November 2, 2004
By Ndaba Dlamini
AS PART of its campaign to ensure public participation in local-government decision-making, the City of Johannesburg is calling on residents to attend meetings to discuss the City's 2005/06 Budget and Integrated Development Plan (IDP).
The public-participation programme will run in each of the City's 109 wards until 27 November.
The City manager, Pascal Moloi, says residents should take the opportunity to attend these meetings and make meaningful input.
"Numerous meetings will be held throughout the city to allow residents to participate and express their needs, as well as share their vision of the way they want to see Joburg, the city they live, work and play in," says Moloi.
Every year the City writes an IDP to guide strategic planning. The IDP covers the plans and budgets of all departments, utilities, agencies and corporate entities. It is in the IDP that one finds the policy framework on which annual budgets are based. The IDP is based on Johannesburg's long-term, 30-year plan, Joburg 2030, which seeks to boost investment in the city.
Through the City's outreach programme, ratepayers, business, community-based organisations, labour and non-governmental organisations can have input into the development of the city.
Moloi says the outreach programme is a platform for consultation on a number of interrelated issues. "These include the City's strategic direction and priorities, capital and operating budget, spatial development framework and tariffs for rates and service charges."
According to sections 28 and 29 of the Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 and the Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003, municipalities are required to consult stakeholders on budget and IDP processes.
Communities, with the help of the City, will present identified projects and any other issues to the ward councillor.
Virgil James, a spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg, says: "The City, on the other hand, also tables its proposed plans and projects in the ward through the ward councillor."
The ward meetings will be followed by meetings in each of the City's 11 administrative regions, where the director of that region will be present with mayoral committee members.
"Also present at the meeting will be people from corporate planning and finance who will look at budgetary matters and table any proposed increases in tariffs," James says.
After the regional meetings, special meetings will be held, according to James.
"A business forum and a forum for non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and labour will be held on 18 November to discuss developmental issues related to the City's IDP. These meetings will be facilitated by different heads from various City departments."
The last "huge meeting", the Johannesburg Stakeholders' Forum, will be attended by: Johannesburg's executive mayor, Amos Masondo; the council speaker, Nandi Mayathula-Khoza; the city manager; MECs; and senior City officials. Representatives from all the stakeholders' forums - "from Orange Farm to Midrand" - will meet on a date to be confirmed next year, says James.
During all these meetings, the City collects written requests and attends to some issues directly, according to James. "All this information is collated and feeds into budgeting for the next financial year. The process is cyclical in nature. Immediately after the presentation of the budget for a particular year, the City immediately starts gathering information for the next financial year."
The council is considering implementing a three-year budgetary process, which will be reviewed yearly.
"The three-year period will give [the] council enough time to cater for the needs of its residents," says James.
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