National Urban
Renewal
Programme
Lessons Learnt
Alexandra
Galeshewe
Inanda
KwaMashu
Khayelitsha
Mitchell’s Plain
Mdantsane
Motherwell
Acknowledgements
This report was prepared on the basis of interviews conducted with, and information provided by, the
following people. Their assistance and generosity in sharing information and insights into the projects is
acknowledged with gratitude.
National URP
1.
2.
3.
4.
Bernadette Leon
Gwen Shole-Menyatso
Project Shop;
Tanya Zack
Mike Morkel
Inanda Ntuzuma KwaMashu Urban Renewal Project
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Linda Mobonambi
Laura Bedford
Dave Renwick
Adrian Masson
Abdul Domingo
Musa Mahlambi
Nomusa Shembe
Nquala Zee
Councillor Majola
Eugene de Beer
Mark Byerley
Shikar Singh
Sipho Nkosi
Nuthan Maharaj
Mdantsane Urban Renewal Project
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Riana Pretorius
Gabi Becker
Hans Schluter
Raymond Forster
Zuko Somtunzi
Martin Thursday
Councillor Dikimolo
Noludwe Ncokazi
Lawrence James
Motherwell Urban Renewal Project
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Walter Shaidi
Henning Hansen
Malcolm Langton
Vuyo Zitimane
Amelia Buchner
Tsepang Setipa
Sitembele Vatala
Councillor Mtanga
Dawn McCarthy
Director Totoyi
Chris Hay
Rob Howlett
Mitchell’s Plain/Khayelitsha Urban Renewal Project
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
George Penxa
Nico Jantjies
Bruce Malgas
Fakiswa Mahote
Alistair Graham
Ivan Anthony
Councillor de Vries
Peter Terblanche
Councillor Sidana
Barrie Barnard
Councillor Mdoda
Patrick Nqadumini
Simon Phankisa
Pat Collis
Monawabisi Booi
Galeshewe Urban Renewal Project
56.
57.
Nomonde Tyabashe
Seyathie Mutha
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
Mr Masilo
Marius Stolz
Peter Engstrom
Mike Steyn
Shelly van der Molen
Councillor Mazabane
Alexandra Renewal Project
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
Julian Baskin
Neels Letter
Dalene Louw
Pieter Vorster
Jacon Malobe
Carien Englebrecht
Willem Odendaal
Mike Morkel
Desmond Sweke
Marius Brand
Paul Kotze
Darkie Rametsi
Justice Ngalonkulu
Vusi Mavuso
Nonceba Tindleni
Design, layout and printing
ITL Communication and Design and Global Print
Copy Editor
Laureen Bertin
Photographs
dplg
Contents
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................2
Conceptual framework..........................................................................................................2
Methodology........................................................................................................................2
Navigating the document......................................................................................................3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..........................................................................................................4
PART ONE: LESSONS PERTAINING TO THE PROJECT CYCLE..................................................5
1
Introduction...............................................................................................................6
2
Component 1: Project selection...................................................................................6
3
Component 2: Defining project objectives..................................................................16
4
Component 3: Project preparation and design...........................................................19
5
Component 4: Institutional arrangements..................................................................29
6
Component 5: Project management arrangements.....................................................37
7
Component 6: Implementation.................................................................................46
PART TWO: SECTORAL LESSONS.......................................................................................63
1
Institutional systems, governance and finance . .........................................................64
2
Economic development.............................................................................................72
3
Service delivery........................................................................................................79
4
Infrastructure and housing........................................................................................82
5
Social services..........................................................................................................86
6
Greening and environmental interventions.................................................................87
7
Public safety............................................................................................................88
8
Communication........................................................................................................89
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Introduction
In 2001, President Mbeki launched the Urban Renewal Programme. The intention
of this programme was to tackle issues of poverty and exclusion in urban areas,
by bringing the resources of the three spheres of government to address these
challenges in a co-ordinated way.
Fundamentally the programmes, established in eight areas that exhibit problems
of poverty and underdevelopment, are intended to lead to socially sustainable
communities, with access to amenities, and to conditions that will contribute to
growth and development. These are to be attained in a manner that aligns and coordinates government activities. The URP was intended to be a 10-year initiative.
Democratic local government in South Africa had only been established two
months prior to this announcement. The urban renewal projects would thus tread
the sometimes volatile path of a transition into newly structured bureaucracies at
local level.
The eight nodes comprising the urban renewal programme were:
 Motherwell (Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality)
 Inanda/Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (e’Thekwini Metropolitan Municipality)
 Galeshewe (Sol Plaatje Municipality)
 Mdantsane (Buffalo City Municipality)
 Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain (City of Cape Town)
 Alexandra (City of Johannesburg)
In 2006 the URP had been in place for five years. At this point the Department of
Provincial and Local Government initiated three studies into the policy and practice
of these major development interventions. This ‘Urban Renewal: Documenting
Lessons Learnt’ document forms one element in this series of inputs, which also
includes an Implementation Framework, a Toolkit for Managers and proposals
for Technical Support for urban renewal interventions. The present document
provides insight into the lessons learnt from practice that are emerging within the
various nodes.
National Urban Renewal Programme
Conceptual Framework
This investigation into emerging lessons has been undertaken at three different
scales of enquiry; being:
 Programme level: issues and lessons which are cross-cutting across
the URP as a whole are identified where relevant in each project. These
include, for example, inter-governmental co-ordination and co-operation;
planning and fund mobilisation; programme and project management
arrangements, and the extent and performance of private sector and CBO
involvement.
 Nodal level: at this level, issues relating to programme and project
management; institutional arrangements; funding mobilisation and flows;
procurement and delivery; community participation; communication and
implementation, are examined.
 Case study / project level: detailed practice and lessons are extracted at
the level of individual projects. A wide range of projects has been selected
to illustrate the issues that have emerged in this detailed examination.
The conceptual framework to be employed in this research conceptualises the
lessons of emerging practice in three categories:
 emerging practice in the stages of the project management cycle, and
 emerging practice in a selection of project sectors.
Methodology
The lessons of emerging practice in urban renewal have been probed through
structured interviews and the interrogation of project-specific and programmewide literature.
Phase One of the project involved:
 Collating and reviewing project-specific information and reports
 Preliminary telephonic interviews to establish broad themes and indications
of case studies, and
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 The preparation of a conceptual and methodological framework.
Phase Two of the project involved:
 Conducting field trips to each of the urban renewal project nodes
 Site visits to projects within each node
 Conducting in-depth interviews with officials, stakeholders, politicians and
consultants in the nodal areas
 Collating documentation pertaining to case studies that illustrate key
innovations or project lessons
 Extracting lessons from the interview material and documentation, and
 Preparation of a draft report.
Phase Three involved:
 The extraction of broad lessons learnt across all the urban renewal
projects
 Preparation of this final report.
Limitations of the methodology
This element of the series of investigations into urban renewal is an interviewbased study of emerging lessons. Its value lies in the richness of information,
opinion and experience that individuals working in the projects have shared with
interviewers. However , this is also a limitation of the methodology. The study
relies on, and is subject to, the accounts offered by interviewees or the materials
provided to interviewers. In some of the nodes, the level of documentation of
projects and processes is still weak and this influenced the ability of this study to
reflect meaningfully on lessons learnt in that specific node.
Navigating the document
This document is divided into three parts.
 Executive Summary provides an overview of the key lessons learnt,
categorized according to the key performance areas for local government,
being: institutional transformation, good governance, service delivery,
local economic development, and financial viability. Project lessons are
illustrated with case studies in this section. Attention has been given to
providing a selection of case studies that represent a range of issues.
 Part One documents the lessons that have been extracted from the
emerging practice of the urban renewal projects as regards the usual cycle
of activities and events that are undertaken in planning and implementing a
large-scale project. The stages that are considered in this section are: Project
selection, Project objectives, Project preparation and design, Institutional
arrangements, Project management arrangements and Implementation.
Project lessons are illustrated with case studies and photographs.
 Part Two of the document extracts lessons from the urban renewal
projects against the key sectors in which projects are categorised. These
are: Economic Development; Infrastructure and Housing; Social Services;
Environment; Safety and Security; and Communication.
National Urban Renewal Programme Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: THEMATIC LESSONS
Introduction
This Lesson Learnt Study represents a wealth of information from 5yrs of
implementation. This Executive Summary attempts to extract the key high level
lessons from this study, categorised according to the key Performance Areas for
local government, being Institutional Systems, Governance, Service Delivery, Local
Economic Development, and Financial viability.
Institutional Systems
 Institutionalising the programme is crucial. Goodwill and individual
programme champions are useful, but the programme needs to be situated
within institutional structures, contractual arrangements and clear lines of
accountability.
 Area-based approaches such as the nodes have offered the greatest focus
and co-ordinated interventions.
Governance
 Sound and active leadership at political and administrative level is critical
for the success of integrated nodal development.
 Participatory structures (ward committees, development forums) must be
resourced and capacitated for effective community ownership.
 Learning by doing requires that parallel learning take place alongside
implementation. Regular strategic reviews should be undertaken in the URP
to ensure cross-learning between nodes and the broader stakeholders.
Service Delivery
 URP is not only about housing, and attention must be given to finding
a balance between infrastructure development and human developmentrelated activities.
 Unrealistic service standards, for example, regarding housing, can cause a
slowdown in delivery, compromise quality and result in stalled projects.
National Urban Renewal Programme
 Without control over the housing budget, cities have difficulties meeting
delivery targets set by them, more so in the URP nodes which experience
severe backyard overcrowding, old informal settlements and new inmigration.
 Land, its identification for housing and preparation and servicing for
township development requires the coherent support of all government.
SOEs and parastatals, who must make their landholdings available for
development that will benefit the nodal communities.
Local Economic Development
 Resources need to be committed for adequate supervision, training and
support for emerging contractors.
 Using public investment in a co-ordinated manner to prompt private
sector responses has proven to be a successful strategy; support must be
provided to other nodes to implement this strategy, using IGR structures
to obtain binding commitments from other spheres of government.
 Townships are not, and cannot be, self-sufficient; linkages with nearby
commercial areas are important. Analysis of the expanding sectors in the
sub-regiuonal context is important to assess which sectors offer the best
possible opportunities for employment of the nodal communities.
Financial Viability
 Preparation funding is crtical during the first 24 months of the URP, to
establish PMUs, undertake essential planning and to source/leverage
delivery budgets from line functions.
 The private sector is under-invested in the townships and this represents
a major opportunity. Government must be able to direct this interest by
careful packaging and marketing of projects to ensure maximum benefit
for the area.
 If dedicated programme funding is made available for the URP, a possible
model may include a requirement that dedicated funding be made available
on the basis of being geared on a set ratio with other funding.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Part 1
Lessons pertaining to
the project cycle
National Urban Renewal Programme Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
LESSONS PERTAINING TO THE
PROJECT CYCLE
1 Introduction
This section details the lessons that have been extracted from the emerging
practice of the urban renewal projects in terms of the usual cycle of activities
and events that are undertaken in planning and implementing a large
scale project. The stages that are considered in this section are: Project
selection, Project objectives, Project preparation and design, Institutional
arrangements, Project management arrangements and Implementation.
2 Component 1: project selection
Lesson 1: Establishing certainty stimulates buy-in and
action
The need for development initiatives in each of the designated urban renewal
project areas is without question. Each of these is an area with inadequate
services, high levels of poverty and socio-economic disadvantage.
However, in several areas officials working on the urban renewal projects
mentioned that the announcement of the URPs in 2001 took local government
‘by surprise’, and that the rationale for the declaration of certain of the
selected URPs was unclear.
The issues that arise regarding a somewhat unexpected announcement
relate to preparedness of local governments to implement projects.
National Urban Renewal Programme
Municipalities were not adequately prepared to take on the functions
necessary to implement these projects. The lead time required to set in
place planning and implementation structures for urban renewal is extensive
in any circumstances. These projects require high levels of leadership and
expertise and the full commitment of local government. The cost of not
giving timeous warning of the designation of URPs is, at the very least, that
the projects started in a slow and stilted way.
The uncertainty of the early days included an uncertainty around the
objectives of this round of urban renewal nodes, project funding and
guidelines for implementation. Without certainty around whether a ringfenced amount of funding would be allocated for the urban renewal effort,
or existing budgets would need to be applied to the project, planning was
difficult. Uncertainty around the reasons for project selection led to publicity
problems. The reasons for the selection of Motherwell as an urban renewal
node, for example, are
unclear in the minds of
certain officials. Whilst
these officials concede that
Motherwell has serious
unemployment, social and
HIV/AIDS challenges, and
a continuing challenge of
in-migration to deal with,
it was suggested that the
seriousness of development
issues in Zwide and Ibhayi
could not be ignored, and
Mdantsane: According to some, this was not the highest
development priority
that these also warrant
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
urban renewal. In this regard, public concerns have been expressed over
the apparent preference given to Motherwell. Planning officials in Buffalo
City similarly felt that, while there were real needs in Mdantsane, it was not
the highest development priority area for the city. In their view, Duncan
Village deserved priority attention.
A failure to communicate, with certainty, the motivation for the choice of
nodes contributed to an inability to inspire and mobilise officials, politicians
and the public behind the urban renewal effort. There was furthermore
no space created to deal with the inevitable antagonism and rivalry from
stakeholders who believed that other areas were more deserving, or were
anxious that resources would be redirected away from their areas to the
URP effort. The need to reassure this constituency remains important.
An important lesson is that tensions around the announcement of urban
renewal projects should be anticipated and must be managed. This requires,
in the first instance, special communication efforts to all stakeholders in
order to encourage buy-in and to reassure constituencies that may be
excluded from project benefits.
Lesson 2: When project selection is not strategic it risks
being ad hoc
Is the URP an opportunity for an area-based, focused initiative around
a strategic long-term development plan for a specific area? Or is it an
opportunity to implement projects that have been defined over time and
that happen to coincide with the geographic boundary of the urban renewal
area?
The choice of anchor projects in several urban renewal project areas was
often not motivated in terms of a strategic overall vision and plan for the
renewal efforts. These projects, as a result, do not demonstrate a clear
relationship with key project
objectives. The Galeshewe
key action areas are
largely transportation and
beautification projects. With
the exception of the housing
conservation project, it is
difficult to match these
major initiatives with the
social and economic needs
expressed as the focus
areas in the urban renewal
plan.
Projects need to be selected to support the development
vision
Officials have suggested
that key projects within
the urban renewal areas have often been defined according to historical
factors within the municipality. The URP may therefore be an opportunity to
implement projects that are on line or that have been in a planning stage
for a considerable length of time. While these may be very sound projects,
they do not necessarily fit into the specific objectives of urban renewal and
may not be the highest priority when the area is considered in light of the
developmental objectives of an urban renewal programme.
By contrast, the key projects within the Alexandra Urban Renewal Project
were defined in a coherent, strategic manner. An overall business plan
informed sectoral business plans and these were the basis for a selection
of projects that would fulfill goals and objectives set at both a broad
and detailed level. Individual projects were then prioritised and their
implementation was phased accordingly.
National Urban Renewal Programme Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Where an overall plan does not have
some fix and the implementation of
projects is not mandated by such a
plan, the prioritisation of projects can
be political. Annual project selection
(for so-called ‘quick win projects’) in
the case of Cape Town, are derived
largely from the Mayor’s listening
campaign. The political and social
importance of a listening campaign
Project selection for Alexandra was guided by an
has merit but its implementation
overall business plan
should not necessarily override a
long-term strategy which has been
similarly mandated through a sound participatory process. There is a danger
that projects prioritised through urban renewal efforts can be overlooked or
delayed in favour of projects defined for political ends.
While the element of power must be embraced and managed in urban
renewal efforts, it should not be assumed that political wishes always win
over technical arguments. Officials in the INK project – a project strongly
guided by a human development and process vision – were able to use this
strong vision in arguing against the implementation of a community hall that
was wanted by local leaders. Officials argued that it was more important
to commit resources to building local capacity and social or employment
creation projects that might then be followed by a brick and mortar facility
that could house real, live projects, than to start with a building.
The key lesson is that urban renewal projects need to be guided by a
coherent vision and strategy. Project selection must be defensible in terms of
such a strategy. The strategy needs to be given impetus through cascading
business plans that relate aims and objectives to deliverable projects.
National Urban Renewal Programme
Some of the projects that are
established in the urban renewal
programmes
are
necessarily
long-term
projects.
Projects
such as economic development
interventions
that
require
training and long lead times, or
educational interventions, may
be 10-year projects or even
generational. The longer term
projects, in particular, need to be
Road signage: A quick win project?
seated within a strategic plan that
embraces a long-term vision for
the area and that programmes these projects in a prioritised way.
Example
An example of how a visioning process is taken through to strategy level
is provided by the INK strategic unit which outlines vision, principles and
outcomes that define strategies:
The Vision for the INK Renewal Project in the First Business Plan (March
2002) is:
The Urban Renewal Project seeks to fundamentally improve the quality
of life of citizens living in Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu by:
 Substantially reducing levels of unemployment and poverty
 Reducing levels of crime and violence
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Strategy:
 Improving the public environment
 Increasing access to social services
 Improving the housing environment
 Strengthening the mutually beneficial economic relationship between the
INK area and the broader municipal area, and
 Increasing the skills base of INK citizens
 These objectives will be undertaken in a manner which:
 Promotion of self-reliance, esteem and civic pride
 Strengthening the economic relationship between INK and the broader
municipal area
 Increasing the skills base of INK citizens.
The outcomes identified are expected to be achieved through an
approach comprising three elements:
 Functional strategies: Planning, land, engineering infrastructure, housing,
economic development, social development and community safety. A
 Integrates the area into its sub-region
core strategy was developed for each area, with an associated set of key
 Ensures participation by local communities
programmes or strategies.
 Promotes inter-governmental co-operation and effective and integrated
governance at the local level, and
 Operational strategies, and
 An institutional framework.
 Promotes self-reliance, esteem and civic pride in individuals and
communities.
Outcomes to be achieved:
 Reduction in unemployment
 Reduction in crime
 Improvement in the public environment
 Access to social facilities and services
 Improvement in the housing environment
 Governance
Lesson 3: The context frames project selection
The selection and phasing of projects that support urban renewal efforts is
wide-ranging. The selection of projects depends on the vision established
within a particular context and on the conditions within that local area. These
conditions range from geographic conditions (the rural nature of much of
the INK or Mdantsane area), identified social need (food security projects
in Motherwell), to local government capacity (which may bias infrastructure
projects where engineering capacity within a council is well-developed and
delivery is readily possible), to political considerations (that may define
short-term projects in Galeshewe or Khayelitsha). While broad objectives
of urban renewal need to be defined at national level, the projects that will
fulfill this vision must be locally rooted.
National Urban Renewal Programme Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
coming on line. Motherwell, Mdantsane,
Galeshewe, Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s
Plain programmes are focused on using
infrastructure to unlock development.
The Alexandra URP, after starting off
as being infrastructure driven, is today
possibly the most balanced with regard
to addressing both infrastructure and
human development needs.
Inanda: Service provision for informal settlements is an
ongoing challenge
Lesson 4: Striking a balance between infrastructure and
human development
“When the preconditions of basic infrastructure (roads, power, and
ports) and human capital (health and education) are in place, markets
are powerful engines of development” (Sachs, 2005). This quotation by
eminent economist Jeffrey Sachs sums up the objective of major South
African development programmes. Within this broad intention, however,
there are significant variances. Not all projects have conceived the twin
needs of infrastructure and human capital with equal importance.
All the URPs focus on both human development and infrastructure
initiatives to a greater or lesser extent. In fact, a project bias towards either
infrastructure or human capacitation is often evident. Broadly, the INK
project focuses more on human development in the first few years of the
programme – this is now shifting as large-scale infrastructure projects are
10 National Urban Renewal Programme
There are many factors that give rise
to an infrastructure bias in the URPs.
For example, municipalities have a
responsibility for infrastructure provision,
are skilled in its provision, and do not
generally require the authority of any other
level of state to undertake infrastructure
projects. Projects are thus relatively easy
to initiate.
Bridge City: A powerful restructuring
element in the INK landscape
However, social programmes within the URPs are often projects that need
to be initiated by the provincial sphere of government. For various reasons,
this sphere has been significantly passive in certain areas, most notably the
Eastern Cape.
Social projects generally take a considerably longer time to implement
than infrastructure projects do. They are also longer term projects in that
they show returns some time after implementation. Their success is not
easily measured in monetary or quantifiable terms. Infrastructure projects,
however, demonstrate immediate benefits in an area. The funding for
infrastructure projects may come from various sources, but accessing this
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
usually not as complicated as sourcing funding for projects that require
ongoing subsidisation. This is the case, for example, for welfare-related
projects, where application procedures can be complicated and lengthy.
hand, cannot exist in an infrastructural vacuum. Without basic needs and
emergency services being dealt with, the health and safety of a community
is at risk.
In Galeshewe, an infrastructural bias was evident in the URP’s creation
of facilities for local economic development opportunities prior to any
programme for local economic development having been achieved. This
was considered unfortunate and indicative of a URP that was overly
ambitious in its expectation that infrastructure provision could lead to
entrepreneurship.
Essential services therefore have to be in place. In addition, infrastructure
that promotes access and mobility is critical for the effective functioning of
social networks and services as well as for employment and trading.
In general, it is important to strike a balance between the infrastructure
and the human development focus of projects.
A human development bias is only coherently evident in the INK project.
Here the motivation is to put people (at the level of the individual) at the
centre of development. It is a focus that sees the URP merely as an agent
to stimulate internalised processes of development in the community.
This approach stems from a developmental philosophy that centres on
developing the potential of each individual to maximize development
opportunities for each person, and by extension, for the community. It is not
an approach that offers a set of solutions or a ‘basket of resources’. Rather,
it is focused on a concept of ‘citizens’ who take primary responsibility for,
and of government providing support for, citizen action. Solutions are thus
to be developed from within the community. While this approach does not
shun infrastructural development, it is careful not to ‘fix what is not broken’.
Infrastructure is geared towards supporting human development efforts
rather than leading them.
It is important in a developmental approach that all projects, whether
infrastructurally or socially oriented, seek to maximise the human
development potential within their design, implementation and longterm impact. Infrastructure projects therefore need to stimulate elements
such as job creation, community empowerment, participation, and longterm affordability of services. Human development projects, on the other
INK: People at the centre of the development agenda
National Urban Renewal Programme 11
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 5: Selecting projects on the basis of real need
There is some, although minimal, evidence in the URPs of sound needs
assessment having been conducted prior to the identification of projects.
The exception to this is the INK programme where needs assessments and
assessments of local capacity, strengths and assets have been conducted.
Motherwell undertook a more conventional socio-economic survey to guide
its planning efforts.
Development initiatives that are undertaken without an adequate
understanding of the scale or nature of needs, risk missing the objectives
they set out to achieve. They also risk underestimating the need faced and,
by extension, underestimating resource requirements.
The need for adequate research, and for early consultation with a wide
range of stakeholders around project selection, is often overlooked in the
quest for speedy development of business plans and quick delivery. The cost
of this may be high. In Alexandra, the choice of social housing projects that
favoured a middle income group, was based on several contextual factors
(land price, tensions of developing low-income housing adjacent to high
value land). It was not rooted in the understanding of the affordability levels
of Alexandra’s residents. It
also did not respond to the
problems of institutional
capacity to implement social
housing in Alexandra. This
housing strategy would
later be revised in the light
of a detailed assessment
of the incomes and social
circumstances
of
the
community.
Projects need to be based on real need
12 National Urban Renewal Programme
The time required to undertake
adequate research and effective
stakeholder engagement must
not be underestimated, as it is
likely to delay project start times.
