SPECIAL SESSION OF NEDLAC DEVELOPMENT CHAMBER SCHEDULED

7 June 1996

Nedlac's Development Chamber will meet next week in a special session to thrash out a framework which will streamline local development structures.

Participants in the special meeting-to be held on Thursday, June 13-will include organised local, provincial and national government; non-governmental and community-based organisations; the Centre for Development and Enterprise; the Development Bank of Southern Africa; the Institute for African Alternatives; and key representatives from the Nedlac constituencies.

"Tension, conflict and confusion have arisen from time to time between various new community-based development structures and existing development committees established at the request of various government departments (such as water and sanitation committees, health committees, RDP committees, etc.) over the past two years," says Nedlac executive director Jayendra Naidoo.

"For example, there are a minimum of 27 community development forums in the central Witwatersrand alone, with little coordination between them and the three tiers of government," Naidoo says. "Clearly, it is desirable to streamline and coordinate development structures to

In September last year, Nedlac began work on formulating a framework for the establishment of single, inclusive and representative development structures at local levels, Naidoo says.

A draft framework document-formulated by the Nedlac secretariat with input from its key constituents-will be discussed at the special session and, if accepted, will go on to be ratified by Nedlac's Executive Council.

"Among the key issues which are included in the draft framework document are the form and role of community development forums and local economic development forums, and the role of local authorities in development structures," Naidoo says.

It has been proposed that community development forums:

• Represent a single disadvantaged community at local level and ensure that priorities in each community are not diluted by the priorities of the broader local area.
• Be provided with funding from government.
• Be flexible in terms of functions, but respond to local conditions and issues as they may arise.
• Promote coordinated interaction with respect to government departments and local authorities.
• Use community development facilitators to link community development forums and local authorities.

The role of local authorities in establishing local economic development forums will also be discussed at the special session.

"A key element of the proposals which have been tabled is manner in which local development structures are linked to government. One suggestion is the establishment of local development offices as part of local authorities, and a similar structure in provincial authorities. The report also proposes that national support would come from the Deputy President's Office," Naidoo says.