Councillors decry Tshwane’s failure to engage them in IDP process

Ward councillors in Tshwane have expressed frustration about the lack of consultation during the metro’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) process.

According to Ward 82 Councillor Siobhan Muller, local councillors were never given the opportunity to provide input to the IDP, a stark departure from the process followed in previous years.

“It’s clear that Tshwane is not taking local priorities seriously. We were never asked to submit our input,” said Muller.

She said instead, they used the 2022 submissions, even though critical issues have changed.

Muller went on to describe how the IDP for 2025 does not reflect the real needs of the wards, especially when it comes to projects that had already been completed, such as the water pipe replacement in Ashlea Gardens.

Muller said that she and her fellow ward councillors did not receive any notice or reminders regarding the IDP process.

“It’s the norm for councillors to submit input for the IDP by late-2024, but that didn’t happen this time around. There was no communication from Tshwane,” she said.

Muller went further to call attention to the inadequate budget allocated to some projects, especially in the water and sanitation sector.

She added that critical projects like the upgrades to the Lynnwood substation, repairs to the Lynnwood reservoir and the replacement of water pipes in Waterkloof were all excluded from the IDP, despite being flagged as urgent.

“There is zero budget for waterpipe replacement in Waterkloof.”

Muller was adamant that this oversight stems from a lack of consultation with the ward councillors who should have been representing their communities’ needs.

“We were not even given the opportunity to submit our own projects. The IDP doesn’t reflect what’s actually needed on the ground,” she said.

Councillor Shane Maas said Tshwane used inputs for 2022 for his ward.

“Nobody asked me for inputs last year and this year. We were never reminded to submit our inputs as ward councillors.”

Ward 54 councillor Elma Nel said the last request for submission was in 2023.

“Nothing on our wishlist was approved in any way,” she added.

In response to these complaints, Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo defended the process. He stated that the IDP for the period 2022-2026 was based on submissions made by ward councillors in 2022 when they were initially asked to provide their top five priorities for the entire five-year term.

According to Mashigo, this process followed a standard procedure, with all ward councillors instructed to hold community meetings and submit their prioritised needs.

However, he acknowledged that not all councillors had submitted their priorities by the time the IDP was approved in 2022.

“It is unfortunate that not all councillors submitted their priority needs by the time the 2022-26 IDP was approved by Council, regardless of being reminded.”

However, Muller argued that they were never given a chance to update their priorities after 2022 and that they were left out of the ongoing review process.

Mashigo also clarified that newly elected councillors will have the chance to review previous submissions from their predecessors.

One of the primary sources of tension is the ongoing struggle to get sufficient funding for critical projects.

Mashigo, however, responded by explaining that the IDP process is designed to allocate funds to projects that are ready to be implemented, based on their level of preparedness and urgency.

“It is public knowledge that the city has limited resources to address all the issues that are raised by ward councillors and communities due to lack of funding.”

He said the Water and Sanitation Department (WSD) has systems and plans to prioritise pipe replacements and areas targeted depending on the condition of the pipes and the availability of resources.

Mashigo added that WSD consults the IDP office to solicit the issues that were raised by ward councillors and the community; hence, the issues are recorded in the annual IDP Review.

“The IDP process is utilising various media platforms to inform communities on what is included in the draft budget and the processes they need to follow to raise new issues to be included in the IDP processes during the public consultation period.

“There are many requests submitted during the IDP process, but due to limited resources, not all projects can be funded due to budget constraints.”

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