Evaluating the District Development Model: a review, with case studies

In the 2019 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa identified the "pattern of operating in silos" as a challenge that had led to a "lack of coherence in planning and implementation [that] ha[d] made monitoring and oversight of government's programme difficult". In his 2020 SONA, the President called for the rolling out of a new integrated district-based approach to address service delivery challenges in the country. The District Development Model (DDM) is a practical intergovernmental relations (IGR) mechanism that aims to ensure an integrated and single strategically focused "One Plan" and "One Budget" for each of the 44 districts and eight metropolitan geographical areas (referred to as "fifty-two spaces") in response to service delivery challenges. The DDM outlines roles for various government actors in all spheres of government, as well as scheduled activities and indicators. It raises broad socio-economic and governance questions. For instance, how are the interests of residents and communities reflected in long-term infrastructure planning, whether via Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), Built Environment Performance Plans (BEPPs), Service Delivery Improvement Plans (SDIPs), or similar local and district government participatory processes? How could community involvement in monitoring be supported and sustained in implementing long-term projects?