Introduction
Legislation and Policies
Budget
Introduction
The CoGTA Ministry consists of the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) and the Department of Traditional Affairs (DTA).
The Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) is mandated to develop and monitor the implementation of national policy and legislation aimed at transforming and strengthening key institutions and mechanisms of governance in national, provincial and local government to fulfil their developmental role; develop, promote and monitor mechanisms, systems and structures to enable integrated service delivery and implementation within government; and promote sustainable development by providing support to and exercising oversight of provincial and local government.
Chapter 13 of the NDP outlines a vision for building a capable and developmental state through interdepartmental coordination and strengthening local government. This vision is expressed specifically through Priority 4 (spatial integration, human settlements and local government) of government’s 2019 – 2024 MTSF, with which the work of the DCoG is closely
aligned.
Over the medium term, the DCoG will continue to focus on strengthening intergovernmental coordination and spatial development, facilitating the delivery of basic municipal infrastructure and sustainable services, alleviating poverty by creating work opportunities, and enhancing proactive planning to reduce the severity of disasters when they occur.
To increase access to basic services and improve spatial and economic development, R54.9 billion, over the medium term, is allocated to the Local Government Support and Intervention Management programme and R245.8 billion to the Institutional Development programme. The bulk of these funds will be disbursed through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, the Integrated Urban Development Grant and the Local Government Equitable Share.
They will enable the DCoG to support 18 secondary cities to improve planning for spatial and economic development and 52 district municipalities per year to roll out the District Development Model (DDM). During the first half of 2020/21, the DDM, which aims to improve coherence in service delivery planning among the three spheres of government, was piloted in three municipalities. During the same period, 71 municipalities were assessed to ensure compliance with the Municipal Property Rates Act, 2004 (Act 6 of 2004).
To enable the department to create the targeted 250 000 work opportunities in each year of the MTEF period, expenditure in the Community Work Programme is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 2.1%, from R4.1 billion in 2020/21 to R4.4 billion in 2023/24.
Legislation
The mandate of the DCoG is derived from the following legislation:
- the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, 2005 (Act 13 of 2005;
- the Municipal Property Rates Act, 2004 (Act 6 of 2004);
- the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act 57 of 2002);
- the Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (Act 32 of 2002); and
- the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998).
Budget
For the 2020/21 financial year, the CoGTA Ministry was allocated R107.188 billion.
Total expenditure is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 0.4%, from R106.9 billion in 2020/21 to R108.4 billion in 2023/24. This low increase is due to the one‐off allocation of R10.7 billion in 2020/21 to supplement additional municipal operational costs arising from the COVID‐19 pandemic, and Cabinet-approved reductions of R3.4 billion in 2021/22, R4.6 billion in 2022/23 and R8.1 billion in 2023/24, mainly on the Local Government Equitable Share.
Expenditure on compensation of employees is expected to decrease at an average annual rate of 3.7%, from R371.4 million in 2020/21 to R331.7 million in 2023/24, in line with Cabinet-approved reductions and a decrease in the department’s number of personnel as a result of natural attrition.
Source: South Africa Yearbook 2020/21