Local Government Gearing Up for Service Delivery The impact of Project Consolidate in the Free Stat

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Local Government Gearing Up for Service
Delivery- The impact of Project Consolidate in
the Free State Challenges and / or
Successes Kopung Ralikontsane HOD Local
Government and Housing
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Outline of the Presentation

• Background
• What is Project Consolidate ?
• Profiling exercise and selection criteria
• Engagement Process followed municipalities and
  Provincial Executive Council
• Role and Deployment of Service Delivery
  Facilitators
• National Billing Initiative
• Impact and Success made by PC Municipalities
• Key Challenges
• Way - Forward

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Background

• Project Consolidate IGR intervention,
  harnessing resources
• Municipal profiling done by dplg indicated that
  the majority of our municipalities encounter the
  acute challenge of providing sanitation to
  households, most of households serviced are
  considered indigent and have an unemployment rate
  of 35
• Key performance areas Free Basic Services,
  Household Income and Unemployment Rate, Powers
  and Functions, Nodal status, Section 139
  Intervention

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Background cont

• Engagement Processes
• Ministry of Provincial and Local Government with
  the Premier and MEC for Local Government
• Interrogation of municipal profile done by dplg
• Bilateral with municipalities
• Provincial and National workshops held on 20
  November and 08 December 2004 respectively

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Background cont

• PC municipalities identified were
• Xhariep district financial problem due to
  limited RSC levy base
• Mohokare service delivery challenges and
  promoting LED
• Kopanong inherited onerous financial
  liabilities
• Naledi short-staffed technical department
• Moqhaka sporadic service delivery failure
• Matjhabeng part of National pilot on the
  Billing System Initiative, infrastructure
  delivery and revenue management
• Tokologo limited revenue base, short-staffed
  technical department
• Tswelopele inherited service delivery backlogs
  and promoting LED
• Maluti-a-Phofung an ISRDP nodal municipality
• Phumelela periodic service delivery failures,
  limited revenue base
• Setsotso low expenditure on infrastructure
  (then) and
• Nala service delivery challenges

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Background cont

• Announcement of the Ministry of Provincial and
  Local Government of Service Delivery Facilitators
  on 1st April 2005 who had
• Conducted situational and performance analysis
• Developed programmes of action that address
  service delivery challenges
• Three SDF assigned to prioritised municipalities
  viz Matjhabeng, Kopanong and Phumelela and have
  developed three situational and performance
  analysis reports
•      

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Background cont

• These report indicated the following challenges
• Service delivery provision i.r.t sanitation,
  ageing and poorly maintained service delivery
  infrastructure
• Housing incomplete housing projects
• Lack of accountability mechanisms (PMS and
  performance agreements)
• Financial viability and accountability revenue
  bases and inadequate treasury capacity and
  capability
• Good governance ward committees not functioning
  optimally, municipal council/ administrative
  interface
• Leadership development is critical
• Enhancing technical capacity treasury
  functions, PMS, Project Management Economic
  Development

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Background cont

• Importance of conducting situational analysis for
  the development of appropriate solutions
• it is frequently assumed that the right amount
  of generic courses will solve a problem, or
  re-engineering will address inefficiencies, or
  new gung ho managers (with appropriate
  incentive bonuses) will deliver the elusive goal
  of optimal performance. These simplistic ideas
  find favour across all social domains (the state,
  civil society and the corporate sector),
  undermining the emergence of more culturally and
  scale appropriate organisational strategies (E
  Pieterse and F Meintjies 2004347 in Voices of
  the Transition the Politics, Poetics and
  Practices of Social Change in South Africa)

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Background cont

• National Billing Initiative launched in October
  2004 to deal with persistent billing challenges
  and corresponding rising municipal service
  arrears. 12 municipalities selected including
  Matjhabeng
• Tease out factors giving rise to billing
  challenges
• Evolving appropriate billing system and
  credibility of data
• Effective customer care and relations management

