20 February 1997
The South African Communist Party in the Western Cape Province strongly opposes and rejects the National Party's spatial development strategy as advocated in their Draft Planning and Development Bill.
WE reject the National Party's insistence on old planning mechanisms aimed at perpetuating apartheid. With this bill the National Party wants to substitute the Development Facilitation Act passed by National Parliament by, retaining elements of the Land Use Planning Ordinances (15 of 1985,LUPO) LUPO when passed was premised on apartheid laws and policies of racial segregation.
The SACP is concerned about the procedures in the draft bill for public participation, consultation and accountability in decision-making and especially the powers which are allocated to the MEC. It shows that the National Party still wants to govern in an autocratic way and is attempting to continue undermining the democratic principles and the majority of the people who are interested in participating in determining their own development path.
Further-more this bill clearly and openly undermines the constitutional powers allocated to local government. Schedule 4(B) of the new constitution gives local government the right to carry out municipal planning and make by laws to ensure effective administration of such matters. However this bill impedes on the right and it effectively threatens the ability of local government to deliver.
The DFA enables speedily delivery through fast track development mechanisms such housing and social delivery. Instead the National Party opts for the opposite which bureaucratic delivery and tightens control over the decision making to a single body called MEC.
The political strategy underpinning the above bill, is a clear and open agenda by national party to frustrate economic development for the disadvantaged majority in our province. It seeks to ensure that the RDP is not realised in the Western Cape, thus perpetuating the suffering of our people and te class inequalities in our society. This exhibits the attitude of National Party on the problems of the majority who are unemployed, living in poverty, homeless and in need of the RDP.
Western Cape Provincial Office