The table below provides an extract of the key deadlines relating to the budget process which had to be reviewed and amended due to the local government elections only taking place in August 2016 :
DETAILS REVISED DATE ORIGINAL DATE
Tabling of Annual Budget: Council 31 March 2016 25 February 2016
Regional Hearings on the Budget April / May 2016 March 2016
Approval of Final Budget 31 May 2016 28 April 2016
Approval of SDBIP by the Mayor 28 June 2016 12 May 2016
Submission of Approved budget to National Treasury/
DPLG/Provincial Treasury June 2016 May 2016
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One of the departure points in developing the SDG’s was that countries would need to ensure that there is a balance between the economic, political, social and environmental effort required to ensure that these goals are achieved.
The municipality is currently working with its international partners in the development of the Sustainable Development Goals and indicators that would be adopted in 2016. The SDG’s allow for a whole holistic development of cities with a wider range of development programs. The municipality would continue to address these issues in a holistic and integrated manner.
National Development Plan (Vision 2030)
The intention of this plan is to improve service delivery for citizens of South Africa, whilst integrating national, provincial and local policies and programmes into a single, target orientated and long term based plan. In this plan a collective approach of improving the lives of the citizens is applied, and communities themselves have a role to play in this regard. The Spatial component of the NDP which is the Integrated Urban Development Framework provides a macro spatial context for urban development at a national level. These will also include the SIP projects. Projects identified as catalytic restructuring projects that would change spatial form of the cities have been budgeted for in the MTREF, such projects include the freight route, IRTPN networks.
Delivery Agreement Outcome 9
The aim of Delivery Agreement: Outcome 9 is to ensure a responsive, accountable, effective and efficient local government system so as to restore the confidence of citizens in the local government sphere. As such municipalities need to ensure that the basic needs of communities are met; build clean, effective, efficient, responsive and accountable local government; improve performance and professionalism and strengthen partnerships between local government, communities and civil society. Whilst primarily there is a reporting line to Outcome 9, the municipality also reports on Outcome 8 which concentrates on human settlements.
National Priorities: SONA (State of the Nations Address 2016)
The State of the Nation address for the 2016 confirmed the President’s commitment to the Nine Point plan to ignite growth and create jobs, these plans are as follows:
1. Resolving the energy challenge
2. Revitalizing agriculture and the agro-processing value chain 3. Advancing beneficiation or adding value to our mineral wealth
4. More effective implementation of a higher impact Industrial Policy Action Plan 5. Encouraging private sector investment
6. Moderating workplace conflict
7. Unlocking the potential of SMMEs, co-operatives, township and rural enterprises
8. State reform and boosting the role of state owned companies, ICT infrastructure or broadband roll out, water, sanitation and transport infrastructure as well as
9. Operation Phakisa aimed growing the ocean economy and other sectors.
The SONA 2016 also highlighted areas of specific importance for the country some of the issues raised are :
1) 2016 is the year of Local Government elections and the president urged youth to register and vote in the upcoming elections. The Back to Basic program was further highlighted with measures to improve performance also indicated. Some of the measures could include, spots checks, site visits, forensic reporting and increased interventions into struggling municipalities.
2) The fight against HIV/AIDS received a boost with announcement and the supply of anti-retroviral drugs would be improved through the establishment of a state-owned pharmaceutical company. The Health Ministry would also continue with the HIV prevention campaign largely aimed at the youth. From an Ethekwini Perspective the issues relating to HIV/AIDS is timely considering that the city is Hosing the World Aids Conference in 2016. In December 2016 the white paper on the National Health Insurance, which aims to improve healthcare provision in the country, would be released
3) Land claims featured in the SONA with 120 000 additional applications been lodged for those that missed the 1998 deadline. President indicated that a land ownership bill would be presented to parliament where land ownership would be capped to 12 000 hectares, prohibition of foreigners owning land and long term leases promoted.
4) It was noted that five of the nine provinces are currently experiencing drought and that government through various programs are providing relief to the affected communities, president stressed to need to conserve water resources. Community outreach projects such as Operation Hydrate was commended.
5) Government would introduce and implement cost cutting measure to curb wasteful expenditure. The president noted that the country was in an economic slump and urged all to embrace austerity measures.
The roll out of the nuclear program would continue and would be procured on a scale and pace that the country can afford. Cabinet would also need to look at the implications of having two capitals which is currently cost prohibitive.
6) Parliament would also review its migration policy which would make it easier for business to obtain visa’s for scarce skilled personnel from abroad. It was noted that preference should be given to local workers.
Towards an Integrated Urban Development Framework
A key objective of government is to facilitate economic growth, job creation and reduce poverty and income inequality. The framework for integrated urban development is a key governmental initiative to realise this objective because it leverages the potential of our cities and towns, which are South Africa’s engines of growth and job creation. Urban areas offer the advantages of economic concentration, connectivity to global markets, the availability of new technologies and the reality of knowledge economies. Given the challenges that urban areas face, there is a need to forge a sustainable growth vision for our urban and rural spaces that will guide our development priorities and choices. As such the framework begins to identify key levers, such as the City Support Programme, which can provide lessons of shaping fiscal incentives and capacity-building for spatial integration in metropolitan municipalities as well as raising awareness of green city practices for protecting the environment and managing the impact of climate change.
Provincial Priorities (State of the Province Address)
The Premier highlighted Key intervention areas for the province that would influence the IDP for municipalities. In the SOPA the alignment of the IDP, PGDS and the NDP were stressed. In the speech the Premier listed the priority Interventions which remain the foundation of the Provincial Growth and Development Plan. The Interventions are:
· Revitalization of the agriculture and agro-processing value chain
· Implementation of a Higher Impact Industrial Policy Action Plan
· Advancing Beneficiation (adding value to mineral wealth)
· Unlocking potential of the SMME sector, co-operatives, townships and rural enterprises
· Growing the oceans economy
· Resolving the energy challenge
· Managing works place conflict
· Scaling up private sector participation
· Cross cutting relating to IT, Transport, Science and Technology
The Premier also stressed on the development and protection of human capital and the need to further develop skills and improve education in the province.
Provincial Growth and Development Strategy
In line with the National vision 2030, the Provincial Growth and developmental Strategy will ensure economic growth and improved quality of life in KwaZulu-Natal. An integrated service delivery mechanism will be applied by various stakeholders in an effort to create employment opportunities, skills enhancement, effective and efficient governance, human and community development, improved infrastructure and adequate utilization of spatial form.
The PGDS is currently under review to ensure that the plan meets the objectives of the National Planning Commission as well as the SDG’s.
72 Long Term Development Framework
Many cities around the world are competing with one another on the global open market to become economically competitive and in doing so, are inadvertently creating unsustainable environments. Against this background then, it is clear that the municipality has indeed a direct role to play in the facilitation and management of long-term planning and development processes that consider the issue of sustainability. The municipality has reviewed its Long Term Development Framework (LTDF) to ensure that sustainability in all its facets is embedded into the Municipality and influences the IDP.