N Hangana: Project Consolidate/CMT Knowledge Sharing Conference

14 June 2006

Programme Director,
Honourable mayors and councillors,
Municipal managers,
Representatives of national and provincial government,
Representatives of the donor community,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Introduction

Our system of developmental local government in South Africa is six years
and six months young today. It is an important milestone in our journey since
December 2000, as we meet to reflect on some of the critical lessons that must
guide us over the next five years.

We have entered an era in South Africa on our continent and in the world
which presents us with historic challenges and opportunities. We know that in
our global village of 2006, local actions have global consequences and global
decisions have local implications. In February this year President Mbeki
defined the moment that we have entered as our ‘age of hope’ and opportunity.
Over the next two days this must lead us to ask the question directly, “What
must each of our 283 municipalities and key partners do to seize and realise
the opportunities presented by the age of hope?”

I am aware that this 2006 knowledge sharing conference takes place at a time
when we are still closely studying the lessons of Project Consolidate and other
complementary initiatives such as the Consolidated Municipal Transformation
Programme (CMTP), which is a key of focus your deliberations. May I be so bold
as to suggest that the main reason why conferences of this nature are of
crucial importance is that they allow government and our development partners
to reflect, refine, sharpen and strengthen our development programmes.

The exciting timing of this conference is that it comes on the heels of a
successful local government elections held on 1 March 2006. Our immediate task
must be to capture the emerging lessons and best practices and share these
appropriately with our over 9 300 newly elected municipal councillors, senior
local government officials, national and provincial government departments,
state owned enterprises and current and prospective partners and stakeholders.
We must not forget our primary audience should be the masses of our people in
areas like Taung, Ndwedwe, Phumelela, Mdantsane, Khutsong and Kannaland.

Emerging positive stories on municipal transformation

Programme Director;

Government’s assessment of Project Consolidate since October 2004 is that we
are steadily beginning to address real challenges with tangible solutions in
targeted municipalities. Many opinion makers have consistently called on
government to share the successes of Project Consolidate. I trust that in your
deliberations over the next two days that question will be decisively and
positively answered.

Our analysis suggests that we are making good progress on a number of
fronts. Some of the areas and examples of notable progress include the
following:

a) the successful deployment of 112 experts, 18 graduates and 80 engineering
students experts and service delivery facilitators to a total of 69 Project
Consolidate municipalities. The scale of coverage of the deployment by
municipal type spanned 52 local municipalities and 17 district
municipalities;

b) in one of many positive municipal case study examples, the following is
illustrative of this new mode of outstanding work undertaken by many
municipalities. The JS Moroka Local Municipality initiated an “adopt a ward”
project. In terms of this initiative each manager is allocated a ward for which
they are responsible. The manager assists the ward councillor to ensure that
regular ward meetings are conducted, that minutes are taken and that a report
is provided at council meetings. This has assisted in improving the
relationship between the ward councillors and their constituencies and is
ensuring ongoing structured communication between the wards and the
municipality. All this has been achieved through the efforts of the deployed
Service Delivery Facilitator (SDF);

c) in other cases we have seen with the assistance of the Institute of
Municipal Finance Officers (IMFO), support given to many municipalities to
complete their outstanding financial statements and to have these submitted for
the first time in a number of years. Mafikeng is specific example;

d) responding the call to support Project Consolidate we have mobilised
tangible support from a range of stakeholders and partners in the form of
business and professional organisations, state owned enterprises,
non-governmental organisations (NGOs), development and donor agencies. Some of
these stakeholders include the First National Bank (FNB), the Business Trust,
Afrikaanse Handelslnstituut (AHI), Independent Development Trust (IDT), INCA
Capacity Building Fund, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), KFW, Department of
International Development (DFID), UK. Other key stakeholders that we are
finalising support from in 2006 include Standard Bank, the South African
Planning Institution (SAPI), Eskom, Rand Water, United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), Land Bank, Arrivia.com, National Botanical
Institute (NBI) and the Old Mutual Group;

e) a specific example of concrete support is that of the Development Bank of
Southern Africa (DBSA), through its Siyenza Manje initiative. By December 2006
the DBSA will deploy a total of 120 project managers, engineers, planners and
finance advisors to priority municipalities;

f) the outcomes, successes and experiences of the Consolidated Municipal
Transformation Programme (CMTP) will be discussed over the next two days. This
11 million pound programme which is funded by the Department for International
Development (DFID) of the British government has been an important development
partnership with the government of South Africa over the last few years.

Approach to local government knowledge sharing for the next five years

Programme Director;

It is these inspiring case studies and local government stories that define
the age of hope and opportunity that we have entered. Information and knowledge
sharing have a unique place and role to play as we rise to meet the
expectations of our people.

Many experts and global leaders have spoken about the importance of a
knowledge driven economy, globally and locally. The Secretary-General of the
United Nations (UN), Koffi Annan, is quoted as stating that, "Information and
knowledge will be playing a lead role in the world economy of the future the
post industrial or advanced industrial society comparable to that of
traditional production factors in the past, such as steam or electricity.“

In his State of the Nation address in February this year, President Mbeki
also argued that if we are “to achieve the goals of non-racism, non-sexism,
balanced urban rural development and social cohesion. It will require (the)
development and expansion of the knowledge economy.”

The central lesson that we must derive for our approach to local government
knowledge sharing over the next years is that our deliberations, experiences,
knowledge and stories must not be for the exclusive reserve of conference
attendees. As key local government policy makers, practitioners and partners we
must objectively, carefully and continuously discuss package and share what we
know and will learn from knowledge sharing initiatives such as this one.

Government has adopted a strategic plan for local government for its current
term from 2006 to 2011. This plan has defined a specific role for all spheres
of government and opened up partnership possibilities for all stakeholders.
This conference must therefore enable us to discuss lessons and experiences
on:
* municipality specific innovations and practices to local governance and
service delivery;
* the enabling conditions for local government support programmes of
government, donors and business etc. to succeed at a municipal level;
* how to improve the specific hands on approach to working with municipalities
in ways that promote sustainable local capacity and capability?
* ensuring that our targeted groups, such as youth, women, the elderly, our
children and the indigent benefit.

Ladies and gentlemen;

Knowledge and information in any context is a strategic economic resource.
Broadening the access of our people to development opportunities associated
with the age of hope is dependent on improving the information and knowledge
base of our people in every city, village, township and rural area. Our 283
municipalities have important knowledge and information sharing tasks through
their communicators, community development workers, ward committees,
councillors and localised development planning processes.

This conference must serve as a catalytic step that enables the full
potential of the age of hope to be unleashed across the country in every
municipality. I wish everyone a fruitful two days and look forward to the
outcomes of this conference.

I thank you!

Issued by: Department of Provincial and Local Government
14 June 2006