Opinion / Columnist
Should we devolve power?
24 Nov 2015 at 09:48hrs | Views
TRANSFORMING THE DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT FUND
When we devolve power, we need to reorganise, reconstitute and re-task the District Development Fund (DDF) and make it a proper funding institute that shall fund the issues in the ward plans and in the district development plans.
Currently, the vital institute of DDF has been relegated to deal with water and transport infrastructure. However under devolution of power, this institution needs to be given a new lease of life and new powers.
At village level, VIDCOs make plans, forward them to the WADCOs and then to the District. The role of DDF in our devolved system should therefore to:
1. Be a fund that shall be used to finance the issues contained in the ward plans, and the district plans,
2. Mobilize resources through various means to fund the projects and development of the region,
3. To fund enterprise development in the district,
4. To coordinate all the activities of the line ministries.
STRUCTURE
We may need to consider the structure of the DDF to have departmental heads. These District Department Heads will be designed in such that they link with specific central government line ministries but they will not be under those line ministries but under the District. For instance, we have a department on education, a department on water and climate, a department on transport and communication, a department on infrastructure development, etc etc
These departments plan for the development of the district using the village and ward plans created by the people. After the departments have planed they take their plans to the DDF which then funds them.
DDF should be headed by the District Administrator whose portfolio lies directly in and under the office of the council CEO and the DA should be appointed by a District Appointing Board.
SOURCES OF INCOME
Some may ask where will the DDF gets its funds from. There are many sources of funding where the DDF can tape from and these include:
1. Revenue from District taxes and levies,
2. Commissioned revenue from the national government,
3. Income generating projects based on the economic competencies/advantages of that district,
4. Community share ownership schemes,
5. Donor aid,
6. Donations from companies.
Source - Khumbulani Maphosa (............ Devolution Now Campaign)
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