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Impact and Successes

• For two successive financial years PC munis has
  succeeded in expending resources allocated
  through MIG for infrastructure service. As at
  end of July 2006 it was only Matjhabeng does has
  not spend the allocated resources. The yielded
  outcome for the completed infrastructure projects
  were
• Provision of basic sanitation through bucket
  eradication
• Significant number of households benefiting from
  a basket of infrastructure services provided
• Employment persons days opportunities created
  benefiting men, women and Youth
• Technical Support through DBSA funded capacity
  building programme and in partnership with SITA
  Master Systems Plans, PMS, Housing Sector Plans
  and Section 78, USAID funded LGSP for Kopanong

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Impact and Successescont

• Setsoto and Tswelopele have institutionalised
  OPMS
• Improved operations and maintenance of water and
  waste-water plants at eight PC municipalities
• Completion of short projects Refurbishment of
  sewage plants at Moqhaka( quality of effluent
  improved) planning and surveying and
  installation of high mast lights at
  Maluti-a-Phofung upgrading of gravel road and
  storm-water at Phumelela
• Deployment of expertise
• LGH supporting two PC municipalities with
  updating of financial administration an
  development of Spatial Development Framework
• Deployment of an engineer and water and
  sanitation technicians at Phumelela, Naledi,
  Kopanong Local Municipalities
• With DBSA through Siyenza Manje six technical
  persons (4 engineers and 2 financial experts)
  deployed to 5 municipalities (Phumelela,
  Tokologo, Matjhabeng, Masilonyana and Setsoto)
• Re-introduction of SAICE deployees (1 engineer, 1
  trainee graduate and 1 student)

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Impact and Successescont

• The SDFs have assisted municipalities in
• Testing the operational capacity of laid sewer
  infrastructure
• Updating of financial records and compilation of
  Annual Financial Statements (AFS)
• Technical report on service delivery
  infrastructure (Phumelela)
• Ensuring accessing of support from USAID funded
  Local Governance Support Programme for Kopanong
• Development of standard operating procedures
• Facilitated the capacitation of 20 officials in
  basic bookkeeping, municipal accounting,
  financial management
• Facilitated the implementation of debt collection
  on a pilot basis from February to July 2006
  slight increase in payment levels

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Impact and Successescont

• All PC municipalities have reviewed and adopted
  their municipal IDP
• Ward committees have been established
• Successful hosting of Project Consolidate
  Launches and Ministerial Localised Muniicpal
  Izimbizo Events (July and October 2005) and
  Presidential Imbizo at Lejweleputswa and Thabo
  Mofutsanyana District
• Communication newsletter, video and a radio slot

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CHALLENGES

• Mobilising resources (financial and human) from
  critical stakeholders
• Sustaining interest and commitment of PC
  municipalities
• Strengthening our technical capacity to support
  munis in implementing Municipal Action Plans
  (MAPs) i.r.t 8 PC programme elements
• Harnessing the involvement of PIMSS Centres and
  Districts
• Deployment of local experts to resuscitate MAPs
• Effective monitoring of project consolidate
• Effective co-ordination mechanisms with SDFs.

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Way Forward

• Facilitating the involvement of other sector
  department to provide concrete support
• Facilitate the understanding of obtaining
  realities, dynamics and nuances at play
• Conducting monitoring and evaluation and
  facilitate dialogue on adopted choices
• 5 year local government strategic agenda
  buttressed by
• Effective elected and administrative leadership
• Development of pragmatic, strategic IDPs that are
  credible
• Appropriate organisational structure and
  management processes
• Accountable and effective use of resources

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Way Forward

• Ward committees to be strengthened through
  capacity building programmes but interrogate how
  they should practically relate to council in
  fostering accountable local governance
• Create a conducive environment of ward committees
  strong and robust civil society
• PC Provincial Steering Committee will be used as
  a mechanism for co-ordinating hands-on support

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Thank YouDankieKe a lebohaQuestions and
points of clarity will be noted and forwarded to
Mr Kopung Ralikontsane