Date: 15/02/2010
Source: The Democratic Alliance
Title: DA: Doman: Speech by the Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, during the Debate on the State of the Nation Address, Parliament




The fact that a Turnaround Strategy for Local Government was approved is an honest acknowledgement by the Government that South Africa has a crisis at the majority of municipalities. We are plagued by a delivery crisis, with more than 50 major protests at municipalities since the election, with R58 billion in debt owed to them and a 12% vacancy rate at senior management level. Mr. President, you refer to water losses. At the 12 municipalities in Gauteng alone, it amounted to a loss of 1,295 billion rand in the previous financial year.

Dit gaan ons nie help om net die vinger te wys na die ANC raadslede wat hoofsaaklik vir die gebrek aan dienslewering verantwoordelik is nie. Wat nodig is, is dat die regering en die ANC die leierskap en politieke wil openbaar om hierdie omkeer strategie deur te voer.

Die DA stem volkome saam met wat die President verlede jaar in Khayelitsha gesê het :

"We must find ways of attracting the best technical, managerial and financial minds to our municipalities, even the most remote, to effect a turnaround".

Mr President, there is one way of attracting them: appoint them on merit, ensure that they are fit for the purpose and stop cadre deployment. Cadre deployment - the National Democratic Revolution policy of the ANC - single-handedly destroyed the capacity at our municipalities within 10 years of the first full democratic local government elections on 5 December 2000.

What do we find?

All contract positions, the section 57 appointments as we refer to the managerial positions, are reserved for the politically connected, who in many cases totally lack the skills and I am sorry to say, the integrity for the positions they occupy. The third municipal manager of Tshwane is now under provisional suspension, with full pay. Two municipal managers left while under suspension with huge golden handshakes before disciplinary hearings were concluded.

With these appointments the Peters principle then kicked in. Incompetent managers appoint incompetent staff to protect themselves. And another, the unintended consequence was that the career staff - who still today do the bulk of the good work at municipalities - have become more and more unproductive because they see no reason why they should excel if there are no promotion possibilities.

The number of people that have become so despondent and just left local government is shocking. Civil engineering professionals for example have come down from more than 2 500 to 1 300, while the population that must be served has grown by several million in the last decade.

Mr President, on Thursday you bragged about the DBSA assisting municipalities, but the irony is that professionals mistrust municipalities so much that they don't want to work directly for them and elect rather to be placed through the Development Bank. This is one reason why the bank's involvement grew.

In the appointment of staff, if the approach of the open opportunity for all based on merit that the DA embraces is not the norm, the turn around strategy is going to fail. Let's professionalise staff selection, not politicise it.

Mnr die President die DA stem ook met u saam toe u in Khayelitsha gesê het:
"Secondly we must deal with the fact that many municipalities face a deep crisis of governance, due to political power struggles. These battles for control over resources render the affected municipalities effectively dysfunctional."

Die 8000 raadslede in SA het die wonderlike geleentheid om die potensiaal van al ons gemeenskappe dwarsoor Suid Afrika te help ontluik, maar dit is tragies dat so baie van hulle net ingestel is op eie belang.

‘n Tekort aan geld is nie die grootste probleem nie. Die ANC regering moet geloof word dat meer geld vir infrastuktuurskepping aan munisipaliteite (R11 miljard vanjaar) beskikbaar gestel word as wat hulle kan bestee. Dan kry elke munisipaliteit ‘n billikheidstoelae om gratis dienste te verskaf, kapasiteitstoekennings, ens bo en behalwe wat hulle plaaslik kan in. Die regte bestuursingesteldheid ontbreek egter.

Hoe is dit moontlik dat al die plaaslike munisipaliteite in die Noordkaap en talle in Noordwes en die Vrystaat tegnies bankrot is, maar Laingsburg wat dieselfde moeilike omstandighede het, nl. in die Karoo, wyduitgestrek, min werksgeleenthede, baie armes, en tog wen Laingsburg die een toekenning na die ander. Twee redes maak ‘n verskil: die Raad wat presies 50% ANC - DA verdeel is werk verstandig saam en hulle het nog al die jare net een munisipale bestuurder gehad. Terloops, hy is nie ‘n wit amptenaar of uit die vorige bedeling nie, maar eenvoudig ‘n goeie bestuurder op meriete aangestel.

Wetgewing is ook nie die grootste probleem nie. Hoe is dit moontlik dat talle munisipaliteite onder dieselfde wetgewing wel presteer? Mosselbaai bv. het nie ‘n sent leningskuld nie en miljoene in die bank. Van ‘n uitkykpunt op die N2 by Mosselbaai kan ‘n mens die duisende laekoste huise sien wat gebou moes word weens verstedeliking en wat gratis dienste kry. Behalwe dat die DA in beheer is het dit moontlik ook te doen met ‘n burgemeester en munisipale bestuurder wat albei vroue is en die wetgewing reg toepas.

Daarteenoor het Breedevallei by Worcester miljoene rande se reserwes binne 2 jaar verkwansel en moes hulle al in 2002 op ‘n reddingsplan gaan.

Sol Plaatjie in Kimberley het ook van ‘n gesonde posisie in ‘n situasie beland van 7 agtereenvolgende gekwalifiseerde state. Maar die munisipaliteit het geen probleem om ‘n rugbylosie te finansier en ‘n glasie te klink op elke punt wat Griekwas aanteken nie!

Die probleem bly swak, selfsugtige, moedswillige raadslede vir wie eie belang en politieke mag primêr is.

In Rustenberg the 60 odd councillors misused ratepayers' money by giving themselves each an expensive bottle of Whiskey and a tailor-made blazer for Christmas. Mr Speaker, we only received a Christmas card from you! Where is our whiskey?

The ANC councillors of the City of Matlosana in Klerksdorp are now in the process of buying 500 world cup football tickets out of the municipal budget for themselves, staff, family and friends. They don't even have the loyalty towards our country to support this great upcoming event out of their own pockets but they are also planning free transport, food and tracksuits from ratepayers' money on match days.

The Democratic Alliance commits its councilors to serving the best interests of the voters. Helen Zille and we as senior leaders will provide strong disciplined leadership to our councilors and importantly there will be consequences for non-performance.

At the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality (in Mafekeng) an auditor-General report reveals that the executive mayor signed an unlawful contract for football training of 18 minors in Brazil with the total cost exceeding R16m now. The municipality is now under administration. Such a mayor should not be allowed to return after the administrator has left.

Mr President there should be consequences for non-performance. You, the government and the majority party owe South Africa strong leadership to make a success of the Local Government Turnaround Strategy.