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Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is releasing the third, and final, major document of our 2011 Municipal Election campaign. Our “Track Record of Delivery for All”, which is available for download online, follows the “Cape Town Story” and “Local Government Manifesto 2011”. We believe it typifies what the Democratic Alliance stands for, what we have achieved, and what we can bring to municipalities across South Africa: service delivery excellence for all the people. It is a document that speaks to our vision of a society in which all South Africans have the opportunities and freedoms to be able to make of their lives what they wish – and, critically, how it is that we have gone about working towards that goal wherever we govern.

Our “Track Record of Delivery for All” provides a consolidated record of our governance of municipalities outside of Cape Town – what we have done to improve services, build infrastructure, clamp down on crime and corruption, and build open, accountable administrations that facilitate development, job creation and prosperity.

It focuses on six municipalities: Baviaans, Midvaal, Mossel Bay, Overstrand, Swartland and Theewaterskloof (the DA governs 12 municipalities; these six represent those municipalities where the DA has governed outright for five years or more). Some of these municipalities are located in urban centres, while others are rural. Some faced dire poverty when we came into office, while others were already more economically advanced. Some face unique political and historical constraints; others are defined by geography or climate. What each, however, has in common, is that they have been guided by an approach to local governance that has delivered results:

• All six have reduced water supply backlogs to under 2%; four have reduced them to zero. All the while, 360,000 South African households in non-DA run municipalities still do not have basic access to water.
• Five of the six are ranked in the top performing tier of municipalities countrywide by a Cooperative Governance Department report.
• Even while 20% of households, nationally, do not have access to basic sanitation, all six have reduced sanitation backlogs to under 6% of households.
• Five of the six spent 100% of their Municipal Infrastructure Grants in 2009/10 – money that is ring-fenced for infrastructure delivery to poor communities. In contrast, just one-third of non-DA municipalities countrywide spent their full allotment.
• Five of the six have rationalised staffing costs to between one-quarter and one-third of overall expenditure – freeing up more funds for service delivery.

In a country where three in five municipalities are classified as dysfunctional, and where local government has become a watchword for failure, rather than progress, the Democratic Alliance is proving that another way is possible. In our document, we outline our performance in each of these six municipalities, and then elaborate on how these six case studies, combined, serve as the basis for a powerful comparative analysis with other, non-DA governed municipalities:

In Baviaans, a rural municipality in the Eastern Cape, we show how the Democratic Alliance administration has made a remarkable difference in five years of governance. Against the backdrop of historically high poverty and poor delivery, the DA has all but eliminated both housing and sanitation backlogs since 2006. Baviaans, in fact, is ranked by Empowerdex as the top municipality in the country for the percentage of households living in formal dwellings – a remarkable feat, given the municipality’s remote location and economically deprived history. It has almost completely eradicated the bucket system, through a huge drive to roll out basic sanitation. In 2001, 41% of residents did not have RDP-standard sanitation; today, the figure is 3%. In recognition of these achievements, Baviaans was recently ranked by the national government as the Eastern Cape’s top municipality for service delivery and revenue collection.

In Midvaal, in Southern Gauteng, we set out how the Democratic Alliance has driven unemployment to record lows, and delivered services and infrastructure efficiently to local residents. Under a DA council, the municipality has notched up eight unqualified audits, has achieved a revenue collection rate of 100%, and has attracted billions of rands of investment – and, more importantly, jobs – to the area, through its open, proactive approach to economic governance. In recognition of the progress made in this historically deprived region of Gauteng, the municipality was recently voted by its residents the best for quality of life in Gauteng, in a survey conducted by the ANC-run provincial government.

In Mossel Bay, DA governance has seen flourishing growth rates of over 7% in recent years, on the back of strong fiscal accountability – four consecutive unqualified audits, no external loans and 95% revenue collection – and large infrastructure spending, totalling 20% of the available budget. The community of Mossel Bay has become more prosperous, more developed and safer in the five years that the DA has been in government.

In Overstrand, the DA administers an environmentally sensitive, tourism-orientated community. It has more than doubled its capital budget since 2006, and used this to address development backlogs. In 2010, it won the Local Authority of the Year Award from the South African Housing Foundation, in recognition of the provision of good quality, environmentally sustainable housing to the local community, under adverse conditions. The municipality was also awarded the national Vuna award in 2006. This award is given to the municipality that the national Cooperative Governance Department considers the best local administration in the country.

Overstrand was succeeded, in 2007, as South African municipality of the year by Swartland. It also, like Overstrand, has won the national Cleanest Town award, and has a record of excellence in governance and delivery. Swartland’s delivery of water, electricity and refuse removal is indexed at 100%, while 3,820 housing units have been rolled out under the DA. The municipality’s financial record is also impressive: rates collection averages 100%, and the municipality uses a five-year rolling budget, as opposed to the standard three-year cycle used by other municipalities.

Finally, Theewaterskloof constitutes perhaps the most dramatic turnaround engendered by DA governance anywhere. Historically, the area has faced an indigency rate of nearly 50%, and large in-migration. In 2005, a year before the DA came into office, Theewaterskloof was incapable of dealing with high levels of poverty and the needs of the community. It was a Project Consolidate municipality, which meant that it was unable to function without the assistance of other spheres of government. Fully one-third of rates owed were not collected. By 2010, the backlog in water supply in the municipality had been reduced to zero. Ward 8 in Grabouw had received an award for the best housing settlement built in South Africa, and Theewaterskloof had won the African Access award for service delivery.

What these case studies collectively demonstrate is that the DA has a track record of delivering for all South Africans. Where we govern, we have showed that we can create the enabling environment that helps to create jobs and establish safer communities. And we have demonstrated that we can deliver the critically needed services and infrastructure that will put our nation on a long-term path to development and prosperity.

DA administrations may not have a perfect record in government, but we have consistently showed that we understand that poverty and inequality are the most pressing problems facing our society, and we have demonstrated an abiding commitment to addressing them. As we demonstrate in “Track Record of Delivery for All”, our record is one of kept promises, delivered services, safer communities, and people-centred development. Most significantly, we have showed that the legacy of Apartheid need not define South Africa’s future, and that while there may be bumps on the road, we can ultimately deliver jobs, development, prosperity and a better future for all who live here.

On May 18th, we can bring that record to municipalities across South Africa..