Deputy Minister Namane Masemola: Institute for Local Government Management Conference

Chairperson
Councillor Lucky Godfrey Sele: Mayor of Mogale City
Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa
ILGM President: Eunice Sekgatle- Lesejane
Former Premier Prof Mokgoro
Former ILGM President, Mr Maxwell Mbili
MEC Jacob Mmamabolo
Prof. Lusanda Juta – SAAPAM Board Member
Mr Thomas Mkaza: Former ILGM President
Prof Somadoda Fikeni – PSC
Mr Mbulelo Tshangana: CoGTA DG
Mr Mbanga Sithole: SALGA CEO
Mr Ineeleng Molete: LGSETA
Mr Pascal Moloi: LGWPR

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Morning

1. Introduction

Let me as a prelude to this important gathering appreciate the extended invitation to me, to come and share perspectives on the critical topic relating to DDM.

This confluence of intellectual engagement is essential, for it brings together policy protagonists and thought leaders in the sector, whose contribution will help shape the way towards achieving an effective and efficient functioning local government.

We know that the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, establishes a state that supports interaction and cooperation between the three spheres of government on a continuous basis and therefore provides a set of principles Iin terms of section 41(1) to direct the manner and quality of those interactions.

Importantly Section (1) of the constitution articulates the sovereign nature of the state and the fundamental values that form the basis of our believing system as a nation, these values include the need for responsiveness, accountability and openness.

Therefore, the architecture and systems design of government should facilitate and ensure realization of constitutional objectives and obligations bestowed upon the spheres of government in serving the people of South Africa.

Section (154) of the South African Constitution enjoins the national and provincial governments to support and strengthen municipalities to manage their affairs, exercise their powers, and perform their functions effectively.

Whist section (153) directs municipalities to structure and manage their administration, budget and planning to promote social and economic development of their communities. District Development Model system provides a mechanism through support to sharpen the structured plans for positive impact and gradual change in the socio-economic conditions of South Africans.

This is a critical part of co-operative government, and it requires these two spheres to use legislative and other measures to ensure municipalities have the capacity they need to serve their communities.

Context

President Nelson Mandela on the 24 May 1994 in the State of the Nation Address, he indicated the primary essence of advancing Reconstruction and Development Programme, towards growth prospects of our country based on fiscal discipline and constant dependable course of the monetary policy through coordinated efforts.

Since then, coordinated and integrated efforts by government have been undertaken including involving private for significant contributions towards growth and development of the country.

Clearly the philosophical basis of the DDM finds in origin and conceptualisation in the founding policy statements articulated by the founding President of the democratic project.

Through the work done by the Presidency after the 2019 SONA in which he called for a new integrated district-based approach to address compartmentalisation in government, a concrete expression and the direction of the framework and system was provided, hence the enormous work that is being done in this regard. Based on the fundamental pillars of planning and coordination, institutional arrangements, spatial governance and service delivery alignment. With the promotion of the principles of cooperation and intergovernmental relations in terms of Section 41 (1) of the Constitution, governmental institutions and departments are encouraged to interact and cooperate with one another in mutual trust and good faith and these interactions are referred to as intergovernmental relations.

A fundamental framework based on principles of cooperative governance to ensure that the distinctiveness, interdependence and interrelatedness of the three spheres of government and the organs of the state relate in the interest of the course of national imperative and obligate them to respect each other’s powers, functions and institutions and to inform each of the new policies and frameworks.

In this regard every governmental institution should make an indispensable contribution to the main goal of the state, being the advancement of general welfare of the nation and for social progress.

Importantly understanding and basing the undertaken political and administrative processes on the provisions of Chapter 10 of the Constitution, particularly, section 195 that articulates the fundamental principles underpinning the public service and administration.

DDM as system for government integration and focused attention through the adopted comprehensive plans, it would deepen the actual implementation of the principles of public service and administration as enshrined in the constitution.

Legal cases of cooperative governance

3.1. Although the principles of cooperative government and intergovernmental relations recognise the distinctiveness, interdependence and interrelatedness of the three spheres of government, this was interpreted by the Constitutional Court in Independent Electoral Commission v Langeberg Municipality 2001 (3) SA 925 (CC), at para 26 of its judgment, to mean that these spheres are interdependent and interrelated in the sense that the functional areas allocated to each sphere cannot be seen in isolation of each other, instead they are designed for collective and collaborative efforts based on section (40) and (41).

