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31 July 2007

The Minister for Provincial and Local Government, Sydney Mufamadi, today, 31 July 2007, launched the start of the policy process on the system Provincial and Local Government. It is the start of two separate but related processes: The Revision of the White Paper on Local Government, and The Formulation of a White Paper on Provincial Government. The two will be the result of an extensive research and consultative process during 2007 and 2008.

This policy process follows a Cabinet decision early in 2007 to assess whether the central objective of our government to serve the people is being advanced by the current Provincial and Local Government arrangements. This decision is in response to the expectation of all South Africans, like citizens of any other country, to have the right to a more responsive, accountable, efficient, equitable and affordable government and a better quality of service.

The process itself draws on the lessons of practice of more than a decade of our democratic governance, wide public consultation and comprehensive research, geared towards making policy proposals. Its principal purpose is to improve, strengthen and deepen the thrust and impact of existing policies and programmes directed at local government and formulate new policy for provincial government, which has not up to now been existence.

In the last 13 years, the government made enormous strides in tackling poverty and providing basic services to our people. Discharged by the local government sphere, universal access to water supply increased from 59% of total households in 1994 to 86% by April 2007, universal access to sanitation increased from 48% in 1994 to 73% by April 2007, in 1994, 30% of houses in South Africa had access to electricity and by 2006/07 this figure had increased to 73%, and from 1994 to 2006 a total of 2,243 million houses were delivered, at an average of 249 290 units per annum.

Not withstanding this progress challenges remain. The current system of local government which was established in 2000, came into being much later than the other two spheres of government. Incorporating local government into the system of co-operative governance has proved complex even as it has generated new opportunities for more responsive and efficient governance.

With regards to the system of provincial government, the absence of a definite policy on provincial government has generated uncertainty about the role of this sphere in reconstruction and development. This is of particular importance as the advent of local democracy has presented new opportunities for state organisation and efficiency.

Furthermore, an earlier Cabinet decision in 2005 to examine the macro-organisation of the state following the completion of the Ten Year Review confirmed that a coincidence of weak state capacity and poverty is a serious threat to the poor accessing services and social grants, or benefiting from employment and skills development opportunities provided by the state through the extended public works programme, infrastructure and other programs.

The policy process that is being undertaken is informed by the need to address these challenges, the experience of 13 years of democratic governance, lessons from such interventions as Project Consolidate, issues arising from public engagement through Izimbizo programmes, and the international norm of both developed and developing countries to review from time to time their systems of governance against the goals they set for themselves.

There is a need to optimise the impact of our system of provincial and local government system and to improve and strengthen the coordinated actions of national, provincial and local government in key areas of delivery.

The launch unfolded the first phase of a three step process with the publication of a set of questions on the system of provincial and local government. These will be published in the gazette on the 1st August 2007 and in the media.

The objective of these questions is to initiate a national debate on our current arrangement of provincial and local government systems and lay a basis for consultation. They provide a broad framework for public and organised formations in our society to contribute to the process. They also serve to provide an overview on the major issues on which policy is required.

As published these questions are not in themselves exhaustive. The public at large, civil formations, universities, organised civil society, and various public institutions are invited to contribute to the questions and identify any other areas that impact on the provincial and local government system. The written responses should be sent to the Department of Provincial and Local Government by 31 October 2007.

In the second phase of this policy process: The feedback received and continued extended research to examine these issues in more detail will culminate in the drafting of a Green Paper on provincial government which will provide possible policy options and a Discussion Document on Local Government. These will be published towards the end of 2007 for comment. The local government policy paper is a revision because there is already a White Paper on Local Government, which was published in 1998. Lastly, by the end of 2008, there will be a new White Paper on Provinces and a Review Report on Local Government, which will be considered by Parliament and Cabinet. Once more the public are encouraged to partake in this importance process.

For more information:
Zandile Ratshitanga
Spokesperson
Tel: 012 334 0993
Cell: 082 460 2041

Issued by: Ministry of Provincial and Local Government
31 July 2007
Source: Department of Provincial and Local Government (http://www.dplg.gov.za)