Local government spatial planning in a polycentric cooperative governance system

  Stephanus MINNIE, University of the Free State , South Africa
  Verna NEL, University of the Free State , South Africa

The South African Constitution [1] creates a polycentric governance system comprising national, provincial and local spheres of government. Each sphere has defined responsibilities, which may overlap but may not usurp the powers of another. The Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act [2], requires each sphere to prepare spatial development frameworks (SDFs). These must include contributions from the other levels of government that are particularly critical in municipal SDFs.
In this paper, we examine the extent to which national government and provincial government, through their various sector departments, have participated in the preparation of the Mangaung SDF through the lens of polycentric governance as defined by the Ostrom workshop and McGinnis [3].
We conclude that despite the legal mandates for cooperative government, the reality is limited contributions to municipal planning by other spheres of government. An exception is the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality Rural Development Plan developed cooperatively by all three spheres of government. This was the first attempt at a comprehensively integrated rural development sector plan that contributed to a mutually adjusted input into the Mangaung SDF

Mots clés : Spatial development plans|Institutional polycentric governance|Mangaung|SPLUMA

A103631VN