CHAPTER 3: POST·LlBERATION SOUTH AFRICA AND THE RISE OF lOP
3.5 Phases of the lOP Process
Table 1: Phases of lOP -Urban Sector Network
The USN 5 key phases to lOP may be represented, in para-phrased form, as:
Phase 1 Purpose Process Outputs
Analysis Factor in needs Data-based analysis of Existing levels through participation service standards and of development
and assemble gaps. assessed Frame
information on Prioritise issues of priority issues available resources. participation and causal
factorsldentify Assemble In-depth analysis of
available information priority issues resou rces incl.
and develop Include socio-economic finance
understanding of and gender concerns in Economic and local 'dynamics' for analysis gender specific sound decision- Identify the poor & other issues integrated making special needs in the into problem
analysis statements
Phase 2 Purpose Process Outputs
Strategies 'Inter-sectoral' Inter-sectoral workshops Vision for discussion on - open forum concept for municipality strategy options dealing with priority issues Objectives set for for tackling priority
Inter-government & sector all priority issues issues with
consideration of cooperation via district Strategic
multiple alternatives. level workshops options outlined Policy guides to Refer to or develop and choices be considered. municipal policies on HIV/ made'tentative' Emphasis on Aids, gender and ensure financial
choices that unlock consideration thereof in frameworkprojects
best solutions strategies identified
Phase 3 Purpose Process Outputs Projects Ensure a smooth Project task team to 'work Indicators for
link between out' project proposals objectives
planning and in consultation with Specified project delivery through specialists, departmental outputs with detailed project staff and 'domain targets and
planning by specialists. location.
joint teams of Activities specified
professionals, with time-lines.
'sector specialists' Responsible
and stakeholders. agencies and
These teams are to actors identified.
draw up proposals with tentative target figures, technical standards, locations time horizons and cost estimates. Project proposals must factor in issues of poverty, HIV/Aids .
•
Phase 4 Purpose Process Outputs
Integration The results of Project proposals Revised project project planning discussed at lOP proposals.
are checked Representative A 5-year financial plan
against the Forum and capital investment
original vision (a public forum). programme
and objectives. Matching and A 5-year municipal action
Strategies and alignment plan
resources are occurs within the An integrated spatial
"harmonised". This municipality. development framework.
Integrated programmes harmonization Revision of
for local economic
"will result in a proposals by project development,
consolidated teams also includes environmental matters, spatial, financial review of gender poverty alleviation, and institutional and HIV/Aids gender equity and
framework as concerns HIV I Aids
a sound basis A management plan
for smooth Monitoring I performance
implementation. management systems
Cross references to sector plans
Disaster management plans
Phase 5 Approval
Purpose
Creating legitimacy and support for the lOP by allowing all stakeholders to comment on the draft plan.
Process
Municipal council and public to discuss draft plan
Check to see that 'special needs groups' have opportunity to comment Amendments according to comments
Approval by council Alignment with district, provincial and national plans Check for legal compliance Further sector alignment
Feasibility check I professional feedback
Final amendments and adoption by council
Outputs
An amended and adopted Integrated Development Plan
HIV/Aids strategies area proved by council &
communitylssues related to poverty and genders are incorporated.
[Source: Department of Provincial and local Government & Urban Sector Network (undated) IDP Training Handbook Urban Sector Network, Johannesburg South Africa, p26-30]
Did municipalities follow this planning process? The select municipalities considered in the case study section of this paper seemed to follow a set of procedures that were at least similar. In subsequent discussion of Ngqushwa municipal staffing matters it will be shown that this consideration of competing concerns and especially affordability issues was entirely lacking. In fact for every real or imagined function to be performed by the municipality, the approach was to simply create a staff post. This suggests that the planners made little effort to follow
their own prescripts or conduct what might be termed a reality check during the 'strategies phase'.
Envisaged Benefit
Like the Planact handbook the USN lOP Training Handbook envisaged that the lOP process would have a significant impact on the manner in which local communities were governed. Municipalities would gain understanding, in social and technical terms, of the problems that beset the area and would be able to match up the resources and strategies required to address these problems. 216 The USN's intriguing formulation of the issue was that under the new Constitution, municipalities had been "awarded major development responsibilities ... " These encompassed the provision of basic services, the creation of jobs, promoting democracy and accountability and eradicating poverty. The lOP constituted a
strategic management instrument whereby all of this could be achieved.217 Echoing throughout all of this is what Arturo Escobar termed "salvation" or more precisely that 'development' was about breaking the link with " natural forces, which had not
produced the most happy results."218
To achieve these benefits planning would have to be accompanied by a shift towards more professional management practices and adoption of scientific
management principles or what Escobar terms planning as "rational social action".
Public sector planning would therefore be accompanied by refurbished concepts from the corporate sector like performance management. The USN provided the following rationale for adopting performance management.
Performance management is a strategic approach to management, which equips leaders and managers at different levels with a set of tools and techniques to regularly plan, continuously monitor, periodically measure and to review performance of the organisation in terms of indicators and targets for efficiency, effectiveness and impact within their own organisations.219
But performance management would not confine itself to those comoditiies typically traded by the corporate sector i.e. that which was easily measured and quantified, for instance; targets related to the number of water connections installed or
maintained, the average time it took to rectify a service breakdown or the extent to which municipal expenditure conformed to budget. Instead in the USN handbook on planning, performance management would draw upon the much acclaimed Batho Pele (people first) principles.220 This charter of values and principles was framed
in the 1997 Batho Pele White Paper and included a number of less tangible social
values. These values were extended to local government in the 1998 White Paper on Local GovernmenP21:
Batho Pele:
• Consultation: citizens would be consulted on service levels and quality
• Service standards: There would prior agreement about the service standards that could be expected.
• Access: citizens would have equal access to the services they were entitled to
• Courtesy: civil servant (including local government officials) would be required to show courtesy and consideration in their dealing with citizens.
• Information: the municipality would be required to provide full and accurate information about the manner in which it provided services
• Openness and Transparency: information on operations, budgets and management practices would be open to scrutiny by citizens.
• Redress: where services were lacking or inadequate, citizens would be entitled to remedial action or at least and explanation and apology.
• Value for money: citizens could expect that services would be provided economically and efficiently.222