These are unprecedented times. COVID – 19 is affecting all parts of the globe in many ways. As a result of this pandemic, the South African government has chosen to deploy all kinds of resources to municipalities to help them proactively address this pandemic.

You have just been appointed by the National Treasury Department to provide
“municipal planning” services to the Kwa DuKuza Local Municipality as a consultant.

At your inception meeting with the newly appointed municipal manager she has admitted that she comes from the private sector and has limited knowledge of government. She has a press conference in two days and as your first task as a consultant to the municipality she has instructed you to do the following:

– Provide a contextual understanding of the municipality (geographic location, physical, infrastructure social, economic – think status quo) anything that can help the municipal manager understand her municipality better;

– Provide a comprehensive understanding of the concept of “local government”.
Show how the concept has evolved internationally and how this has influenced the concept of local government in South Africa;

– Provide a rationale and understanding of what “municipal planning” is comprised of in the South African context and what the various core plans that make up a municipal plan are. Each of these need to be explained in the context of the following:
• Legislation
• Key components of each plan
• How the various plans relate to each other (within local government and between the spheres of government)
– Provide some guidance to the municipal manager on how she should address the concept of municipal planning in this municipality during her period as municipal manage;
– Provide some guidance to the municipal manager on what she should do to immediately address the issue of COVID – 19 in her municipality.