The role of local government in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals : A case of Tshwane Municipality

Abstract

The new sustainable development agenda for 2030 was adopted in 2015 with implementation now in progress. This ambitious agenda proposed 17 goals and 169 targets in areas of significance: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. Goal 11 of the 17 Goals strive to ‘make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’. With people continuously choosing to live and work in cities despite the congestion and pollution that result from the high concentration of people, due to the economic growth, innovation and opportunities offered by cities. Hence, it is important to acknowledge that without well-managed urban transition the success of the SDGs will be difficult in developing countries. In the context of this research, it was important and applicable to look at how the ambitious global agenda like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more specifically Goal 11 on cities is being implemented by local government for cities. The research focus on City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM) as a case study for implementing SDG 11. The appropriate research methodology, based on an interpretivist paradigm coupled with the phenomenological constructivism nature of this research, is qualitative. The goal was to combine document analysis and semi-structured interviews to provide the researcher with a more complex understanding of the role of local government, and thereby help the researcher answer the research questions. The research shows that the national, provincial, and local priorities in policy and programmes in South Africa have a high overlap with the SDGs. It is well recognized that development in South Africa can only take place through collaboration between citizens and government, thus policies and their implementation will have to recognize the importance of collaboration. Strategic partnerships between different sectors; government, private sector, civil society and international organisations will bring a strong blend to different strengths and has proved to have means for knowledge sharing. Thus, for CTMM to reach its goal of adequately implementing SDG 11 they would have to leverage on strategic partnerships, develop a framework for implementation and monitoring progress as a way of focusing on implementing the objectives of the Urban Goal while ensuring that there is integration between its national agenda and the global goals.