Local Government Turnaround Strategy (LGTAS) CoGTA driven process Water Sector Leadership Group 18 November

Development of the LGTAS State of Local Government in South Africa: Overview Report (action research; investigations; reviews; consultations) Meeting President; Mayors; Premiers and MECs (20 October 2009) National Local Government Indaba (21-22 October 2009)  Attended by senior management and political leaders (approx delegates)  Declaration developed which endorsed need for a national local government turnaround strategy  Set of proposals to guide process forward (based on work done in commissions)

Over-arching aim Over-arching aim of the TAS  Restore the confidence of the majority of our people in our municipalities, as the primary delivery machine of the developmental state at a local level  Re-build and improve the basic requirements for a functional, responsive, effective, efficient and accountable developmental local government

Considerations Underpinned by 2 considerations  “One size fits all” approach to munics is not appropriate or acceptable Responsibilities of munics must match capacities and the state must ensure that all citizens are provided with basic services irrespective of which munic they live in  Problems in local government are both a result of internal factors within the direct control of munics as well as external factors over which munics do not have much control

Strategic Objectives 5 Strategic Objectives (1)Ensure that municipalities meet basic needs of communities. (2)Build clean, effective, responsive and accountable local government (3)Improve functionality, performance and professionalism in munics (4)Improve national policy, oversight and support (5)Strengthen partnerships between local government, communities and civil society

Government-Wide Effort The TAS represents extraordinary government-wide effort led by Minister COGTA to improve overall functioning of the local govt system and accelerate service delivery

Implementation LGTAS Differentiated support system with focus on two interrelated streams  Institutional measure to facilitate improved delivery of infrastructure and services  Structural, policy, legislative and capacity building measures over the longer term The implementation of the TAS will be supported by national govt addressing a range of longer-term and more systemic issues that contributed to failure or distress within local govt  Intergovernmental coord and support  Supervision, monitoring and interventions Allow for “early warning” systems re municipal failure Provide for sharper and more immediate preventative interventions  Incentives and disincentives – how built into fiscal and support frameworks to incentivize change

Implementation LGTAS (2) Each munic to develop its own TAS guided by the strategic objectives of the national strategy by end March 2010 Institutional Maps will be distributed to national and provincial sector departments; SoE; statutory bodies; stakeholder groupings and ward committees. These groupings will input responsibilities and commitments onto maps which will provide an audit of where support is committed; located and its value A special Ministerial Advisory and Monitoring Structure to be established to ensure that all role players are effectively contributing to the TAS IGWG has been set up to support implementation (national sector depts; offices of the Provinical Premiers and Dept Local Govt and SALGA Technical Support Units will be established provincially and be coordinated by the National Coordinating Unit

Implementation LGTAS (3) LGTAS will have immediate and short-term focus, underpinned by a mid-to longer term focus Immediate pre-2011 priorities  Get basics right for service delivery  Stabilise municipal councils  Deal with immediate financial, administrative & organisational problems  Mobilise and refocus all energies across government and social actors  Prepare for next term of LG and inspire public confidence in Candidates that are put up for elections  Lay the foundations for long term sustainability of LG

Implementation of LGTAS (4) Post 2011 priorities  Take note of the lessons of practice  Revise sector policies and legislation where necessary  Maintain the focus on responsive government  Build sustainable institutional reforms into the system

Organisational Structure of the LGTAS Teams MINISTERIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE NATIONAL COORDINATING UNIT RAPID RESPONSE TEAM TECHNICAL SUPPORT UNITS PROVINCIAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT UNITS FOCAL AREA WORKING GROUPS

Implications\Expectations of the Sector High political priority (extra-ordinary government-wide approach) Involvement of national and provincial government in the TAS is seen as essential to its success  Given DWA and sector track record and engagement with water services high expectation that we have a lot to offer Institutional arrangements of TAS based upon each sphere clearly articulating roles and responsibilities Sector input process is being defined  Inputs from today will be fed back to COGTA through IGWG and sector input process

Facilitated Discussion: Sector Response What is needed to turn around the water services business?  What are the things we must do?  What are the things we must not do? How does the sector position itself to maximise benefits of COGTA driven process? TAS is firmly located in 5 objectives  Is this a workable approach?  Anything that needs to be added?