NCOP SELECT COMMITTEE ON FINANCE 9 NOVEMBER 2009

1. NCOP SELECT COMMITTEE ON FINANCE9 NOVEMBER 2009 SALGA’S INPUTS INTO THE GREEN PAPER ON NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING

2. BACKGROUND SALGA provincial structures requested to engage with the Green Paper at Provincial level Green Paper discussed at SALGA NEC Lekgotla in September 2009 Preliminary comments from PEC Lekgotlas and stakeholders Presidency introduced a Green Paper released in September 2009

3. Presentation outline & comments Section 3 The planning horizon Section 4 The objectives and intent of the Green Paper Section 5 The plan and the planning system Section 6 The institutional arrangements Section 7 The cross-sphere or intergovernmental planning Section 8 The need for understanding change management Section 9 The importance of development and spatial planning

4. Planning Horizon • Broad principles of Green Paper welcome • Vision for 2025 is chosen as a timing horizon • More clearer definition of a long term planning framework • ‘long term vision' should be based on a 'long term strategic perspective' (ie an analysis of likely long term trajectories and trends) which in term defines the actual 'plan' for achieving things en-route to that vision • As a result, can have two separate dates for the vision and plan • The 'plan'(what we say we are going to do) should bemore important than the vision (what we say we want to become) • Currently vision statements exist in silos (Joburg 2030, Gauteng 2055; Durban a 100 year perspective) - The national planning process needs to ensure alignment

5. Objectives and intent of Green Paper • Examine the varied experiences of setting ambitious targets (eg. achieving a million houses after 5 years on one hand but almost a decade after the commitment to halve poverty by 2014 we still haven't got a clear definition and baseline on what we meant by poverty Role of planning commission: • assist government to present to society a set of ambitious, but nonetheless clear and credible, objectives and targets • establish clear commitments into output sets by different parts of government (SOE, Municipalities, etc) • monitor performance (Ministry for Performance Monitoring) • Scenario planning ( of where the world will be in 15-30 years) to be included

6. Plan vs planning system • Planning Commission needs to advise government on resource allocationadequacy and alignment with stated objectives (NB experience of IDP) • Lack of a reference in the national planning process on what currently exists and what the challenges (and successes) so far have been - ie. certain aspects of our current system are good and are working well, how will they be incorporated or recognized (eg. Asgisa challenges) • Is this a top-down or bottom-up approach? How can integrative planning be reached – ie alignment to bottom up emphasis of IDP processes • The principle of differentiation especially for local government and by geographical context – mitigate the risk is that “one-size” fits all policy

7. Institutional arrangements • Composition of Planning Commission – should it only just be intellectuals and experts? • While the overall thrust of the Green Paper is about ensuring policy coherence and coordination, it is not clear where and how organised local government will be represented in the planning commission? • Related to this is also how intergovernmental coordination can be achieved with provinces, SOE and national departments with local government • National Strategic Planning will be affected by current planning processes and legislation - Should we just assimilate IDP’s, PGDS, etc ? • Institutional arrangements in provinces are being set up without a clear national framework (result in different application of provincial planning with Municipalities nationally)

8. Cross-sphere planning • Need to ensure substantive cross sphere planning and not just alignment of processes • Vertical and horizontal alignment challenge for the National Planning Commission • Challenges in developing IDP’s: • Municipality plans, budgets and identifies projects in the IDP, but there is no backward integration to provinces and national interventions • How does one ensure alignment, if IDP’s are chopped and changed annually rather then reviewed • Alignment to MTSF and PGDS does not have a clear methodology and their timeframes are misaligned • An example is to have a Part A and Part B IDP

9. Examples of misalignment of national programmes • Setting of EPWP targets and implementation of EPWP at a municipal level? • Role of Municipalities in national response framework on Global Economic Crisis • Role of local government in addressing land use management issues • Development of conditional grants that many municipalities cannot access • Role of municipalities in setting housing targets? • Role of municipalities in setting FBS targets in areas of water, electricity, refuse removal • Role of municipalities in development of support programmes – to link need with resources • Coordination of local government support programmes between national departments, SOEs, provincial departments

10. Need for change management • Systems and processes can be put in place, buts it’s the impact of people that is most difficult to manage • It is therefore proposed that change management process be considered as part of setting up and ensuring coherence in planning by all key stakeholders • We need to move away from a negative approach of turfs and cilos and individual competencies to a positive interpretation of cooperative governance (is about national, provincial and local working together in a local space) • This will requires a change in attitude of spheres of governments working together

11. Importance of development and spatial planning • There are national plans and strategies that have a spatial footprint on economic and social development in a local space • (NSDP, Urban Development Framework, Dinokeng Scenarios, Bulk Water Development Plans, Housing Atlas, Rural Nodes, long range plans for energy, freight and passenger transport, Sanral Plans etc) • The commission should therefore take these perspectives and plans, look at them collectively, identify areas of conflict and contradictions to ensure a single national framework which will inform provincial and local planning • Also, the commission should also ensure alignment of provincial and local spatial development frameworks to a national consolidated perspective

12. Conclusion • The development of a White Paper on National Planning will ensure further engagement towards achieving consensus • Substantively, any reforms proposed to achieve this vision must support the Constitution and respect the integrity and autonomy of the three-sphere principles, as opposed to, for example, the 17th Constitutional Amendment Bill • A defined role for the Planning Commission in relation to provincial and local governments. • Ensure linkages with the Policy Review process of CoGTA (sweeping reforms to the governance model, powers and functions between spheres) • Ensure policy and planning coherence in the IGR arena (move from process to content)

13. KEY ISSUES Planning Commission Institutions in the planning process… Where will local government be represented?

14. Thank you