Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

1.(a)(i) The new areas forming part of the VPUU Programme in the Western Cape (hereinafter referred to as the Programme) covers the safe node areas of Paarl East in Drakenstein Municipality, Villiersdorp in Theewaterskloof Municipality, and in the City of Cape Town the safe node areas are in Gugulethu / Nyanga, Manenberg and Hanover Park.

The overall vision of the Programme is to ultimately achieve safe and sustainable neighbourhoods in each of the safe node areas and to achieve said vision through the objectives of inter alia:

• treating safety as a public good on the one hand, but also importantly, through
• integration of the Programme with IDPs as mechanisms to mainstream VPUU principles and approaches on the other in the long run.

As per Cabinet Resolutions in 2013 and 2014, read with the signed contractual agreements reached between the Recipient (being the Western Cape Government) and the German Development Bank (being the Sponsor), implementation of the Programme follows the VPUU Methodology but with certain provisions & principles added to bring it under auspices of the Western Cape RSEP/VPUU Programme umbrella.  Integral to the methodology followed and the manner in which institutionalisation of the Programme has been conceptualised and implemented at a Provincial Programme Management level are the prominence given to integration of work streams of safety programmes of government and spatial targeting.

Mainstreaming of safety programmes of government happens at various levels within the Programme: 

• At Provincial Programme management level, the Department of Community Safety is an active member of the Head of Departments Project Steering Committee;
• At a local technical operational level, participation of the Department in Programme work streams at a safe node area level takes place through participation at the respective Local Area Coordinating Team meetings on a monthly basis; and
• At the Provincial level, at Technical Coordinating Team meetings.

The active involvement of the Department of Community Safety at all levels of the Programme brings with it integration of the safety basket of services offered by programmes of government at all levels.

Whilst the Programme has only just concluded its inception phase, strong evidence of close alignment with local Municipal level safety programmes and strategies and alignment thereof with its reciprocal IDP / SDF key performance areas and strategies already exists in all new VPUU areas.

1.(a)(ii) It is an important key principle to note that a Municipal Spatial Development Framework (SDF) is a key component of the IDP. By virtue of being selected as VPUU Safe Node Areas, the interventions planned are not in conflict with any of the SDF principles and proposals in any of the three Municipalities. Full strategic alignment therefore exists with the SDFs / IDPs in this regard, with reference to:

• In the City of Cape Town the VPUU Programme is referred to under SFA 2: ‘The Safe City’, “Safety innovation… includes influencing urban design to prevent social disorder and disruption, modelled on the success of the Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) programme.”

The VPUU programmes is also referred to under objective 2.3 of ‘The Safe City’ SFA: ‘To enhance information-driven policing with improved information gathering capacity and functional specialisation’, where an outline of the VPUU process is given and it is indicated that “The VPUU programme has been expanded via the Mayoral Urban Regeneration Programme (MURP) to various areas, and also expanded the informal settlements upgrade/transformation programme to a number of areas.”. VPUU is also referred to under SFA 4 ‘The Inclusive city’, under objective 4.2 to Provide facilities that make citizens feel at home.

This refers to partnership between Library and Information Services and VPUU which is “aimed at the development of library centres.

• In Drakenstein Municipality the Programme is fully aligned to the IDP key performance areas, with strong focus being placed on improved coordination amongst safety stakeholders, crime prevention and community based safety interventions and responses, establishing a healthy, safe and stable living and investment environment, and public participation methods at local area level. Although the VPUU programme broadly can be seen to align with all the above mentioned KPA’s, the VPUU programme is referred to under KPA4 ‘Economic Growth and Development’ which aims to facilitate sustainable economic empowerment for all communities within Drakenstein and enable a viable and conducive economic environment through the development of related initiatives including job creation and skills development. Here the VPUU programme has been institutionalized by specifying the submitting of VPUU progress reports one of the indicators for the achievement of one of the Key Focus Areas under KPA 4; and
• In Theewaterskloof Municipality the VPUU programme is referred to and explained in SFA 5 ‘Local Economic Development’, under the strategic objective of ‘Creating an Enabling Environment Favourable for Economic and Human Development, where the IDP indicates the development of a Community Safety strategy for all the towns in Theewaterskloof Municipality where it is indicated that “the VPUU process can be a valuable contribution to this. Certain principles will be adhered to and a participatory process will be followed to compile the strategy”    

1. (b) Specific areas falling within the ambit of the newly announced safe node areas are for:

1. Paarl East in Drakenstein Municipality including the areas of Chicago, Sonstraal, Groenheuwel, Fairyland, Siyashlala,  Smartie Town, Milky Town and Schoongezicht;
2. The entire town of Villiersdorp in Theewaterskloof including the local areas of Phoekom, Goniwe Park, Destiny Heights, Hillcrest, Enkanini, West Side, Nuwe Dorp, Bergendal, and Villiersdorp Proper; and
3. In the City of Cape Town the safe node areas cover Gugulethu / Nyanga, Manenberg and Hanover Park, in addition to the continued work being done in Harare towards wrapping up Phase 1-3 of the Programme in the City of Cape Town.

1. (c) Community involvement in the Programme is done in accordance with the VPUU Methodology, of which the formation of a Safe Node Area Committee (SNAC) is a pivotal component.

The strong and participatory methodology that seeks to strive for negotiated solutions in cooperation with communities has been a strong factor of success to date. The Community is seen a partner in the programme through the Safe Node Area Committee (SNAC), a representative structure elected from local leadership groups and community stakeholders. The SNAC is co-responsible for the Community Action Plan (CAP) and is seen as the custodian of the CAP in the community. The SNAC also has to popularise the intention and interventions of the CAP in the community, has to assist in the implementation of the programme, and to mobilise communities to get actively involved in the programme. Councillors are ex officio members of the SNAC.