The Consolidation of Municipal Transformation Programme (CMTP)

The Consolidation of Municipal Transformation Programme (CMTP) has been a five-year, £11 million programme funded in terms of a bilateral agreement between United Kingdom Department for International Development (UK DFID) and the South African government.

The goal of the CMTP was to assist in the consolidation of accountable local democracy and pro-poor service delivery. Its purpose was to support the emergence of municipalities that offer democratic participation and wider, affordable and financially sustainable service delivery. This translated into  support for the development of well-structured, informed local municipalities, that comply with legislation, encourage citizen participation and reflect citizens’ needs and priorities.

The CMTP was a forerunner to both Project Consolidate and the intergovernmental system, providing both hands-on support to eight municipalities in three provinces and supporting the development of good governance and co-operation in a number of thematic areas. These included:

- Municipal journalism – enhancing the skills of local journalists responsible for reporting on local government issues as well as more effective engagement with the media by both municipalities and communities.

- Anti-corruption – supporting the anticorruption strategy being developed by DPLG.

- HIV/Aids – support for strategies at local government level.

During the course of the programme, the CMTP worked closely with the Department of Provincial and Local Government, National Treasury and the South African Local Government Association.

This resource is aimed at sharing some of the lessons and issues that arose during the course of the programme, in the hope of sharing the lessons learnt with the wider municipal and intergovernmental relations community.