Date: 13/03/2003
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Dowry: Western Cape Integrated Development Planning Conference
EXTRACTS FROM THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY COBUS DOWRY, MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE WESTERN CAPE, AT THE OPENING OF THE WESTERN CAPE INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLANNING CONFERENCE, Cumberland Hotel, Worcester, 13 - 14 March 2003
"PARTNERSHIPS AS KEY TO DEVELOPMENTAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLANS"
Partnerships between the spheres of government and major service providers are not an option, but a necessity to achieve truly developmental local government.
Since the 5th of December 2000, municipalities have been on a challenging journey towards this sometimes-elusive objective of being truly developmental. A key instrument in focussing our energy on this journey is the municipal integrated development plan (IDP). We not only see its value in guiding the core business of the municipality, but in its ability to inform how other spheres of government, service providers and economic role-players focus their respective energies in mutual support of municipal development initiatives.
Gedurende die afgelope 2 jaar en 3 maande, is munisipaliteite voor 'n groot uitdaging gestel om as nuwe entiteite, nou ook nuwe verhoudinge met inwoners, en verskeie belangegroepe - waaronder sosiale drukgroepe en ekonomiese rospelers - te smee. Dit is deur middel van die opbou en instand hou van hierdie verhoudings dat hulpbronne gesamentlik en effektief aangewend kan word om armoede te bestry en 'n beter lewe vir al die inwoners in die Wes-Kaap Provinsie te verseker. Die belangrikheid van hierdie vennootskappe kan nie oorbeklemtoon word nie.
Notwithstanding the serious challenges of restructuring, municipalities in this province purposefully embarked on a process to draft their respective integrated development plans. My department is extremely pleased with the ability of the municipalities in the Western Cape to entrench integrated development planning as a new way of doing strategic planning within their respective communities. During recent meetings between myself and colleagues from other provinces, it was clear that the Western Cape performed extremely well in the drafting of IDPs when compared to other provinces.
The assessment of the IDPs showed that municipalities were able to create new structures to engage with their communities, identify key development challenges, quantify service backlogs and shape new development interventions and projects. These achievements have started to inform key budget decisions and bode well for entrenching truly developmental local government in our province. On these achievements, I must congratulate you.
However, there are key areas of concern, which must be addressed if we are to see effective IDP implementation. These relate to each municipality's ability to establish a core group of IDP-related skills within the organisation, manage projects effectively across the municipality, manage strategic information, to improve community engagement in view of impending ward-based structures and to establish effective systems to measure performance.
Importantly, we are now in the municipal transformation phase of "consolidation". The IDP has been instrumental in drawing our attention to the need to improve internal municipal systems, if we are to be sustainable municipal entities. This conference will therefore focus on improving "the way we do things" to improve our systems.
Die lesse geleer tydens die eerste rondte van GOP's, sowel as die uitrol van die Landelike en Stedelike Ontwikkelingsprogramme, is egter nie beperk tot die munisipale sfeer nie. Inter-regerings beplanning- en begrotingsprosesse sal inderdaad verbeter moet word as ons reg wil laat geskied aan ons gesamentlike strewe na beter dienslewering vir al ons inwoners. Die een aspek wat deurgaans uitgewys word as sleutel tot sukses met ontwikkeling, is die kernbeginsel van vennootskappe.
During the conference you will be exposed to lessons learned during the first years of IDP, creative ideas in understanding networks and partnerships, and provincial and national perspectives on IDP. The focus throughout will highlight the importance of partnerships and co-operative approaches to development. This is the key to our common efforts and is reflected in my Ministry and Department's Vision, which is "Developmental Local Government through Partnerships and Co-responsibility".
The challenge therefore is to make the transition to a developmental approach. Our councillors and officials must become developmental entrepreneurs in our wards, our towns, districts and cities. We need to bring development to our different areas of jurisdiction which will benefit all our people and which will bring hope to the millions of despondent people who yearn for a better life. Each and every municipal councillor and official must therefore investigate possible avenues for development and must expand their horizons in search of the applicable strengths and opportunities within their municipal boundaries.
