Integrated development : are we getting it right ? The Platinum Toll Highway within the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipal area as case study

Abstract

Paper presented at the 20th Annual South African Transport Conference 16 - 20 July 2001 "Meeting the transport challenges in Southern Africa", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. ABSTRACT: Since the demise of apartheid in 1994, the South African Government has started with the process of fundamental restructuring laws regulating the structure, powers and functions of all three spheres of government. Of particular relevance is the restructuring of general planning and transport related legislation culminating in the Development Facilitation Act (1995)and the National Land Transport Transition Act (2000). This paper will review current and proposed future legislation endeavouring to achieve a developmental government within an integrated planning approach. From the Municipal Systems Act (2000), it is clear that government is relying heavily on the new local government structures and particularly the new metropolitan government to achieve sustainable development. To direct and speed up development the national government has embarked upon a number of Spatial Development Initiatives (SDI’s). One of these SDI’s, is the Platinum Toll Highway Project. This project,forms part of the larger Coast-2-Coast SDI – the so-called Maputu-Walvis Bay Corridor. The Platinum Toll Highway or the new national route N4 (west),stretches from Pretoria to the Skilpadhek border post with Botswana to the west of Zeerust. The Toll Highway however, also controversially includes sections of the existing national route N1 from Pretoria to Warmbaths. The Platinum Toll Highway will be assessed against a number of key principles from a planning legal and policy framework and certain conclusions will be drawn from this analysis.