The benefit is also time-related,
however.
Effective
upfront
research
and
consultation
increases the potential of a
Shacks were removed to make way for
coherent project plan and
social housing in Alexandra
implementation strategy that can
then roll out without significant
changes or delays that may result from opposition towards projects.
Case study: Social (institutional) housing in Alexandra
Background
The plan to provide institutional housing was set out in the housing strategy
agreed in 2002, as part of the aim to bring about ‘an effective housing
environment’ in Alexandra. The aim of the Alexandra Renewal Project was to
provide a ‘choice of sustainable and affordable housing with secure tenure
that is well-regulated with regard to density and quality. In addition, it will
facilitate the upgrading of existing housing stock and will provide housing to
address special needs’.
One objective of the ARP housing strategy was the provision of new and
affordable housing stock on an ownership and rental basis, via institutional
housing.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
The 2002 ARP Housing Strategy stated that new land parcels in 8 areas had
been identified, providing approximately 18 385 units. Of these, 1 000 creditlinked and 14 987 institutional subsidy units had been secured for Alexandra
residents.
undertaken in Alexandra reveals that 30% of households are formally
In 2002 a new company, Alexandra Social Housing Company [ASHCO], was
established by provincial government to manage rental housing stock and
deliver housing in Alexandra. Three rental housing projects were initiated
in Marlboro Gardens [3 000 units], Westlake [1 000 units] and Frankenwald
[3 000 units]. A Memorandum of Understanding had been signed in respect of
land for new housing at Westlake and Frankenwald. Since 2002, ASHCO has
received extensive capacitation funding from provincial government and the
European Union support programme for social housing.
unemployment. Social housing may not be appropriate for low income
Evaluating outcomes
By January 2006, some 600 new social housing units had been delivered
in Alexandra. However, ASHCO has not yet been able to develop any new
housing, though the first phase of 350 units in Westlake is in progress.
The scheme in Marlboro Gardens has not been able to advance, primarily
due to objections from highly vocal local residents to having a high density
development in their midst.
The early vision for Alexandra had a middle class focus. Proposals for social
housing presumed that it would be possible and desirable to attract persons
with medium incomes to these areas. This did not equate with the affordability
of persons being relocated out of Alexandra.
Lessons
 The plan to develop so much institutional housing was over-optimistic,
given the low affordability levels in Alexandra. A recent social survey
employed. Only 7% of the resident population could afford the social
housing models that were put forward. There was already an inability
and unwillingness to pay for housing in the area, and high levels of
groups, and perhaps should come in towards the end, rather than at the
beginning, of a renewal programme to cater for the higher end of the
market, after the needs of low-income people have already been catered
for.
 There was a lack of expertise within ASHCO around institutional housing,
and ambitious hopes for it that could not be delivered on.
 There needs to be buy-in and understanding from the community before
implementing social housing in a particular situation like Alexandra, where
there are prior rehousing commitments to people who cannot afford the
products delivered.
 Mobilisation of finance is required, and payment levels within a community
must be stabilised, before embarking on instalment sale (rent to buy)
schemes. There needs to be clear guidance on the extent of risk
underwriting, if any, that will be provided by the Alexandra Renewal
Project or any other institution.
 At the time that the ARP was envisaging using housing institutions and
social housing as a delivery mechanism, social housing did not enjoy a
supportive environment. A new Social Housing Bill is now in the process
of being enacted, that will hopefully improve the delivery context.
National Urban Renewal Programme 13
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 6: Projects that promote speedy delivery
There is widespread belief that the speed and depth of project interventions
are dichotomous. Where speed is achieved through quick delivery,
participatory and empowerment ends are not necessarily achieved.
Participation, on the other hand, can impede quick delivery because the
processes of stakeholder engagement are necessarily time-consuming.
Yet it should not be assumed that communities favour lengthy processes
over speedy delivery. In commenting on a crime prevention programme
in Mdantsane, the project manager observed that a critical lesson was
that time delays need to be minimized when implementing projects with
a high level of community involvement. Their staying power to endure
lengthy bureaucratic processes is limited; also the ability of community
representatives to retain their credibility within their communities is affected
by long periods of no actual delivery.
Particularly in the early stages of the URPs, a focus on high speed and
visible projects was evident. These projects may be selected because they
address an emergency health
and safety situation, or
because they facilitate buyin and build the credibility of
the overall programme. They
range from road signage, to
the greening of parks, to
the development of sporting
facilities,
to
emergency
water provision. In some
areas a continuation of this
approach is apparent in the
Before: The Jukskei River, alexandra
‘quick win’ projects.
14 National Urban Renewal Programme
While quick wins have merit,
it is the long-term projects
that are more likely to turn
areas of decline into areas
of opportunity. Without
attention to longer term
projects, there is a danger
that the urban renewal
programme will not focus on
addressing the deep-seated
needs of an area and that it
After: A rapid cleaning and redevelopment of the Jukskei
will incline towards ‘windowfloodplain created a new amenity in Alexandra
dressing’
interventions.
Urban renewal as a process
of ongoing upgrading cannot be achieved in a confined five-year period.
These deadlines for delivery and for turning an area around are considered
unrealistic for poverty-stricken areas that suffer deep-seated institutional,
social, economic and spatial
problems.
Changes to municipal management structures should
expedite decision-making in Galeshewe
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 7: Shelter above all?
Lesson 8: Project selection is a trade-off
A planner for INK noted that while experts may agree that social and
economic interventions provide a greater possibility for sustainable human
development than do infrastructural projects, this view is not necessarily
shared by beneficiary communities. In the current era where housing has
led development, and shelter provision has been the main direct benefit
to households countrywide, many households are likely to opt for shelter
above any other development input. In fact, shelter remains the highest
expressed priority for people living in INK. Many groups would call for
housing delivery ahead of other interventions. This may be because housing
delivery benefits individual households directly and is a short-term gain. There are many competing needs and competing arguments or rationalities
that prevail in any development context. In selecting projects it is necessary
to make trade-offs between choosing one or other direction. This requires
negotiation and debate between the stakeholders and the experts who
represent various development sectors. Members of the INK team reported
that there are so many social needs in the area that it is difficult to avoid
addressing the public on issues that INK is dealing with. The team therefore
has to negotiate amongst the many different priorities, and team members
debate the merits of various projects and choices that need to be made on
a regular basis.
The lesson here is that a participatory process needs also to be educative, to
inform people of development options that exist outside of their immediate
experience and options that facilitate long-term sustainable solutions. In
order to build sustainable human settlements rather than merely shelter
projects, it is necessary to
take a broader view, and a
key role of the development
professional in this objective
is to alert the beneficiary
community to development
models and alternatives
that may lead to sustainable
development.
Nonetheless, tensions arise around project selection and it is imperative that
the choice of projects can be explained and defended. The example below
illustrates such a tension that arose out of an approach to participation in
INK, and the response to this tension.
Managing project tensions
When the INK Stakeholder Forum (SHF) was first started there was an
expectation that it would be a community-based body that would have its
own meetings and would interact with INK on projects that had been defined
within the community. There was a lot of pressure for an Executive Committee
to be formed. However, the INK approach was firm in not wanting to raise
expectations about the power of community organisations to identify projects
or to place demands on the programme.
KwaMashu: Housing is the priority in INK
National Urban Renewal Programme 15
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
There was also a concern to avoid the possibility of certain organisations
or individuals ‘gate-keeping’ the community and preventing direct access
between any groups and INK. Finally, the approach was to be one of
partnering with community groups rather than setting up a possibly
antagonistic relationship. It took many meetings, both at the individual
organisation level and at a broad level of public meetings, to come to an
agreement around the structuring of the SHF. The tensions have subsided but
every intervention or project suggestion still raises questions around project
identification, the possibility of certain organisations being favoured and
the possibility that INK is acting in an authoritarian way. These are normal
tensions and concerns that arise in participatory processes. The INK team
asserts that such tensions are best managed through a process that:
 Establishes projects against clearly defined criteria
 Ensures that every action or intervention is justifiable in terms of research,
policy and clear principles
 Is entirely transparent
 Does not favour any individual or organisation, but ensures that very
organisation has equal access to the project, and
 Has mechanisms for dealing with technical as well as political issues. In
the case of INK, councillors are on board in SHF meetings and in many
INK-community interactions. They handle the political issues.
3
Component 2: Defining project
objectives
Lesson 1: Objectives must have stakeholder and
community support
The setting of project objectives is often seen as a technical task within
the business formulation component of projects; but technically defined
objectives that do not resonate with community needs, local government
capacity or perceptions and expertise of officials working in various
development sectors will not be achievable. This was the experience of the
Galeshewe URP, where a business plan that was developed by consultants
did not receive the support of officials as the objectives of the plan were
considered inappropriate.
The plan ultimately had to be reworked at considerable expense and
at the greater cost of a significant delay in the commencement of the
overall project. In short, it can be a costly exercise to ‘get a plan drawn
up quickly’ by external consultants. Technical expertise cannot replace the
value of adequate consultation in developing project objectives. Effective
consultation with stakeholders at the onset of projects minimises exclusion
from, and antagonism towards, initiatives. It also enhances the possibility
of stakeholder ownership of the infrastructure or other programmes that
are delivered and thereby promote sustainability.
Lesson 2: Objectives must be set within a Framework of
Principles
The URPs are national priority projects. Their intention is both local
and national. While on the one hand they are aimed at improving living
conditions and promoting development in local areas, they are also directed
16 National Urban Renewal Programme
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
at piloting initiatives
that fulfil national
social and economic
development
goals.
The strategic direction
that is required for
achieving
these
national
intentions
could be assisted with
a set of guidelines
Business Skills: Empowering the second economy
and
principles.
Such principles are
not evident in the URPs. Project managers indicated that little policy or
theoretical guidance was available to direct the projects.
The consequence of not providing such guidelines is that an opportunity
to pilot important national policy is not maximized. Intentions such as
promoting the second economy – which are evident in policy documentation
– are not well executed or even prioritised in all URPs. This also results in a
missed opportunity to pilot new innovations within the URPs, which might
then be extended to other areas and so broaden the multiplier effects of
these projects.
The absence of an overarching urban renewal policy and of principles to
guide development weakens the monitoring of the URPs. The reporting on
projects becomes largely progress reporting, rather than reporting against
milestones set in fulfillment of overall policy.
While a framework of principles is important in guiding implementation,
these cannot be rigidly applied in local contexts. Locally specific adaptations
are necessary. In Gauteng, for example, a survey showed that up to 30%
of shacks house single occupancy households. The national housing policy
does not readily accommodate
this configuration. For this
target group, rentable rooms
rather than the traditional
housing subsidies need to be
accommodated within policy
frameworks.
Housing policy adaptations are sometimes the best
approach
Lesson 3: Objectives need to be realistic, achievable and
measurable
A pattern of ambitious, multiple objectives is present in the URP business
planning exercises. Many of these objectives are vague and open-ended.
The setting of such objectives poses the danger that they may not be
taken seriously or may be quickly abandoned in favour of projects that are
perceived to be ‘possible’.
A selection of objectives drawn from various business plans illustrates the
open-ended, ambitious nature of many of the project aims. They include
statements that promise to:
 Encourage new private sector businesses
 Ensure high levels of infrastructure and services
 Upgrade social facilities
 Improve the institutional framework for the planning, management
and implementation of the URP.
National Urban Renewal Programme 17
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
It is necessary for objectives to be measurable and specific. They also
need to be translated into deliverable projects. The establishment of
project outcomes to be achieved also permits the ongoing monitoring of
projects against targets. This is necessary for tracking performance and for
decision-making around project direction.
Objectives also raise expectations. The words of Julian Baskin, recently
appointed Project Director of the Alexandra URP, are sobering in this
respect. The lesson he offers is that setting incremental, achievable
objectives – and then possibly even exceeding these – brings credit to a
project. By contrast, developing overly ambitious objectives sets a project
up for failure and diminishes the achievements that have been made if
these objectives are not met.
Baskin cautions against total solutions. These areas have inherited extreme
difficulties and it is not possible to turn everything around. There are no
magical solutions. In fact, each solution brings a new set of problems.
Relocating an informal settlement and creating new housing, for instance,
creates all sorts of problems around disruption, affordability and relocation.
Baskin suggests that pilot projects, focused on particular areas, be developed.
Even within one urban renewal area, smaller areas would be identified and
initiatives would be tackled area by area. It would be preferable to set up a
small structure, and to deliver to real needs. Once the delivery of some needs
has been achieved and the capacity of the structure is built, new demands
can be added.
Overly ambitious objectives undermine projects
Julian Baskin believes that projects should not raise high expectations
and that the Alexandra project was flawed in setting ambitious targets and
objectives at its inception. The choices, at a crude level, are to promise a
great deal and struggle to deliver – then everything you don’t deliver is judged
as a failure; or to promise less and deliver more – then everything you deliver
is a cause to celebrate. The Alexandra business plans and spatial frameworks
create enormous expectations of ambitious design projects, light rail, etc. It
is a project that has received considerable criticism in the press for its lack of
delivery. Yet if not judged against these expectations, the Alexandra delivery
record is impressive. “The problem”, Baskin asserts, “is that everything you do
in relation to those overambitious objectives looks like a failure - even if you
do fantastic things”. Many projects that are highly successful do not meet the
objectives they set out to achieve. This does not mean that the success is not
real or appropriate.
18 National Urban Renewal Programme
Mdantsane: Mobilising resources was critical before issues
of poor infrastructure, housing, social services, and LED
could be addressed
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
4
Component 3: Project
preparation and design
Lesson 1: Accumulating resources to deliver
Project preparation was generally hampered by a lack of resources. This
included limitations in institutional capacity and a lack of funding. An official
commenting on INK explained that at the beginning “there were ideas,
but no resources to implement them”. The project was delayed by a lack
of staffing, with a URP Programme Manager being appointed only after
eight months. That individual later resigned, resulting in further delays to
implementation.
The current Mdantsane URP Project Management Unit was only put in place
in October 2004. Here too, institutional complexities and under-resourcing
of the programme hampered delivery.
It is difficult to motivate stakeholders around projects when the resources
allocated to these (and thus the feasibility of the project) are unknown. In
order to streamline tender processes it is necessary to have project cycles
planned well in advance of the financial years of the authorities funding the
project. It is important to have a three year plan for all projects as well as
for the overall programme, in order to streamline the tendering processes
and administration that often delay implementation. This is only possible if
there is some certainty around potential funding.
In Mdantsane, the programme manager has understood that access to
financial resources is a key source of power in projects, and has focused
her attention on gathering funding commitments for future projects. While
sourcing such funding can be an onerous process, the programme manager
believes that it will provide her with leverage to realise the project’s
objectives, and to obtain
resource commitments from
local sources (from within
the city and province) for
development in Mdantsane.
Most projects have been
developed in a context of
limited additional funding.
Officials have also argued that
where there is no dedicated
Khayelitsha: The challenges are stretching the available
funding, planning cannot be
resources very thinly
done in a competent manner.
Although elaborate plans are
drawn up, unless these are backed by resources, they are immediately out
of date.
Building staff capacity is crucial to project success. This is a key concern in
the Khayelitsha/Mitchell’s Plain URPs where project managers and senior
staff within the programme are extremely overstretched.
Case study: Accessing donor funding in Mdantsane
Of all the urban renewal programmes, the Mdantsane Urban Renewal
Programme (MURP) has placed the greatest emphasis on sourcing donor
funding. The reasons for these efforts having been made include the need
to mobilise funding for urban renewal in a province and a municipality where
funding resources are limited, the preference shown by European donor
funding organizations (and particularly German-based funders) to support
Eastern Cape development initiatives, and the interests and previous
National Urban Renewal Programme 19
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
involvement of the Programme Manager, Riana Pretorius, in working with
such funding organisations.
Funding organizations involved with MURP include:
 The European Union (EU)
 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) including a
full-time secondment of an official to work with MURP
 German Financial Co-operation (KfW)
 French Development Bank (ADF)
 Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).
The key focus areas for funding are:
 Co-ordination and inter-governmental interaction
 Innovation in planning, management and implementation
 Institutional strengthening
 Learning and dissemination of lessons to other practitioners
 Alternative approaches to the development of marginalized urban areas.
The Expected Result Areas are:
 Improved Local Economic Development.
 Habitable human settlements.
 Improved social development.
 Improved public participation.
 Improved strategy, Programming, project implementation and co-
20 National Urban Renewal Programme
ordination and service delivery.
 Improved municipal institutions relating to financial management, audit,
procurement, project management and integrated planning.
 Support to the functions of the National and Provincial Urban Renewal
Programme, learning and dissemination of lessons.
Implementation
EU28.5 million (± R228 million) will be allocated as sector budget support in
equal proportion to the budgets of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality
and Buffalo City Municipality for implementation of the Motherwell and
Mdantsane Urban Renewal Programmes respectively. Funds will be
channeled through the National Treasury to the two municipalities.
A further EU1.5 million (± R12 million) complementary support will be made
available for research, systems development and technical assistance to
support the Urban Renewal Units and National and Eastern Cape Provincial
Government (Eastern Cape) levels.
The budget support will be disbursed within the Motherwell and Mdantsane
Urban Renewal Programmes, using the procedures and systems of BCM and
NMMM respectively. Both municipalities have established Urban Renewal
Programme Units, which will provide the capacity for implementation of the
IDPs within the nodes.
The programme will be implemented over a four-year period coinciding
with the financial year of the Municipalities. The co-contributions by the
local authorities have been determined based on the current MTEF.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Detailed timetables and plans for the MURPs will be provided in annual
implementation plans.
Lessons learnt
 The general consensus was that donor funding, supported by the
secondment of technical resources, if requested, can be extremely useful
to support urban renewal initiatives
 Such funding is a vital adjunct to support the release of municipal and
other local funding
 The commitment of EU funding on a multi-year basis is most beneficial,
and
Accessing such funding gives MURP unquestionable leverage in the context
of the municipality and its line departments.
First things first
When Julian Baskin became project director of the ARP, he facilitated the
establishment of new institutional arrangements. Baskin explained that he
fought hard to get these structures in place. The principles that he sought to
institutionalise in order to be more effective included:
 The authority to carry out the mandate to upgrade Alexandra
 An institutionalized authority to lead both local and provincial level inputs
in the ARP
 The localisation of the project and establishment of a single project office
 The institutionalising of quick decision-making
 The formalisation of a small core team of high-level politicians and
executive officials to commit to, and take responsibility for the ARP
 A mechanism for this team to be informed of, and take responsibility for,
each stage of the ARP
Lesson 2: The need to secure upfront institutional
commitment
Although its delivery record was relatively impressive, the Alexandra
URP was arguably the most institutionally constrained of the URPs in its
early years. This project suffered a lack of institutional commitment from
local government – an issue that will be elaborated on further under the
institutional section. Within that context, there was little commitment from
individual leadership to project interventions. In addition, few processes for
streamlined decision-making could be ensured. Such processes are critical
to ensuring that such high profile projects run smoothly.
 Formalised, ongoing communication of all aspects of the project to local
politicians
 The participation of representative community organisations in a formal
structure, and
 The accountability of community representatives.
National Urban Renewal Programme 21
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 3: The link between policy and implementation
Project implementation needs to be guided by, and is often required to
comply with, policy direction. These are not always in alignment. After
much objection to the approach of relocating households from unsafe
conditions within Alexandra to available land and projects at some distance
from the township, a new policy directive was given. This stated that
relocations were not to take place outside of Alexandra and its immediate
environs. The new directive raised new and competing issues for housing
development. It implies a revised approach to the density of housing –
where future housing projects will need to be developed at sufficiently
high densities to accommodate substantially more households than current
housing projects are able to. It also implies that existing facilities within
Alexandra be planned to accommodate the current population and its
growth and not a smaller, ‘dedensified’ population.
Politically, the new policy has resulted in unintended consequences. Officials
report that while the relocation of households to date has raised some
objections and negative
media coverage around the
distances of relocation and
the inadequacy of facilities
provided in reception areas,
there was no significant
protest
from
‘settled’
residents of Alexandra. In
fact, an official reported
that the settled residents of
Alexandra had no sympathy
with the ‘squatters’. “They
Health and safety concerns may justify relocation
were perceived to be involved
22 National Urban Renewal Programme
in crime and residents were
relieved that the settlement
was being removed.” The new
policy that will govern future
removals, however, raises a
threat to settled residents.
When households need to
be relocated, for reasons of
emergency or for reasons of
development, they now have to
be accommodated as a matter
of urgency within Alexandra.
Alexandra: A change in relocation policy will have
significant density implications
The land set aside for subsidised
housing within Alexandra would
normally be allocated according to the provincial housing waiting list. In
order to accommodate the relocatees, this list would have to be adjusted
and “persons who have been waiting for housing on the list would be
pushed further back in the queue” (municipal official, Alexandra). This has
altered the dynamic within the community and has raised objections to
relocations which may not stem from empathy with relocatees but from the
enormous pressure for housing in the area. “People say, ‘You are rewarding
people who illegally occupy land ahead of rewarding us who have been on
the waiting list for years’” (municipal official, Alexandra).
Lesson 4: The importance of a bold vision
The key function of a visioning exercise for URPs is that the vision created
should be one that can motivate people and put resources behind the
project efforts. It is important to excite people into taking action and
committing to the success of the URPs. A vision that is clear, coherent and
hopeful is necessary.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Modal interchange: Mitchell’s Plain . A key anchor project using the
energy of movement to renew a community
Vision for the INK/ABM Urban Renewal Programme
The Vision for the INK/ABM Urban Renewal Programme in the First
Business Plan (March 2002) is that the Urban Renewal Programme seeks to
fundamentally improve the quality of life of citizens living in Inanda, Ntuzuma
and KwaMashu by:
 Substantially reducing levels of unemployment and poverty
 Reducing levels of crime and violence
 Improving the public environment
A strong focus of the URPs has been on the alignment of government activity.
This stems from a new institutional concern with ‘joined up government’. A
consequence of this is a requirement for extensive co-ordination between
spheres of government and between departments within the different
spheres. Much of the urban renewal programme management time is
devoted to such co-ordination and facilitation. While the complexity of these
tasks cannot be overestimated in a system that has traditionally functioned
within silos, this, too, is connected with creating a vision. Adrian Masson of
INK notes that a key challenge in aligning government is to create a vision
that can capture the imagination of various departments. Co-ordination is
not simply an administrative task, but is fundamentally about drawing on
the active and committed investment of human and financial resources that
exist within the various bureaucracies, into the project area. It needs to
be led by a vision that excites the imagination of officials and stakeholders
alike.
The setting and sustaining of the
project vision is a leadership role.
In this respect programme manager
Linda Mbonambi is clear. He sees his
role as a directive one, to provide the
vision for development in INK and to
motivate people around the vision on
an ongoing basis.
 Increasing access to social services
 improving the housing environment
 Strengthening the mutually beneficial economic relationship between the
INK area and the broader municipal area, and
Motherwell: Other departments must
share the vision
 Increasing the skills base of INK citizens.
National Urban Renewal Programme 23
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 5: Gearing up for high speed delivery
Lesson 6: The need for effective business planning
The urban renewal programmes are intended to provide significant
turnaround in areas of need within a relatively short space of time. This
requires that processes be streamlined and that delivery takes place at a
high level of sustained momentum.
Business planning is a critical tool in the implementation of URPs. It is the
mechanism through which policy and project objectives are translated into
deliverable projects. An overall business plan that provides strategic vision
and gains approval for the whole URP upfront helps to streamline processes
throughout the life of the programme. The problem of annual business
plans is that approval has to be sought each year. This is time-consuming,
and can impede predictability of the programme. Delayed approval often
limits the time available for delivery and for spending the monies approved
on an annual basis. Pressure to spend the money before year-end may
force speed ahead of other considerations in the project.
