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The latest Treasury report on the state of municipal finances reveals the damage that cadre deployment still has on service delivery where the ANC governs at local level. This is despite recent statements by Gwede Mantshe and Malusi Gigaba which seek to pretend that cadre deployment is not really the ANC’s policy any more.

The fact is that cadre deployment is still with us. The ANC continues to dish out posts in municipalities for patronage purposes even though the new amendments to the Municipal Systems Amendment Act make it more difficult to do so.

The Treasury report reveals that 66 out of 278 municipalities are in financial distress and another 37 are headed the same way, with cadre deployment identified as one of the main culprits.

The truth is that, until the ANC publicly, unequivocally, loudly and repeatedly acknowledges the failure of cadre deployment and pledges to completely eradicate it, the policy will remain in place. A loophole will always be found to make sure that the ‘jobs for pals’ network continues.

Indeed, the delay in promulgating regulations governing the minimum professional requirements for municipal managers is evidence of the lack of political will to professionalise the administration of local government.

The ANC needs to realise that there is a simple reason why DA municipalities are better at providing services to the poor. It is because we don’t use municipalities as a dumping ground for discarded cadres. We appoint the right people in the right places to ensure that service delivery is continuously improved.

More and more people are beginning to understand that the poor citizens of our country are the real victims of cadre deployment. It is time the ANC did too.