Issued by: Department of Constitutinal Development
A unique gathering of district council representatives from all over the country, hosted by the Minister for Provincial and Local Government together with the South African Local Government Association, took place on 2 and 3 September 1999. For the first time district councils were able to come together with provincial and national departments to decide on concrete strategies to prepare for the next local government elections and beyond.
The Municipal Structures Act, 1998 gives district councils significant new coordination and development responsibilities. The two-day conference looked at how all three spheres of government should prepare district municipalities to play these roles. This will enable a fully-fledged district council system to be up and running by the next local government elections.
Great emphasis has been placed on linking different development projects and programmes at a district level in order to boost the rural development strategy being coordinated by the President's Office. The Municipal Demarcation Board will be announcing provisional boundaries for new metropolitan and district council areas on Monday 6 September 1999. These areas will form the basis for new district councils after the next elections.
Concrete steps decided on by the conference included the establishment of transitional coordination mechanisms to prepare for the new district municipalities after the next local government elections; the need to prepare for district council budgets for the 2000/2001 financial year; the need to build the financial base of the new districts through reform of the RSC levies and property tax system, as well as eliminating the burden of "unfunded mandates" placed on districts. The local government delegates put a large amount of emphasis on district council financing. A major policy initiative to clarify the division of financing powers between district and local councils will be initiated by central government.
Steps to resolve the debt burden of district councils were recommended. The conference agreed on steps to coordinate a major capacity building initiative by all three spheres of government to help building district councils for the future.
Recommendations from the conference will be taken up by district councils over the next few months, as well as by national and provincial departments, SALGA and the Local Government Transformation Board. The Minister of Provincial and Local Government will oversee the process.
Issued by the Department of Constitutional Development on
3 September 1999
Enquiries:
Dr Chippy Olver 082 568 0415
Ms Jackie Manche 082 459 6749