A senior official who managed the implementation of the largest Special
Integrated Presidential Project in the 1990s and who led the housing
development of the Alexandra URP, provided insight into the key requirements
for high speed delivery. For Willem Odendaal, there are three key aspects
to ensuring high speed delivery on a project. Foremost amongst these is
the need for an overall plan, which will guide the broad direction of the
project. It is necessary for obtaining buy-in and it is critical for identifying
the actions that are required in order to proceed. There must be consistency
of vision. When the vision and policy environment shifts, projects cannot
proceed efficiently. While it is neither possible nor advisable to be rigid
in delivery, radical changes will affect the delivery of projects and these
cannot be achieved within the same time-frames set for the project initially.
Secondly, the project needs to be well-institutionalised so that all parties
take responsibility and are
accountable financially and
legally for their obligations
on the project. Finally, it
is critical to populate the
project
with
competent
officials who can play a
leadership,
management
and monitoring role on the
individual projects.
Gearing up for high-speed delivery is important
24 National Urban Renewal Programme
Business plans also need to be developed in a cascading sequence. For
example, in Alexandra, the Overall Business plan set the overarching
direction and vision of the project. It was followed by Functional Business
Plans for each of the development sectors, including housing, social services,
engineering, communications, safety and security, sport and recreation and
heritage. These plans in turn informed an array of projects. For each project
a detailed business plan was developed. The detailed plans would include
the process of delivery,
costing and phasing of
projects. They would be
the guiding tools of project
management through the
implementation
phase
of the project. Effective
business plans provide
a sound basis for the
monitoring
of
project
Motherwell CBD: can the strategic development plan help to
progress against outcome,
pull departments together?
time and cost targets.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
In Motherwell, it is anticipated
that the preparation of a strategic
development plan will assist to pull
departments together in support
of MURP. The value of such
documents in communicating
the intentions of the URPs to a
wide audience and particularly
to technical experts, who will
be responsible for implementing
parts of the vision, is extremely
high.
Galeshewe: Mayibuye multi-purpose centre: Issues of
sustainability are critical at the business planning stage
Lesson 7: Project preparation takes time
In several of the urban renewal projects, the first two years of project
development were predominantly committed to institutional development,
including the building of effective community relationships with the project;
to planning and design; to fundraising; and to getting effective buy-in from
stakeholders for the project. Little implementation is possible without
these factors being in place. Projects have struggled under pressure for
quick delivery in this start-up period. They have often been judged against
delivery and spending rather than against their effectiveness in establishing
institutional structures to ensure delivery in this early phase.
The achievements and challenges of the first year of the ARP point to the
enormity of the tasks of planning, of setting up institutional capacity and of
stakeholder engagement that precedes any effective delivery in URPs.
Project preparation takes time
Tracking the first year: Alexandra
A strategic review of the Alexandra Renewal Project was held after its
first year of implementation. The review confirmed the contention that the
first years of large-scale programmes are focused on planning, building
relationships and developing administrative and delivery systems for
implementation. At that review it was noted that key achievements included:
 Establishment of the finance and liaison sections
 Developing inter-departmental administrative systems
 The appointment of the community liaison officers
 Transformation of how the project team works together
 The development and implementation of a procurement system
 Building relationships between stakeholders, most importantly between
Local and Provincial Government
National Urban Renewal Programme 25
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 Identifying and resolving inter-departmental issues and relationships
between officials
 Development of formal structures at community level.
There was also a phenomenal degree of success in producing business plans
for the year.
The key risks being faced by the Project were recorded as:
 Being accused of over-planning and not delivering on the ground
 Not having sufficient capacity to review lessons learnt
Spatial Development Frameworks (SDFs) of municipalities is crucial. These
provide context, meaning and substance to the URP planning processes
within a local authority. In the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality,
the Motherwell URP is a chapter in the IDP. The Galeshewe URP (GURP)
is similarly incorporated into the Sol Plaatjie municipality’s IDP. The IDP
covering the entire municipal area contains the framework and the guiding
principles of GURP. Furthermore, the Spatial Development Framework
(SDF), approved by the municipality in September 2004, should be seen
as reflecting the physical consequences of the IDP. The GURP Strategy and
Business Plan is considered the in-depth version of the SDF, focusing on
Galeshewe and the implementation of project interventions.
 Lack of co-ordination between team members
Lesson 9: The value of research
 The Roster (in procurement issues)
The URPs assessed for this study have generally been found to be weak
on baseline research and on undertaking continual research through the
life of projects. The value of research both at the outset of URPs and as
an ongoing function through projects cannot be overstated. It is essential
to have a baseline of conditions against which to test the success or
otherwise of interventions. In addition, research into particular areas (for
example, research into the shelter needs of persons with special needs in
Alexandra) is necessary for the development of projects that will address
the actual needs of an area or a target group of project beneficiaries.
Research outcomes impact on the nature and scale of resources committed
to a project. They provide an understanding of the severity of need or the
availability of capacity to address development problems. An example of
the latter is the asset mapping exercise conducted in INK. This provides a
crucial tool to situate development and the opportunities of development
in the hands of the community.
 Extremely low expenditure levels
 Lack of funding
 The World Summit on Sustainable Development, which was held in
Johannesburg during the ARP’s first year, diverting attention from the key
focus areas of the Project.
Lesson 8: Contextualising the URP within council
planning frameworks
It is important for the URP business plans not to be ‘stand-alone’
documents. They need to be rooted within the planning frameworks and
processes of the local authority. URP units are not implementing arms and
they rely on the line departments for implementation. For this reason,
and for reasons of focusing all departments on the URP projects, a link
between URP planning and the Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and
26 National Urban Renewal Programme
The monitoring and evaluation undertaken in a project can only be as good
as the base research that has been conducted.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Asset-mapping as a tool for social change
Project selection
When needs analyses of targeted development areas are carried out, they
do not usually encourage people of the area to become involved. These
processes can in fact have the unintended consequence of creating a
dependency on government as the provider of ready-made solutions, or of
inspiring ‘survey fatigue’ where people are tired of being questioned about
themselves and their areas with little knowledge of how this information will be
used.
By contrast, where the assets of a community are identified in the form of
individual talents, associations, institutions, human and financial resources,
there is far-reaching empowerment of ordinary people. The asset-based
mapping approach empowers community members to depend upon
themselves in their community development endeavours.
Within INK, an asset-mapping exercise was developed under the Integrated
Governance Impact Area. The exercise fell within the objectives of this
impact area, namely to create an enabling environment for the integration of
service delivery by harnessing human, institutional and associational assets
of the people in INK. In this way effective networks and linkages are made to
enhance their livelihoods.
Project objectives
The URP/ABM programme is intended to co-ordinate, facilitate and align
development activity as rapidly as possible. Key to this mission is to reinforce
perceptions of the INK area residents that they are, in fact, key agents in the
process to deliver a better quality of life in their areas.
The project seeks to unleash and support potential in the INK area by
identifying the assets of the area – such as people skills, knowledge and
other resources that are unique.
A database will be developed for all individuals and institutions in INK. It aims
to identify skills/assets that local people or organisations have which they
could use to contribute to the development of the area.
Project preparation and design and institutional arrangements
A budget of R150 000 was set aside by INK for this project, and a work-plan
was devised to pilot the project. A consultant who is an expert on assetmapping from the University of KwaZulu-Natal was engaged to assist with the
process, alongside the INK team.
A research proposal was prepared for additional funding from the Department
of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, in order to pilot the concept to
see how applicable the tool was.
The pilot study was done in an area identified by the stakeholder forum,
to gain community buy-in, and sample 400 households. All adults in the
area were targeted, and a questionnaire was used to capture information.
Community associations were interviewed to establish what assets and
resources they have to bring to INK.
National Urban Renewal Programme 27
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Project management arrangements and implementation
At the beginning of the urban renewal programme, the INK team conducted
research into existing CBOs and NGOs in the project area, and a database of
these organisations was developed.
INK has a dedicated person responsible for interaction with organisations
and for building the database. This involved understanding how organisations
are constituted, what their expertise is, what challenges they face and what
impact they believe the INK processes are having on their organisation. This
database will enable INK to interact with organisations at a broad level as
well as in individual projects, and engage groups associated with particular
interests. Data has been captured through the development of a detailed
questionnaire. INK employed community development workers to meet with
every organisation in the INK area and complete the questionnaire.
Outcomes
 An asset-mapping exercise was completed and has shown that people in
the INK area have skills and assets, but limited employment opportunities.
28 National Urban Renewal Programme
 The INK co-ordinator explained: “I wasn’t expecting as much capacity in
the area. I have met people with the intellectual and technical know-how
to be involved in development projects”.
 Stakeholders were identified and contributed to improved networking
amongst individuals having particular skills, and those who need
assistance.
 Under the Citizen Activation Programme, civil society organisations,
CBOs and small businesses have been capacitated and trained in
leadership, financial management and business skills. The result of this is
an improvement of relationships amongst community organisations and
between these and ordinary residents.
Lessons
While the results of the asset-mapping exercise have not yet been published,
the process followed offers a useful tool for building community confidence
and empowering people to participate directly in urban renewal programmes
as well as in wider initiatives in their areas.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
5
Component 4: Institutional
arrangements
Lesson 1: Institutionalising the project is crucial
While project champions and particular skills are required for effective
implementation, the basic framework for project implementation is
the institutionalisation of roles, responsibilities and decision-making
mechanisms.
At the start of the Alexandra Renewal Project, there was no Memorandum
of Understanding signed between Gauteng Provincial Government and the
City of Johannesburg regarding roles and responsibilities for the urban
renewal project. This was a major oversight. A draft MOU was then
prepared which appeared to get ‘stuck’ politically and a municipal official
reports that “there was no eagerness to get it signed”. It was finally signed
in mid-2005 and the commitment of all parties is now unquestioned.
Officials consider that the difference between the pre-MOU and post-MOU
operating context in the ARP is remarkable. An example was given where an
official recently stopped the contractor
who was upgrading a road. A call was
made to the MEC who instructed the
official to resume the road development
– and it was resumed. This sort of
obstacle would previously have caused
enormous delays as the institutional
lines of authority were not clear.
Construction on London Road proceeded after
MEC intervention
Lesson 2: The complexity of achieving ‘Joined-up
Governance’
The new institutional movement that called for ‘joined-up governance’ in
Western Europe has influenced the South African approach to integrated
development. It is concerned with the alignment and co-ordination of state
functions across the three spheres of government. The urban renewal
projects are, in part, expected to test such integrated governance. This
task has been complex. The issue of the City of Johannesburg not signing
an MOU with the URP in its area for an extended period has been raised.
In the Eastern Cape the URPs have experienced enormous difficulty in
securing buy-in and action from the provincial level of government. The
same problem is seen in the Galeshewe Urban Renewal Programme.
In Khayelitsha, several state departments co-operated in siting offices
in the newly developed CBD. The URP’s starting point was to focus on
using public sector investment to leverage private sector resources for
the area. The URP attracted public sector investment by motivating to
the departments the need for their
offices to be established there,
given the high population in the
area. It was not difficult to justify to
the Departments of Justice, Social
Development and Home Affairs
that they need to be close to the
communities they serve. The City
then supported this motivation by
providing the bulk infrastructure
required for the developments.
Khayelitsha CBD: Home Affairs offices – an
In fact, there was something of
example of how public sector investment can
a scramble for land in the CBDs,
motivate private sector commitment
National Urban Renewal Programme 29
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
because they were so popular with both
public and private investors. They were
attractive to investors because all the
planning work was done through the
City. Another success factor in attracting
state commitment to the project was that
politicians championed the CBD at all
public platforms.
KwaMashu CBD: Making banking services
accessible again
In Mdantsane, only one joint technical
meeting had been held amongst city
officials at the time of this study. This
is problematic as the technical officials
represent the key implementing agent
for projects. Their involvement in the
project and keeping them informed at
all stages is crucial to project success. It
is also necessary to establish processes
of reporting and monitoring in these
forums.
In Galeshewe, the progress report prepared for Cabinet (November 2004–
April 2005) states quite boldly that “The integration and co-ordination
challenges have been stipulated to various forums and (in) reports as being
major, and if the situation continues unchecked, the GURP might well be
left at its peril.” There are a range of factors at work to explain why the
province and the municipality are not co-operating sufficiently to maximise
the success of the URP. These include: political will; political differences
and personality issues within the ruling party; management structures and
abilities, particularly at a municipal level; bureaucratic turf and personality
issues; and provincial departmental commitment towards co-ordinated
management processes.
30 National Urban Renewal Programme
Where
more
success
in integration has been
achieved, this has required
the institutionalising of coordination through joint
management teams. In INK,
the approach to integration
is not confined to state cooperation. Three forums
for integrated participatory
processes
have
been
created, as illustrated in the
interest box below. These
three forums reflect the key
organisational mechanisms
that
are
required
for
implementation:
Accountability needs to be enforced in contracts
 Organisational structures that allow for accountability to a political
level of government
 Organisational structures that allow for technical co-ordination,
and
 Organisational structures that provide a platform for the participation
of stakeholders in planning and development.
The decisions that need to be made include how intense the deliberations
and interactions will be. This involves the size and regularity of meetings,
as well as how widely the net is cast for including people in meetings. In
INK, over 300 stakeholders attend the participatory forum, whereas the
annual lekgotla progress report (October 2003–October 2004) notes that,
in Galeshewe, “communicating … to the public remains a challenge.”
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Integrated governance structures in INK
A participative planning approach is adopted for all INK projects for the
effective and progressive participation of all relevant stakeholders/role-players
and service providers in the areas. To enable this to happen, the following
structures have been established:
INK JGTF (Joint Government Technical Forum)
INK Stakeholders Forum meeting
In terms of the Municipality’s Systems Act, a municipality must communicate
to its community information concerning the available mechanisms,
processes and procedures to encourage and facilitate community
participation.
As a means to attain integration between key role-players, and provide a
platform for interaction, the Joint Government Technical Forum (JGTF),
comprising key government representatives, has been established. The aim
is to maintain an effective channel of communication with a view to alleviating
duplication of work and the wastage of resources. Three spheres of
government attend: eThekwini Municipality Units, KZN Provincial Government
Departments, and National Government Departments.
The INK ABM/URP has established a Stakeholders Forum (SHF), whereby all
relevant stakeholders can engage to discuss development issues in the INK
area. Since the SHF’s establishment in January 2004, there have been areawide combined monthly meetings, with an average of 350 representatives
from different INK-based civil society organisations attending. The purpose of
the Forum is to:
The Forum meets monthly for the purposes of:
 Report and advise on service delivery problems
 directed co-ordination of projects
 Transmit information and development opportunities for citizens, and
 information-sharing
 Forge mechanisms for co-operation and support among stakeholders.
 communication
The SHF is a loose but organised and goal-directed network of stakeholders.
It is not intended to replace any council structures that are designed to carry
out certain responsibilities, but is rather one of the mechanisms through
which citizens will be able to take part in their own development and influence
government decisions. The various stakeholders’ roles in the SHF are
summarized on the following page:
 establishing and maintaining multi-sphere relationships, and
 reporting and evaluation.
Through the JGTF, other departments have offered their support and
partnership to fund projects.
 Communicate development initiatives of various stakeholders
National Urban Renewal Programme 31
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Stakeholder
Councillors
Government
departments
Civil society
organs
INK ABM/URP
Office
Role played
Attend meetings to show political approval and support
of the programme. They have also participated in various
small group discussions and gave input where required.
Councillors also encourage people to get involved in their
ward development initiatives, such as ward meetings and
other activities.
Local, Provincial, and National government departments
make presentations on their activities in the INK area.
These are the primary beneficiaries of the information
that is disseminated at the forum meetings. They are also
given a chance to make presentations on their work in
the area. The expectation is that they will, in turn, pass on
information obtained at meetings to their constituencies
and community at large.
The main function of the office is that of planning,
facilitating and general co-ordination of the meetings.
It also has the responsibility of ensuring that the forum
remains a conducive and productive platform through
which stakeholders are effectively engaged to play their
role in the development of INK.
32 National Urban Renewal Programme
INK Councillors Forum
The 18 INK ward councillors constitute this forum, which sits once a month. Its
purpose is: to share progress, knowledge and information about projects and
programmes that are implemented mainly by all three spheres of government
and other stakeholders; to ensure continuous communication between
all the stakeholders involved in the development of the INK area; and to
address bottlenecks that might hinder progress in the various projects and
programmes that are implemented by the INK office.
Lesson 3: Rivalry issues cloud co-operation in
municipalities
In addition to the complexity of achieving co-ordination across spheres
of government, URPs are faced with the challenge of aligning and coordinating functions within one municipality.
The relationship between the URP units of municipalities and line
departments is sometimes tense. Such tensions within municipalities may
arise from the perception amongst line department officials that the project
selected is not appropriate. This lack of commitment to the idea feeds
passivity and inertia. Often it is necessary for the project champion to
actively ‘hold the flag’ of the project in the municipality. An interesting
strategy of Walter Shaidi in Motherwell is that he goes out of his way
to attend as many meetings as possible, “to ensure that Motherwell is
constantly on the agenda,” and that development initiatives taking place in
Motherwell are integrated within the context of wider metro initiatives.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
It is critical that the URP has
status in relation to other units
in local government. This status
derives from the position of the
URP within local government.
Those programmes that have
been close to the Mayor and
City Manager’s offices have
generally enjoyed greater
KwaMashu: Co-ordination of service delivery between
profile and authority within
departments is essential
municipalities. Those that have
been sub-units of planning
departments have sometimes failed to obtain the necessary recognition
from line departments and struggle to get line departments to commit
to URP initiatives. For example, the positioning of the Motherwell URP
unit within the organisational context of the municipality is problematic.
Currently the unit reports via the Infrastructure, Engineering, Electricity
and Energy Business Unit. The unit is to be transferred to report via the
Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture Business Unit. However,
the Programme Manager indicated a strong preference to reposition MURP
within the Municipal Manager’s office or even within the office of the
Deputy Mayor. He indicated that the MURP unit is not “high enough in the
operation” and that an elevation of MURP’s status would assist in securing
the buy-in of line departments and individuals who are currently not cooperating fully with the unit.
In terms of institutionalising URPs, some projects have taken a personal
approach as the most strategic at this point, so Shaidi interfaces with a
wide range of actors. Others have taken an institutionalised response and
have sought line departments to input into the URP processes. INK inclines
towards this model. INK has sufficient mandate and status within the local
authority to pull departments
in line with its intentions. An
example of how this is done
in the business planning
exercise is outlined in the box
below.
NU2 Sports Facility Motherwell: Ensuring Motherwell is on
the agenda helps the nodal programme manager
Co-ordinating departments in an INK business planning exercise
Community stakeholders are engaged at SHF meetings. The organisations
are asked to choose impact areas in which to engage, and are split up
accordingly, and discussions held in these groups. In addition, a community
needs analysis is undertaken and the outcomes are prioritised. This is a
complicated process. The needs are clustered (e.g. needs around crime).
They are also prioritised in terms of how realistic they are, what the City
is doing in that area, and INK helps meet these needs by supporting line
departments rather than implementing new projects.
Sectoral strategies are then outlined. These identify needs and projects
within their own areas of concern. These are taken into account in the overall
strategy. Once a long ‘wish list’ has emerged, this is taken to the JGTF.
The JGTF is split into impact areas; projects are debated and alignments
between these projects and the line departmental activities are drawn. This
process sorts out the partnership possibilities between INK projects and line
departments.
National Urban Renewal Programme 33
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
The results of all of these processes come back to the strategic planning
offices. Here project ideas are prioritised against the three-year budget.
The prioritisation is done in terms of the City’s IDP, INK Impact Areas, City
priorities and provincial priorities.
A large spreadsheet is developed to facilitate this prioritisation. A draft
business plan is developed and this is taken back to the forums for
discussion. Thereafter the business plan is finalised.
Nuthan Maharaj explains: “This time we are asking every department in
the City to give us a three-year plan for work in INK. Once we include
departmental projects in our business plan we have a role in these projects,
even if we don’t fund them. Not all departments have been forthcoming.
It is particularly difficult to get the ‘soft service’ (social) departments to do
this. One of the difficulties in obtaining budget projections or even data
surrounding INK is that departments often have global data and not data that
is INK-specific”.
that there is no quick solution to
implementing an urban renewal
project. A fundamental reason for the
‘slowness’ of projects is that they require
an enormous level of consultation.
“You cannot tell the officials, and you
definitely cannot tell the community
what you want to see in the area.
It has to be an ‘inside out’ process.
That means negotiate, negotiate, and
negotiate. This consultation takes
many long and intense hours”.
Meetings, meetings, meetings
Louw describes the way that consultation on a new project (the Upgrading
of the M2 Hostel in Alexandra) took place in the ARP, below:
Staging consultation in a new project
Lesson 4: Meetings, meetings, meetings
The alignment and integration of projects requires an enormous amount
of interaction. At a purely technical level in the INK URP, this is achieved
through the “Joint Government Technical Forum” meetings where other
departments are present, as well as in departmental meetings attended by
urban renewal officials. In addition, there are individual project meetings.
An equally intense process of ongoing consultation is required in involving
the local community in projects. Managers of the Alexandra URP remarked
34 National Urban Renewal Programme
The project team defined a broad framework of a new project. This meant
establishing the need for the project and a broad sense of what meeting
that need would mean. It also included developing a sense of possible
alternatives. The project team needed to know the possibilities and the
limitations in terms of factors such as project targeting (who will benefit),
funding, size of project, land availability.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
This broad framework was presented to the community representative
structure, the Alexandra Development Forum (ADF), and feedback was
obtained after further consultation of the ADF with its partner organisations.
This feedback was taken back to the project planning team who considered it,
adjusted aspects of the project or provided reasons why adjustments should
not be made.
Another round of consultation took place with the ADF. The ADF was satisfied
with the project proposal and committed to the project.
Thereafter, the ADF accompanied the project team to a first meeting with the
representatives of M2 Hostel to begin negotiations and project planning in
consultation with this beneficiary group.
Lesson 5: The need to establish internal networks
While the major institutional structures are required for overall organisation
of project processes, they do not provide for all the non-bureaucratic
relationships that impact on projects. It is also critical to establish a finer
web of contacts with people who ‘make projects work’. This includes officials
in various municipal departments who are responsible for various aspects
of implementation. It may also include outside stakeholders, NGOs (in the
case of welfare-related projects), consultants and community leaders. At a
broad level and at the level of individual projects, it is necessary to establish
a network of experienced individuals who are senior in their department
or organisation and who are motivated around the particular project. The
building of these relationships is very important in achieving success in a
project, since much of the project success ultimately depends on people
working beyond the ordinary call of duty.
In this, and in the case
of formalised governance
structures, it is important to
allocate senior personnel to
the tasks – people who can
take decisions. The Mdantsane
crime prevention strategy was
Ekhaya Guesthouse (Galeshewe): Developing a web of
seriously delayed by a lack of contacts with people who make projects work is a necessity
decision-making. The project
had to be continually referred
to other levels of decision-making, beyond the forum that was mandated
with developing the project.
Lesson 6: The need to share best practice and real
experience
While the current study has found many learning points in projects that
would benefit other projects, these lessons have not been transmitted
across projects through the normal processes of reporting, imbizos or joint
meetings held in the urban renewal
project. Several urban renewal team
members complained about the limited
sharing in the programme. It’s hard to
make time to share best practice. The
continuous reporting requirements
mean that projects quickly get caught
up in housekeeping and administration.
