Nestling national 'transformation' imperatives in local 'servicing' space : critical reflections on an inter-governmental planning and implementation project

Abstract

In this article, it is argued that South Africa's post-1994 dream is marked by a tension between servicing and transformation - mutually supporting, but potentially also divergent set of intentions, processes and outcomes. Towards the end of 2006 the national Presidency in South Africa embarked on an ambitious project of using the spatial logic and principles of the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) to structure a process of high-level intergovernmental and civil society dialogue, strategising, plan-preparation, resource-allocation and implementation in all District Municipalities in the country over a three-year period. This project, in which both authors were intensively involved, is used to illustrate this tension and need for convergence and balance between servicing and transformation. The project context and key planning and governance challenges are described, the project outcomes highlighted, possible explanations for the findings probed, and the lessons learnt, documented.

Dit word in hierdie artikel geargumenteer dat Suid-Afrika se na-1994 droom gekenmerk word deur 'n spanning tussen dienslewering en transformasie - twee konsepte, elk met hul eiesoortige prosesse, intensies en uitkomste, wat eweneens ondersteunend of skeidend kan wees. Teen die einde van 2006, het die Suid-Afrikaanse Presidensie 'n ambisieuse drie-jaar projek onderneem in al die Distriksmunisipaliteite in die land met die doel om die ruimtelike logika en beginsels van die National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) te gebruik om 'n proses van hoë-vlak strategiese owerheidsbeplanning en dialoog met 'n wye verskeidenheid van rolspelers, die strategiese allokering van fondse, en die implementering van voorstelle te rig. Hierdie projek, waarin beide outeurs intensief betrokke was, word gebruik om die gemelde spanning en behoefte aan konvergensie en balans tussen dienslewering en transformasie te illustreer. Dit word gedoen deur die projekkonteks en sleutelbeplannings- en regeringsuitdagings te bespreek, projekuitkomste te belig, moontlike verklarings vir die bevindinge te ondersoek en lesse wat geleer is, te lys.

Ditabeng tsena, ho bolelwa hore toro Afrika Borwa ya ka mora selemo sa 1994 ke tshwauwa ka tsitsipano pakeng tsa ho fana ka ditshebeletso le diphetoho tse tshehetswang mmoho, empa hape ho hlahela maikemisetso a fapaneng, ditshebetso esitana le diphetho. Ho ya mafelong a selemo sa 2006 Kantoro ya Mookamedi wa Naha (Presidency) naheng ya Afrika Borwa e ile ya kena tshebetsong ya ho sebedisa sebaka se nepahetseng le dintlha tsa nnete tsa Tjhebelopele ya Ntshetsopele ya Sebaka sa Setjhaba ho bopa tshebetso ya kopanelo le mmuso ya boemo bo phahameng le puisano le setjhaba, ho bopeng leano, ho rala boitokisetso, kabo ya disebediswa le ho kenya tshebetso diterekeng tsohle tsa boMasepala ka hara naha nakong ya dilemo tse tharo. Tshebetso ena, eo ho yona bangodi bobedi ba bona ba neng ba ikakgetse ka setotswana ho yona, e sebediswa e le yona taba ho bontsha tsitsipano ena le tlhoko ya ho kopana le ho lekana pakeng tsa ho fana ka ditshebeletso le diphetoho. E etswa ka ho hlalosa mofuta wa tshebetso le diphepetso tsa ho arala le ho busa tswa bohlokwa., ka ho hlakisa diphetho tsa tshebetso, le ho hlahloba ditlhaloso le dithuto tseo ho ithutilweng tsona.