Hon Chairperson
Hon Minister
Hon Deputy Ministers
Hon Members
Hon DGs for Cogta and the team
And fellow South African
Each municipality has a responsibility to provide services to our people without fail. Our people deserve a clean environment that meets the standards of environmental health and safety; taps with running water; functioning high-mast lights; municipalities that cut trees and maintain public spaces; visible road markings; roads without potholes; and a conducive environment for economic development in order to fight unemployment and poverty, which remain global challenges.
All of the above can only be achieved through good governance. This requires skilled and qualified employees, a healthy working relationship between employers and employees, consciousness, commitment, and a strong dedication to serving communities from both councillors and local government employees.
However, in some municipalities we have witnessed a decline from the ideal municipality, where service delivery is poor, financial systems are not properly in place, there is no consequence management, and commitment to serving communities is absent. This attitude cannot be accepted, because a conscious leader cannot find peace while communities continue to suffer.
As the ANC, we have undertaken a process of self-assessment, which is why we declared this year as the Year of Decisive Action to Fix Local Government. This action is informed by the reality that while we have ANC-governed municipalities that are performing exceptionally well, we also have others that are not meeting the standards set by the ANC for municipalities.
In the Free State, we listened to the concerns raised by the people of Mafube and appointed what we call “the people’s mayor” — a mayor who is academically qualified with a B-Tech Degree in Agricultural Management. This is important because Mafube is a semi-rural municipality where agriculture is one of the main drivers of the local economy.
The Tswelopele Local Municipality, as small as it may be, has become a pioneer in climate change initiatives and was the first municipality to host a community-led Town Hall COP.
The Nkangala District Municipality in Mpumalanga has continued to receive clean audits for several consecutive years and remains one of the well-performing ANC-led municipalities.
In Gauteng, Provincial COGTA has introduced a system where municipalities learn from one another by sharing experiences and best practices. Municipalities have also been given leadership roles in different areas of service delivery.
For example, City of Ekurhuleni is a champion for water services, City of Tshwane champion for law enforcement, and City of Johannesburg is a champion for coordination between municipalities.
In North West COGTA has improved municipal audit outcomes in recent years, reducing disclaimer opinions to only one municipality, Ditsobotla. The Section 139(7) National intervention and support teams are expected to strengthen further progress.
Unqualified audit opinions have also increased from three to six, with Moses Kotane, Greater Taung, and JB Marks now included.
In the Eastern Cape, Mnquma Local Municipality, Senqu, and Joe Gcabi District Municipality which has been receiving clean audits, service delivery has improved significantly, and the municipality has received additional funding due to its compliance and responsible spending of public funds.
In conclusion, mentioning these examples does not mean that everything is fine in our municipalities. Many of our people still face serious challenges and our communities are frustrated because local government is expected to respond to the daily needs of the people.
However, despite these challenges, not all is lost. There are municipalities and leaders who continue to work hard to improve the lives of our people. This shows that when leaders are committed and put communities first, service delivery can improve.
The ANC remains a caring organisation that is committed to serving the people of South Africa, and if all municipal political leaders were to follow the values and objectives of the ANC, our municipalities would become better places for our people. Communities deserve leaders who listen to them, understand their struggles, and work hard to solve their problems.
As the ANC, we have also introduced processes to ensure that communities have a voice in choosing their mayors and leaders. We want leaders who are trusted by communities and who are able to champion the interests of the people.
The renewal of local government needs all of us to work together, government, communities, business, and civil society. Together, we can build municipalities that are clean, functional, and able to deliver services to our people.
The ANC remains committed to building a better life for all and restoring the trust and hope of our communities.