The President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) met in Pretoria on Tuesday when it endorsed a district-centred development model aimed at aiding the development of South Africa’s 44 municipal districts and eight (8) Metros.

In a statement, the presidency said the new district-based model for development will synchronise planning by all spheres of government and involve citizens and civil society in the development of the country's metros and municipal districts.

The statement said this was the key outcome of the first meeting of the PCC of the sixth administration, convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The endorsement of the Khawuleza ("hurry up") District Coordination Service Delivery Model follows overwhelming support for the new approach by joint committees of Cabinet and by the Local Government MINMEC, the structure that comprises the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, provincial Members of Executive Councils for local government and the South African Local Government Association (Salga).

The model is set to be submitted for approval by Cabinet at its meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday and the new model will be piloted in the OR Tambo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape at a time that will be identified in due course.

Tuesday's meeting at the Union Buildings in Pretoria was co-chaired by the President and Deputy President David Mabuza. The meeting brought together Ministers in The Presidency; the Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Directors-General of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Finance and Public Service and Administration; the nine Provincial Premiers and provincial Directors-General; Executive Mayors of the eight Metros, as well as the South African Local Government Association (Salga) President, Deputy President and Chief Executive Officer.

The statement added that the PCC deliberations gave effect to the commitment by President Ramaphosa in the June 2019 State of the Nation Address that the Council’s agenda would be refocused to sharpen and strengthen cooperative governance and implement a well-coordinated and coherent national programme of action.

The Khawuleza District Coordination Service Delivery Model endorsed by the PCC seeks to secure maximum coordination and cooperation among the national, provincial and local spheres of government, who will act in partnership with civil society – including communities, business and labour - at the district level countrywide.

Across the 44 districts and eight Metros in the country, all developmental initiatives will be viewed through a district-level lens. Development will be pursued through single, integrated plans per district - one district, one plan - that will outline the role of each sphere of government as well as the role of communities and civil society sectors in each district.

This coordination will require - with effect from the 2020/21 Budget cycle - that national budgets and programmes are spatially referenced across the 44 districts and 8 Metros.

Similarly, provincial government budgets and programmes will be spatially referenced to districts and metros in the respective provinces, while municipalities will express the needs and aspirations of communities in integrated development plans for the 44 districts and eight Metros. This shift in planning is expected to narrow the distance between citizens and engender active participation by citizens in development, and enable long-term planning, as well as responses to immediate “burning” issues.

"This new dispensation seeks to change the face of rural and urban landscapes by ensuring complementarity between urban and rural development, with a deliberate emphasis on local economic development," the presidency said.

The district-driven model is directed at turning plans into action, and ensuring proper project management and tracking.

In his opening address to the Council, President Ramaphosa said that in the past, programmes and initiatives had been rolled out without being in sync with government’s overarching strategy.

"Shortcomings in previous service delivery models necessitated a new approach to development that would be more practical, achievable, implementable, measurable and clearly aligned to the key priorities of government."