This limited sharing of experience
and of lessons learnt also pertains to
Showcasing best practice and experience
individual projects. Bedford suggests
extends learning to other projects
National Urban Renewal Programme 35
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
that teams need to be ‘taken away’ to reflect on their projects from time
to time.
Other project managers said they would value time to see the other urban
renewal projects and for their teams to meet with and share experiences
with their counterparts in other local authorities.
Lesson 7: Institutional flux delays development
The five-year period in which Mdantsane URP has been implemented has
predominantly been a period of infrastructure and housing development.
Yet these are not particularly innovative initiatives and do not fit as much
within an integrated, properly resourced and properly planned urban
renewal initiative as they fit in with the ongoing capital improvement
programme of the municipality and budgetary commitments from provincial
government departments. There have been significant institutional delays
that hampered the preparation of a guiding strategy for Mdantsane and
have negatively affected the institutional organisation necessary to make
such a strategy a reality.
When the Presidential announcement of urban renewal nodes was
made in 2001, it not only surprised Buffalo City, but also coincided with
the city’s own transformation and
internal reorganising. The extent and
implications of these changes was
significant. Only in 2002 were the first
consultants appointed to prepare the
necessary business plan. A year later,
a consortium consisting of three firms
was called in to prepare the current
business plan which was only finalised
Mdantsane: New housing delivery
and released for comment in May 2004.
36 National Urban Renewal Programme
The Programme Management Unit
(PMU) for the URP was established
in October 2004. Prior to this, urban
renewal was under the management
of the Director of Development
Planning, and consultants played an
important role in the implementation
of key projects.
The early period of the Alexandra
Providing advice and support to small business:
URP was also marked by a state of
Sustainability concerns?
flux at local government level. In
fact an official remarked that “The
City was too involved in its own restructuring to spend time and effort on
the ARP”.
Political uncertainties and
changes impeded progress
in the Khayelitsha/Mitchell’s
Plain URP. At its inception
in 2001 the Democratic
Alliance (DA) was in power in
the City. There was little cooperation between the City
Retail outlets under construction: Khayelitsha CBD
and provincial government
and between the City and
national government. It was difficult to get commitment for a URP. This
situation held until late 2002 when a National Party/ANC coalition was
formed to govern the City. The current project manager was appointed in
2003. In June 2003 a business plan and marketing plan were initiated, and
were approved by Council in December 2003.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 8: Political champions have not been universally
helpful in the URPs
Political champions at the national, provincial and local level have been
allocated to offer support for, and facilitation of, the various urban renewal
efforts throughout South Africa. The support that these figures have
provided to the URPs ranges from an intense amount of valuable support
offered by the dedicated ministers in some nodes, intermittent support
from others, to poor and non-existent support in most other instances.
Concerns have been expressed that political champions do not have sufficient
time in their schedules to pay particular attention to programmes and these
champions, “are not generally accessible”. It has also been noted, however,
that the local URPs have not necessarily kept political champions abreast of
development in their areas, and have not called on them for support.
Yet the role that could potentially be played by political champions is very
powerful. Local level champions (the Mayor and City Manager) are wellknown for raising the matter of INK wherever the occasion allows. An INK
official noted, “The political champions keep us on our toes. They create a
sense that what we are doing
is important.”
Project champions make social and infrastructural projects
happen
6
Component 5: Project
management arrangements
Lesson1: The need for clear lines of accountability and
reporting
The Presidential Programmes are simultaneously geographically and
sectorally focused. This often blurs or duplicates lines of responsibility. The
authority of a project manager who has responsibility for a geographic
area will, for instance, overlap with the responsibility of a road engineer
who has projects in that area. The conflict may arise over the funding of
a road or responsibility for monitoring the progress of implementation on
the road. Several URP managers pointed out that these sorts of overlaps
have raised issues of territoriality amongst URP and non-URP officials in
local government.
In order to avoid a duplication of efforts or a resistance to implementing
URP projects, it is critical that
clear lines of accountability
are set up. These lines
include the accountability of
URP structures to municipal
departments and of line
departments in relation to
URP projects and units.
Informal trading area – Inanda : Clear lines of responsibility
facilitate effective delivery
National Urban Renewal Programme 37
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 2: Establishing a single project office promotes
co-ordination
In several URPs there are plans afoot to move the staff working on the
project to the target area. This is recognised as essential for officials to be
in touch with the issues on the ground, to be accessible to the community,
and to focus entirely on the work of the URP. It also assists in alignment
between officials. Officials in Mdantsane spoke of a need to open an office
‘on the ground’ to enhance the visibility of the MURP. A project office has
been established in the Mitchell’s Plain CBD.
In Alexandra, the new ARP office is a dedicated project office located adjacent
to Alexandra, and houses both municipal and provincial government staff
that are concerned with projects in Alexandra. “Having everyone under one
roof is really helpful. Everyone knows they are reporting to me. We often
meet in the corridors and sort things out quickly” (Julian Baskin).
The local government officials include housing, engineering, planning,
local economic development, finance and communications personnel. In
addition, a dedicated person from each of the City of Johannesburg utilities
(Johannesburg Roads Agency, Pikitup, Joburg Water and City Power) is
represented in the ARP structures, although they do not physically occupy
the project office. From the provincial government, there are officials who
represent the social services and housing departments. These officials are
not the only people who are involved in project design or implementation
in the ARP, but they have a mandate to represent the departments in
Alexandra and are able to draw on skills within provincial government.
Community liaison officers, employed by the local authority and dedicated
to the ARP, also work from the project office. The Alexandra Development
Forum (ADF), the umbrella structure representing community interests in
the ARP, also has offices in the project office.
38 National Urban Renewal Programme
Both provincial and local government officials have been made accountable
to the overall programme manager, Julian Baskin, who is a local government
employee. Baskin reports that working out these structures of accountability
and ensuring that provincial level officials are accountable to him is key to
managing the renewal project effectively.
Lesson 3: Sectoral vs. area-based approaches
While all URPs are by nature both sectoral projects (implementing the
projects of various sectors e.g. housing, engineering, health) and areabased projects (being focused on a single geographic area), some have
adopted a specifically area-based or sectoral focus.
The INK project has opted for an explicit area-based focus. This has meant
that line departments’ functions are integrated to serve one geographic
area. Within e’Thekwini, the INK project has been absorbed into the
overall Area-Based Management (ABM) approach that is being piloted
for the development of five key areas in the city. This approach adopts a
geographic focus and commits resources and planning attention to these
areas in a co-ordinated and integrated manner. The absorption of INK
into this model means that it is not a once-off or isolated programme.
It makes INK one of five area-based projects in the City and although it
receives special attention as a presidential project, it is not sidelined as an
isolated intervention. The general planning approach within INK is now also
not confined to that area. Rather, it is becoming a normal model for how
planning is undertaken throughout the city.
The ABM approach involves a dedicated team of specialist officials focused
on ensuring that there is synergy in the governance, planning and
implementation in a specific geographic area. Each area has a dedicated
budget. This approach is not without its management complexity. Tensions
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
arise between the relative freedom and level of integration of areabased management and the demands and constraints of line department
functioning. The approach is palatable to those departments with a
spatial, geographic focus, but it is difficult to get buy-in from non-spatial
departments.
In Alexandra, the application of both an area-based and a sectoral focus
caused major concerns. The precinct manager case study presented below
discusses these problems.
Precinct management in Alexandra
Background
A precinct plan was developed for Alexandra, earmarking broad goals and
projects for each area of Alexandra. This plan was translated into a precinct
strategy. It was decided that the strategy would be implanted through the
appointment of precinct managers. During 2003 three teams of precinct
managers were appointed to oversee the development and upgrading
of defined areas or precincts within Alexandra. The roles of the precinct
managers within each defined area are to:
 Identify projects
 Package the development and implementation of the projects
Project identification
Many projects are already identified by ARP business plans. In other cases,
the precinct managers make contact with potential developers or are
approached by stakeholders or developers to consider possible projects.
Project managers have also been involved in facilitating the release of
council-owned land for projects. In Marlboro, for example, council land has
been released for housing developments and other single stands have been
put out on auction.
Project packaging and facilitation
Where independent projects are being initiated such as housing projects
running under the ARP but not initiated by the precinct managers, precinct
managers may play a facilitation role. In Marlboro, this role has been played
in the President Place housing project, the establishment of the Lerato Love
Home, a foster care project, and the potential foster care housing project
earmarked for extension 7.
The assistance that precinct managers provide on a project may include
facilitating feasibility studies, facilitating negotiations between parties, and
arranging for project designs and costings.
 Oversee the implementation of the projects
Project implementation
 Broker private sector investment into the precinct.
Small powerful groups can derail a process. The politically powerful
landowners of the Marlboro area have been able, through objections and
opposition, to change the location of the Gautrain station and to delay the
development of social housing in Marlboro. Officials note, “Politicians are
Precinct managers are paid a predetermined fee for undertaking prescribed
tasks and are also incentivised by being able to claim a percentage of any
development expenditure within the boundaries of the precinct.
National Urban Renewal Programme 39
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
scared of them (landowners). So they can threaten us that they will stop
projects”.
 One precinct manager quipped, “there are too many managers competing
Brokering private investment
 While precinct managers are tasked with attracting private sector
Policy changes, such as the moratorium on evictions, have meant that
projects that have been started have not been followed through. In some
cases this has affected buildings that are earmarked for other uses. The
change in strategy and thus the halting of planned projects raises the
concern of private investors who are interested in investing in future projects.
Uncertainty does not attract private investment.
Overall issues arising from precinct management
 There has been a duplication and confusion of roles between precinct
managers and functional area co-ordinators in the ARP.
 Precinct managers often feel sidelined from the functional area debates
 There has been tension between precinct managers and line officials,
over duplication of roles or over disputes around who should take
responsibility for tasks.
 Projects that are highlighted within the precinct plan as a high priority
have not always had the same status as functional area plans e.g. the
upgrading of Vasco da Gama Road was considered a high priority in the
Marlboro precinct, but was not budgeted for by functional teams.
 Precinct managers feel disempowered by the fact that they are appointed
to implement the strategy but have no role in debates around resource
allocation.
40 National Urban Renewal Programme
for too little space”.
investment they are constrained in making any decisions around this
investment. They also have little control, for example, over whether
infrastructural upgrading that the private sector investors wish to see will
go ahead or not.
 The payment of a percentage of the cost of developments to the
precinct managers has raised several problems. For precinct managers
the determination of the extent of private investment in an area is not
resolved. For other project managers the payment of a percentage to
precinct managers is considered an unfair and costly exercise that causes
strain on each project (questions arise, such as: is the project being
developed for personal gain of the precinct manager or because it is the
best project for the area?). Officials and consultants were reluctant to
work with the precinct managers on the basis that precinct managers
benefited from what they perceived as their work.
 Precinct managers were led to believe (at the time of their appointment)
that the line of communication on the project was through them to overall
management. Other consultants and officials do not have this message.
The authority of the precinct managers in any project is thus unclear.
 Precinct managers feel they cannot exercise their contractual roles
because of the constraints imposed on their authority to act in the ARP.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 The planning and discussions that occur in various forums of the ARP
introduced after a functional team approach had been created and was in
do not always filter to the precinct managers. They are therefore not
operation. Both approaches now exist in parallel and compete with each
adequately informed of the whole project or of changes in strategy.
other. In theory, a precinct approach should allow for better co-ordination
 Project facilitation functions were developed for a project earmarked
of projects and for a more holistic approach to development within a
for social housing. However, the social housing institution, ASHCO
sub-area. This would also permit prioritisation and phasing of various
(Alexandra Social Housing Company) was ‘sidelined’ and the project was
interventions. It also reduces the time spent on co-ordination since every
withdrawn. Precinct managers were not paid as there was no delivery
department is co-opted into the precinct approach for the whole precinct
even though the withdrawal of the project was not within their power.
and all projects within it. Every project manager does not have to set up
Successes
The precinct managers, because they are consultants and therefore outside
of official structures to some extent, have been able to negotiate with hostile
parties such as landowners in Marlboro. When precinct managers were
backed by the project director (in the early days) at public meetings, this
secured a lot of support for the approach.
Lessons learnt
 The danger of a system that is hostile to the facilitators or that is so
new, separate structures for co-ordination.
 Precinct managers, if appointed, need to have the requisite authority to
act effectively. An area-based policy must precede a precinct approach
to development. There must be political and administrative buy-in to the
concept.
 Political will is required to carry through a development approach. It is
also required in carrying through individual projects where there may be
opposition. Full consensus is not possible and politicians have to take a
stand on projects where sufficient agreement has been reached.
complex to negotiate is that facilitators “go where there are fewer
problems.” The projects that are implemented then are the easy wins
rather than the appropriate projects for an area.
 Duplication in functions raises tensions and blocks delivery. It also
reduces the potency of all parties to act.
 An area-based approach to development is sound, but it can only
succeed if it is institutionalised as the manner in which the development
will proceed. In Alexandra, the precinct management arrangement was
Lesson 4: Management uncertainty delays projects
A bottleneck in decision-making was created in the Galeshewe project
where all decisions were directed through the Municipal Manager. A
layer of management between the Municipal Manager and senior officials
is necessary to provide relief in the system and to promote progress on
projects. This change has recently been made.
National Urban Renewal Programme 41
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Changes to municipal management
structures should expedite decisionmaking in Galeshewe
Changes of leadership in the Alexandra Renewal
Project (ARP) have been unsettling and confusing
for project staff. Each change has brought
changes in management style, project approach,
even development ideology. A further cost of
the changes is a loss of institutional memory.
The reasons for decisions are not necessarily
remembered and as a result, project design or
planning may be re-commenced unnecessarily.
There have been several Programme Directors of
the ARP since its inception in 2001:
 2001 – March 2003: Carien Englebrecht, Gauteng Provincial
Government
 April 2003 – March 2004: Mike Maile, Gauteng Provincial
Government
 April 2004 – August 2004: Michah Sebesho, Gauteng Provincial
Government
 September 2004 – March 2005: Xoliswa Mkhalali, Gauteng Provincial
Government
 April 2005 – present: Julian Baskin, City of Johannesburg.
Lesson 5: Lean or broad project management structures
The Mdantsane URP opted for a small, lean management unit. This structure
enables the unit to remain in close contact with the structures of power in
the municipality. It has, however, meant that the unit is highly dependent
on other departments for delivery. In addition, little communication within
the council or across the project area has been possible, given the small
staff complement of the unit.
42 National Urban Renewal Programme
The Alexandra URP moved from a
broad management structure to a
very lean system. The changes in this
management arrangement highlight
the cost and benefits of each.
The ARP was previously a topheavy structure. There were many
leaders: convenors and co-ordinators,
consultants and line department
Appropriate management and consultation are
officials. The complexity of the
essential for effective delivery
structure was that it necessitated
large meetings. While there was a very
wide understanding of the project this was necessarily shallow because
the amount of debate possible in meetings was limited. It did, however,
facilitate a broad integration between different departments involved in a
single project.
The structure involved a number of role-players. The levels included:
 A programme manager
 A functional team
 A convener and a co-ordinator
 An individual project team, which included a project leader and
stakeholders.
The skills, commitment and performance of the many people staffing the
ARP structures varied. In some projects and programme areas there was a
high level of delivery, while other programmes experienced serious delays
and apathy.
The complex structure worked well in terms of systems and procedures,
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
provided that there was strong programme management. It led to high
levels of consistent reporting and it was able to hold in place standardized
systems of procurement and project administration. It was also able to
prioritise issues holistically and to feed key decisions across the ARP.
Unfortunately, with the departure of Englebrecht, the quality of programme
management declined progressively and the complexity of the systems
established could not be managed by the next few incumbents.
The new highly streamlined system involves fewer high level people in
a tight decision-making structure. It provides this core of management
with direct access to political leadership. The negative consequence of this
structure is that staff beyond the management core are not easily kept
informed of project progress and issues.
Lesson 6: Complexity of funding and procurement
Sourcing the financial resources for a project and its components forms the
backbone of a project. The feasibility of project delivery turns on whether
resources can be procured. It is thus critical to put in place processes
for accessing financial support to the project. In addition, streamlining
the procurement processes is necessary to ensure the steady progress of
development.
In terms of accessing financial/ donor support, few of the projects showed
initiative, Mdantsane and Motherwell being exceptions.
Procurement procedures are necessarily time-consuming and these times
need to be built into the project cycle. However, reducing the length of time
procurement takes is critical. One official quipped, in terms of complexity
and length of time taken to access services, “Procurement in Cape Town is
designed to make any project fail.” In INK it is estimated that procurement
takes 90-150 days. The case study below, of the Alexandra procurement
procedures, illustrates the complexity of this issue.
Streamlining procurement procedures in Alexandra
“It is difficult to get a tender through province” one local government official
remarked. This comment referred to the inefficiencies within the procurement
system that challenged the ARP in spite of the streamlined roster procedures
that had been put in place to minimise delays in procurement.
The tender process was broadly structured into three levels: tenders valued
below R20 000, tenders valued between R20 000 and R500 000 and those
valued above R500 000. For the first category the management agent could
obtain three quotes and select the most desirable of these against a set of
criteria. For the second group, which the majority of tenders fell into, a roster
process was used. Above R500 000 an open tender process, employing the
provincial tender mechanisms, was used.
Procurement delays lead to delivery delays
National Urban Renewal Programme 43
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
The roster system consisted of a listing of about 1 300 service providers.
These were categorized according to the services they provided. They were
also weighted according to criteria such as location of the services (within
or outside of Alexandra), and demographic profile of business ownership.
The roster administrator was always kept at a distance from any project
personnel. This was to avoid any possible interference with the roster
process.
When a service in the R120 000 to R500 000 category was required, the
project manager would submit a search request to the roster administrator
via the designated consultant. The roster administrator would provide a list
of 5 possible service providers within 48 hours of receiving the request. The
project manager would then invite these providers to submit a proposal for
the project or service required. A major obstacle in the process was that - for
the period that the tender was being decided - the selected service providers,
whether successful or not, were held off the roster and were not eligible for
other jobs being requested. This meant that service providers could be ‘off’
the roster for considerable periods. The timing of the roster procedures was
quick, but appointments was then subject to the provincial procurement
system which were often sluggish.
The inefficiencies were exacerbated when the entire roster procurement
process was pulled into the province. The commitment to a fast response
from the system broke down. The procurement administrators often lacked
the skills to discern which service providers could render the required service.
It was not uncommon for project managers to find that the service providers
44 National Urban Renewal Programme
were not equipped to provide the service they were being asked to tender for.
During the period when the roster administration was contracted out, detailed
monthly reports were generated on the roster requests and the contracts
awarded. The provincial procurement unit did not continue this reporting
function.
The ARP attempted to institute a service level agreement between the urban
renewal unit and the procurement unit of the Department to facilitate a
commitment to speedy execution of procurement, but this did not materialise.
The inefficiencies within the procurement system caused serious delays that
affected the ARP. These inefficiencies took the form of slow processing of
forms through various officials, of sending tender forms back to source for
petty rather than substantive concerns and of a lack of overall commitment
to a quick turnaround of ARP applications in the procurement unit. In
commenting on the frustrations of the tender process, one official remarked,
“There are ridiculous delays on tenders. We are in November already. We
have waited for tenders to be approved since April. They are sent back for
small ridiculous changes”.
An official describes the procurement procedures as a major frustration and a
real cause for delay with the implementation of welfare projects. In this regard
the official reports that there were delays in sourcing service providers from
the roster, there was inadequate information pertaining to the expertise of
the registered service providers, service providers failed to submit adequate
documentation for quotations, and there were delays in having claims settled
by the internal finance department.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
A further unintended funding consequence of the urban renewal projects,
as noted by a senior official, is that local and provincial departments tend
to believe that ring-fenced funding has been allocated to the URPs or that
they are able to attract large amounts of funding. These departments
therefore tend to direct their own funding to other areas of need rather
than in support of the URPs.
Lesson 7: Crisis management is not project
management
There are several instances where projects have been bailed out of crisis,
such as where adequate funding was not available for electricity upgrading
for the Mitchell’s Plain CBD. While this issue was resolved at a high level, it
indicates a lack of timeous planning and a need to crisis manage.
The key to timeous and comprehensive project management is a thorough
development of a business plan ahead of time, with all stages and costs
thought through prior to
implementation. But project
management also requires
the ongoing eye of the project
champion. Furthermore, it
needs to be rooted in welldeveloped
systems
and
procedures. These need to be
set in place at a broad level
for all the projects within the
URP. Funding flows are the
‘oxygen’ in the management
Khayelitsha: A new market trading area: waiting for
system.
Thus
timeous
business
application must be made
for funding and sound
financial controls must
be in place to direct
this funding to project
implementation.
In addition, approval
mechanisms
for
business plans must
be secured. The level
of approval, the times
allocated for approval
and
the
ownership
Artistic pavement design and the restoration of historical housing
and accountability for
using non-conventional materials and local labour
projects need to be
resolved at an early
stage to ensure successful implementation.
Project management that avoids crisis management also requires that the
powers and mandates surrounding projects be in place, and delegated
powers need to be resolved. Project executives have spent a great deal of
time sorting out issues that have resulted from levels of decision-making
not being resolved.
All of this requires project management skills. It also requires a high level
of experience of the bureaucracy. It is necessary to have an intimate
knowledge of the bureaucracy, to have institutional memory and to be able
to work the bureaucratic system in favour of the URPs.
Lesson 8: Importance of project administration
The administration function of a URP needs to be very tightly managed. It
is important that a ‘paper trail’ of the workings of the project is kept. This
National Urban Renewal Programme 45
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
is necessary for the tracking of problems, monitoring of project progress,
for sound auditing and contractual reporting, for reporting to funders and
authorities and for any legal issues that may arise in a project. Records of
the projects that need to be maintained include:
 Documentation of all business plans and amendments
 Recording of decisions
 Copies of all contracts and agreements
 Progress Reports
 Minutes of meetings.
The value, therefore, of a sound secretariat function within each URP must
be emphasised.
7
Component 6: Implementation
Lesson 1: Community empowerment requires intensive
project management
The benefits and necessity of community involvement on projects are wellknown and are reinforced by the experience of the current URPs. However,
involving community members in projects, whether in terms of decisionmaking and planning for projects, or in terms of job creation on projects,
requires a great deal of management. The case of the Galeshewe URP,
where community members were empowered around the management
and execution of the upgrading of houses, provides insight into the
intensity of management and supervision required in these communitybased initiatives.
Community empowerment in a housing conservation project in
Galeshewe
Background
With the discovery of diamonds, people from all walks of life were drawn to
Kimberley. By 1880 Greater No 2, later named Galeshewe, was the biggest
of six labour camps for Blacks in Kimberley, with about 700 people. By the
turn of the century this “location” had grown to between 6 000 and 7 000
inhabitants living in 800 huts, many of which were constructed of brick. Over
many years the historic core of Greater No 2 in Galeshewe witnessed the
construction of many modest, but architecturally significant homes. A key
anchor project thus identified was the restoration and redevelopment of 170
houses initially; this figure increasing to 218 houses at the end of Phase 1.
Mitchell’s Plain: Clearing of alien plants
46 National Urban Renewal Programme
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
The project was funded through the Human Settlement Redevelopment Fund,
to an amount of R2 million. The average cost of restorations was R30 000 per
house.
Community empowerment processes
 Public meetings were held to introduce the project and its planned
implementation methodology to the community
 Ward Councillor support was strong and this promoted community buy-in
 Houses for restoration and renovation were carefully chosen on the basis
of specific criteria identified
 A detailed physical audit of all houses to be restored was undertaken to
record fully the nature and extent of work to be undertaken
 Implementation allowed for the residents of houses to undertake their own
house reconstruction activities, or alternatively, for the use of contractors.
