Premier

1. The Western Cape is implementing the Joint District and Metropolitan Approach (JDMA), which is a geographical/ district and team based, citizen focused approach to provide government services, aimed at improving the living conditions of citizens.

The JDMA was endorsed by the Premier’s Coordinating Forum in June 2019 and institutionalised across the five districts. JDMA Interface Teams comprising senior officials across the three spheres of government worked together with the District Coordinating Forums to develop and implement single implementation plans per district.

The Western Cape Cabinet also endorsed the JDMA, which has been utilised as a new way of work to implement various initiatives including the Western Cape Government priorities of Jobs, Safety and Wellbeing priorities, as well as managing of drought in the Central Karoo.

I am pleased to report that the Head of Department for Local Government as the Provincial JDMA Coordinator, outlined the linkages between JDMA and DDM in a letter to the Director-General of Cooperative Governance (DG) dated 13 May 2021. The DG in her reply dated 29 June 2021 noted “the close links that the DDM and the Western Cape JDMA have” and that “the implementation plans that were developed at the end of February 2019 serve as the One-plans that the Department has requested”.

Regarding the deployment of national Ministers as DDM champions by the President, I am aware that this was first raised during a Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) in May 2020 and was followed by a letter from the President dated 9 June 2020 indicating the following Western Cape DDM Champions:

District	DDM Champions
Cape Winelands	Minister Ebrahim Patel
Central Karoo	Deputy Minister Pamela Tshwete
City of Cape Town	Minister Naledi Pandor and Minister Bheki Cele
Garden Route	Deputy Minister Alvin Botes
Overberg	Minister Patricia de Lille
West Coast	Minister Barbara Creecy

 

Given the uncertainty regarding the roles of the Champions, I advised the President through my letters dated 26 June 2020 and 29 July 2020 that the Western Cape Government had resolved not to support the DDM until such time as we had agreed on necessary protocols and rules of engagement in respect of the deployment of national Ministers to the metro and districts. Such protocols and rules of engagement were not provided.

I am aware that several DDM Champions have attended our District Coordinating Forums during 2022 in support of the JDMA and previously in support of our COVID-19 response.  These include:

• Minister Creecy to the West Coast;
• Minister De Lille to the Overberg;
• Deputy Minister Tshwete to the Central Karoo; and
• Deputy Minister Botes to the Garden Route.

2. During 2020, the Western Cape Government allocated the following Ministers to the five districts and the metro as part our COVID-19 response:

 

District	JDMA Champions
Cape Winelands	Minister of Agriculture
Central Karoo	Minister of Education
City of Cape Town	Minister of Cultural Affairs & Sport; Minister of Transport & Public Works; Minister of Social Development; and Minister of Community Safety
Garden Route	Minister of Human Settlements
Overberg	Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities
West Coast	Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

 

The above allocation was further extended as part of the JDMA after the peak of COVID-19 to strengthen interface between the Western Cape Government and the five districts/ metro and unblock any service delivery challenges. The Ministers continuously engage with the District Executive Mayors through bilateral engagements and/or attend District Coordinating Forum meetings. They ensure that their respective departments work with the districts on unblocking service delivery matters. 

 

3. As part of the JDMA, various Western Cape Government departments are supporting key projects and/or interventions prioritised within the JDMA Implementation Plans in the five districts. The support varies from funding to creating partnerships to deliver on the prioritised projects and/or interventions.  The table below reflects some of the projects which are currently being supported:

 

District	Examples of projects currently being implemented
Cape Winelands	Bucket Eradication Infrastructure Catalytic Projects Implementation of Rural Safety Plan Drought Recovery Implementation Plan
Central Karoo	Provision of basic services for prioritized human settlements Development of Disaster Risk Resilience Strategy, Thusong Satellite Service Centre and Hydrophonic Waste Minimization Strategies
Garden Route	Skills Mecca Regional Landfill Facility Garden Route Fire Station New Dam/ Water Purification Facility and completion of Blossom Project
Overberg	Expanded Rail Network Release of land for a new school and expansion of clinic – Grabow and Caledon Safe House Network Upgrade of ablution facilities Increase water resilience
West Coast	Youth Centre in Piketberg De Hoop Development in Malmesbury De Zwartland Werf Development Vredenburg Urban Revitalization Expansion of Saldanha Habour