PROVINCIAL INITIATIVES

The Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) together with a number of other spheres of government and stakeholders, is currently undertaking a number of initiatives in the Greater Saldanha Region with a primary focus on the municipal area, premised on the fact that the area is seen as a key economic growth point for the Western Cape Province.

The following highlights some of the initiatives which has direct impact on the municipality.

6.3.1 Greater Saldanha Bay Inter-Governmental Task Team

The Greater Saldanha Bay Inter-Governmental Task Team (GSB IGTT) was established in 2014, with the express purpose of enabling co- operative governance for a coherent and co-ordinated inter-governmental approach to addressing the environmental quality concerns in

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Langebaan Lagoon, Saldanha Bay and environs. In order to achieve these aims, the members of the IGTT are drawn from a range of government departments and public entities, from all three spheres of government. A non-governmental stakeholder forum, consisting of representatives from organised civil society, was also established as a way of reporting progress made by the IGTT.

The GSB IGTT is coordinated by DEADP, chaired by the Head of the Department and meetings are held on a quarterly basis.

6.3.2 SBM – Western Cape Government Inter-Governmental IDP Support

The Saldanha Bay Municipality – Western Cape Government Inter-Governmental Integrated Development Plan Support (SBM - WCG IDP Support) workstream was established in June 2015. The SBM-WCG IDP Support is an inter-governmental platform between the Western Cape Government’s sector Departments and the Municipality, which aims to facilitate strategic engagement and to create a process for collective decision-making on programme and project prioritisation across sectors and spheres of government, both for the short- and long-term.

In order to ensure integrated service delivery, planning, budgeting and implementation, a Governance Model at both a political and administrative level was established. It includes Local Government and relevant Provincial Government Departments. National Government and State-Owned Entities who are included on specific matters relating to mandates and responsibilities as and when required.

The Head of the Department at DEADP is the designated Chairperson of the Joint Executive Steering Committee, which meets bi-monthly and consists of the relevant Provincial Heads of Department and the (Acting) Saldanha Bay Municipal Manager.

6.3.3 Greater Saldanha Regional Spatial Implementation Framework

The Western Cape Land Use Planning Act, 2014 (Act 3 of 2014) (“LUPA”) makes provision for the Provincial Department responsible for development planning to draft a regional framework to:

 Provide a spatial vision that strives to balance economic, social and environmental considerations;

 Promote rational and predictable land use planning;

 Facilitate the coordination, integration and alignment of provincial and municipal land use planning policy; and

 Address specific economic, social, natural or unique features.

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In addition to the above, during 2015, there was a process known as the Joint Planning Initiative (JPI) between the Western Cape Government (WCG) and all the local authorities in the Province, which resulted in a set of priorities being jointly agreed upon between the two spheres of government. The West Coast district-wide issues that were extrapolated from the key priorities resulted in the collective agreement that the Greater Saldanha Regional Spatial Implementation Framework (GS RSIF) needed to be drafted.

The aim of the GS RSIF is to bring key strategic regional issues together in a single implementation framework, to avoid duplication and to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of government. The GS RSIF will be geared towards providing an accurate picture of ‘what is’ (current status), ‘what will be’ (planned government spending and projects), as well as the concept of ‘what could be’ (vision) for the results.

As part of this regional planning process, the intention is also to formulate a strategic regional biodiversity off-set strategy, to enhance industrial development in the back of the Saldanha Port area.

6.3.4 Greater Saldanha Regional Spatial Implementation Framework

DEADP commissioned the compilation of the Greater Saldanha Environmental Management Framework (GS EMF), which was supported by the National Minister of Environmental Affairs and resulted in a draft document which was published for public comment in March 2015.

The GS EMF is being revised and updated as part of the GS RSIF referred to above and is intended to be adopted as part of the SBM SDF in terms of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act, 2000.

6.3.5 Saldanha Bay Municipal Spatial Development Framework Review

The Municipality is in the process of reviewing the Municipal Spatial Development Framework. Through the Western Cape Government’s Built Environment Support Programme (BESP), which is a joint initiative of the Provincial Departments of Environmental Affairs & Development Planning and Human Settlements, the Municipality was provided with funding to compile a Municipal Human Settlement Plan. The two Provincial Departments will strive to ensure that the Human Settlement Plan and the SDF align with one-another. DEADP also made funds available to the Municipality to assist with the updating of the SDF.

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The Provincial Department of Local Government embarked on the compilation of an Infrastructure Growth Plan, which assists with the identification of gaps between the current state of infrastructure and future requirements and sets out a plan of action to bridge those gaps. This plan will be incorporated into the SDF.

6.3.6 Inter-Governmental Task Team Strategic Environmental Assessment

The National Department of Environmental Affairs and DEADP have agreed to prepare an Inter-Governmental Task Team Strategic Environmental Assessment (IGTT SEA), using the GS IGTT as the facilitation and coordination platform. The purpose of the Strategic Environmental Assessment will be to establish thresholds for air quality, marine water pollution, groundwater pollution and abstraction, and biodiversity for the sustainable development of the Greater Saldanha Bay Area.