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With the local government elections on the horizon it is incumbent on us to take
stock of the past 4 years, and make an honest assessment of what has happened.

The upcoming elections are an opportunity to change the direction of local
government in South Africa and it was incumbent on the IFP Youth Brigade to
drive that agenda of change. The IFP 2011 Local Government Elections Manifesto
remained relevant even today because it provided a clear and practical vision
for local government in South Africa.

This was expressed by Mkhuleko Hlengwa MP, IFP Youth Brigade National
Chairperson, whilst speaking during the Okhahlamba (Bergville) IFP Youth Brigade
Constituency Conference.

“In truth during the past 4 years local government has tripped from one crisis
to another. The agenda of service delivery and good governance has been replaced
by fraud, corruption, maladministration and nepotism. The audit findings of the
Auditor-General have consistently pointed out that auditees had findings on
compliance and regulations, many of which related to supply chain management.
Irregular and wasteful expenditure, mainly due to a lack of basic controls and a
lack of consequences for poor performance and transgression.”

“Municipalities across South Africa are collapsing because of corruption, cadre
deployment and a total disregard for due process. The Municipal Financial
Management Act is being flouted left, right and centre. Instability in political
leadership has added fuel to the fire of failure, exacerbating the problems
confronting our municipalities.” Said Hlengwa

Hlengwa further said that “Strong nations are built on the ability to fulfil
promises and therefore responsiveness to the needs of the public must take
centre stage. The reality is when communities begin to feel that they are not
getting proper services from the government and feel that promises and their
needs, hopes and aspirations are not being met, rightly or wrongly public and
often violent protests become the order of the day as we have experienced almost
daily.”

Hlengwa also decried the obsession with catchphrases saying “Whilst many are
obsessed with the tired and empty refrain of a "good story to tell"; the reality
is 21 years into our freedom and democracy many South Africans continue to
struggle daily and most certainly do not have a "good story to tell". They need
jobs, houses, electricity, water, and not poor service delivery and are simply
fed up with the refrain of empty and un-kept promises.”

“Municipalities are rightly positioned to be the vehicle on which service
delivery must be channelled, because local government is closest to the people.
If local government works, South Africa works; because all development is local.
Provincial and National Departments have done a local government a huge
disservice by continuously failing to pay their municipal rates and taxes. It is
totally unacceptable and a shame of the highest order that municipalities are
owed billions of rand’s by their counterparts in Provincial and National
Departments; namely the Departments of Health, Public Works and Basic Education.
We cannot expect municipalities to succeed if government departments are
complicit in setting them up for failure through a perpetual and calculated
resistance to pay rates and taxes.” Said Hlengwa

In conclusion Hlengwa reiterated that “As the IFP we have the duty to offer and
deliver for South Africans a local government that works. In this current sea of
chaos and corruption the IFP must be an island of hope, service delivery and
good governance.”

Issued by IFPYB