President and Deputy President
Comrades in Cabinet and deputy ministers
Speaker and deputy speaker
Honourable members
Ladies and gentlemen
It is with a great sense of pride that we present a process that is going to be undertaken in developing a Green Paper subsequently leading to a White Paper on cooperative governance in South Africa. The attempt that has been made in the past, legislatively, was to develop and pass an Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act of 2005, which was aimed at interpreting and effecting chapter three of the Constitution on cooperative governance.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa recognises and appreciates that there are three spheres of government that are interdependent, interrelated, autonomous, meaning that it recognises that there is one country, one President and we must work towards one system. On 11 May 2009, the President, with his visionary insight, established a Department of Cooperative Governance. This happened after weaknesses were analysed in relation to policy development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting and utilisation of human resources, a lot of duplication, silo mentality within and between the spheres of government is a major challenge.
Resources, financially and human and time, which is a precious commodity are being wasted. At times, we do not get value for money. Our motto borrowed from the people’s movement, the African National Congress says, “Together we can do more”, and do more with less! Less input, for greater output and outcomes!
We are saying it can not be business as usual. We must do things differently, particularly under this global economic meltdown. This situation compels us to mend our ways.
It is against this background that we are embarking in the process of developing the Green Paper on cooperative governance. It is an area where we do not claim to be specialists, therefore we are calling upon all South Africans, from all walks of life, from across the length and breath of our country to come forward and assist us in developing a simple, uncomplicated, easily understandable, accessible governance system that induce value for money, maximising the impact as a result of coordination, cooperation between government, with all its spheres and the people of South Africa.
Let us look where we are structurally, within the three spheres of government.
At a National level, we have Cabinet as the highest decision making body, its committees and administrative structures in a form of Forum of South African Director-Generals (FOSAD). Provincially, we have the provincial executive councils and their committees, administrative structures in the form of Director-Generals.
In local government, we have the mayoral or executive committees with their committees politically and administrative structures led by the municipal managers. The coordination of the three spheres of government has the following structures:
* The supreme body is the Presidential Coordinating Council
* The 16 MINMEC’s as sectoral structures dealing with concurrent functions
* Nine Premiers’ intergovernmental fora
* 46 district municipalities’ intergovernmental fora.
These are structures that are prevailing in South Africa with the representation of South African Local Government Association (SALGA). We are going to be assessing the efficiency of all these structures, looking at their outputs and value add in the system of governance. There is a litany of structures between government and civil society formations, which we do not know their number as we speak.
We will also be looking at that, so as to avoid public participation fatigue. We will also be looking at the resources of the structures. On concurrent functions, this process will also tell us, whether nationally agreed priorities do not get distorted in the process of implementation by provinces. We have agreed that the Green Paper will be ready by April next year. This process will be driven by the following national departments:
* Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
* The Presidency
* National Treasury
* Public Service and Administration
* Health
* Education
* Social Development
* Human Settlement
* Rural Development and Land Reform
* Water and Environmental Affairs
* Energy
* Police
* Economic Development and
* SALGA
Whilst the policy is being developed, the interim measures were agreed upon by Cabinet, that when the ministers go to communities on concurrent functions, they must communicate with the Office of the Premier, the relevant provincial line function, the district and local municipalities in order to promote coordination and cooperation, that when powers are being assigned or delegated to other spheres, the policy guidelines on assignment and powers and functions which was developed in 2007. It’s latter and spirit will be followed as to avoid unfunded mandate.
The review of the concurrent functions will be done by sectors coordinated by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs which will in turn report to Cabinet on a quarterly basis in relation to the value add of these structures.
In concluding, this process is exciting and requires the participation of all South Africans. We are calling upon everyone who has a contribution to make, to come to the party. Leonard Bernstein is quoted as saying: “if the conductor uses a baton, the baton itself must be a living thing, charged with a kind of electricity, which makes it an instrument of meaning in its tiniest movement”.
“Many voices but one message, melody and song”
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
10 November 2009
Source: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (http://www.dplg.gov.za/)
