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POLICY AND REGULATORY CONTEXT

Spatial planning needs to bring together service delivery interventions of various sectors in a way that
maximises spending efficiencies and delivers substantial developmental benefits. Hence stakeholders
need to pay attention to the spatial implications of their activities and to contribute to spatial transformation.

National Spatial Development Framework

The National Spatial Development Framework is a long-term national spatial planning instrument that is
(1) mandated by SPLUMA, (2) is aligned with the National Development Plan (NDP), and (3) serves as an
official national spatial development policy for implementation throughout the country. As such, it provides:
(1) An overarching spatial development framework including a set of principle-driven spatial investment
and development directives for all three spheres and sectors of government, meaning ‘where, when,
what type, and how much to invest and spend throughout the country; and

(2) A set of strategic spatial areas of national importance from an ecological, social, economic and/or ICT
or movement infrastructure perspective, to be targeted by both government and the private sector in
the pursuit of strategic national development objectives, or to avert national crises.

It serves as a spatial transformation framework that sets out a carefully-planned and well-managed process
of placing infrastructure, social services and economic activities in settlements in such a way that (1) the
segregated spatial patterns inherited from colonial and Apartheid times are broken down, and (2) the
inefficiencies, injustices and inequalities in access to opportunities resulting from these past patterns are

corrected.
Municipal Systems Act

The Municipal Systems Act, 2000, requires that each Municipality must have an Integrated Development
Plan (IDP). This must include a spatial development framework that describes the existing and future
spatial patterns that provide for integrated, efficient and sustainable settlements. This framework sets out,
among other things, new development areas, major movement routes, areas targeted for redressing past
imbalances and spatial reconstruction, and where infrastructure development should take place.
Intergovernmental Relations Act

The objective of the Intergovernmental Relations Act, 2005, is to provide, within the principle of co-operative
government, a framework for the national government, provincial governments and local governments,
and all organs of state within those governments, to facilitate coordination in the implementation of policy
and legislation, including coherent government; effective provision of services; monitoring implementation
of policy and legislation; and realisation of national priorities.
Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act

The Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) 2013 is the national legislation applicable
to all spatial planning in South Africa. It basically reinforces the vision set out by the NDP to deal with the
serious socio-economic issues crippling South Africa through spatial transformation.

SPLUMA introduces a new spatial planning system which now places the local municipality at the centre
of spatial planning and decision making related to land use management. It requires all spheres of
government (national, provincial, regional and local) to prepare a Spatial Development Framework (SDF).
A Municipal SDF must be aligned with its respective regional, provincial and national SDFs.

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