3.2. This means that neither of these spheres of government nor any of the governments within each sphere have any independence from each other. However, it is interesting to note that the High Court in its judgment in Metropolitan Council v Minister for Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development & Others 1999 (11) BCLR 1229 (T) stated at para 29 that the apparent autonomy and independence of the local government sphere is relative and limited by unequivocally expressed constitutional restraints. The court also stated that the status of local government is that of a junior partner in the trilogy of spheres which largely make up the government of the country. 4

3.3. Section 41(1)(h)(vi) of the Constitution also provides that all spheres of government and organs of the state within each sphere must cooperate with one another in mutual trust and good faith by avoiding legal proceedings against one another. Therefore, it was in recognition of this provision that, the Constitutional Court in uThukela District Municipality v President of the Republic of South Africa 2003(1) SA 687 (CC) ruled in paragraph 22, that organs of state are obliged to avoid litigation against one another irrespective of whether special structures exist or not. This means that extra-judicial avenues for resolving a dispute must be exhausted first before the affected parties may resort to court litigation.

3.4. Cooperative government does not ignore difference of approach and viewpoints between the different spheres but encourage healthy and robust debate and intense conversations to address the needs of the people they represent by making use of the resource’s available government.

Essence of cooperative governance and intergovernmental relations

A relationship of interdependence and interaction between government institutions as well as civil society is, without a doubt, necessary. Section 41(2) of the Constitution stipulates that an Act of Parliament must establish or provide for processes, structures and institutions to promote and facilitate intergovernmental relations and provide for appropriate mechanisms and procedures to facilitate settlement of intergovernmental disputes. In 2005 the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, 2005 (Act No 13 of 2005) was promulgated.

Intergovernmental relations encompass all the complex and interdependent relations among various spheres of government as well as the co-ordination of public policies among national, provincial and local governments through programme reporting requirements, grants-in-aid, the planning and budgetary process and informal communication among officials.

Intergovernmental relations also refer to the fiscal and administrative processes by which spheres of government share revenues and other resources generally accompanied by special conditions that must be satisfied as prerequisites to receiving assistance.

Cooperative government represents the basic values of the government as stipulated in Chapter 3.

Intergovernmental relations is one of the means through which the values of cooperative government may be given institutional expression.

Cooperative government is thus about partnership government as well as the values connected with it, namely national unity, peace, proper cooperation and coordination, effective communication and the avoiding of conflict.

5. Current IGR experiences

COGTA research has shown that the environment within which IGR structures function is broad. The National Development Plan further reflects that one of the problems in the current intergovernmental system is that intergovernmental relations’ structures are not strategic in that they are not fulfilling their intended objective of acting as a platform for co-ordination across the spheres.

The NDP suggests a two-pronged approach:

1. Routine coordination, delegated to appropriate levels
2. High-level strategic coordination for major disagreements

6. Towards improved inter-governmental relations and cooperative government

Our vision is to realise a State that is fit for purpose to serve communities.

The District Development Model is a clear systems response to local government planning and implementation challenges.

The DDM is an all of government and all of society approach.

Key matters arising

7.1. Compliance

• Funding/Finance
• Spirit of Co-operative governance
• Technical Hubs

7.2. IGR Structure compliance

• Enhancement of existing vs creating new
• Enforce participation

7.3. CoGTA empowerment to enforce non-adherence

7.4. Municipal Performance Turnaround Strategy (MPTAS)

Progress and focus areas of MPTAS are as follows

8.1. Improving Municipal Audit Outcomes

8.2. Professionalisation of Municipalities

8.3. Municipal approval of unfunded budgets

8.4. State organ debt owed to municipalities

8.5. Municipal debt owed to Eskom

8.6. Municipal debt owed to Water Boards

8.7. Plan functional municipalities

8.8. Review of the municipal funding model and assumptions

9. DDM in action

9.1. Success story: Waterberg District Municipality – Water Security and Institutional Strengthening

9.2. Success story: eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality – Integrated Urban Renewal

9.3. Success story: OR Tambo District DDM implementation

9.4. Rollout of the programme and lesson learned

Pertinent issues

10.1. Finalisation of the IGRF ACT Amendment Bill
10.2. Implementation of catalytic projects
10.3. DDM Structures and mechanisms
10.4. Funding model
10.5. Consolidation of existing planning mechanisms
10.6. Complexities of cooperative governance
10.7. CoGTA legal ability to enforce non-compliance
10.8. Maximum community participation
10.9. Role of Traditional Leaders
10.10. Coherent and integrated planning and budgeting
10.11. Managing weak inter-spheres engagements
10.12. Stable political and administrative environments
10.13. Active and functional Ward Committees
10.14. Joint planning approach
10.15. Collective performance management structure
10.16. Standardised diagnostics analysis toolkit
10.11. Establishment of monitoring and peer-learning mechanisms

Political management of the model

On the 15th of November 2025 the President appointed the Ministers and Deputy Ministers as Political Champions to drive the process in all the 52 DDM spaces.

Conclusion

Colleagues and partners, we are at a decisive moment in our cooperative governance journey.

The DDM is the practical expression of our constitutional promise of a government that works together for the people.

Let us make intergovernmental relations work not as an aspiration, but as a daily practice.

I thank you.

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