Cape Town welcomes changes to DDM regulations, resolving intergovernmental dispute
15 March 2026
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has welcomed the amended District Development Model regulations released for public comment on 13 March. This follows a successful engagement process between COGTA and the City, which had declared a formal intergovernmental dispute due to the unconstitutional and unlawful District Development Model regulations, which came into effect in May 2024 under the Intergovernmental Relations Framework (IGFR) Act.
‘We welcome these changes which substantially overhaul the original District Development Model regulations, and which resolve the objection that Cape Town had raised that the regulations were a constitutional overreach into the powers of local governments.
‘Local governments are independently elected, imbued with extensive original powers by the Constitution, and they may pursue their own policies and objectives. They are not mere sub-branches of the national government. The successful resolution of this dispute has underscored this important principle in our constitutional framework,' said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
The original regulations mandated each municipality to draw up a ‘One Plan’ for ultimate ‘approval’ by the COGTA Minister and ‘adoption’ by the National Cabinet.
These clauses are now removed entirely, resolving the most serious of the City’s objections. The City’s dispute pointed out that these powers would infringe on local government’s constitutional autonomy and responsibility to regulate municipal planning under section 155 (6)(a) and (7) of the Constitution.
The City’s dispute further stated that the ‘One Plan’ is a wasteful duplication of the existing five-year strategic planning processes in municipalities, and could not lawfully replace or conflict with municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), which are already consulted with all spheres of government, residents, and stakeholders.
The regulations would have further added a major red tape and bureaucracy that would’ve diverted municipal resources.
Instead, the amended regulations propose collaborative support to municipalities for long-term strategic planning in line with the constitution.
‘While Cape Town had formally declared an intergovernmental dispute, there was no need to appoint a mediator thanks to the constructive engagement process with both the COGTA Minister and his Department, which has now resulted in these amended regulations. This is cooperative governance in action, and we look forward to the proclamation of the new regs in the near future,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
