implement according to their relevant mandates.

c) Re-vitalise and increase human agency and governance

The prominent human agency challenge impacts negatively on the organisation’s architecture. There are just not enough capacity and funding to ensure integrated and timeous service delivery. The Local Government sector really needs a realistic Planning and a Phased implementation of projects approach. There must be continuous engagement with all stakeholders for joint planning, and this must include constant monitoring.

Buyiswa Jack presenting on the 2016 establishment of Ward Committees



LOCAL GOVERNMENT:

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Devoshinee Reddy facilitating the Integrated Planning session

a) One of the challenges facing municipalities is that of VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL alignment. Let’s explore the UNDERLYING CAUSES of misalignment and suggested possible CREATIVE SOLUTIONS for each of these.

The participants raised a number of challenges as well as solutions for addressing misalignment between the different spheres of government. Lack of planning integration between and amongst government departments and municipalities was highlighted as one of the causes of misalignment. As a result, the integration of plans was incorporated at the later stages of planning. It was noted that integration is critical and should permeate through all the phases of planning processes and development. Each sphere of government (and its various departments) has a calendar of events. However, these “calendar of events” are often not coordinated and/or shared thus exacerbating misalignment because municipalities cannot commit to all structures. The coordination of events is important for fostering harmonious participation in different forums, particularly for municipalities.

In recent times, there has been a proliferation of IGR structures that has been observed across government and most of these structures are not effective. Moreover, the agenda of these structures is not strategic in nature and again time schedules are not aligned with the rest of IGR structures. One other scenario has been that municipalities attend the various IGR

structures but feedback and reporting has not been forthcoming as a result of the many IGR structures that they need to be attended. Participants felt that IGR structures must be less cumbersome and need to be rationalised, hence they should not become a burden for municipalities. This will ensure that participants become obliged to provide feedback and follow up on a regular basis to municipalities. It was also proposed that “office feedback reports”’ should be made mandatory for all municipal officials attending IGR structures and perhaps all learning events. This will also assist in strengthening accountability.

The notion of risk aversion has become a common phenomenon in municipalities. There has been a tendency for officials not to engage in work that they need to assume accountability for. As one participant suggested, “people are afraid of taking risks”. It is therefore important to clarify roles and responsibilities and perhaps the professionalization of IGR could

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Transversal ManagementTheme 3:

Fezile Njokweni facilitating the

Transversal Management session

assist in this instance. Accountability is critical for alignment and there is a need for a bottom up approach that will foster ownership and municipalities will have an obligation to honour IGR and transversal management. A reward and incentive system can also be introduced to enhance the transversal management processes.

The location of the IGR function in municipal organograms remains a challenge. Even at provincial level some IGR structures are coordinated by the Department of the Premier and others by Department of Local Government. In municipalities, the responsibility often lies with IDP Officers or Managers who are not in strategic positions. Participants felt that maybe it needs to be introduced as a municipal competency and must be linked to the overall performance system. Furthermore, in order to institutionalise IGR, the roles and responsibility must be rationalised and more budgets need to be allocated for this activity.

The introduction of District IGR Forums has played a significant role in attempting to institutionalize IGR at a local level. However, these forums need to be enhanced and support provided. Budget alignment should also become a key priority for the District IGR Forums. The financial and /or fiscal alignment was discussed at length and conclusions were made that perhaps rather than focusing on financial year alignment, process plans need to be fine-tuned and enhanced. This means that alignment should start at the level of IDPs and budgets and must filter through at all levels of government whilst ensuring that all stakeholders are involved. One participant suggested that, it should not be to institutionalise for the sake of institutionalisation”. IGR should focus on a particular issue and be used to resolve problems whilst producing positive outcomes.

The different groups felt strongly about the need for strong leadership. However, it was also noted that strong leadership needs to coupled with empowerment and capacity building. This will enable leadership to drive a common vision and communicate the message across all spheres of government. Furthermore, a common vision must be compelling and needs to be developed to be shared by all spheres of government.

b) How can transversal management be INSTITUTIONALISED at municipal level?

The existence of functional silos within municipalities was acknowledged. Municipal organisational structures in their very nature are rigid and inefficient. In order to institutionalise transversal management, the basic principle of strategy (and form) should following function. This means that the organisational structures should be reviewed and a change management process should be introduced whereby transversal management becomes part of the organisational culture. However, given the fact that organisational structures cannot be reviewed easily, importance should be attached to the improvement of the function.



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The MILE facilitation team emphasized the importance of ensuring that the work done during the day must be taken forward in a systematic way. The session was not intended as a “talkshop” but as a session for open dialogue intended for transformative action.

The key recommendations emerged:

• MILE with SALGA to produce a learning note • Look at the extent that learning note is aligning to the document which emerged from the WC Municipal Managers Forum on Sustainable Local Government to determine the synergies and identify key issues to be taken forward by SALGA. • Plea for COGTA NATIONAL to look at the learning note to see how COGTA can lobby other national departments – their role is CRITICAL to pull it off. • Discussions should be integrated /channeled towards having a single process moving forward by directing it towards existing forums

10. THE WAY FORWARD

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