DEVELOPMENT CHAMBER

Terms of Reference

The Development Chamber seeks to reach consensus and make agreements for placing beforethe Executive Council on all matters pertaining to development, both urban and rural,implementation strategies, financing of development programmes, campaigns to mobilise thenation behind the RDP, and the associated institutions of delivery.

The Development Chamber is tasked with operating within the broad framework set out inthe RDP base document and the RDP white paper.

Overview

The Development Chamber started its activities later than the other chambers because ofthe important prior step of constituting the community constituency. Once meetings began,the chamber was also faced with the difficult task of focusing its work programme withinthe context of extremely broad terms of reference. However, particularly during the firstmonths of 1996, a discernible momentum to its work programme has been observed. Thechamber is currently working to a 10-point agenda, reported on below.

The Work Programme

1. Urban and rural development strategies

The urban and rural development strategies of the Government of National Unity weretabled in the Development Chamber in the latter half of 1995, with the chamber requestedto invite public submissions and to develop a Nedlac response to the strategies.

The documents attempt to create a framework for addressing the spatial, social andeconomic inequalities that resulted from apartheid planning.

In response to the call for public submissions, 82 were received. These wereconsolidated and circulated to constituencies and the portfolio committee on the RDP. Thechamber has itself developed a two-pronged approach to address the urban and ruraldevelopment strategies. This approach firstly involves the reaching of frameworkagreements on selected focus areas, and, secondly, overall constituency submissions on thestrategies.

The focus areas on which the parties will seek to reach framework agreements are:

• Job creation.
• Local economic development.
• Human resource development.
• Access to land and housing.
• Services, tariffs and affordability.
• Strategies for the inclusion of marginalised sectors.
• Rural local government.

To assist the process of agreement-making the chamber will hold a series of hearings onthe focus areas as a means of gathering information. The first hearing, on job creation,was held in May 1996.

2. Masakhane campaign

The Masakhane campaign was launched in February 1995, with its central aim being topromote community upliftment through the efforts of communities themselves, and throughpartnerships between communities, labour, business and government.

The specific aims of the campaign, as outlined in the Masakhane base document, are asfollows:

• Accelerating the delivery of basic services and housing.
• Stimulating economic development in both urban and rural areas.
• Promoting the resumption of rent, service charge and bond repayments.
• Creating conditions for large-scale investments in housing and services infrastructure, and local economic development.
• Promoting the creation of conditions conducive to effective and sustainable local governance.

It is acknowledged by all constituencies that the campaign has fallen short of meetingits intended aims. As a contribution to taking the campaign forward, the DevelopmentChamber intends convening a national workshop to develop proposals for redefining thecampaign, with the emphasis on linking the campaign to delivery on the ground and onconstituencies defining their respective roles in ensuring delivery. The workshop is to beat a senior level, comprising representatives from government and civil society, includingparliamentarians and religious leaders, as well as the senior leadership of theconstituencies represented in the Development Chamber itself.

Chamber representatives are also represented on government's technical committee on thecampaign.

3. National guidelines on tariffs, cost recovery, levels of service, and nationaland household affordability

Recognising the need for the development of uniform national tariff policy structuresand guidelines for adoption at local-government level, government has drafted a tariffpolicy which it has tabled in the Development Chamber. The proposals are currently underconsideration by the parties to the chamber.

4. Development of national guidelines to facilitate the establishment of singleconsultative bodies at local level

The Development Chamber is in the process of formulating a framework for theestablishment of single, sustainable consultative mechanisms at local level as a responseto the multiplicity of forums that exist at local level, often resulting in a lack ofcoherence and a duplication of effort.

In developing the framework, a study of consultative mechanisms that have already beenestablished was conducted by the Nedlac secretariat. On that basis a possible model forlocal mechanisms was developed and is under consideration in the chamber.

5. Infrastructure investment

The Development Chamber has agreed that initiatives should be negotiated to unblockmajor infrastructure-related projects and programmes. A key focus of chamber discussionsin this regard will be the government proposals on a national infrastructure- investmentframework and the municipal infrastructure-investment framework. The government proposalsplace a strong emphasis on the need for and importance of public-private partnerships tofacilitate infrastructure investment and delivery.

6. Job creation, with special emphasis on the national public-works programme

With unemployment in South Africa at crisis proportions, the area of job creation isone that is of critical importance to the work of all Nedlac's structures. The DevelopmentChamber's attention in this regard is particularly focused on the role of public works andinfrastructure projects in creating jobs, and specifically on efforts to ensure theeffective implementation of the national public-works programme.

7. Housing policy and rental stock

The chamber has recently turned its attention to the matter of delivery in the area ofhousing and the viability of rental stock as one means of addressing the housing shortagein South Africa. Discussions have been held with the Department of Housing and arecontinuing.

8. Crime and violence

The government's national crime-prevention strategy is to be placed before the chamberfor deliberation.

9. National development agency

As noted elsewhere, an advisory committee charged with investigating and advisinggovernment on future support to organs of civil society has been established. Thecommittee will consider particularly the feasibility of establishing a nationaldevelopment agency for purposes of providing and coordinating support to organs of civilsociety. The committee's report will be negotiated in the Development Chamber during thesecond half of 1996.

10. Disabled

Towards the end of 1995, a framework for the development of an integrated nationaldisability strategy was tabled in the Development Chamber. Constituency comments on theframework have been incorporated into a green paper, which is currently being workshoppedaround the country and which will also be considered in the Development Chamber.