Interestingly, some 80% of residents chose to restore their own homes
while the remainder used a specially appointed work team of 30 workers
(50% of whom were women)
 Training sessions were held for all residents doing work themselves and
also for the work team. Training was hands-on ,including the preparation
of surfaces for painting, sealing roofs, working with membrane and how to
paint various surfaces
 A pilot house with all possible deficiencies (including roof, trusses,
windows, doors, plastering and stoep) was repaired first with the
assistance of a restoration specialist to assess the cost involved
 Simplified people’s contracts (in English, Afrikaans or Tswana) were
concluded in all instances between the municipality and the beneficiary
residents to agree upon the responsibility for restoration (i.e. residents
themselves or contractors)
 Checklists and monitoring forms were all custom-designed to control the
work to be done, the draw-down and signing for materials on a task-bytask basis, and to allow for quality control and the sign-off for work when
completed
 Attention was also given to paving (using non-conventional materials and
labour-based construction) and citrus tree planting within each property.
The lessons learnt from this project include:
Prior to any restoration work commencing, considerable project development
work was essential. This included community meetings and information
sessions, the identification of houses to be restored, the development of
criteria and forms to undertake the physical audit, agreeing and contracting
with residents as to who would undertake the restoration work, training
residents and the work team established, and developing forms and
checklists to control materials distribution and usage.
The extent to which residents themselves were directly involved in
the restoration of their own houses required that project control and
implementation monitoring systems had to be well-structured and
meticulously implemented.
National Urban Renewal Programme 47
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
A highly competent project manager was essential for the success of this
project. Furthermore, this person needed a motivated and reliable team of
co-workers to ensure success.
A unique feature of the project was the batching of materials to be used for
each restoration task to be performed and then the delivery of each batch
of materials to site only when it was needed. The signing for materials by
residents using a control card system each time they were delivered was
used. Photographs of materials delivered were also used to control their
misuse.
Lesson 2: Project implementation requires a sufficient
number of high level project staff
In several URPs, the issue of inadequate staffing was problematic. In
Galeshewe projects were not being delivered, decision-making was being
delayed and few projects could be planned at one time because there
simply were not enough high level officials attached to the programme
to implement these projects. In Khayelitsha and Mitchell’s Plain project
managers and senior staff were extremely overworked and stressed, given
the high volume of work and few staff members to take on responsibility.
Current staff are thus overwhelmed.
The issue of adequate staffing also relates to adequate mandating and
delegation of staff. In several instances, staff noted that the URP activities
are not reflected in their performance measures. The URPs activities
are thus seen as an add-on responsibility that is not core to an official’s
functions. This is particularly so for provincial level officials. It breeds an
attitude of passivity towards the URPs which is counter-productive.
48 National Urban Renewal Programme
Galeshewe: Greater No.2 Mosaic
project
Galeshewe: Greater No.2 Mosaic
project
Lesson 3: Experience counts
The value of experience in project management to enable the effective
management of URPs should not be underestimated. In the current URPs
several personalities provide this expertise, although overall there is
inadequate experience in relation to the scale of the requirement. Certain
personalities who bring particular experience to these projects include Dave
Renwick who consults to the INK programme. He has years of experience
as a senior engineer in the council. Willem Odendaal in the ARP brings
years of working on urban renewal projects and a deep understanding of
government processes and how to work with (and around) them. Julian
Baskin brings years of NGO and state-related experience in development
projects in Africa and Asia. In other projects, expert consultants from donor
agencies have provided a mentorship and technical role, including SIDA
support to Galeshewe and Motherwell.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 4: Strategic use of consultants
Most projects have used consultants in an expert capacity. Often business
plans have been drawn up by consultants. These consultants have, in most
cases, been employed for a specified period and to undertake a specific
task. In other cases, such as Mdantsane and Alexandra, consultants have
played a more strategic role, undertaking business planning, project
management and overseeing the implementation functions. In Motherwell,
a SIDA-employed consultant works very closely with the project manager,
providing a high level technical role, and his experience has been invaluable
to the programme.
The INK Team took a deliberate stance that consultants would not be
employed to undertake a central role in project management. Mbonambi
says that he had the idea of bringing consultants into the process to
boost capacity. This was resisted, however, because there was a view
that INK be should a pilot programme for building capacity and that it
would use the existing structures within the municipality. However, ‘internal
consultants’ including a senior engineer, have
been seconded as experts to various parts of
the INK programme. In Alexandra there was
limited local government leadership in the
project during its first years. The provincialled project employed consultants who in
large measure undertook the functions of
local government project managers. They
also prepared business plans and managed
the technical aspects of the whole project.
Community support centre in
Motherwell, funded by SIDA
Views on the use of consultants within an
urban renewal programme are varied. Some
have indicated that having consultants
who employ other consultants, who in turn
report to the lead consultants rather than
to project management that is accountable
within government, is problematic. It locates
responsibility too far from government.
Overall, the lesson learnt from the current URP
experience is that, while consultants play a
critical technical role, they should be managed
by officials and ultimate responsibility must rest
firmly with government. Valuable mentoring and
technical expert assistance can be gained from
consultant involvement in projects and these
benefits should be strategically maximised.
Motherwell: Greening projects
managed by DEAT-appointed
consultants
Lesson 5: Importance of project
champions
Individual projects need to be championed from
planning to completion. They require a great
deal of co-ordination. In addition, the project
needs to be moved through various stages of
procurement and of decision-making. There
Sakhuluntu Housing exhibition:
are often several bureaucracies and systems
Innovating
new housing solutions
that impact on a single project. It is essential
(Motherwell)
that a project champion be dedicated to each
project to undertake the task of managing the
flow of the planning, design and implementation stages, and attending to
all the issues and blockages that might arise. One person may take on this
responsibility for several projects. An example of the intensity of project
championship is Andre Human’s experience as manager of the Khayelitsha
CBD development. Human made the point that he had to walk the project
National Urban Renewal Programme 49
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
through each department and decision-maker to obtain the necessary
approvals and to drive the project to become a reality. There are numerous
instances where project champions have made the difference between
project success and failure.
Lesson 6: Use of emerging contractors
The URPs are committed to using emerging contractors wherever possible.
This approach has presented several challenges in INK. Officials report
that these include the difficulties small contractors face with cash flow, for
example. As a result, the supply chain is affected – materials are delayed
and work is delayed while the contractor waits for payment. Contractors are
often inexperienced. In a few cases the quality of workmanship has been
compromised. Project delivery is slowed. An official noted that there were
several instances of emerging contractors being unable to secure guarantees
to allow them to build. The tender for a police station was affected by this
problem. INK funded the building of a police station, and the e’Thekwini
Architectural
Department
implemented the project.
It took two years from the
point of project identification
to the point of contractor
appointment. Two contracts
were terminated because the
contractors were unable to
fulfill their obligations. Each
appointment and cancellation
of contract involves a lengthy
tender process.
Utlising emerging contractors requires extra management
inputs
50 National Urban Renewal Programme
Employing emerging contractors is a management-intensive exercise
that needs to be accompanied by adequate monitoring and support. An
example of how this aim is successfully achieved is illustrated in the case
study below:
Vukuzakhe - supporting emerging small contractors in INK
Project selection
This is an innovative project that fulfils the aim of the INK Area-Based
Management urban renewal programme to enhance human capacity. A
challenge for INK is that there is inadequate engineering infrastructure
throughout the study area. There is a shortage of well-functioning, efficient
transport routes, both to connect the area to other parts of the Metropolitan
area, as well as to facilitate access and mobility within the area.
Project objectives
Vukuzakhe is a small contractor development programme, established by
the KZN Department of Transport Roads Department, wherein contractors
are given progressively larger contracts as they prove capable of completing
work.
Project preparation and design
The KZN Department of Transport developed a policy document to empower
emerging contractors and capacitate them through working alongside larger
established contractors, to learn the trade and gain experience. When
provincial government, or the municipality, put out tenders, established
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
contractors, consulting engineers, etc, are required to take the project on as a
joint venture with a Vukuzakhe contractor.
Stage 4: Having completed smaller contracts successfully, projects up to the
The emerging contractor is allocated a fair share of the work, and by working
alongside the established firm and their staff, emerging contractors benefit
from skills transfer, they build up relationships and learn the business.
By January 2006 there were 35 emerging contractors in Stage 4.
INK has been able to implement this policy in its area. For example, on a
project to build a new road when the R37 million contract started at the end
of 2004, 30% of the work was allocated to two Vukuzakhe contractors. The
percentage of work given to emerging contractors on this project has since
increased to approximately 50%, and the construction of an access road has
utilised a combination of labour-intensive methods as well.
Project management arrangements
The provincial policy document provides for the following process:
value of R5 million can be undertaken.
Implementation
Consulting engineers, who project manage the large infrastructure projects
such as roads, used to take on the role of “policeman” when overseeing
contractors on site. Contractors appointed had to comply with all the contract
documents to the letter. However, under this new approach the consulting
engineers have to help the emerging contractor on the way, and are
responsible for their performance as well as their own. As one engineering
firm involved in empowering contractors under the Vukuzakhe scheme
explained: “ If the contractor fails, then we have failed as well.”
contractors, and are asked to compete, on a competitive basis, for tenders up
to R50 000.
Emerging contractors work alongside the established engineering firms and
learn new skills such as how to build road bridges. The small firm may not
have done this before, but by working with the staff of the consulting engineer
on site they are trained in a new skill.
To be able to tender, the contractor has to be registered as a company,
be a VAT vendor, and have a tax clearance certificate. Support is given to
contractors at this stage to enable them to meet the criteria, so that they can
compete in the tender process.
The larger firms and consulting engineers help the emerging contractors
with such matters as cash flow, business management, how to build up good
relationships, etc, so that they can develop their businesses and be better
able to compete in the future.
Stage 2: Once an emerging contractor has successfully completed three
Evaluation of outcomes
Stage 1: Interested small firms are required to register as emerging
projects to the value of R50 000, the contractor is entitled to tender for
projects of up to R500 000.
Stage 3: Contractors can bid for projects up to the value of R1 Million.
From an INK project management point of view, it is recognised that using
emerging contractors is a management-intensive exercise and needs to be
accompanied by adequate monitoring and support. Both the province and
National Urban Renewal Programme 51
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
eThekweni make the use of emerging contractors a contract compliance
issue, so when bidding for work, large contractors have to state how they
would use emerging contractors as part of their project team and how they
will share the work out.
From the point of view of INK, and consulting engineers working with the
emerging contractors on road building schemes, they have been highly
satisfied with progress.
The use of emerging contractors on other programmes, such as housing,
has been less successful. There may not be the same institutional structures
and programmes in place to empower small contractors, and INK has found
that in creating sustainable job opportunities, the job creation component
is only for the period of the contract. There has been no provision made for
tender training, for assistance with quantities, estimates, site management
or cash flow management – all things that emerging contractors need.
The main problem that INK has identified for small contractors working on
housing schemes is around cash flow. As a result, the supply chain is affected
– materials are delayed and work is delayed while contractors wait for
payment. In a few cases the quality of workmanship has been compromised
and project delivery is slowed.
Lesson 7: Using public investment to prompt private
response
The approach to development of using public investment in order to
stimulate a private sector investment response in the URPs is most obvious
in the development of CBDs. In INK, Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha,
private sector retailers have entered into these areas following public sector
investment in planning, infrastructure and place-making.
52 National Urban Renewal Programme
The public investment in a
town centre in KwaMashu drew
an almost immediate private
response. The City revamped
the infrastructure in this area,
and laid out a new town centre.
“We got R70 million worth of
private
investment,
almost
immediately” (Masson). The
focus of this investment has
been in creating a high quality,
KwaMashu CBD: Attracting the private sector
destination shopping centre. As
Masson indicates, learning takes
place through the development process. One of the lessons learned in
the KwaMashu town centre centred on balancing the need for large-scale
external investment and creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
Initially, the centre was focused on attracting chain stores. The decision to
create retail space for local retailers came later in the planning.
But the inverse process has also occurred, with public money following
private initiative in INK. The City acknowledged local initiative and demand
and responded with public
investment. A local community
art centre was functioning
extremely well and had become
an asset to the community. The
INK programme responded to this
local initiative by transforming
the road space outside the centre
into a piazza area.
John Dube Museum and Cultural Centre: Inanda
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
In Mitchell’s Plain, it is believed that infrastructure development creates
the basis upon which public, private and community reinvestment can take
place. The public transport rank is being used as an engine to drive the
development of the CBD. Many traders are concentrated around the CBD
and the buying power of persons moving in and out of the taxi rank fuels
retail activities in the area.
Lesson 8: Capacity-building is not a wheel to be
reinvented
The INK project offers a major lesson in terms of community involvement
on a project. The approach there is to attract NGOs and CBOs into project
structures. This is based on the idea of attracting people who are already
motivated around community issues. It also maximises the skills and
experience that can be brought into project initiatives from the community.
The important lesson is that a new project does not require an entirely
new community structure to be set up. The danger of an approach that
does that is also that the community structure may be seen to be too
closely aligned with the project. The Alexandra Development Forum (ADF)
is careful, for example, to maintain its independence from the ARP and to
stress that the life of the ADF is longer than the proposed life of the ARP.
wide area, and the neighbouring communities, including Khayelitsha. This will
be done by giving access to retail and trading opportunities, improving safety,
transport facilities, unlocking private sector investment opportunities, creating
skills and jobs and enhancing informal trading opportunities.
Project objectives
This involves the further development and regeneration of the Mitchell’s Plain
CBD, through public investment from all 3 spheres of government and the
creation of an enabling environment for private sector development.
The project has a wide mix of projects as regards project type, outcome and
impact. A direct spin-off of the public investment is the leveraging of private
investments, which generate job opportunities and the re-investment of
disposable income. The development of the Mitchell’s Plain CDB includes:
 Integration of the different spatial areas within the CBD
 Provision of taxi rank facilities and a new bus terminus
 Provision of informal trading market facilities and informal trade
infrastructure
 Public space improvements and landscaping
Mitchell’s Plain CBD - a thriving CBD: Many stakeholders succeed in
a tightly managed project
 New road infrastructure
 Provision of public buildings
Project selection
 Installation of CCTV
Mitchell’s Plain has a thriving economic centre and significant informal trading
sector. A large proportion of the population use public transport, with the third
busiest modal interchange in the metro area. An improved CBD will benefit a
 Private sector involvement in developing retail/office/industrial
development
National Urban Renewal Programme 53
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 The establishment of a city improvement district/management structure to
co-ordinate the management and operations of the CBD in a sustainable
way and with the maximum involvement of the community.
Institutional arrangements
To deal with the challenges the following structures have been set up: a
Mitchell’s Plain CBD Steering Committee comprising representatives from
the City, traders, taxi industry, retailers, property owners, the sub council,
Metrorail, SARCC & the Mitchell’s Plain Development Forum; an Informal
Traders Task Team; A Taxi Task Team; and an Operations and Management
Working Group, comprising providers from the City, police, cleansing,
economic development, etc.
A project office has been established in the town centre. A community liaison
officer has been appointed on the recommendation of the Mitchell’s Plain
CBD Steering Committee, to facilitate local resources and labour used on
contracts.
upgraded, and public benches and improved walkways have made visiting
and shopping in the Mitchell’s Plain CBD a more pleasant experience.
 Private sector investment secured in the extension to CBD: Nedcor loan
for R115 million, and R45 milion in equity.
 Informal traders have benefited from new structures that have removable
waterproof canopies for protection from the weather.
 A skills training programme was initiated as part of the CBD development.
The following are currently under construction at the end of 2005:
 The CBD Public Transport Interchange. This will benefit the lives of
thousands of commuters by making travelling safer, more comfortable and
more efficient.
 A service station and food outlet.
 10 000m² of office accommodation.
Lessons/Challenges
Outcomes
The project highlighted the following challenges:
The following had been delivered by the end of 2004:
 Tight time-frames set for the completion of the project require the full
 Promenade Retail Centre Phases 1 and 2 completed and opened with
top-name shops as part of the development.
 Jobs have been created: 5 000 temporary jobs created during
construction, and 3 000 permanent jobs created by end of 2004.
commitment of the authorities, the private sector and the community
 Ensuring the ongoing unity of the 24 taxi associations and 1 000 informal
traders
 Setting up appropriate operations and a management plan for the
 Informal Traders Market: R47 million spent to end 2004.
centre with the community empowered sufficiently so that they can be
 Internal walkways and trading areas within the existing CBD have been
responsible for such activities
54 National Urban Renewal Programme
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 Ensuring that a safe environment is created for users of the CBD
 Ensuring that access to sufficient additional funding is secured to cover
budget shortfalls
 Ensuring that local enterprises and workers benefit in the construction
 There has been difficulty identifying suitable local enterprises to become
involved and benefit from the implementation of the infrastructure projects,
as Mitchell’s Plain is mainly a residential area
 The quality of work undertaken by local enterprise has not always been
up to standard, and had to be re-done in some cases.
remaining R260 million through public funding. The total development cost
at the end of 2004 of the first phase was R451,6 million , with R265 million
of this to be sourced from the private sector. A shortfall of R56 million was
identified to be secured through equity funding from home-owners (for the
residential part), and from the Khayelitsha Community Trust as equity holder
in the development. Ongoing funding support from the City of Cape Town
has had to be agreed, plus securing private sector partners. An agreement
was successfully entered into between the City and Rand Merchant Bank
(RMB) whereby RMB would assist the City in sourcing and securing the
necessary private sector funding for the project.
Institutional arrangements
Khayelitsha Central Business District (CBD)
Introduction
As one of 10 anchor projects of the URP, the Khayelitsha CBD project
aims to establish a mixed use, viable and vibrant business district for the
approximately 500 000 residents, in which the local community participate and
can be empowered to take up opportunities presented by the development. In
the past, residents have had to spend large amounts of their income to shop
and enjoy leisure facilities in other parts of the City. A 73 hectare site, located
at the centre of Khayelitsha, adjacent to the station, has been earmarked and
reserved for the purpose of building a 17 500m² retail centre.
The total cost of the development was estimated to be R350 million. It was
anticipated that R90 million would be funded by the private sector and the
As well as the overall URP structures established (such as the URP Multistakeholder Meeting and a Nodal Steering Committee that is attended by all
government departments), specific matters are dealt with by the Khayelitsha
Development Forum. Their role is to identify community needs, popularise
the programme, ensure community ownership and participation, form part of
the structure driving the URP within the City, be the voice of the community
regarding the URP, mobilise resources, and educate and train members. A
Khayelitsha Community Trust was established which will be an equity holder
in the development of the CDB, with a mandate to oversee the development
and to be the custodian of the development for the community. Any financial
benefits that came from the development would be managed by the Trust.
The Trust established Khamanco, a management company to be the
developer.
The public sector invested 80% of the value of bulk infrastructure and
National Urban Renewal Programme 55
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
facilitated negotiations with various departments. These negotiations were
highly successful and the following departments established facilities in the
CBD: Department of Justice (Magistrate’s offices), Department of Social
Development and Department of Home Affairs.
The Trust committed R20 million as equity. The Trust is the owner of the retail
section, the municipal offices section and the service stations. The concept
is based on the notion that by the time the retail centre investment (a loan)
is paid back to RMB, the Trust, as owner, will be assured of a guaranteed
income.
Legal agreements would need to be signed between key partners such as the
City, Future Growth and RMB. Land availability agreements and key land sale
agreements have also to be put in place.
Implementation
The CBD development is labour intensive, so many temporary and
permanent jobs will be created. A skills training programme was initiated
as part of the CBD development, with local people being accredited. The
appointment of subcontractors was complex. Many did not have bank
accounts, or were unregistered for tax purposes. A company, Zakhe
Engineering, was appointed specifically to attend to these issues. Zakhe
ensured that companies were registered and were screened before being
used. They also screened all potential labourers before directing them to the
construction company, WBHO.
There were four different political changes in the life of the CBD project. With
each change it was necessary to go back to the politicians and to get support
for the project from the beginning.
56 National Urban Renewal Programme
Successes
The retail space was opened in November 2005, and many of the country’s
top national retail stores have taken space in the centre. Thirty per cent
of space has been allocated to local tenants. The new Magistrate’s Court,
Social Services Department building, and the Home Affairs building, right in
the heart of the CBD, will cut hours of travelling time and save people the
money spent getting to these services in other parts of the city. Much needed
recreational facilities have also been completed: a world class cricket oval
and a swimming pool complex. Three clinics have also been built. Other
successes include:
 With credit approval secured for R265 million from Rand Merchant Bank,
private sector funding of up to R1 billion has been leveraged into the URP.
Being an URP makes a difference in business confidence in the area.
 Provincial government has committed funds to build a 200 bed hospital.
 950 temporary and 35 permanent jobs were created during construction.
 47-50% of work went to BEE/HDI companies.
 New bus and taxi termini are under construction and with the extension of
the train line and two more stations being added, the CBD will be further
improved.
 Initially a centre of 12 000m2 was planned. The interest in the centre has
grown to the extent that it is now expected to be 17 500m2 in size.
 Plans for building the first 600 – 700 credit-linked houses are in progress
for residents earning above R3 500 a month.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lessons
Private investment will follow public investment where there is a strong show
of commitment from the public sector. In this case, several departments
committed to the CBD by establishing offices in the area.
The Community Trust could not be burdened with the responsibility of being
the developer, and a management company was set up to undertake this
function.
WBHO was only paid after construction. This agreement was forged to
protect the Trust from taking any risk. The consequence of this arrangement
was that WBHO was under enormous pressure to finish the job. The
unintended consequence was that it was difficult to convince the company to
use local labour, given the time constraints. They did use some local labour
through a training and skills development programme.
The project manager experienced difficulties because he “wore too many
hats”; on the one hand he was an official, on the other he was spearheading
the development of the project that has a life of its own in which the city is
only one stakeholder.
The feasibility of the Trust and long-term implications for ownership of the
centre will need to be worked through.
The wheels of the CTCC bureaucracy were found to move very slowly. The
project manager explained that he needed to personally follow every notice or
application or query through every department to get action.
A complicated project of this nature requires a manager who has an intimate
knowledge of the workings of the city. When funds are not allocated or
problems arise it is important to know how to unblock the problems, who
to direct queries to or what alternative routes exist within the City for the
services or resources needed.
Ironically, the City’s tender process would not have allowed the employment
of local labour to the extent that it was possible in the Khayelitsha CBD. The
use of a private company to capacitate local labour and to mediate between
labour and the construction companies enabled the employment and training
of a substantial number of people.
Lesson 9: Participation experiences are not uniform
A range of experiences of community participation in projects is evident
in the URPs. These are not uniformly successful stories. While the asset
mapping processes and general high level of community involvement in the
INK project represents a beacon in a sound community-based development
approach, some difficulties have also arisen.
Officials recount the complexity of projects where resources have been
allocated for greening: “You have to tread very carefully in participation.
Do not take community involvement for granted. In our environmental
projects community interactions were not easy. The farmers’ association
was suspicious of government intentions in the project. There were issues
around where we purchased tools and whether we had consulted the
association adequately on these purchases. We, in turn, are suspicious
of ’gate-keeping’ roles. The only way to build a working relationship and
trust over time is to be at every meeting and to have ongoing talks until
every issue is resolved. It takes a lot of time. But it is also necessary
National Urban Renewal Programme 57
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
to be assertive and forthright about council
processes and about the project principles
that are not negotiable”. It takes time to build
relationships and for these to bear fruit in terms
of successful community-official engagement
on projects.
Many projects have employed community
liaison officers (CLOs). Baskin explains that
CLOs are the frontline of the Alexandra project.
