Free State – Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Our vision

Integrated, responsive and developmental local governance in the Free State Province.

Our mission

The Department strives to strengthen inter-sectoral cooperation and support municipalities and Traditional Leaders towards effective service delivery through:

• Integrated and sustainable planning and development
• Partnerships
• Research
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Accountability

Our values

The Department’s inherent values, as informed by Batho Pele principles, are:

• Results-driven
• Professionalism and integrity
• Responsiveness
• Accountable and transparent
• Value for money
• Collaborative leadership

Main services

• To oversee and co-ordinate the establishment, monitoring, regulating, strengthening, supporting and capacitating of municipalities in terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
• To integrate and coordinate disaster management, including the prevention and/or the reduction of the risk of disasters and/or mitigation of the severity of disasters.
• To render professional advice regarding the physical and spatial elements of land development.
• To manage the process of integrated development planning by municipalities.
• To ensure safe, salubrious, economic and environmentally friendly development.
• To submit all applications for land development and land use changes to the Townships Board for consideration and in turn submit the recommendations of the Townships Board to the MEC.
• To ensure the upgrading of land tenure rights in the Free State, conduct investigations and lodge deeds of transfer in terms of the Conversion of Certain Rights into Leasehold or Ownership Act, 1988 (Act 81/1988).
• To facilitate the opening of township registers as well as assisting municipalities and to access available state land for developmental purposes.
• To oversee and co-ordinate the establishment, monitoring, regulating, strengthening supporting and capacitating of traditional leadership in terms of the Constitution.
• To support traditional leadership through mobilizing resources, expertise an d development and support programmes and monitor the extent to which traditional leadership complies with legislation.