[ad_1]
The Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, says that her department is currently working on a series of regulations that aim to strengthen governance in the country.
Responding to a written parliamentary question and answer session, Dlamini-Zuma said this includes the implementation of the new District Development Model (DDM) approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet in August 2019.
“The DDM is designed to enhance collaborative planning between the three spheres of government and the establishment of a ‘One district, one plan and one budget’ for each of the 44 districts and 8 metropolitan areas.
“The department is reviewing several of its laws and is developing regulations and frameworks to strengthen these laws,” he said.
Dlamini-Zuma provided an outline of these new regulations and frameworks in more detail below.
The local government: Bill to reform the municipal systems
Dlamini-Zuma said the goals of the amendment bill are:
- Help municipalities to build the skills base necessary to exercise their powers and perform their functions by appointing duly qualified people and competent senior managers; Y
- Professionalize local public administrations.
Local government demarcation bill
This bill establishes the criteria and procedures for the determination and redetermination of municipal and district boundaries, as well as the establishment of an appeals authority.
Amendment of the Law on municipal structures of local government
Dlamini-Zuma said the amendment:
- Provide a minimum of 10 councilors per municipality;
- Provide for the prohibition of a councilor who is found guilty of a violation of the councilors’ code of conduct for a period of two years;
- Provide additional functions of the speaker;
- Provide a whip from the municipal council;
- Clarify the formula for the composition of an executive committee; Y
- Provide a code of conduct for councilors.
District model
in a presentation in September, Dlamini-Zuma said the new District Development Model is a response to the ‘pedestrian growth’ that the country has seen over the last decade and that it was ‘simply not enough’ to secure employment and income for the majority of people. .
To address these and facilitate better coordination and integration, the government has adopted the new District Development Model (DDM).
“The DDM seeks to strengthen the local sphere of governance, moving us away from planning, budgeting and silo implementation,” he said.
Dlamini-Zuma said the new model will provide a “common and more tangible vision of development” for the country. “By taking a long-term view and interconnecting local economies, we can reimagine a better community, district and nation.”
He said the government also plans to locate each district’s competitive advantage and “use it for shared growth and prosperity.”
This will include the establishment of ‘district centers’ that will employ qualified people in ‘district centers’ so that they can take advantage of shared skills that local municipalities lack.
“The axes are part of the district’s capacity and will connect the localities with the provinces and national departments,” he said. The centers will also house critical and scarce skills, such as engineers, planners, ICT specialists and administrators, for local districts and municipalities.
Dlamini-Zuma said these centers are currently being tested at three pilot sites across the country: Waterberg in Limpopo, eThekwini in KZN, and OR Tambo in Eastern Cape, which will affect more than 10% of the population, most of which they are the poorest in our country.
The ownership and management structure of these economies is a microcosm of South Africa, he said.
Dlamini-Zuma said the district model will also see budget changes across the government, with the ultimate goal of unifying finances into a single budget.
The District Development Model will be implemented through the specialization and reprioritization of the plans and budgets of each and every one of the departments, state entities and municipalities, he said.
“The ‘Single Plan’ that will inform the ‘Single Budget’ is an intergovernmental strategic framework for investment and execution in relation to district and metropolitan spaces,” he said.
“The District Development Model is about how we work together as one government in all of our districts and metropolitan spaces, even if each sphere, sector or entity has its own distinct, interrelated and interdependent constitutional powers, functions and responsibilities.
“In this case, working together means planning, budgeting and implementing as one, while holding each other accountable throughout the process.”
Read: Taxpayers will pay the bill for the proposed R243 billion universal income program in South Africa
[ad_2]
