Integrated Development Plans without Development Indicators: Results from Capricorn District Municipalities in South Africa

Abstract

The use of development indicators in the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process of municipalities is not only a legislative requirement but also ensures that municipalities effectively assess the impact of their development programmes and projects on the objectives of sustainable development. Central to the constitutional mandate, is the Municipal Systems Act of 2000, which details the general matters pertaining to IDPs. Development indicators provide municipalities, as the main implementing agencies for government policies and programmes, a framework to present aggregated data on human development and provide evidence-based pointers to the evolution of society. A properly constructed set of indicators may not only suggest the planning measures which should be employed but also throw light on a better formulation of targets, goals and objectives of planning. Based on secondary research, interviews were held with gatekeepers and a questionnaire for other stakeholders. This paper explores the limited use of these development indicators in the IDPs of local municipalities. It shows that municipalities have little understanding on development indicators and how they can help them in addressing challenges experienced by communities. The development of a compendium of development indicators by local government and the inclusion of those indicators in strategic documents of municipalities must be mandatory. The major contribution of this article is the model for data collection and processing for municipalities which it posits and consists of a step by step procedure from data collection, single to composite indicators generation to assessment and interpretation of data and results including monitoring and evaluation. The efficiency of the use of development indicators for planning may not be fully realized because of the manner in which municipal planners have been found to employ indicators for their own purpose.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n8p474