Evaluating the credibility of the integrated development plan as a service delivery instrument in Randfontein local municipality
Dlulisa, Lungelwa (2013-03)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The research study was undertaken to explore one of the most significant plans in local government and is aimed at guiding future development within municipal areas. It seeks to evaluate the credibility of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) as a service delivery tool in Randfontein Municipality. Randfontein Local Municipality was selected, amongst other reasons, due to the finding by the Auditor General South Africa (AGSA) that it lacked crucial information relating to performance. The IDP spans five years and is an appealing super-plan for any municipality. An evaluation of this plan’s effectiveness as a service delivery instrument is therefore important. Various legislation oblige local government to prepare and undertake IDP, which should be a collaborative planning process aimed at guiding municipalities to eradicate service delivery backlogs while encouraging socio-economic development. The process also seeks to preserve and conserve the environment and address spatial disparities for the development of, and delivering on, agreed priorities which are translated into projects with clearly defined outputs and targets over a five year planning cycle. In this study, the municipal IDP can be viewed as a five year service delivery commitment to the community by those elected and entrusted with ensuring that the IDP becomes a reality. It is integrated in such a way that it should be a reflection of government’s wider plans such as the district municipality’s plans and the relevant provincial and national government’s plans. This plan should be informed by the communities which municipalities serve and must be backed by the necessary funding. The IDP has become a focus of South Africa’s post-apartheid municipal planning and is also seen as a key instrument in an evolving framework of intergovernmental planning and coordination within the South African government, as mentioned by the Department of Housing during their DBSA Conference on Integrated Development Planning, (2008). The IDP is a phenomenal practice which was, and still is, aimed at addressing the consequences of planning done during apartheid, such as deliberate divided development as well as the marginalisation of so-called historically underprivileged communities. However, given the recent frequent and sometimes aggressive service delivery protests across South Africa, attention should now be focussed on tools used by government to ensure service delivery takes place. Existing information was explored during a literature review to contextualise service delivery while also discussing the elements of a credible IDP. The legislative framework for local government and its reforms budget was discussed and linked to the IDP. The credibility of the IDP was evaluated using the available IDP evaluation framework of the National Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs (COGTA). Using this framework, challenges to the credibility and implementation of the Randfontein IDP were revealed. The municipality is struggling to use IDP as a tool to facilitate integrated and coordinated delivery, as the IDP identifies a large number of projects to be implemented by other spheres of government without indicating the sources of funding for these or their linkages with other programmes. The credibility of the IDP was measured by the following three performance indicators: - financial viability; - good governance; and - institutional arrangements. Certain recommendations were made to assist in improving the IDP as a credible service delivery tool, upon which decisions can be made to address service delivery requirements within the Randfontein area.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie is onderneem om een van die mees betekenisvolle, nuew beplanningsbeleidstukke vir plaaslike regering te ondersoek. Hierdie beleidstuk het ten doel om rigtinggewend op te tree in toekomstige ontwikkeling binne munisipale gebiede. Die geloofwaardigheid van di Geïntegreerde Ontwikkelingsplan (GOP) as ‘n diensverskaffingsinstrument in die Randfontein Plaaslike Munisipaliteit is geselekteer, onder andere, weens die Suid-Afrikaanse Ouditeur-Generaal (SAOG) se bevinding dat hierdie raad se GOP mank gegaan het aan noodsaaklike inligting vir behoorlike prestasiemeting. Elke GOP-termyn strek oor vyf jaar en skyn ‘n aanneemlike superplan vir enige munisipaliteit te bied. Dit is dus belangrik om die effektiwiteit van hierdie beplanningsbeleid as ‘n diensleweringsinstrument te bepaal. ‘n Verskeidenheid wetgewing verplig plaasllike regerings om vir so ‘n vyfjaarplan voorbereidings te tref en geïntegreerde ontwikkelingsplanne in werking te stel. Die beplanningsproses moet ‘n samewerkende benadering bevorder en daarop ingestel wees om munisipaliteite só te lei dat diensleweringsagterstande uitgewis word, terwyl dit sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling bevorder. Die beleidsproses het ook ten doel om die natuurlike omgewing te beskerm en te bewaar en, in die toepassing daarvan, ruimtelike teenstrydighede en ongelykhede aan te spreek. Vooraf ooreengekome prioriteite moet eerbiedig word en beslag kry in projekte met duidelik omskrewe uitkomste en doelwitte vir die betrokkwe siklus. In hierdie studie word ‘n munisipale GOP beskou as ‘n ooreengekome verbintenis tot vyf jaar van dienslewering aan die gemeenskap deur diegene wat daartoe verkies is en aan wie dit derhalwe toevertrou word. Die verkose raad moet toesien dat die GOP verwesenlik word. Dit moet op so ‘n wyse geïntegreer word dat dit die regering se algemene ontwikkelingsplanne beliggaam en inpas by die beplanning van die betrokke distriksraad, provinsie en die nasionale regering. Hierdie plan moet geskied met die goedkeuring en medewerking van die gemeenskappe wat die munisipaliteite bedien en moet ook kan reken op die nodige befondsing vir die taak. Die GOP is ‘n fokuspunt van munisipale beplanning in post-apartheid Suid-Afrika en word beskou as die sleutelwerktuig in ‘n veranderende raamwerk van interregeringsbeplanning en koördinering binne die Suid-Afrikaanse regeringsfeer. Dit is tydens die DBSA-Konferensie oor Geïntegreerde Ontwikkelingsbeplanning in 2008, deur die Departement van Behuising aangedui. GOP is ‘n fenomenale beleidsplan wat gebruik word, en steeds daarop ingestel is, om die gevolge van beplanning gedurende die apartheidsera aan te spreek – soos doelbewuste verdeelde ontwikkeling, asook die marginalisasie van sogenaamde histories voorheen benadeelde gemeenskappe. Indien die gereelde, some gewelddadige, diensleweringsbetogings van onlangs tye in ag geneem word, is dit duidelik dat die regering nou sy aandag moet toespits op praktyke wat volgehoue dienslewering sal waarborg. Bestaande inligting is d.m.v. ‘n literatuurstudie ondersoek om dienslewering te kontekstualiseer en terselfdertyd die kenmerke van ‘n geloofwaardige GOP te bepaal. Die wetsraamwerk waarbinne plaaslike regering plaasvind en die beskikbare begroting vir hervorming het ook onder die loep gekom en is met die GOP in verband gebring. Die geloofwaardigheid van die GOP is aan die hand van die bestaande GOP-evaluasieraamwerk van die Nasionale Departement van Samewerkende Regering en Tradisionele Sake (COGTA) geëvalueer en bepaal. Die gebruik van hierdie raamwerk het die geloofwaardigheid en implementering van die Randfontein-GOP bevraagteken. Die munisipaliteit sukkel met die gebruik van die GOP identifiseer ‘n groot aantal projekte wat deur ander regeringsfere geïmplementeer moet word, sonder om die oorsprong van die finansiering te meld of die skakeling met ander programme. Die geloofwaardigheid van die GOP is gemeet aan die volgende drie prestasie-aanwysers: - finansiële lewensvatbaarheid; - goeie regeerkunde; en - institusionele ooreenkomste. Sekere aanbevelings is gemaak om bystand te verleen en die GOP sodanig te verbeter dat dit as ‘n geloofwaardige instrument aangewend kan word om ingeligte besluite betreffend diensleweringsvereistes in die Randfonteingebied te neem.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/80373
Masters Degrees (School of Public Leadership)487