CSP works with national government departments to shift policy in a way that makes it easier for cities to work more efficiently; and at the same time working with cities to ensure economic growth and a reduction in poverty. While support to cities may not be immediately perceived as the work of National Treasury, there is sound reasoning for this department's involvement. National Treasury is concerned with efficiencies in the way money is spent. Its mandate is to ensure that there is 'value-for-money' for this spend. The IGR division within National Treasury is well-placed to make this assessment and to provide guidance on how to improve this across national provincial and local government. It is in this context that CSP does its work with its focused agenda on South African cities.

The CSP is a demand-driven programme that covers a range of support mechanisms to metropolitan municipalities and the broader intergovernmental environment. It works across divisions in National Treasury, and with other national departments, to ensure a continuous, consistent and focused lens is brought to bear on the challenges posed to, and the opportunities for, inclusive urban growth.

Working with metropolitan municipalities’ the programme seeks to increase cities contribution to inclusive economic growth through the unblocking of urban infrastructure bottlenecks; restructuring the apartheid city through the preparation of strategically located catalytic urban development projects, harnessing private sector capital to accelerate infrastructure investment and reducing the cost of doing business.