These individuals need to be highly skilled in
community work. However, the role definition of CLOs is poor, and as a
result they sometimes see themselves as mediators between the projects
and the community. In other instances, they are seen as marketing agents,
which is inappropriate. What is required is engagement with the community
in an ongoing and consistent manner.
Food and muti gardens
In the Khayelitsha project, a senior official notes that participation is complex,
observing that “We created some monsters”. There is a need for people to
be involved in the URP but the official notes that there are also people
who are trying to use the URP for personal gain. There are divisions within
the community forums because of tensions between individuals seeking
personal benefit. For example, when publicity campaigns are planned,
people in the forum may try to get access to the tender for the printing of
pamphlets or T-shirts. It is important to keep roles and responsibilities very
clearly defined to avoid such issues.
In Alexandra the theme is participation with accountability. For this reason,
the ADF is not merely a consultative forum. Rather, ADF members take
responsibility for decision-making on projects, attend all meetings, are at
the forefront of any community engagement and are accountable to the
community for the success of the project.
58 National Urban Renewal Programme
Participation must be accompanied by accountability
Lesson 10: Attending to the small things
The case study below is informative with regard to the frustrations
experienced by a project manager in a URP, highlighting poor administration
and lack of attention to project detail that complicates officials’ lives:
An official’s point of view: Complexity of managing implementation
in Alexandra
In a case study reflecting on the implementation of welfare projects during
the first two years of the ARP, the Welfare Programme Manager describes
the difficult circumstances under which officials work when contracted to
urban renewal projects. The Programme Manager was appointed with the
responsibility for implementing welfare projects in the ARP, a function that
included:
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 Overseeing the preparation of project operational plans
politicians. Often it requires the senior official to put pressure on another
 Provision of strategic guidance to the welfare task team
department or on other officials who are not delivering and over whom the
 Project administration
implementer has no authority.
 Monitoring and evaluation of project implementation
 A community-based office was essential to maintaining contact with
 Identification of replicable models
community members and community-based service providers. It was also
 Co-operation on further tasks assigned by the Head of Department or
important for the Programme Manager to be accessible to these parties.
persons nominated
 Preparation and sharing of documentation required by authorized persons
 Co-operation with consultants employed on the ARP
 Preparation of written case studies.
Some of the issues that the Programme Manager highlights as obstacles
relate to a frequent shifting of her office location. This was unsettling and it
is apparent that it left the Programme Manager frequently feeling isolated
from both the ARP and the wider welfare department. She experienced
resistance from officials who had to report to her on projects. The case study
also documents enormous difficulties in basic logistics including adequate
personal office space, access to stationery, access to printing facilities, and
even, on occasion, access to a computer. The location of her office outside of
Alexandra was also not suitable as she needed to be close to the community
she was working with.
The case study highlights several lessons:
 It is necessary for project implementers to have access to a senior
official who can intervene to unblock processes. Sometimes this requires
 Programme Managers need to have the authority to manage people who
report to them on projects, and to act where there is non-delivery.
 Project leaders who have line department responsibilities view the
urban renewal responsibilities as an added burden and the Programme
Manager found that these officials often took little or no responsibility for
non-performance, particularly if their own performance was not being
measured against delivery of the project.
 The non-availability of support staff for Programme Managers who are
managing several projects is problematic as the administrative burden
does not relieve Programme Managers to perform management tasks.
 The enthusiasm of community members regarding the presidential project
was encouraging.
 The development of detailed project operational plans is critical to the
success of projects.
 A programme of the scale of the urban renewal projects needs to be
informed by a detailed needs assessment, particularly where social
projects are envisaged.
a political intervention and the senior official may have to consult
National Urban Renewal Programme 59
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 11: Characteristics of a good project manager
It is widely recognized that effective programme management is a vital
component to ensuring the success of urban renewal initiatives. The profile
of three project managers who are highly regarded provides some insight
into the requirements for successful project leadership:
 “He knows his story … he’s an intelligent man … he is not scared to call a
meeting to seek for solutions.” (Municipal official)
 He is a “Jacked and committed person. His key strength is that he is
a manager. He is a driven individual; he rattles cages and shakes.”
(External consultant)
Motherwell
INK
The programme manager has, according to the Executive Mayor of the
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality, “got the urban renewal spirit.”
What his colleagues and staff say about him:
 “He thinks outside the box.” (City Manager)
 He has an infectious excitement for life.
 The urban renewal programme was proving successful and “the nurturing
 His commitment to the development of the spirit of individuals includes his
character” of the programme manager was a big contributing factor.
(Municipal Manager)
 The systems and processes he has put in place are assisting things to
work. (Municipal official)
 Referring to the MURP unit, one municipal official remarked, “They are
doing exceptionally well with implementation; they are very passionate
about what they are doing.”
 “He is not professionally arrogant.” (Municipal official)
 “He genuinely wants to involve people.” (Municipal official)
 “He has some hard skills … he’s no fool.” (Municipal official)
60 National Urban Renewal Programme
staff.
 He is inspiring and captivating.
 He works very hard. He makes us want to work hard.
 He believes that as we invest in ourselves we invest in others.
 He understands political and technical issues and can challenge and
debate both.
 He is approachable but firm.
 He is conscientious about protocol, about how the system operates and
about correct processes.
 He has experience.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Alexandra
 He engages with stakeholders and is “mature enough to deal with difficult
community dynamics”
This programme manager is the most recently appointed of the urban
renewal mangers. He has, in a short period, commanded a great deal of
respect and support. Interviewees have noted that his strengths in this role
include:
 He engages with his staff. Here he is firm but approachable and
 He starts with obtaining a clear political mandate.
 He has a history and direct relationship with senior staff and politicians in
 He has confidence in his position and in his development approach.
personable.
 He works very hard.
the City and can call on these relationships.
 He is clear about what he requires from politicians and decision-makers.
 He brings vision to the project
 He is unafraid to tackle difficult and conflict-ridden issues, and in these he
 He understands project management and drives the project hard.
is clear about his own position – a position that is justified in terms of the
best outcome for Alexandra.
 His reports are clear and are targeted at the correct processes. He
understands how the City bureaucracy functions and he uses its systems.
 He has many years of development experience and can anticipate many
of the possible outcomes of decisions and actions. He has over 20
years’ experience working with the urban poor in local and international
contexts. This is particularly important in being able to do overall project
management, focus individual project managers on targets and on moving
projects towards delivery.
 He knows how to streamline decision-making processes and shorten
project cycles.
 He knows international best practice and can confidently share this
experience.
National Urban Renewal Programme 61
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Northern Cape Provincial Legislature Building located in Galeshewe
62 National Urban Renewal Programme
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Part 2
Sectoral lessons
National Urban Renewal Programme 63
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
SECTORAL LESSONS
This constitutes the third component of the overall assessment. Its purpose
is to extract lessons from sector interventions. Typically, such sectors are
clustered to facilitate programme management and reporting processes.
Sectors to be examined include:
 Institutional systems and governance
 Economic development
 Infrastructure and housing
 Social services
 Environment
 Safety and security
 Communication.
1
Institutional systems, governance
and finance
Lesson 1: The ten year pressure
The urban renewal focus has brought with it an enormous pressure to
‘fix everything’ within ten years. This pressure has truncated thinking
and planning as everyone rushes to try to achieve something within
the artificially imposed deadline. For example, improving Alexandra is a
lifelong programme and there needs to be long-term state commitment
to this process. It is possible to deliver a vast amount within ten years,
but this period cannot turn an area around entirely. Development is an
ongoing process. What is possible in ten years is to set in place some of the
catalysts for that ongoing process. It is also possible with funding and with
64 National Urban Renewal Programme
focused, high-level expertise to deliver a great deal of infrastructure and
social development programmes. The pressure is felt with some severity
in the Alexandra programme, where the province gave the programme a
seven-year lifespan.
Lesson 2: Knowing which outcomes matter
In order to evaluate project outcomes for their effectiveness or efficiency,
outcomes need to be determined at the start of a project. Thereafter, sound
documenting and reporting is essential to allow for ongoing measurement
against the outcomes.
One of the complexities encountered when measuring outcome is that
projects are required to achieve multiple aims. Projects are intended to
test several national policy approaches, including integrated governance,
while delivering basic needs or innovative development projects in an
area. At the same time, the projects are seated within local authorities
faced with institutional transformation, and the URPs are subject to the
capacity constraints and uncertainties that transformation periods create
in organisations. These multiple ends and uncertain contexts require the
project managers to satisfy multiple outcomes and may detract from the
focus that is required to deliver the actual good or service that the business
plan stipulates.
Lesson 3: Area-Based Management (ABM) – An
institution-wide response
In several projects, the confusion between the responsibilities of the URP
team (area focused) and line departments (sectorally focused) created
duplication, rivalry and unclear lines of accountability.
In the INK context, ABM works because it is an approach to development
management and co-ordination which is firmly embedded in the planning
and organisational arrangements of the municipality. Indeed, INK is only
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
one of five unique area-centred development programmes in e’Thekwini
and this is important in that the INK area-based approach is not peculiar to
one part of the city. Such concentrated attention is necessary for integration
and for developing sustainable settlements, which can benefit from the
infrastructure and the programmes of the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ responsibilities
of the local authority.
The earlier observation – that “one size fits one” – is also relevant to ABM.
Above all, ABM requires high levels of capacity regarding management
and technical skills within a local authority. Each URP context has its
peculiarities, and recognition of the constraints and opportunities in each
locality is important.
Lesson 4: Binding in commitment
The smooth running of a URP is not entirely dependent on personality. It
is necessary to obtain and bind in the full commitment of key members of
municipal and provincial governments to the success of the URPs. Such
binding in requires a number of elements to be in place:
 A sound Memorandum of Understanding between the key state
agencies responsible for the MOU
 Unqualified political support of key actors at various levels of the
body politic
 Sound project management arrangements for regular meetings,
report-backs, follow-through and monitoring of progress
 Sound institutional arrangements for the forums to which the URPs
report to meet regularly, to be attended by the right decisionmakers, and to have streamlined decision-making procedures
 A network of contacts and relationships between key persons in
the state mechanisms, NGOs, CBOs and the consulting teams that
support projects
 Effective community participation mechanisms in which ward
councillors play a key role, but which are also linked to a much wider
organisational base within civil society.
A combination of contractual, political and institutional mechanisms is
required to enforce the commitment of various parts of the bureaucracies
to the URPs:
 MOUs and performance contracts which bind managers to perform
on URPs
 A willingness on the part of political partners to exert pressure on
the bureaucracy to ensure delivery
 Strong relationships between the programme manager and key
political, administrative and technical managers.
Lesson 5: Co-ordination and integration takes time and
costs money
It is important not to underestimate the additional burden that programmes
such as the URPs place on municipal officials. Each activity for the projects
is often carried out over and above day-to-day activities, and over and
above the performance scorecard requirements of officials. The URP
budget allocations are often small compared to those of the councils, yet
line departments are required to report on each URP project with different
sets of criteria and using different procedures. Several officials involved in
the URPs found it difficult to reconcile the additional load with their ‘normal’
work. It is important that while these projects receive special attention,
they are also given the proper management and structural support to
enable them to be implemented without being seen as burdensome to
councils. This of necessity requires that municipalities be capacitated in
order to take on the URP responsibilities.
National Urban Renewal Programme 65
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 6: State-driven or community-driven
development?
The starting point of urban renewal must be a clear understanding of
whether development in the nodes is to be a state-driven activity or a
community-driven process, facilitated by the state. The clear contrast of
most of the URPs, which are state-led in all aspects of planning, project
selection, design and implementation, and INK, where initiatives are as
far as possible community-initiated, has been mentioned repeatedly.
There is a danger when delivering through programmes, business plans
and projects, that community initiative is almost paralyzed. On the other
hand, community-initiated projects require facilitation and require skilled
‘listening’ and ‘monitoring’ on the part of project staff. Community-driven
initiatives are intensive with regard to participation.
Lesson 7: Each small project involves many
stakeholders
Even the smallest projects in URPs involve a high degree of co-ordination
between many state and civil society actors. A high impact, but apparently
simple project in Galeshewe, involving tree planting in schools and public
places, illustrates this point. The case study below shows how many varied
stakeholders were involved in this initiative:
Multiple stakeholders come together to implement tree
planting in Galeshewe
After the establishment of a Greening Sub-Committee in the GURP project,
areas in which tree planting was to take place were identified. Initially, Wards
7 and 10 and five nearby schools were targeted.
“At the end of February 2004, about 300 trees were planted along these
streets by 30 ward members, primarily women, youth and the disabled. The
two ward councillors and the ward committees were engaged in the selection
66 National Urban Renewal Programme
of the people. The appointed horticulture company was co-ordinating,
instructing and monitoring the tree planting process, drawing up contracts
with each person, approving the completed tasks and paying out. The
persons involved were provided with working equipment as well as fertilizer,
water, tree stands, etc. Consultation had taken place with the Sol Plaatjie
Technical Department and the people living along the tree planting route.”
“In the five schools about 50 trees, half of them being hardy fruit trees (olive
and lemon) and half shade trees, have been planted by the school-children
after instructions from the horticultural consultant and under the supervision
of a representative of the Keep Kimberley Clean Association.”
The trees planted were funded by the International Council for Local
Environmental Initiation; the two projects described are pilots that will be
followed by similar tree planting projects all over Galeshewe.
Lesson 8: Effective implementation requires spatial
planning
While the integration of URPs within the IDP process is important, this is not
sufficient to ensure successful development. A real weakness encountered
in many renewal programmes is the lack of an appropriate and wellconceived spatial planning framework to create the spatial envelope within
which interventions are structured.
The INK programme does not have such a tool in place; the Mdantsane
programme is guided by a plan which is considered out-of-date and
Motherwell only finalised an urban design framework in late 2005.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Timely physical planning is an essential tool for effective urban renewal
management. It is a critical component of the strategic planning required
to implement sustainable programmes. The built environment interventions
of development projects have the longest effect of all interventions, since
their lifespan is often many generations. A spatial framework is necessary
because the structuring of transportation and land use affects the viability of
settlements, because the location of particular uses influences the livability
of the community and the usability of those services. Public investment in
the built environment can influence private investment. A spatial framework
helps to give order and coherence to physical and other interventions. It
is precisely the unthought-through physical structuring of areas that can
add to fragmented, scattered developments and to lost opportunities for
creating integrated, vibrant settlements.
Some of the key reasons why the timely preparation of a spatial development
framework, supplemented with more detailed local area (or precinct plans)
is desirable include:
 The process of developing such a plan forces careful consideration
of development options and possibilities
 A plan concentrates energies on key delivery priorities. This is
especially important in time-bound URPs
 A plan creates a powerful mental image of what the programme
 A plan places more emphasis on the element of place-making, a
consideration absent from many low income environments, and
critical for redressing the fragmented and dormitory nature of
Apartheid-created townships.
Lesson 9: Integrated planning and co-ordinated actions
There is a danger in large projects that activities happen in silos and that
co-ordination between so many different sectoral departments is not
achieved. This leads to development that is sectorally focused rather than
integrated. With a recent history of housing-led development, poor areas
in South Africa face a strong challenge to move away from dormitories
of residential development and towards neighbourhoods that offer a full
range of services and infrastructure. There is evidence that the housing-led
development approach has persisted in the URPs, with delivery focused on
how many houses rather than how many sustainable human settlements
have been created in areas. One housing official even remarked, “I do
houses, I don’t do schools”. Yet without schools, the houses are doomed to
accommodate people who have inadequate access to education and thus
to life opportunities.
Lesson 10: Role of leadership
is attempting to achieve. As such, it can be a useful tool to unite
different (and sometimes competing) visions of what an urban
renewal programme is seeking to achieve
The extraction of lessons from the urban renewal nodes has consistently
shown the importance of political and programme management champions.
Several leadership figures are critical to the success of a URP.
 It is an important communication tool for multiple audiences
 A plan creates a unifying point of reference for both the spatial and
Politically, the key partners are the Premiers of Provinces, Executive Mayors
and ward councillors. In some instances, key MECs have also played a
central role. Administratively, the key figures are a City or Municipal Manager
who identifies strongly with the URP, who is committed to its success and
who is, personally, an effective manager.
aspatial disciplines, providing a common point of reference
 A plan forces deliberate decisions to be made about the location of
facilities and amenities
National Urban Renewal Programme 67
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
The programme manager is a key leadership figure. There is a range of
skills, aptitudes and experience that separates strong project managers
from others. While the project managers that have stood out as leaders in
the URP programmes to date have combined technical and political skill with
strong strategic and visionary abilities, there are also cases of a successful
twinning of skills. In these cases, a project manager has twinned effectively
with a technically skilled expert. Alternatively, the project manager may
twin with a politically strategic personality to provide the combination of
skills to lead the programme.
The initial emphasis on delivery in Alexandra was impressive and this was
achieved while giving simultaneous attention to setting up the process or
procedural aspects. While recent development literature abounds with
warnings to planners to ‘get the process issues right’, it is also important
to keep sight of the necessity to deliver product. Initiating urban renewal
projects takes enormous effort and co-ordination. Putting in place the
preconditions for delivery involves establishing institutional and procedural
issues and systems.
Project championing is also important at the line department level. While it
is important to get the right person at line department level on each project,
this has often not been achieved and there have been blockages or delays
in projects as the line department has not been sufficiently committed to
the success of the URP.
Lesson 12: One size only fits one
The personal relationships between the different leadership figures provide
the real cement to the project. The ease with which a project manager
can interact with political leadership, provincial leadership or heads of line
departments determines, to a large extent, how difficult the implementation
process will be.
Lesson 11: Balancing product and process
It is often observed that development is an ongoing battle between these
two elements. Earlier it was observed that it is important to give the
necessary attention, in the initial period of a programme, to laying solid
institutional, decision-making and planning frameworks. Equally, the
importance of the community participation dimension has been frequently
stressed to guide and obtain legitimacy for development interventions.
These are process interventions.
68 National Urban Renewal Programme
At the same time as project standardisation of reporting procedures is called
for, flexibility is also required in project design and in developing standards
around service levels. Each project needs to be tailored according to local
conditions. In the Eastern Cape, a blanket requirement that subsidised
housing be 40m2 in size has crippled several small developers and resulted
in some established developers withdrawing from the market completely.
This absolute standard across the province is not conducive to adapting
projects for local conditions and does not take account of costs or alternative
possibilities in local areas.
This concern also relates to the importing of spatial concepts without local
tailoring. A popular spatial intervention in the URPs has been the notion
of corridor development. Such spatial ideas have been given life through
the establishment or upgrading of major roads that connect facilities and
business centres. Yet the corridors are unlikely to attract the density of
development required for viable activity corridors over many years. The
resulting dispersed nature of development along these long strips may
add to pedestrian travel time and increase sprawl rather than promote the
intended efficiency.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 13: Learning while doing: monitoring
Project monitoring is not an activity that happens at the end of the project
cycle. It is important that ongoing learning be undertaken as the project
progresses. This is necessary to enable adjustments to be made where
necessary. The growing knowledge and information also helps to enrich the
project and to empower and capacitate officials and stakeholders engaged
in the project. It enables ongoing tracking of the small and large successes
and failures in a project.
However, sound reporting is not enough. Monitoring also requires that
parallel learning take place while implementation is being undertaken. This
requires regular strategic reviews to be conducted of the URPs. Such reviews
need to be conducted by, or at least include, the personnel working on the
programme. To date, the URPs have had very little strategic intervention
around monitoring. They have also not benefited from the learning taking
place in other URPs. This has reduced the possibility for reflection and for
learning in spite of the close project management that occurs in some of
the projects. It has also meant that few lessons of the projects have been
documented on an ongoing basis. Co-ordination between projects has not
occurred in any active way.
Once systems are in place to enable such programmes, i.e. the
implementation of infrastructural and other projects, it is important to
sustain this momentum. Maintaining momentum encourages support
for the project. It provides legitimacy for the URP and its intentions as
articulated in the project goals, and is also the aspect of the project that
impacts directly on people’s lives. It is what residents of the development
areas expect. A failure to deliver can lead to poor publicity and undermine
the efforts of the project. In fact, delivery problems in even one area can
bring the popular image of the URP into question. The Alexandra Renewal
Project experienced a substantial amount of negative media coverage
in late 2005. While a key component of that coverage concerned a poor
delivery track record, several ARP officials commented that the extensive
delivery track record of the project was being overlooked.
A powerful delivery momentum is thus critical for urban renewal. The efforts
required to ensure that delivery takes place at a sufficient rate and scale in
these high profile projects include: timely and sufficient fund mobilization;
expeditious business plan approval; adequate capacity to implement;
appropriate policy frameworks; political support; efficient procurement
processes; prompt financial payments; and especially at times when difficult
decisions must be taken, sufficient inter-departmental and inter-agency cooperation. The systemic nature of programme management, where many
issues have to be considered simultaneously and where one issue affects
other parts of the programme, requires a holistic and strategic focus by
those responsible for implementing URPs.
Lesson 14: Effective participation requires capacitation
While the need for community participation is well-entrenched in
development rhetoric and practice, the manner in which it is implemented
varies from case to case. In the URP projects, there are stark contrasts
between areas where monthly meetings of hundreds of people are held (in
INK) and areas where very few stakeholder level meetings have been held at
all (Mdantsane). A key lesson from the URPs is that community involvement
in a project is about far more than consultation or information-sharing. It is
about community organisations taking ownership of projects. This involves
these organisations in being accountable for initiatives that are taking place
through the URPs. It also involves these groups in meetings, decisionmaking and planning at all levels. For such engagement to be effective, it is
necessary to provide capacity-building to community level organisations. In
the Alexandra Renewal Project, such capacitating comes through mentorship
National Urban Renewal Programme 69
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
as organisational representatives participate in all planning meetings, site
meetings and decision-making structures. Capacitating also involves the
provision of funding for meetings and representation on projects. In INK, a
citizen activation programme, described below, has been set in place.
Citizen activation in INK
The INK programme is premised on the notion that infrastructural
development cannot be undertaken in the absence of the building of
human capacity. The citizen activation programme is therefore targeted at
capacitating civil society organisations, and involves the training of CBOs in
leadership and financial management.
This programme has four component projects:
 Skills development: This project involves training and includes projects to
train youth in ‘social entrepreneurship.’
 Listen and Learn: This innovative project monitors the lessons learnt in
development projects in INK. It involves youth in documenting lessons
such as the development of organisations that have been built up through
the INK programme.
 Adopt a Civil Society Organisation: This project links experienced and
less experienced organisations in INK with each another. It also involves
businesses who may adopt and support SMMEs or researchers who adopt
organisations for a period and provide support and capacity
 Parallel Monitoring: Several citizen activation programmes are being
piloted in INK. It is important to reflect on the learning being gained in
practice. For this reason “we reflect after every event, we look at what we
will do the same or differently next time” (Shembe).
70 National Urban Renewal Programme
The need to build capacity amongst community leadership is critical. This
includes political representatives within local government. The dangers of
not providing capacity-building and adequate information around the URPs
are that:
 Leadership elements may not have a common understanding of
what constitutes urban renewal. For example, in some contexts it
was clear that while councillors saw housing provision as renewal,
the provision of social services is not seen in the same light
 The developmental implications of decisions taken may not be
fully appreciated. In Galeshewe, for example, a formal resolution
tabled and adopted in Council currently prevents the disposal and
development of all municipal land, and more than 80 development
applications cannot be dealt with; this is acting as a brake on new
development taking place
 Because of the poor transmission of project and other information
by project managers, there may be a growing mistrust and an
unwillingness to take decisions that enable projects to proceed.
