Rollout of Western Cape Back to Basics Programme

Western Cape Premier’s Coordinating Forum

Tuesday, 17 March 2015Cape Town

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To present progress on rollout of B2B Programme in Western Cape

Purpose of the Presentation

Presentation Outline

• Background and Introduction

• Five Pillars of Back to Basics (B2B)

• Progress on Implementation of Back to Basics in WC

• Municipal Visits and Key Findings

• Roadmap for the Future (Rollout of B2B)

• Conclusion

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Background and Introduction

• Back to Basics approach was first introduced by Minister Pravin Gordhan to stakeholders in local government at the Presidential Local Government Summit held on 18 September 2014.

• The summit culminated in the unanimous endorsement of the B2B approach by all stakeholders.

• Cabinet approved the Back to Basics as an approach to be followed in government’s efforts to improve the performance of local government.

• This was followed by a meeting between Premier Helen Zille and Minister of CoGTA, in November 2014.

• The purpose of the bilateral engagement was to lay a foundation for the roll-out of B2B in Western Cape Municipalities.

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Background and Introduction Contd…

• After a meeting between the Minister and the Premier, CoGTA & DLG embarked on consultation process to bring relevant stakeholders into the Provincial Task Team for implementation of Back to Basics.

• These consultations were concluded with a workshop of the Provincial Task Team held in Cape Town on 20 January 2015.

• The workshop resulted in the adoption of the Back to Basics Rollout Plan for the province and adopted the Terms of Reference (TORs) for the Provincial Task Team, among others. It paved way for the commencement of the implementation of B2B in the province.

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FIVE PILLARS OF B2B: TAKING LOCAL GOVERNMENT FORWARD

Put people and their concerns first – listen & communicate

Deliver municipal services to

the right quality and standard

Good governance and sound

administration

Sound financial

management and

accounting

Building institution and administrative

capabilities

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2023-04-15

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B2B & LGTAS Municipalities

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… Back to Basics …LGTAS

Prince Albert LM Prince Albert LM

Matzikama LM Langeberg LM

Cape Agulhas LM Overberg DM

Laingsburg LM Laingsburg LM

Beaufort West Beaufort West LM

Central Karoo DM Central Karoo DM

Cederberg LM Cederberg LM

Swellendam LM Swellendam LM

Oudtshoorn LM Oudtshoorn LM

Kannaland LM Kannaland LM

   

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B2B: Provincial Task Team

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– COGTA (MISA)

– Dept. of Local Government

– SALGA

– Provincial Treasury

– Dept. of Water and Sanitation

– Dept. of Human Settlements

– Dept. of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

– Dept. of Transport and Public works

NB : CoGTA (MISA) and DLG are Co-conveners of B2B in Western Cape Province

Progress to Date

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– A Provincial Task Team for implementation of Back to Basics in Western Cape

municipalities was established in November 2014

– To date 9 out of the 10 Back to Basics Municipalities in the Western Cape were

visited to give effect to a diagnostic exercise.

– From these diagnostics, Draft Action Plans were developed, identifying clear

projects to be conducted in terms of the 5 pillars of the Back to Basic Programme.

– Draft Action Plans will be finalised with municipalities through Council Resolutions

to give effect to B2B implementation.

– The Current LGTAS Municipal Support Plan has been aligned to the 5 Pillars of the

Back to Basics Programme.

– All support programmes including current LGTAS will give further impetus to

implementation of Back to Basics Approach in the province.

Progress on Municipal Visits

MUNICIPALITY STATUS DATE

Cederberg LM Done 04 February 2015

Matzikama LM Done 04 February 2015

Laingsburg LM Done 05 February 2015

Beaufort West LM Done 06 February 2015

Central Karoo DM Done 06 February 2015

Swellendam LM Done 10 February 2015

Kannaland LM Done 13 February 2015

Cape Agulhas LM Done 20 February 2015

Prince Albert LM Done 10 March 2015

Oudtshoorn LM Outstanding 20 March 2015

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Back to Basics-Key Findings

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– Putting People First:

o Functionality of Ward Committees (Wards on Privately owned

land)

o Absence of Public Participation Strategy and lack of feedback to

communities

o Absence of Communication Strategies

– Basic Services:

o High water losses

o Ageing Infrastructure

o Insufficient bulk sewerage infrastructure impeding development

initiatives

o Co-Funding of Infrastructure Grants unaffordable

o Cost of new Waste Management Sites

Back to Basics-Key Findings

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– Good Governance:

o Establishment and Functionality of MPAC

o Councillor Training, including Roles and Responsibilities

o Cost of Gazetting of By-Laws too high

– Capacity Building:

o Attraction and Retention of Skilled personnel

o Organisational Re-Design

o Disaster Management : inadequate expertise and capacity to deal

with incidents involving hazardous material.

o Performance Management System requires review

– Sound Financial Management:

o Long-Term Financial Plan

o Revenue Enhancement Strategy

o Outdated Billing System

o Review of Funding model for Equitable Share

o Quality of Financial Statements lacking due to capacity constraints

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Back to Basics-Key Findings

Roadmap for the Future (Rollout Plan)

Phase II: Quick Wins

• Diagnostic reports and action plans for 10 municipalities finalised for adoption by Councils – 31/03/2015

• Launch of B2B in WC Province – 17/03/2015• Interventions in relation to identified quick wins

implemented – April – June 2015

Phase III:Intensive

Implementation

• Diagnostic assessments conducted in municipalities under ‘At Risk’ and ‘Doing Well’ categories – 30/06/2015

• Ensuring that all WC municipalities comply with monthly reporting requirements – 31/07/2015

• Accelerated implementation of B2B action plans – April – September 2015

Phase IV:New Narrative

• Ongoing implementation of the action plans, updating of diagnostic reports and revision of action plans – October 2015 – March 2016

• Communication campaign on B2B – Oct 2015 – March 2016

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Conclusion• The process has been proceeding well since the beginning of 2015.

• It is essential to identify some quick wins from the action plans and start

implementing appropriate interventions whilst the plans are being finalised for

the 10 priority municipalities in the province.

• The provincial task team will intensify the implementation of interventions,

especially in priority municipalities after the launch of B2B scheduled for

17 March 2015

• It is also crucial for COGTA and DLG to support municipalities in relation to

monthly reporting to ensure that all municipalities comply with this requirement

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