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During this election campaign the Democratic Alliance (DA) will show that when we take control of a municipality, service delivery improves and people’s lives get better. We believe our performance in the city of Cape Town since 2006 is a great example of this. We have worked hard to improve the management systems of the municipality and this has started to bear fruit in various practical ways that people experience in their everyday lives.

One sphere that we have worked particularly hard on is the maintenance of Cape Town’s electricity infrastructure in order to improve delivery of electricity to the people and to save money by limiting our distribution losses. It is a well-known fact that South Africa’s electricity distribution network is in dire need of an upgrade, with a R25 billion national backlog. Municipalities are responsible for maintaining their own electricity infrastructure and therefore this R25 billion backlog falls solely on the shoulders of the various municipalities as EDI (Electricity Distribution Industry) was recently abandoned and the competency of maintenance on the networks reverted back to municipalities and the Department of Energy.

The City of Cape Town has been working hard at addressing this challenge in the metro, with significant spending taking place to ensure that we have a high quality network capable of consistently delivering electricity to all the people of Cape Town. Our success in this regard is highlighted by our comparatively small maintenance backlog as per EDI’s estimation in 2010. The points below indicate how Cape Town compares to the other metros in this regard for the 2010 year. The first set of figures shows the total maintenance backlog in 2010 per municipality, whilst the second set shows that backlog as a percentage of the total maintenance budget, which indicates to what degree municipalities have budgeted and planned to deal with this issue.

Ekhuruleni: R468 million
Johannesburg: R322 million
Tshwane: R235 million
Nelson Mandela Bay: R103 million
Cape Town: R79 million

Ekhuruleni: 126%
Johannesburg: 25%
Tshwane: 16%
Nelson Mandela Bay: 546%
Cape Town: 11%

These numbers clearly indicate how Cape Town has the smallest maintenance shortfall (both in real terms and as a percentage of the total maintenance budget). These numbers might seem far removed from service delivery and the average person’s daily experiences, but the reality is that this background work lays crucial foundations for the city’s delivery successes in other spheres. The Universal Household Access to Basic Services (UHABS) report, for example, indicated that Cape Town provides electricity to a larger proportion of its people than any other metro. Here are the numbers from the UHABS report showing the percentage of households with access to electricity:

Cape Town: 95%
Johannesburg: 90%
Tshwane: 78%
Ekhuruleni: 80%
eThekwini: 88%
Nelson Mandela Bay: 91%

This goes to show that hard work and effective management behind the scenes help to make a difference in the delivery of the basic services to which all South Africans are entitled. And it is in this sphere – effective management and laying good foundations for service delivery – where the DA excels.

Furthermore, by properly maintaining the electricity distribution network, the DA-run council has managed to minimise distribution losses. These losses are a chronic problem across South Africa and can cost large metros up to R500 m a year. By minimising these losses, more money is freed up to be spent on housing, education, health and other services. These kinds of numbers help to explain why the DA has consistently outperformed other metros in terms of delivering services. The facts are clear: The DA has a proven track record of delivering for all, whilst ANC-run municipalities have consistently failed to deliver services effectively. The choice for voters is thus simple. They can choose a party that likes to talk about a better life for all. Or they can choose a party that has a track record of actually delivering a better life for all.