Lesson 15: Funding – flexibility, predictability,
partnerships
The absence of any significant gearing of available funds is stark. Mdantsane,
Motherwell and INK have devoted substantial time and energy sourcing
foreign donor funding; and private sector funding mobilization has been
key to the success of CBD developments in Khayelitsha, Mitchell’s Plan
and KwaMashu. The following lessons for ensuring the financial viability
of URPs emerge:
 Uncertainty over the amount and availability of funding at the outset
of recent urban renewal initiatives created difficulties and slowed
the ability of URPs to deliver expeditiously.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 Consideration needs to be given to setting aside a pool of funding
to be made available to support urban and rural renewal in future.
This preparation funding is particularly critical during the initial
24-month period of URPs. Such funding is important to establish
programme management units, to undertake essential planning and
organizational structuring and, most importantly from a funding
point of view, to source delivery budgets. With government as a
whole moving towards a three-year funding cycle, the insertion of
area-focused renewal initiatives within the plans and budgets of
local government means that unless extraordinary funds can be
made available to launch urban renewal during its start-up phase,
these programmes will struggle to deliver until such time that they
can carve out a political and organizational presence for themselves
to compete for the available municipal and provincial budgets.
 Making available a core of funding to URPs, and then requiring them
to gear it on the basis of a set ratio with other funding, is a model
worth considering.
 One of the most powerful lessons that has emerged regarding
funding is that having good access to funding provides urban renewal
programmes with an opportunity to make their presence felt within
the fiercely contested space of provincial and local government. Having access to funding for development programmes is an
important ingredient to ensure that programme management units
are able to acquire a status or presence, a critical consideration in
the delivery stakes.
 Donor funding has been successfully pursued, but it remains a
challenge to obtain donor funding for nodes such as Galeshewe.
 Private sector funding mobilisation represents a massive opportunity
for the future, particularly in view of the fact that the private sector
is under-invested in low income communities. Projects will need to
be carefully packaged and marketed to maximise their investment
potential. Equally, appropriate structuring to raise equity, to manage
risk, or to manage property portfolios, is important. Government
will need to be receptive and able to direct the interest that is
increasingly being expressed by the private sector in investing in
township areas.
 Place-making, crime prevention and appropriate local regulation
(without over-regulation) are other ingredients for attracting private
sector investment to low income areas.
Lesson 16: Spending challenges
It appears that spending on non-infrastructural projects is not happening
at a significant scale. This is discussed above in terms of the physical vs.
social projects. It is well-known that social projects take longer to set up,
and that much of the early work of establishing social programmes is not
related to spending, but is institutional and organisational. However, by the
mid-term of the URPs, higher spending should have been possible in these
areas.
Where project monitoring is quantitative, it often relates to levels of spending.
Projects are judged according to the speed and scale at which they have
spent. Again, social projects and long-term livelihoods programmes are
prejudiced in these calculations.
Beyond the social/spatial divide, the issue of spending is complex.
Many projects have not achieved spending at the scale anticipated. The
slowness with which project planning and preparation for implementation
takes place is one complicating factor. Others relate to the experience of
project managers in getting projects to implementation stages. Projects
are slowed by extremely complex and slow tender processes. This latter
issue is probably the main stumbling block to spending. Business plans are
National Urban Renewal Programme 71
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
often confused with the packaging of projects. Business plans may also be
approved way ahead of projects being ready to spend the funds allocated,
which leads to problems of under-spending. The timing of business plan
submissions needs to be co-ordinated with project planning to ensure that
money is received when it can be spent.
 Strengthening the role of tourism and particularly that with a
2
 Community reorganization, particularly the creation of co-operatives
Economic development
Overview
In each of the urban nodes assessed, the plans and strategies developed
emphasize the importance of addressing economic development challenges.
Almost without fail, each programme spoke of high rates of (particularly
formal sector) unemployment, crime and a range of social issues and
concerns. The need was identified to stimulate employment creation, for
training and skills development, for the development of better linkages
(both spatially and sectorally) outside of township localities. A number
of useful lessons can be identified from the programmes assessed. The
approaches and emphases to economic development in each of the nodes,
whilst different, shared a number of common elements. These are:
 Major emphasis given to the physical development of CBDs, retail
and other nodes. For example, Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha have
major CBD redevelopment exercises; commercial nodes are targeted
in Alexandra (Pan Africa); in INK the KwaMashu town centre is being
developed; in Galeshewe and Motherwell the CBDs also constitute
key elements of reconstruction and development
 Training and skills development initiatives
 Provision of business advice, support and networking
 Creation of spaces for informal sector traders to operate more
successfully, and some efforts made at more effective regulation of
this sector
72 National Urban Renewal Programme
cultural/heritage orientation
 Stimulating the production and marketing of craft-related products
 Planting and increased food and muti production to enhance food
security, to create jobs and to enable incomes to be generated
and marketing and/or promotion activities
 Attempting to strengthen links with external business formations
and groupings to explore possible synergies, to look for business
partners, to market possible investment opportunities, to source
investments etc.
 Attempting to make the township environment more businessand investment-friendly through crime management activities,
the establishment of community improvement districts (CIDs)
and by greater emphasis being given to environmental design
considerations, and
 Preferential procurement approaches which favour the greatest
possible involvement of local small and emerging business
operations. Here the activities and expenditure of urban renewal
are targeted to optimise short-term benefits whilst growing stronger
business enterprises for the longer term.
Lesson 1: No economic activity is an island: Establish
linkages
The economic potential of mono-functional, low-income residential
townships may be small. These Apartheid-created settlements do not
have the benefit of mixed income areas where exchange and service
benefits across different income categories can stimulate local economic
development. However, it is important not to be parochial when designing
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
an economic strategy. The linkages to areas outside of the boundaries of
the township are critical. City-wide and district-wide economic opportunities
must be sought and the local strategy contextualised within the larger
economic context. A conscious reduction of the current economic isolation
of township areas needs to be tackled more directly in URPs, as they
otherwise risk promoting the continuation of the separate, economically
unviable urban form and economic practices that have been inherited.
The inverse relationship is also important. Economic strategy must be
developed at the metro level and must be able to guide LED initiatives in
the URP nodal areas. The absence of such guidance was experienced as a
problem in Motherwell.
to creating the conditions for sustainable settlements where economic
development and residential development are integrated. The use of house
space as work space needs to be planned for in new developments. Such
innovation has not taken place as housing still operates in a silo where the
One-stop-shop: Useful but resource-constrained
The Mdantsane One-Stop-Shop has proved to be of value to assist small
business start-ups, the establishment of co-operatives, with training including
both business and technical skills, and in linking up with wider economic
development programmes.
At a local scale, linkages with other land uses are important, as is the
use of housing space for economic activity, or the multiple use of public
buildings for economic support as well as social support centres, or the
use of school facilities for urban agriculture. These synergies maximise the
linkage opportunities between sectors, minimise cost and promote 24-hour
activity, which encourages diversity as well as surveillance of areas.
The issue of project sustainability is a major concern as the municipality
reportedly does not have the resources to sustain this initiative in the longer
term. The manager responsible confirmed that discussions have already
taken place with the Department of Trade and Industry and with a foreign
donor to see if longer term financial support can be arranged for this project.
Lesson 2: LED is not an add-on but an integral part of all
other programmes
Lesson 3: Stimulate and enhance what is already in place
While the establishment of local business service centres and SMME support
networks in several of the URPs is commendable, and has provided valuable
support, these are not sufficient. In fact, on their own, such interventions
may be too marginal and too piecemeal to make the significant impact
that is required for local economic development. SMMEs are assisted by
the information, network opportunities and training that is offered by such
centres. However, all of the planning and development interventions in a
URP need to focus on SMME development. Spatial policies that enhance
density and promote mixed use developments, for instance, are fundamental
The ARP found that generalised training of SMMEs was not helpful in posttraining placement. In addition, generalised entrepreneurial skills are of
little value if they are not contextualised. Instead, it may be more useful
to research what the real training or capacity-building needs of existing
businesses are and to strengthen these. In this way, current enterprises can
be strengthened and this is more likely to lead to economic development
and job creation.
Enhancing what is there also relates to building on the strength of business
that is working well. Increasing the productivity and efficiency of an
existing business node must lead to increased economic development.
National Urban Renewal Programme 73
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Such enhancement may come in the form of interventions in the public
environment which improve circulation, service delivery or public space.
They may also be more direct economic or financing strategies such as
promoting small loans in those business sectors.
Lesson 4: Urban agriculture is a critical component of
LED
The high levels of poverty (over one-third of the Mdantsane community
claims incomes below R800 per month), high levels of unemployment
(only 26% of the economically active population in Mdantsane is formally
employed) and the problems of alcohol abuse, crime and HIV/AIDS make
it imperative to stimulate local economic activities in the areas identified for
URP interventions. Such interventions must include livelihood strategies.
Amongst these, projects for food security are probably the most important.
Such projects as have been undertaken by DEAT and local councils to
provide nurseries and communal vegetable gardens need to be promoted
at scale.
Schools greening projects feed households in INK
Introduction
The Schools Project is a two-year pilot project, and part of the overall
“Greening INK” programme that includes the development of community
gardens. The overarching belief is that by using and making available all
their resources, schools can be transformed into institutions that identify
with and serve their communities. Youth are given an opportunity to take
part in transformation and greening the land, while promoting environmental
awareness, establishing ecologically friendly habitats, and developing an
appreciation of indigenous trees and plants.
74 National Urban Renewal Programme
A meeting was held with 150 school principals from Inanda, Ntuzuma and
KwaMashu to introduce them to the project and brief them about the selection
process and criteria that would be used to select the participating schools (10
from each area). There was an overwhelming response, applications were
processed and individual schools visited in order to compile ‘school profiles’
and meet school governing bodies (SGBs). Once the selection process
was complete, each SGB began their own process of appointing three fulltime gardeners/nursery workers. From the school profiles, a tool and seed
requirement list was compiled for each school.
INK also budgeted R250 000 for greening. A needs assessment was
conducted, which highlighted a need for fruit trees; 2 000 substantially sized
fruit trees were purchased, and the municipal Parks Department showed
people how to plant and care for the trees. Recipients of the trees were
carefully identified so that, with the help of the local farmers’ association
and ward councillors, they have gone to needy households. The trees are
also divided across the area in a way that ensures a fair spread through the
project area.
Parents manage the allied Community Gardens Greening project. The first
phase of the project is focused on food security for children at school, and the
produce will be sold to the school soup kitchens. In the second phase, it is
envisaged that excess vegetables produced will be sold in the community.
Outcomes
The following progress has been made:
 Schools selected
 90 gardeners/nursery workers employed (3 per school)
 Land cleared in schools for agricultural development
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 6m x 6m indigenous nurseries constructed at each site
 Tools handed out in the identified schools
 Monitoring and skills guidance of the 90 garden/nursery workers is taking
place. The ultimate aim is for them to find employment in the SMMEs
established in their area, or elsewhere
 Co-operatives have been developed in each school
 200 indigenous trees are being planted in each of the participating
schools, learner homesteads and community facilities.
All 30 schools registered as Eco-schools have started to follow the Ecoschools programme led by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South
Africa. This includes mentorship of volunteer learners by educators.
Other projects are focused on food security and on building co-operation
within communities. The ‘fruit to share’ project, below, is such an
example.
Lesson 5: Employing emerging contractors
Using emerging contractors requires a different model to the usual contract
management, such as the right design (level of complexity) to the right
contractor, constant oversight and supervision, amongst others. At times,
it can compromise the speed, the quality and costs of development, as
illustrated by the examples which follow.
Lessons from two emerging contractor-developed projects in
Motherwell
Small business incubator
The purpose of the project is to provide assistance and advice to potential
entrepreneurs and existing small businesses to establish and operate
successful business enterprises. Lessons from this project included:
 Keep the design of the facility simple but practical, especially when using
emerging contractors
 Extensive coaching and support from the supervising architect enabled
the contractor to learn on the job and execute it well
 The contractor was consistently at the site, checking and supervising the
workers. As noted, “the eyes of the master” operated well on this project
 The municipality was flexible in its oversight of the contract and signed
cessions with materials suppliers. This ensured a regular supply of
materials as the contractor was able to obtain his materials on credit
 Timeous payments of invoices, taking no more than two weeks, by the
municipality assisted with the cash flow for the job, always ensuring that
the contractor was able to meet obligations, including payment of the
workers.
Hawkers’ Facility
In October 2005, construction of this facility was some six months behind
schedule. The lessons of this experience were related as:
 The hawkers’ facility has been over-designed, it was complex to construct
and it was a “Rolls Royce” design
National Urban Renewal Programme 75
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 There had been no architect support for the contractor, and thus no
‘learning by doing’
 The municipality had established a Joint Venture involving an experienced
contractor and a previously disadvantaged individual. The latter was,
reportedly, seldom on site and the relationship between the parties was
not constructive
 Labour problems were encountered and this was apparently due to the
contractor not paying his workers on time when he received payment. It
appears that such payments were late to enable the contractor to offset
his obligations to creditors for building materials
 As an inexperienced contractor, materials ordering and site management
were poor, and
 The consultant employed as a project manager did not make up for
deficiencies in this regard.
Lesson 1: Common elements
The overarching lesson from assessing economic plans and strategies is
that a common set of factors is necessary and must be in place to support
the expansion of township-based economies. Such critical factors include:
spaces in which to trade; the identification of goods and services for which
there is a market; an entrepreneurial spirit in the business owner; access
to funding and business services; crime management; and appropriate
regulation.
Lesson 2: Special opportunities
It is important to identify unique or special opportunities in the project
context and then to capitalize on these. For example, the “Big Hole” in
Kimberley is the primary tourist attraction of the region. Consequently,
76 National Urban Renewal Programme
the development of strong linkages and complementarities with heritage,
tourism and cultural elements in Galeshewe is critical. Another example is
Coega and the IDZ adjoining Motherwell, with the various opportunities which
exist for synergy. Arguably, this is a case where development possibilities
have not been maximized. A third example is understanding the role of the
Pan Africa trading hub in Alexandra as a Southern African trading hub and
thus planning the redevelopment of this node to give emphasis to the Pan
African element. A final example might be to recognize the significance of
crafting skills and industries in the INK context (embroidery, bead-working,
pottery, leather-working) and then strengthening such industries through
co-operative formation, shared marketing and promotion activities.
Lesson 3: Focus on expanding sectors
A lesson from the Alexandra project is particularly interesting and builds
on the previous lesson cited. In this instance, after a detailed analysis
of dynamic and expanding sectors within a sub-regional context, it was
determined that the automotive sector, the personal services sector,
business process outsourcing and the building and construction sector
offered the best possible opportunities for employment expansion. As a
result of this approach, highly targeted and deliberate efforts were made
to train and skill unemployed persons for absorption by these sectors. This
included working with the Wynberg industrial community in which there is
a concentration in the automotive services sector to facilitate employment
stimulation; interaction with major corporate players to facilitate call
centre development in proximity to Alexandra; and stimulating contractor
development and training activities. Alexandra enjoys a favourable location
within the context of the city. Nevertheless, the lesson of identifying
growing and dynamic sectors within a region and then working together
with these industries to develop linkages and to plan and implement
mutually beneficial approaches, is considered relevant to other areas.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 4: Proper plans and strategies
Lesson 6: Private sector skills
The importance of developing proper economic development plans and
strategies is repeatedly emphasised. A number of the nodes did not have
such documentation. Both the Eastern Cape projects are instances where
economic planning activities need greater emphasis. In fact, the attention
given to economic planning should be directly proportional to the extent of
economic depression in an area, with the Eastern Cape Province being a
case in point. While there are useful economic development initiatives in
these nodes, these are too minimal. It must be noted that it is not sufficient
to have a metropolitan-wide IDP giving direction and content to a nodal
economic strategy. Focused and comprehensive plans for the node itself
are desirable.
The role which the private sector is able to play to provide specialist skills,
financing, ideas, skills, aptitudes etc. is evident in several projects. The
Cape Town projects are sound examples of how, if projects are packaged
correctly, a public/private partnership model is entirely appropriate. INK
and the KwaMashu town centre development are also opening up new and
exciting opportunities to draw private sector businesses and financing back
into township localities.
Lesson 5: Strengthening the local government LED
function
Local government has only recently become involved directly in local
economic development. In the past, the local government role has
typically been the creation of a physical and regulatory environment for
business. A consistent lesson from the nodes was that the effectiveness
of local authority-driven LED initiatives could be questioned. Key issues
in this regard are that LED units are typically new, and they are invariably
poorly staffed by officials who have inadequate experience in the business
and entrepreneurial world. Local government can only seriously engage
with LED if it resources this function. Alternatively, it will need to look
critically at its role in this regard and perhaps give consideration to a more
facilitatory, networking and supportive role with dedicated trade, business
and industry bodies and organizations. In conclusion, the commitment of
local government is appropriate; but it is in the execution or delivery of the
function that breakdowns are occurring.
Lesson 7: Capitalising on inherent economic strengths
The possibilities of partnership are, it is argued, something which should
be followed through more assertively. As Adrian Masson (INK) observed, if
one takes into account that the incomes generated by INK residents every
year exceed R3 billion, which is many times the overall INK redevelopment
budget, then there is a host of possibilities. Recognizing this, and thus
the opportunities which can be stimulated in terms of redevelopment,
reinvestment, new business ventures, and the expansion of productive
physical infrastructure, are all therefore important.
Lesson 8: Develop realistic plans
The reality of the nodal contexts may preclude a complete turnaround,
even in the medium to long term. It is idealistic to aim to transform each
node into a thriving urban hub with a full mix of activities, including
industries, factories, multiple jobs and the like. Mdantsane, for example, is
a predominantly residential area, as are INK, Motherwell, Khayelitsha and
others. This point is made to underline the contention that one needs to
understand the role and function of the urban node in its regional context.
As such, the realistic approach to economic development should not be to
try to draw into a node the full range of economic activities and functions.
These are located where they are because of historical reasons, advantages
National Urban Renewal Programme 77
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
of industrial location, infrastructure considerations, etc. and there is a
tremendous cost and inertia attached to reordering physical space.
Rather, it is argued, the more viable approach to economic stimulation, job
creation and income generation is to view the challenge from a greater
regional and even wider spatial perspective. The key developmental
concerns must therefore be directed towards enhancing accessibility to
opportunities, on the one hand, while ensuring the provision of a web
of essential, affordable and sustainable physical and social infrastructure
in the residential/community context on the other hand. As regards
enhancing accessibility, this is fundamentally to do with the building of
a social capital approach to development, so strongly advocated by the
INK project. Accessibility also needs to be understood from a spatial or
geographic sense; from a social sense in terms of appropriate education,
training and skills to access economic opportunity; and from a social capital
sense of promoting appropriate societal organisations, firms and entities
interacting in the economic milieu to create the landscape of business.
marketing strategies, directed at the appropriate audiences, is essential.
Attention needs to be given to packaging, profiling and communicating
these possibilities to external audiences, to potential investors and to
businesses in the metropolitan area. Changing the widespread perceptions
and negative stereotypes which exist in the minds of many is essential.
Lesson 11: Reviewing plans critically
The application of cost-benefit methodologies to some of the projects
initiated would be useful. For example, is it justifiable to spend R750
000 on the development of a car wash facility in Galeshewe to provide 20
jobs. Perhaps such an investment is inappropriate, or there may be other
projects offering better value for money. Another question one might pose
is whether the use of such funds, which are, of course,public monies, is
justifiable in their application for the benefit of a limited number of private
individuals. This argument applies also to the planned Bed and Breakfast
facility in Motherwell.
Lesson 9: Sustainability concerns
Lesson 12: Importance of marketing
Giving adequate attention to the sustainability of economic interventions
is critical. Concerns were raised, for example, about the attention given
to sustainability issues at the small business indicator in Motherwell; the
Mdantsane One-Stop-Shop has, reportedly, an uncertain future because of
funding allocation issues; the multi-purpose centre in Galeshewe is another
example of where inadequate attention has been given to the longer term
view. Issues of sustainability relate to the need for proper planning and
strategy formulation.
A useful lesson emerging from the Khayelitsha node is the value of utilizing
umbrella organizations to market and sell crafts. A key failing of crafters
generally is that – while their skill and ingenuity to manufacture a craft is
excellent – they often fail from a marketing perspective. Not only do small
crafting operations not have the time for such activities, they also typically
do not have transport or an ability to source and distribute craft wares into
specialist markets. In Khayelitsha, for example, a centralized marketing
function for crafters is provided by a local NGO. This organization has not
only set up a showroom in Khayelitsha, but it is able to distribute products
to specialist gift, curio, home and tourist stores within the peninsula and
beyond. This provides the crafters with a better chance of achieving
viability and longer term sustainability.
Lesson 10: Packaging, profiling, communicating
From an economic stimulation point of view and to encourage greater private
sector investment interest in nodes, a key lesson is that communication and
78 National Urban Renewal Programme
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 13: Managing procurement benefits
Preferential procurement approaches are to be welcomed and they are
impacting to provide primarily short-term employment. It is difficult to
assess generally the extent of employment and income generation gains as
obtaining reliable statistics is not easy.
When assessing preferential procurement activities, it is critical to recognize
that the successful application of such methodologies requires greater
management inputs. Without the commitment or capacity to make such
inputs, it is almost certain that problems will be encountered. For example,
additional management inputs are required to match-make established
with emerging contractors, as regards contract management, quality
control, cash flow management, lines of credit. Many examples exist,
however, of successful firms which have emerged to become significant
players in their own right and role-models within their own communities.
It does not necessarily pay dividends to grow the number of contractors in
an uncontrolled fashion. Rather, by focusing attention on a more limited
number, their training skills can be improved, they are more likely to obtain
new and additional contracts, and they are likely, over time, to grow in size
and ability to compete for more complex work. Their long-term viability
will thus be vastly enhanced.
Motherwell: Food gardens
3
Service delivery
Lesson 1: Physical capital vs. social capital
In some cases, it is necessary to make choices between infrastructureled or human development-led development. This does not mean that
investment neglects one or the other input, but that it is focused and
channeled within a strategy that prioritises either infrastructure or human
development. Several interviewees concurred that if an area requires basic
infrastructure such as sanitation, then this must be tackled first. The lack of
basic services constitutes a health and safety risk that must be addressed.
However, if adequate services are in place, then it is important to focus on
economic and social development before improving services to high levels.
In INK, the choice was made to focus on human development. There it was
considered that low but adequate and affordable levels of service exist,
while conditions of poverty and social need are extreme.
Once adequate basic infrastructure is in place, human development must
be the focus. This provides the necessary foothold on the development
ladder and also ensures that infrastructure is effectively utilised and can be
maintained and upgraded.
There are significant differences in the planning and implementation
of physical and social or economic projects. Projects such as economic
development interventions that require training and long lead times, or
educational interventions, may be ten-year projects, or even generational.
These longer term projects, in particular, need to be situated within a
strategic plan that embraces a long-term vision for the area and programmes
the projects in a prioritised way. They are generally projects that have
wide implications for the livelihoods of communities and that have a direct
impact on individual households. Physical projects are implemented more
quickly. In fact, projects such as road signage or paving are immediate,
short-term quick wins.
National Urban Renewal Programme 79
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
The social and economic projects are those that focus on structural issues
and issues of poverty that beset these areas. Where projects are only
focused on short-term and physical interventions, there is a danger that
the urban renewal programme does not focus on addressing the deepseated needs of an area and that it inclines towards ‘window-dressing’
interventions.
While large innovations are desirable, it is important not to discount the small
ones. A crime prevention project in Mdantsane, through which calendars
with strong anti-crime messages were distributed to every household, is
such an example. In the same project, sports events were used to promote
anti-crime strategies.
