Cape Town declares dispute over ‘unconstitutional’ District Development Model regulations

By Irma Venter

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the city has declared a formal intergovernmental dispute owing to what it calls the “unconstitutional and unlawful” District Development Model regulations, which came into effect in May this year under the Intergovernmental Relations Framework (IGFR) Act.

In a letter to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Velenkosini Hlabisa, Hill-Lewis writes that the regulations unlawfully infringe on local government’s constitutional role of municipal planning, amounting to a red-tape burden without adding value to local government outcomes.

According to the city’s interpretation, the new regulations mandate each municipality to draw up a “One Plan”, together with other spheres of government, for ultimate approval by the Cogta Minister and adoption by Cabinet.

“The regulations further introduce an unlawful veto power for Cogta over the contents of the One Plan, which infringes on local government’s constitutional autonomy and responsibility to regulate municipal