What are Integrated Development Plans (IDPs)?
An IDP encompasses all of a municipality's goals and objectives for economic and social development in the short, medium and long-term. IDPs are meant to outline strategies to manage municipal finances for the purpose of facilitating everything from basic service provision to infrastructural development, improved spatial planning and even disaster management.
Every municipality in South Africa is required to produce an IDP. This plan should stipulate how resources are going to be allocated, and what the elected officials envision for the future of the municipality and its people. This plan is ‘integrated’ because it requires coordination between local government, various stakeholders and the public in order to achieve the best results. The IDP also ensures that city departments are working collaboratively on the same goals, and that the best strategies are in place to allow for public participation and speedy service delivery.
IDPs place particular focus on developing rural areas and informal settlements where residents face adversity and poor service delivery as a result of lacking infrastructure and apartheid legacies that affect spatial planning. The plans laid out in the IDP should aim to elevate the quality of life for all residents of the municipality, both rich and poor, while still taking account of the conditions and available limited resources. It is a tool for bridging the gap between the current reality and the vision of satisfying the needs of the whole community in an equitable and sustainable manner.The IDP will inform the council’s annual budget.
IDPs generally take about 6 to 9 months to develop. Once the IDP has been developed, it has to be approved by the municipal council. IDPs are reviewed every year, and when local government elections happen, the new municipal council can decide whether they will adopt the existing IDP, expand on it, or develop an entirely new plan. A municipality must be able to adjust its IDP taking into account changing needs and priorities. IDPs are valid for 5 year periods, and they are enforced and overseen by mayors, executive committees, and municipal managers.
Public Involvement
A Municipality must consult with the public when it develops and reviews its IDP. The Municipal Systems Act also says that “a Municipality must encourage and create conditions for the local community to participate in the affairs of the Municipality”, including in “the preparation, implementation and review of its Integrated Development Plan”.
Democracy is not just about voting every 5 years. It is also about participating in decision making in between elections. And it’s about holding decision makers to account for the decisions they make. A Council should also approve a strategy for public participation. The strategy must decide on the following:
- The roles of the different stakeholders during the participation process
- Ways to encourage the participation of unorganized groups
- Methods to ensure participation during the different phases of planning
- Time frames for public and stakeholder inputs
- Ways to disseminate information
- Means to collect information on community needs
Keep Track of IDP Implementation and Service Provision
If you’d like to get involved on the implementation side of the IDP, you can follow the progress in the provision of basic services by following the circular and news reports produced by Asivikelane in collaboration with the International Budget Partnership . Subscribe to their newsletter here. You can also follow the Municipal Notice's Twitter Account on social media for more updates.
Below are the dates and contact details for each municipalitty:
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City of Cape Town: 30 April 2024 (local Sub council office). For verbal comments contact 0800 212176
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City of Ekurhuleni 19 April 2024 budgettips@ekurhuleni.gov.za
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City of Ethekwini 23 April 2024 comments2021@durban.gov.za or dropped off at Sizakala Centres and libraries
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City of Johannesburg 21 April 2024 Idpcomments2024@joburg.co.za
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Mangaung Municipality 22 April 2024 Monyake.mothekhe@mangaung.co.za and Lebohang.pita@mangaung.co.za
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City of Tshwane The City will have targeted engagements with communities across the seven regions. They start on 9 April and conclude on 24 April. More details: https://www.tshwane.gov.za/?p=71027
Check the municipality websites for the draft IDP and updates!
References:
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