The Alexandra Renewal Project has recognised that sustainable
development is achieved through investment in both physical and human
capital. Exclusive focus on physical infrastructure development is unlikely
to generate long-term sustainable development in the absence of capacity
to engage with such development.
Sakhuluntu: An innovative housing project in Motherwell
Lesson 2: Maximising impact and innovation
The URPs are delivered in selected areas. Limits on resources dictate that
URPs will not be extended to all areas, but the impact of projects developed
in these areas need not be geographically confined. Since these are national
projects, project managers and implementers should be compelled to look
beyond the immediate area and to maximise the impact of initiatives. This
may be achieved through piloting innovative project ideas that can be
replicated elsewhere. It may also be achieved by choosing and developing
projects with high multiplier effects, such as, for example, an infrastructural
project that also provides job creation and environmental improvement.
There is a general concern that the urban renewal projects are not being
innovative enough. They have an opportunity to pilot innovative means
of implementing projects, particularly as they are well-placed to integrate
inputs across different departments. In Laura Bedford’s view, there is a
shortage of design innovation: “if you are building a road, why not include
a bicycle path?” There is also a shortage of integration in projects: “More
LED programmes can be incorporated into more projects”.
80 National Urban Renewal Programme
The Sakhuluntu project explores higher density housing alternatives which
have relevance to South Africa, and which are able to deliver in the context
of the housing subsidy provisions of government. Sakhuluntu is a Xhosa
word for “building communities”, and is a pilot project of 10 showhouses
constructed in Motherwell. The project, launched as an exhibition in 2005, is a
joint Swedish-South African venture to market new and alternative solutions to
higher density housing, and to display modern Swedish furniture design.
Interesting features of the project include:
 The overall project, when completed, will entail establishing a new
neighbourhood featuring 112 innovative and practical subsidy houses, as
well as 93 rental apartments
 The first phase of 10 showhouses (including semi-detached one storey
units, a single storey unit, double storey semi-detached units and double
storey row houses) was built around a courtyard to encourage community
interaction
 Houses showcase practical housing solutions, careful use of space,
simple finishes to contain costs and basic but robust furniture
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
 The Sakhuluntu Village, situated in a 2 hectare campus, is in the heart of
Motherwell near the developing CBD. The area surrounding the village
will host a community support centre, a cultural centre and a housing
association project, all SIDA-supported initiatives.
Lesson 3: Getting the scale and phasing right
The lesson lies in the importance of scaling projects according to the
ability of a local authority to maintain the inputs after implementation.
The phasing of physical projects in relation to the programmes that will be
run from these facilities must also be co-ordinated. A high-profile project
in Galeshewe, the Mayibuye Multi-Purpose Centre, is a key anchor project
in GURP, made possible following the allocation of a budget of R40 million
by the Department of Sports, Art and Culture in the province. Within
its campus, the centre will include rehearsal facilities for musicians and
actors, studios for other artists, a language training facility and workshops
for crafters. There is also a fully equipped gym with a basketball court,
a weights training room, an exercise circuit, and space for aerobics and
martial arts, and a conference centre is also allowed for in the plan. This
impressive facility may, however, prove to be more than the area can
maintain or sustain. Little information could be gleaned around the ongoing
funding of the centre or the management of planned activities within the
centre.
The same lesson around scaling projects according to long-term affordability
needs to be made for the level of servicing that is implemented in areas.
The affordability of these services to end users and to the local authority
must be taken into account. A lower level of affordable services may be
more appropriate in the long term than high levels of servicing that trap
beneficiaries in a cycle of inability to pay in the future. It is this logic that
informs the INK approach of ‘not fixing what is not broken’.
Lesson 4: Multiple benefits from relatively small projects
A relatively small project, such as an environmental project implemented
in Galeshewe, can have multiple spin-offs. An innovative plan initiated in
2001 by the municipality, and costing some R11 million, to recycle purified
effluent is making greening projects possible by enabling the provision of
an economically sustainable source of irrigation water. Funded by CMIP,
the municipality and the private sector, the construction of the project
began in 2002 and is due for completion in 2006.
The benefits of the project are significant and include the following:
 It enables excess treated effluent, which cannot be released into
Kamfer’s Dam (a natural wetland and bird sanctuary), to be used
for positive environmental management purposes such as urban
greening, pollution reduction, environmental mediation, eco-tourism
and resource management
 The construction works required generate employment and promote
poverty alleviation
 From a resource point of view, recycling and the reuse of a precious
limited resource is important
 It has raised the awareness of service provision in the area; the
community has noticeably started to participate and buy in to the
wider urban renewal initiative
 The community is also learning to expect quality work and end
product, and they are monitoring the provision of various forms of
infrastructure through steering committees and community liaison.
National Urban Renewal Programme 81
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
The project demonstrates the lessons learned from public-private
partnerships, local labour-based construction, the use of natural resources,
economic spin-offs and institutional management, to name but a few of the
aspects which could be transferred and used in the Northern Cape province
and South Africa.
The project below, with multiple benefits, can be found in the Cape Town
nodes.
Violence prevention through urban upgrading
The Peace and Development Project was launched in May 2005 by the MEC
for Community Safety and the Mayor of Cape Town as one of the strategies
to reduce crime in Khayelitsha. The URP (via the municipality) funded R500
000 for training and development of unemployed youth to work as peace
and development workers on a voluntary basis. So far, 100 young men and
women have volunteered and have been trained as peace development
workers; a further 100 will be selected each year. They are being trained to
identify situations which could lead to conflict and crime, and are being taught
skills that will help their future careers. The project is being piloted in Site
C, and is supported by Councillors, Ward Committees, and the Khayelitsha
Development Forum. Strategic issues relating to the programme are
discussed at Multi-Stakeholder meetings. The upscaling of this project is now
supported by a grant from the German Development Bank (KFW).
The “Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) programme” has
the following aims:
 To introduce and strengthen measures to reduce crime or violence
82 National Urban Renewal Programme
 To enhance the protection or care of vulnerable groups and victims
 To empower the beneficiary population to engage in economic and
income-generating activities
 To upgrade low-income neighbourhoods and ensure improved provision of
public and private and commercial services to the beneficiary population,
and
 To increase the safety of the beneficiary population.
The project will help create a stable environment for the community through
conflict management, by channelling the energy of the youth in positive ways,
and by encouraging residents to become more active in securing their own
safety and development.
4
Infrastructure and housing
Delivery across all urban renewal nodes has centred on infrastructure
and housing construction activities. The need for such infrastructure and
housing has many causes, not least to catch up with historical backlogs,
to upgrade informal settlements and to keep pace with the demands and
expectations of growing communities all over South Africa. The importance
of housing provision in the eyes of beneficiary communities was underlined
in an interview with a ward councillor in Khayelitsha, who noted his
constituents regarded the provision of housing as an example of urban
renewal, whereas the provision of social services could not be accorded the
same status.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 1: Balancing hard and soft projects
Lesson 4: Importance of a balanced housing strategy
While services and housing provision is critical, care must be taken to find
a balance between hard and soft project interventions. The interviewees
regularly expressed their concern about the high levels of funding
commitment for infrastructure projects and the inadequate commitment
towards social services, economic development and other human
development-related activities.
Most nodal programmes (except in the case of Alexandra) appear to have
no overall housing strategy. Such a strategy should analyse the needs
and issues involved and from this develop a detailed plan, strategy and
implementation programme. The housing plans assessed generally lack
an overall or a strategic approach. Housing projects are seen as one-off
or multiple interventions which address a target number, rather than a
series of deliberate interventions with address identified objectives and
outcomes.
Lesson 2: Beware of housing leading delivery
Housing-led urban renewal is an aspect of some concern, given both the
scale of housing projects, the extent of expenditure usually involved and
the strong visual impact of new housing delivery. Care must be given
to integrated planning approaches to ensure that the complementary
services and amenities are planned and budget for and, most importantly,
constructed timeously. This is not a new concern. However, it continues
to be a reality in urban areas and remains a critical development issue.
Motherwell is a prime example of this.
Lesson 3: Funding constraints
Provincial control over subsidy allocations was an aspect of real concern
to housing managers at the municipal level. Without adequate funding
co-ordination housing delivery targets cannot be met, especially in timebound renewal programmes. Improved levels of communication and more
co-ordinated planning between provinces and municipalities will assist in
improving the situation. However, one suspects that it will only be when
municipalities have obtained accreditation, and they are thus able to
prioritise their own spending, that the issue of who controls the purse
strings will be dealt with.
In addition:
 The housing options identified must be informed by sound socioeconomic data to ensure that preferences and affordability
considerations are taken into account. In Alexandra, for example, the
emphasis given to rental housing provision was questionable, when
what was needed was ownership housing to facilitate relocations
 The realism of certain strategies must be carefully assessed. For
example, the current intentions in Alexandra are for a block-byblock upgrading approach. Time will tell if this is feasible. Indeed,
no upgrading of old housing stock has taken place in the last 18
months, although the legal and procedural framework has been in
place since mid-2004
 Politics and housing are mostly inseparable. Unconsidered or illinformed political decisions can have huge impacts on the ability of
renewal programmes to deliver. For example, the hard reality is that
there is insufficient land to enable the rehousing of some 20 000
households in Greater Alexandra as has been decided politically
 Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) factors can undermine key projects
unless there is strong political leadership and backing. For example,
the Marlboro community have prevented the development of a key
social housing project of 3 000 new units near Alexandra.
National Urban Renewal Programme 83
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 5: Implications of unrealistic standards
The issue of unrealistic housing standards and the implications of this
emerged in a number of projects, particularly in the Eastern Cape. The
implications of such actions include a slow-down in the rate of delivery,
quality of construction can be impacted negatively, contractor failure and
stalled projects and distortions in the manner in which other public funding
is applied (e.g. MIG grants). Although politicians may be able to secure
short-term gains by pressurising contractors to deliver 40m² houses for
the value of a housing subsidy, the retention of such requirements for any
length of time has significantly more negative implications.
Lesson 6: Upgrading historically significant housing
The Galeshewe programme raised issues around upgrading houses with
historical value. The detailed case study deserves review by practitioners as
it provides an example of how a community-centred upgrading programme
can be successful if well-managed and directed. However, the longer
term maintenance issues of those houses which were upgraded still need
attention. Furthermore, the housing subsidy mechanism is not structured
appropriately to facilitate the upgrading of historical structures.
Lesson 7: Land availability
Issues associated with land and, particularly, with its early identification and
approval for township development purposes, its suitability for development,
and the availability of bulk services deserve further comment.
The Alexandra programme has been negatively impacted by the limited
availability of suitable land for new housing development. A key lesson
during the early years was that without the real buy-in of the City of
Johannesburg, sourcing the necessary land and alternative housing
arrangements was not practically possible. Accessing land for housing, for
example, on the Mia land near Alexandra illustrated clearly that there is a
84 National Urban Renewal Programme
hierarchy of political muscle. In this instance, the relevant provincial MEC
buckled under pressure from the national level. In effect, the real lesson of
this was that if the coalition of political and administrative forces had been
stronger (provincial and municipal) and stood together in the best interests
of the Alexandra Renewal Programme (to deliver 10 000 new homes on
the Mia land), then the outcome may well have been different. Powerful
political champions are a necessity at times when the chips are down. The
battle for the Mia land was a test of political leadership: it was also an
example of the forces of realpolitik.
Lesson 8: Innovation and pilot projects
The Motherwell node illustrated the importance of innovative pilot projects
to test out new ideas, concepts, and materials. In Alexandra, innovative
schemes have been developed in projects such as President Place, in a
proposed Shorebank housing model and others. The variety of special
needs housing projects in Alexandra also deserves special mention, as
these are examples of how housing and social service departments (and
assisted by NGOs) can work together to deliver useful projects. A centre
for abused women, cluster homes in Extension 7 for orphaned/abandoned
children and the Lerato Love Home are all examples of innovative projects.
It is arguable that nodal programmes as a whole have not given sufficient
attention to innovative housing schemes.
Lesson 9: Relocations
The need to relocate and rehouse families was a feature of a number of
nodal programmes, none more so than Alexandra with its high densities
and extensive shack communities. Relocations are often difficult and
controversial and must be done sensitively and with the necessary political
backing. The value of detailed operational planning to ensure successful
relocations was underlined with the relocation of some 8 000 households
from the banks of the Jukskei River.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 10: Relationship with emergency services
The importance of developing a close working relationship between housing
and emergency services personnel needs to be stressed in relation to the
persistent fires on the Cape Flats and those in the shack communities of
Alexandra. Although this aspect of housing was not discussed directly in
the nodal analysis concerned, it is interesting to observe that both Cape
Town and Johannesburg have devised specific response strategies to deal
with emergencies in the housing environment. Furthermore, the value
of early warning detection systems and having fast and effective local
response teams has been recognized. In Alexandra, the bucket brigades
have received training and equipment which has helped them to save lives
and property in their community.
Lesson 11: Social housing lessons
Social housing lessons have been identified and include:
 The importance of effective property management to ensure the
viability of schemes
 Understanding the expectations of communities, and most
particularly the general preference for ownership products
 Ensuring that those to be rehoused can afford the rentals to be
charged
 The need for viable and capacitated social housing institutions.
Lesson 12: Support for self-help processes
In only one of the nodes visited were any efforts being made to implement
a people’s housing process programme. In the case of Motherwell, this
was being done with support from SIDA, a key donor partner. In the
instance of INK, where there was a very high level of emphasis given to
assisting communities to do the maximum for themselves, one expected to
see other examples of self-help housing approaches. Perhaps additional
attention needs to be given to this form of housing delivery.
Lesson 13: The long-term view
The majority of urban renewal project funding commitments are being
expended on servicing and construction-related projects. The expenditure
of sufficient public funds to ensure the maintenance of services, construction
and public buildings is thus critical in the longer term. Concerns were
raised in a number of nodes that the level of infrastructure being provided
was unrealistically high. It was also noted that the levels of infrastructure
were being driven from a political level, rather than being driven from
an operational perspective. The sensitivity of the level of services and
standards applied is acknowledged in the South African context where
it is critical to improve living conditions for all. Nevertheless, the longterm ability of municipalities to maintain new infrastructure and services
provided is still a relevant consideration.
Lesson 14: Mentoring
Successful programme management requires a blend of hard technical
abilities and a range of social, interactive and personal abilities. The
value of twinning such managers with persons with years of experience
and technical ability was underlined in INK, Mdantsane, Motherwell and
Galeshewe. Equally, the role played by the use of specialist managers
drawn in usually from the private sector needs to be noted. The relatively
young age of most programme managers, and thus the limited extent of
their experience, reinforces the view that mentoring can play a vital role to
strengthen management processes. The support of foreign donor agency
personnel is to be commended.
National Urban Renewal Programme 85
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
5
Social services
Co-ordination, co-operation and effective delivery from social service
departments is an issue across all nodes. The reasons for this appear to
have many causes including:
 The extent of budgets available which can be committed by municipal
and provincial departments to achieve a concentrated impact on
social services delivery at a designated node
 Alignment and commitment issues, particularly from certain
provincial government departments
 Capacity and skilling issues generally in that while social service
practioners may well be good at taking a case history, they invariably
make for weak project managers of bricks and mortar projects
 The seriousness of the social issues which are being experienced at
community level and the fact that available resources are stretched
very thinly.
Lesson 1: Project management abilities
Engelbrecht commented that the social services departments generally did
not have a good delivery record in Alexandra. Consideration should be
given to special training and mentoring to enable social service personnel
to operate more effectively in a spatial/physical/project management/
construction context. It must be recognised that social services personnel
have previously had limited experience in management of project cycle
routines and disciplines, yet are now being called on to run projects.
Lesson 2: Role of champions
From a social services perspective the importance of project champions
is valid. Such role models include, for example, the City of Cape Town
86 National Urban Renewal Programme
health professional responsible for driving the HIV/AIDS programmes
in Khayelitsha, the Chief Director (Gauteng) who took over the Welfare
programme for Alexandra and really made a difference, or the INK social
services official who has managed the asset-mapping exercise. The
involvement of key persons with passion and a strong work ethic energises
delivery and makes a difference.
Lesson 3: Having a basic infrastructure
There are instances of project managers responsible for multiple projects
(worth millions of Rands) struggling with the lack of basic infrastructure
(office, computer, stationery) to enable them to work effectively. A clear
lesson must therefore be that it is incumbent on programme managers
to do all that is possible to assist those who form part of the programme
delivery team to ensure that they are equipped to function to the best of
their abilities.
Lesson 4: Breaking dependency moulds
An overarching lesson from INK is the celebration of human potential.
Other nodes, particularly those in the Eastern Cape, spoke often of the
reliance placed on welfare grants, the reality of ‘economic depression’, and
of the need to find employers and not employees. While the state has
made considerable and necessary efforts to strengthen the social security
net in the last decade, it is important to remain vigilant in order to limit the
creation of unhealthy dependencies in marginalized communities. Social
nets need to be balanced with community empowerment.
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
6
Greening and environmental
interventions
Considerable efforts are being made to enhance the environmental
conditions in all nodal programmes. Multiple lessons can be distilled from
an assessment of environmental projects.
Lesson 1: Islands of green
The aesthetic and environmental benefits of concentrated and strategic
planting of indigeous trees and shrubs was noted in Galeshewe, INK and
Motherwell.
Lesson 2: Food security
Projects have assisted in enhancing food security in many nodes, including
INK, Mdantsane, Motherwell and Khayelitsha. Such projects not only
underwrite the dignity of the poor to grow essential food for themselves
and their families, but also supplement incomes through the sale of surplus
produce. Critical to the success of these initiatives is the organization of
individuals into groups or co-operatives, and supporting them with inputs,
basic tools, seeds, advice, access to land in some instances and access to
water.
Lesson 3: Role of schools
Numerous nodal environment programmes recognize the importance of
the school environment in reaching formative minds and to encourage
knowledge about, and respect for, one’s environment. Particular mention
must be made of various INK initiatives which work closely with educational
authorities, school governing bodies and the school-children themselves.
The value of utilizing the services of a highly experienced NGO to manage
the programme was also appreciated.
Lesson 4: DEAT: A green beacon
The importance of DEAT-funded projects has been noted repeatedly in the
individual nodal assessments. The funding support has enabled a variety of
environmental, and particularly tourist-related projects to be undertaken.
In many cases the projects are in the early stages of implementation, so it is
too early to comment on issues of sustainability. A particularly noteworthy
aspect of DEAT-funded activities is the seconding of a person to work from
within individual project management units at the nodal level. As noted
in the nodal assessments, this person is considered a useful resource to
bridge the gap between the first and third spheres of government.
Lesson 5: Greening and relocations
The large-scale relocations out of the Jukskei River in Alexandra required
the environmental planners to ensure that there was a plan and that
immediate environmental improvements took place as soon as possible
after relocations had been completed. This has resulted in the community
that was not relocated appreciating that not only were relocations necessary
for health and safety concerns, but also that they would enable the banks
of the Jukskei to be transformed into a green lung and a prime open space.
The value of this space is now widely appreciated in Alexandra. No further
invasions of this area have taken place since 2001.
Lesson 6: Promoting civic pride
Some of the projects visited had unfortunately experienced vandalism
and the wilful destruction of park benches, playground equipment, trees
planted, and graffiti. Those who were managing the situation on the ground
emphasized the need for continual outreach programmes to educate the
community, and also of the value of establishing friends-of-the park-type
organizations in which surrounding residents groups ’police’ their asset.
Continued vigilance will be essential to minimize this negative aspect.
National Urban Renewal Programme 87
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 7: Indigenous planting
There is support for the planting of muti plants in the INK and the Eastern
Cape projects. This is a worthwhile utilization of available land and energies,
which is also helping to limit the damage to the veld in certain municipalities.
Another aspect of note is the preference being shown for the growing of
hardy, and in some cases drought-resistant, trees and shrubs. Motherwell,
Mitchell’s Plain and Galeshewe are examples where this has taken place.
7
Public safety
The management of crime is a key concern in all nodes, as is the control of
anti-social activities such as alcohol abuse, drug trading, and prostitution.
Indeed, it is fair to note that a concern about crime and criminality was one
of the key concerns which prompted the identification of certain nodal areas
in the first instance. The link between crime management and an improved
business and investment environment has also been recognised.
Lesson 1: Inter-governmental co-operation
A number of nodes indicated difficulties in obtaining sufficient provincial level
co-operation. The issue was raised for both Mdantsane and Motherwell.
Concerns about capacity were raised as regards provincial safety officials.
For example, in Motherwell the difficulty in obtaining a response from the
province was noted while in Mdantsane the length of time taken by the
police hierarchy to make decisions was raised as an issue.
Lesson 2: Role of leadership
The Alexandra Programme is an excellent example of the local Commissioner
playing a critical role in support of safety and security projects. This
observation emphasizes the role which local champions are able to play
and the impact of such role. The Commissioner was provided with extensive
support from 2001 to 2005 by the designated consultant, which made a
significant difference, as capacity issues are often an aspect of considerable
concern within the police services.
Galeshewe: Part of the greening project
88 National Urban Renewal Programme
Lessons Learnt
in the implementation of the Urban Renewal Programme
Lesson 3: Crime management tools: the latest
The importance of utilizing the latest crime management tools was noted
in a number of nodes. For example, three useful tools being applied are
incident or crime-mapping using GIS technology; environmental design to
minimize incidents; and CCTV cameras. The police are generally making
excellent efforts to deploy their limited resources in a more targeted and
focused manner, and better use of technology and information is key in
this regard.
8
Communication
All nodal programmes engage with external audiences and constituencies
via communication programmes of varying degrees of sophistication and
refinement. Points arising from reviewing these strategies include:
 multi-media are available to communicate with one’s chosen
audience. The selection of the correct media is important for
effective communication
 the use of community radio stations was identified in Motherwell
Lesson 4: By-law enforcement
Bill Bratton, Chief of Police (New York City), is famous for his ‘broken
window’ policy. Petty crime management and the more stringent application
of existing by-laws is important and helps demonstrate that the laws of the
land are paramount. For example, consistent patrols in Alexandra by the
Metro Police have been useful to control the siting of informal sector traders’
stalls, particularly in the highly congested Pan Africa area; in monitoring
the activities of open-air butcheries which both slaughter and distribute
meat on the pavements of Alexandra; in taking speedy action against those
erecting shacks on pavement spaces and public areas; and curbing the
illegal dumping of builders’ waste. By-law enforcement is one example of
local government exercising its powers and functions to improve the quality
of life of local residents. It is, however, important to note that this by-law
enforcement is a situation of the City acting against informality. This action,
while permitting environmental and aesthetic upgrading, has consequences
for poverty and for income generation that cannot be ignored in contexts of
extremely low income levels.
and Alexandra. The use of this medium is worth considering, where
available
 the use of communication professionals is considered important to
plan for and arrange specific strategies and events
 communication must be directed not only at township audiences;
as noted earlier communication can be a useful tool to target new
external audiences, as a means to market opportunities and as a
means to change negative perceptions and stereotypes
 across virtually all nodes, the desirability of greater inter-nodal
communication and cross-fertilization of experiences was raised.
The valuable role which the Department of Provincial and Local
Government could play in this regard was raised on various
occasions.
National Urban Renewal Programme 89
ISBN 0-620-37144-7
Alexandra
Galeshewe
Inanda
KwaMashu
Khayelitsha
Mitchell’s Plain
Mdantsane
Motherwell
87 Hamilton Street, Arcadia, Pretoria
Private Bag X804, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
Telephone:+27 (0) 12 334 0600
Facsimile: +27 (0) 12 334 0904
Website: www.dplg.gov.za