Enquiries: Jan Bosman on 083-7755-312 Issued by Western Cape Provincial Government
13 March 2003
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Dowry: Western Cape Integrated Development Planning Conference
EXTRACTS FROM THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY COBUS DOWRY, MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE WESTERN CAPE, AT THE OPENING OF THE WESTERN CAPE INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLANNING CONFERENCE, Cumberland Hotel, Worcester, 13 - 14 March 2003
"PARTNERSHIPS AS KEY TO DEVELOPMENTAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLANS"
Partnerships between the spheres of government and major service providers are not an option, but a necessity to achieve truly developmental local government.
Since the 5th of December 2000, municipalities have been on a challenging journey towards this sometimes-elusive objective of being truly developmental. A key instrument in focussing our energy on this journey is the municipal integrated development plan (IDP). We not only see its value in guiding the core business of the municipality, but in its ability to inform how other spheres of government, service providers and economic role-players focus their respective energies in mutual support of municipal development initiatives.
Gedurende die afgelope 2 jaar en 3 maande, is munisipaliteite voor 'n groot uitdaging gestel om as nuwe entiteite, nou ook nuwe verhoudinge met inwoners, en verskeie belangegroepe - waaronder sosiale drukgroepe en ekonomiese rospelers - te smee. Dit is deur middel van die opbou en instand hou van hierdie verhoudings dat hulpbronne gesamentlik en effektief aangewend kan word om armoede te bestry en 'n beter lewe vir al die inwoners in die Wes-Kaap Provinsie te verseker. Die belangrikheid van hierdie vennootskappe kan nie oorbeklemtoon word nie.
Notwithstanding the serious challenges of restructuring, municipalities in this province purposefully embarked on a process to draft their respective integrated development plans. My department is extremely pleased with the ability of the municipalities in the Western Cape to entrench integrated development planning as a new way of doing strategic planning within their respective communities. During recent meetings between myself and colleagues from other provinces, it was clear that the Western Cape performed extremely well in the drafting of IDPs when compared to other provinces.
The assessment of the IDPs showed that municipalities were able to create new structures to engage with their communities, identify key development challenges, quantify service backlogs and shape new development interventions and projects. These achievements have started to inform key budget decisions and bode well for entrenching truly developmental local government in our province. On these achievements, I must congratulate you.
However, there are key areas of concern, which must be addressed if we are to see effective IDP implementation. These relate to each municipality's ability to establish a core group of IDP-related skills within the organisation, manage projects effectively across the municipality, manage strategic information, to improve community engagement in view of impending ward-based structures and to establish effective systems to measure performance.
Importantly, we are now in the municipal transformation phase of "consolidation". The IDP has been instrumental in drawing our attention to the need to improve internal municipal systems, if we are to be sustainable municipal entities. This conference will therefore focus on improving "the way we do things" to improve our systems.
Die lesse geleer tydens die eerste rondte van GOP's, sowel as die uitrol van die Landelike en Stedelike Ontwikkelingsprogramme, is egter nie beperk tot die munisipale sfeer nie. Inter-regerings beplanning- en begrotingsprosesse sal inderdaad verbeter moet word as ons reg wil laat geskied aan ons gesamentlike strewe na beter dienslewering vir al ons inwoners. Die een aspek wat deurgaans uitgewys word as sleutel tot sukses met ontwikkeling, is die kernbeginsel van vennootskappe.
During the conference you will be exposed to lessons learned during the first years of IDP, creative ideas in understanding networks and partnerships, and provincial and national perspectives on IDP. The focus throughout will highlight the importance of partnerships and co-operative approaches to development. This is the key to our common efforts and is reflected in my Ministry and Department's Vision, which is "Developmental Local Government through Partnerships and Co-responsibility".
The challenge therefore is to make the transition to a developmental approach. Our councillors and officials must become developmental entrepreneurs in our wards, our towns, districts and cities. We need to bring development to our different areas of jurisdiction which will benefit all our people and which will bring hope to the millions of despondent people who yearn for a better life. Each and every municipal councillor and official must therefore investigate possible avenues for development and must expand their horizons in search of the applicable strengths and opportunities within their municipal boundaries.
Enquiries: Jan Bosman on 083-7755-312 Issued by Western Cape Provincial Government
13 March 2003
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