ABMArea Based20 LessonsManagement Learned from ABM EXPERIENCESeThekwini Municipality ABMArea Based Management Durban SouthABMArea Africa Based Management ABMArea BasedEXPERIENCES Management 2003 - EXPERIENCES2008 EXPERIENCES ABMArea Based Management ABMArea Based Management EXPERIENCES EXPERIENCES ABMArea Based Management EXPERIENCES Published by the Corporate Policy Unit eThekwini Municipality, Durban, South Africa First Edition, June 2011 This book has not been copyright protected. Given the intention of the book and the City’s commitment to the sharing of knowledge, it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means if it furthers the interests of building knowledge capital for long term planning and urban sustainability, particularly in the developing world. Written by: Fezile Njokweni Edited by: Peter Machen Cover Artwork and Layout Design : Thomas Ferreira Should you have any comments on this publication, you are welcome to contact the Corporate Policy Unit on 27- 31- 322-4521 or e-mail : [email protected] Photo contributions: Prakash Bhikha, Thomas Ferreira, Nick Brubaker Contents A Message from the Mayor 2 Acknowledgments 3 1.0 Introduction 5 1.1 About this book 1.2 A short history of the ABM programme 1.3 Learning from lessons learned 1.4 Research metholodogy used for this book 1.5 Background to the eThekwini Municipality 1.6 Establishment of the programme 2.0 About the Five ABMs 13 2.1 Inanda Ntuzuma KwaMashu (INK) 2.2 Cato Manor 2.3 South Durban Basin 2.4 iTRUMP 2.5 Rural Areas 3.0 Top 20 lessons from the implementation of the programme 25 3.1 Vision, commitment and leadership 3.2 Communication and coordination 3.3 Planning, policy and research 3.4 Implementation 3.5 Institutional 4.0 Conclusions and future research 39 4.1 Achieving an effective ABM programme 4.2 Outcomes and sustainability of ABMs 4.3 In Summary 4.4 Future Research Resources and further reading 46 Abbreviations and Acronyms 46 ABM Lessons Learnt | 1 Message from Leadership The eThekwini Municipality is committed to and community participation. As the five ABM help erode poverty and underdevelopment in offices wind down, they will be incorporated eThekwini, particularly in those areas where into existing Municipal structures, ensuring the the social and economic impact of apartheid is continuation of various long term projects and still keenly felt. To this end, we have embarked the passing-on of the institutional knowledge on many innovative projects to help tackle the and experience which was gained through the substantial challenges faced in the region. programme. One of the largest and most extensive of these This book contains many of the lessons learned projects has been the Area Based Management during the programme’s lifespan. These lessons (ABM) programme, which provided a geographic are of great value, not only in terms of instituting focus on development. This programme, which ABM programmes in other areas, but also was funded in part by the European Union, who from a broader developmental and institutional also provided expert assistance, has gone some perspective. As such it should be required reading way in countering underdevelopment in the five for all management-level employees of eThekwini areas selected for the programme. Municipality. If the lessons learned over the course of this extensive project are incorporated into These five areas are Cato Manor, the South municipal structures and day-to-day operations, it Durban Basin, Inanda-Ntuzuma-KwaMashu (INK), will help to improve service delivery and provide the inner city and the rural areas of eThekwini. In a better life for all. 2003, these five ABMs made their first steps in a journey that has taught us much about optimising Councillor James Nxumalo approaches to development, economic growth Mayor, eThekwini Municipality ABM Lessons Learnt | 2 Acknowledgements This book was prepared on the basis of erstwhile ABM Programme Office for the time interviews conducted with the various Area Based they spent in providing detailed and frank insights Management (ABM) staff members and available into the programme, and for the organisation of reports and literature. The Municipal Institute information pertaining to the ABMs. of Learning (MILE) would like to thank all the ABM teams for their co-operation, the collection Logistical support and other arrangements made of data and their openness and honesty. Their by Lungile Shabalala (Candidate Researcher) and assistance and generosity in sharing information Janice Lee Moodley (Website Intern) in the initial and insights into the projects is acknowledged stages were greatly appreciated. We would also with gratitude. like to thank The Communication Factory for editing and proofreading the draft script of the Several members of the MILE team made book. And finally, the Project Manager wishes to important contributions to this book and the thank Sogen Moodley for his inestimable help in overall ABM programme. We would like to the compilation and writing up of this book. thank Collin Pillay and Gonie Dorasammy of the ABM Lessons Learnt | 3 Introduction 1In 2003 the eThekwini Municipality announced programme. It is hoped that it will be used as a the adoption of the Area Based Management resource by other municipalities experiencing and Development Programme. Five geographic similar development-related challenges. areas were identified, with the intention of addressing the twin challenges of poverty and Now that the programme is coming to an end, the underdevelopment and, in turn, improving the emphasis has shifted from execution to providing lives of the residents. These were also viewed a knowledge base which can inform structured as learning areas in which the municipality could learning activities and facilitate knowledge-sharing gain experience which could then be applied to between municipalities facing similar challenges, other areas in the eThekwini Municipal Area particularly those related to transformation and (EMA). The lessons that were learned from the institutional reform. It is within this context that implementation of the ABM programme, thanks the municipality formed the Municipal Institute to the concerted efforts of the municipality of Learning (MILE) to nurture and grow an and the European Union which helped to fund approach to knowledge-sharing that is embedded the programme, have contributed significantly in municipal processes, as well as to share towards addressing development challenges and experiences and position the municipality as a helping to improve the lives of all who live in learning organization. eThekwini. These lessons will also afford other municipalities in South Africa and beyond an It is hoped that municipal practitioners who read opportunity to strengthen area-based initiatives this book will be able to use the experiences and and interventions. lessons learned in the five ABM programmes in order to improve and consolidate their approaches This book seeks to build on the Independent towards service delivery for the betterment of Review of the ABM programme, which was all. The implementation of the programme has conducted in 2009, and to share the experiences shown that the principle of a deliberate approach and lessons learned in the implementation of the that is area-based and focused on reducing ABM Lessons Learnt | 5 poverty can produce encouraging results that are of area-based initiatives and similar programmes worth sharing. We hope that the lessons detailed within your municipality. in this book will go a long way towards assisting in the rollout of other programmes that address We also envisage that this book will form part poverty and underdevelopment. of a suite of knowledge products delivered by eThekwini Municipality and MILE to assist practitioners, policy makers and funders of ABMs 1.1 About this book around the world to improve service delivery and use scarce resources more efficiently, while In 2003 eThekwini Municipality took a decision to avoiding commonly known mistakes. These follow the path of learning-by-doing, an innovative knowledge products will also help to craft and new approach to local governance. The responses that fit into a local environment while intention was to explore the potential of direct considering the broader contexts of regeneration, and focused interventions to drive change in upgrading, renewal, urban management and underdeveloped areas with unique developmental development in general. challenges. From this starting point, the municipality set about conducting a sustained campaign In the absence of an existing knowledge against poverty and underdevelopment, utilising management and learning framework in the the resources of all line-function departments in municipality, this book is an attempt to capture a coordinated manner. the ABM experiences in a systematic fashion. It seeks to extend the benefits associated with It is important to note that the resultant ABM experience-based learning to development programme embodies the principles, outcomes practitioners and political leaders. It further and objectives of local government transformation aims to reflect on the work of the ABMs from a as defined in various legislative frameworks, knowledge-driven perspective and chart a more policies and programmes in the post apartheid formalized path for how knowledge is captured, era, and thus forms part of the municipality’s used, documented and shared. mandate from national government. It is also sincerely hoped that this book will prove