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Speech by MEC Nkwinti at the Rural Development Summit
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Housing and Local Government

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EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
 SPEECH BY MEC GUGILE NKWINTI
 AT THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT HELD IN UMTATA
ON 5 - 6 OCTOBER 2000



STRENGTHENING RURAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

INTRODUCTION

Local Government has since 1993 undergone a radical period of transition. This transitional phase will end with the upcoming Local 
Government elections. The Period has been characterised by the drafting of new legislation aimed at transforming the system of local 
government and has given rise to inter alia the Municipal Demarcation Act, the Municipal Structures Act and the System Bill. This 
legislative framework enables the establishment of wall to wall municipalities throughout the country in line with constitutional 
imperatives and is underpinned by the following broad principles:

1.Under the New Constitution, the local sphere of government is no longer subservient to the other spheres of government and is part of a 
co-operative system of government and governance.

2.Municipalities are no longer mere deliverers of services, but are required to have a strong developmental focus.

3.Municipalities are expected to contribute to social and economic growth and development and social redistribution within their areas of 
jurisdiction.

4.Local Government is fundamental sphere for democratic participation by communities.

5.Municipalities should be financially viable and sustainable.

The concept of wall to wall municipalities thus renders the distinction between what constitutes rural and urban more fluid. Where the 
municipal boundaries have in the past been confined to cities and towns, municipalities will in future include the rural areas too. 
Therefore, the newly established municipalities will perform their developmental role in respect of the whole of the newly established area 
including what would traditionally have been termed rural and urban. However, due to the inherited disparities between these areas, a 
prime responsibility for the municipalities will be to address these inequalities, which primarily characterise the rural areas.

DEVELOPMENTAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The White Paper on Local Government defines Developmental Local Government as.

 Local Government committed to working with citizens and groups within the community to find sustainable ways to meet their social, 
economic and material needs and improve the quality of their lives.

This definition translates into a reworked service delivery protocol at municipal level that addresses the needs of the poor and the 
disadvantaged. Local budgets will be required to flow from Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and those have to be prepared through the 
most comprehensive process of public participation. This developmental orientation therefore serves to prioritise the needs and aspirations 
of these who are in most need of development namely the poor and the disadvantaged.

PROVINCIAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT MODEL

Within the Province of the Eastern Cape, a model for developmental local government has been developed. At the heart of this model is 
community development, which is serviced by six strategic functions (core business) which must define the form and character of the 
municipality, namely:

* Social development
* Economic development
* Infrastructure development
* Community empowerment
* Facilitating and/ or providing sustainable social services
* Sustainable environment management

Cuttings across these strategic functions are four principles:

1.Integrated development
 2.Democratisation
 3.Institution Building
 4.Intergovernmental relations

There are other elements, both internal and external, to the local government sphere, which complete the model.

It is envisaged that through the successful implementation of this model municipalities will be enabled to achieve developmental 
imperatives ultimately translating to the improvement of quality of life of their communities.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES

Migration patterns from rural to urban areas largely result from the collapse of the natural resources base in combination with 
unemployment and inability if meeting basic needs. Within the South African context, this is exacerbated by our inherited legacy of spatial 
planning. It is therefore imperative that municipalities facilitate the meeting of adequate social, economic and infrastructural 
requirements. Therefore, within the integrated development planning by municipalities, it is essential that they seek solutions to the 
following challenges:

* Involve rural people in decisions affecting their lives;
* Increase and sustain employment and economic growth in rural areas;
* Provide adequate and affordable infrastructure and services in rural areas;
* Ensure social stability in rural areas.

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMET

Local Government can play an important role in boosting the local economy and promoting job creation. This can be done in the following 
way,

* By mobilising local resources;
* Providing good quality cost effective services;
* Reviewing existing policies and procedures to promote LED;
* Providing special economic services.

An example of such a local economic development initiative could be the establishment of a Rural Economic Development Zone. Within the 
Eastern Cape, such a Development Zone has been identified as the Indwe, Dordrecht, Lady Frere Area. In this area, a preliminary assessment 
of local potential and development opportunities has been done in consultation with local stakeholders. A comprehensive strategic 
management plan has been developed aimed at harnessing these local resources and gearing such for economic growth, local job creation, 
infrastructural development and thus poverty alleviation within the area as a whole. Some of the positive spin-offs of a successful 
implementation of such a LED programme would include the improvement of the social fabric of the community, political stability and general 
well being of the involved communities. This would ultimately lead to increased attractiveness for investors as well as creating a 
conducive environment for creative supplementary activities.

SOCIAL & INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Municipalities can further play a meaningful role in kick starting LED initiatives through the implementation of social and infrastructural 
service delivery programmes such as:

* Housing
* Basic Service -CMIP
* Social Infrastructure-schools and clinics, etc.

These contributions directly, to the success of LEDs when local businesses are involved, local labour is used, local resources are 
utilised, skills are imparted and capacity developed amongst local residents.

CONCLUSION

By acknowledging that municipalities have a developmental mandate and are at the cutting edge of service delivery this by necessary 
implication means that this sphere of government will have to focus on the disparities and inequalities that will undoubtedly exist within 
their newly demarcated boundaries between rural and urban areas.

One of the key objectives of the newly established municipalities will be to ensure that the rural components within their areas of 
jurisdiction become sustainable in their own right and contribution to the viability of the municipal area as a whole.

Furthermore, throughout greater and more meaningful participation in the broader integrated development planning processes of the 
municipality, a key objective of deepening democracy at all levels of society, would be achieved.

Finally, all the above points to the fact that local government has to be the central driving force behind the implementation of a 
successful rural development strategy. Local Government furthermore has a critical role to play in consolidating our new democracy and each 
councillor, each official, and each resident is tasked with making their contribution in the areas where they live.

G E NKWINTI

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