National Conference of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA),
Johannesburg
23 April 2007
Chairperson,
The Executive Committee of SALGA,
Minister for Provincial and Local Government,
Mayors, Councillors, Leaders, and government officials from the various spheres
of government,
MECs responsible for Local Government,
Members of parliament,
Representatives of non-governmental organisations and community based
organisations, Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you very much for inviting me to address this national conference of
the South African Local Government Association. The last opportunity that I had
to address this august body was in September 2004.
Those who were part of SALGA in 2004 will recall that at that conference, we
identified seven areas of special focus. These were:
* service delivery
* ensuring that councillors respond to the needs of local communities
* the transformation of apartheid settlement patterns
* addressing capacity problems at the local government sphere
* attending to the matters of resource and financial challenges
* movement towards the devolution of service delivery to local government
* the deployment of community development workers.
I hope that in the deliberations during this conference delegates will
reflect on the progress made with regard to all these matters.
However, let me say something about some of the steps we have taken to
respond to these matters and to support and strengthen local government.
Over the past two and a half years since we identified the challenges that
required our collective attention, a lot has happened. As you are aware, a
month after our meeting of September 2004, the Minister of Provincial and Local
Government launched a national initiative to support municipalities through
Project Consolidate.
Through Project Consolidate we identified municipalities that needed special
attention and then mobilised resources, human and otherwise, to focus on
strengthening the capacity of these municipalities.
Further, during this period, The Presidency and Cabinet introduced the
Municipal Presidential Izimbizo Programme. This programme was to serve as an
important support mechanism, having identified problems faced by municipalities
and commitments publicly made about what together we will do to address them.
The Imbizo Programme therefore seeks to mobilise the different stakeholders to
contribute to the solution of the challenges facing our municipalities.
To date, we have visited and interacted with communities and the leadership
of municipalities in 25 Districts and 3 metropolitan municipalities across the
country.
As part of Project Consolidate, experts in specific areas of need have been
deployed in 85 municipalities and the feedback we have received is that the
impact of this intervention has been positive.
Many of us in this room may be aware that as part of our response to the
matter of resource and financial challenges faced by municipalities, the year
on year financial allocation to municipalities has increased.
For instance, while the total intergovernmental transfers to local
government amounted to R13,1 billion when we met in 2004, in the financial year
of 2006/07, the amount was R28 billion, and in this financial year, it is R32
billion. This is expected to increase to R37 billion in the next financial
year.
These budget increases are made by the national government to augment the
financial resources that are required in order to enhance service delivery in
our municipalities.
As a result, the most recent review of municipal budgets and expenditure
performance reported in the 2006 Intergovernmental Fiscal Review indicates a
number of significant accomplishments, including the increased number of
households receiving electricity and clean water, as well those accessing
modern sanitation.
These achievements are real and they make a material difference in the
quality of people's lives. It is indeed true that our response to the focus
areas we identified in 2004 has helped us to improve the quality of life of
many of our people.
Again, since our last meeting in September 2004, together we have also
developed a framework through to access the credibility of our Integrated
Development Plans (IDPs) and continuously to ensure their alignment with the
Provincial Growth and Developmental Strategies (PGDS), as well as the National
Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP).
We have also deployed community development workers and I hope that whatever
misunderstandings that arose initially about the roles of these workers and
those of councillors have been resolved because in reality the two should work
together in a complementary manner.
Chairperson,
At the same time, however, it is clear that there are many areas where our
councillors are not responding as they should to the needs of our people. There
are many instances where there is either no communication or sufficient
engagement between our councillors and the communities they are supposed to
serve.
We have to make it clear that those who decide to stand for elections as
councillors that they must be aware that they have committed themselves to
serve the people. It is wrong that some of our councillors meet our people only
when the President visits the municipalities. It is unnecessary for the
President to keep on reminding councillors, who were not forced by anyone to
stand for elections, that their primary responsibility is to serve the
people.
Further, one of the challenges we identified in 2004 was the need to
transform the apartheid settlement patterns. Except for few cases, our
municipalities have not responded positively to this challenge. We still see
settlements patterns where new houses for poor black people are still built at
the outskirts of our towns, usually far from places of employment.
It is unacceptable that municipalities continue allocating land that is
closer to commercial centres solely to developers who build for the upper end
of the housing market. We must stop this practice because by so doing, we are
failing to use housing as a catalyst to integrate communities that have been
divided for many years by apartheid.
Again, we also see an unacceptable practice of municipalities allocating
land for housing and commercial centres without ensuring that sports grounds
and parks are also built. In this regard, many children grow-up with no place
to play and no facilities for them to engage in sports activities.
Chairperson,
In February 2006, Cabinet adopted the SALGA endorsed 5-Year Local Government
Strategic Agenda. This Agenda was informed by the challenges we agreed to in
September 2004, the experiences and lessons from Project Consolidate and the
intensified interactions that has been ongoing over the past two years.
The Agenda has also been informed by the national targets that have been set
for service delivery and economic growth. The Agenda clearly specify actions
that must be taken by the various spheres of government and other stakeholders
during the second mandate of local government, which, as we know, is from 2006
to 2011.
In addition, the Cabinet Makgotla have been extended to include SALGA
representatives. This decision was taken because of our commitment to work
together and ensure that local government matters continue to feature high in
the work of the national government.
Similarly, SALGA is represented in the President's Co-ordinating Council
(PCC), again to ensure that local government has a voice in what is planned and
done by the other spheres of government.
The Department of Provincial and Local Government, together with all the
provinces, recently had the opportunity to review progress that has been made
one year after the adoption of this Agenda.
The department reports that in general, all provinces have adopted
Programmes of Action that will ensure that the Agenda is successfully
implemented. The department also reports that, however, not enough has been
done by various sector departments to concretise the implementation of their
undertakings in the Agenda.
Obviously, we will insist that all the undertakings made by the various
departments, at the national and provincial levels, are fulfilled.
Chairperson,
I would now like to pose some questions to SALGA as a way of contributing to
the work of this important organisation:
* How can we make SALGA accountable for what happens or does not happen in
local government?
* How will we ensure that SALGA plays a leading role in stabilising local
government?
* How will SALGA improve its ability to anticipate tensions arising from
communities and what mechanisms should be used to address whatever issues
facing poor communities?
* What practical role is there for SALGA in the fight against poverty and
underdevelopment?
* How will we ensure that SALGA makes members that bring the sphere of local
government into disrepute to account for their actions?
* How does SALGA help with the day-to-day work of municipalities and what
impact do your interventions have?
I trust that you will give yourself time to try to provide answers to these
questions.
I wish you well in your deliberations and eagerly look forward to receiving
SALGA's Programme of Action that will take us closer to realising the goal of a
better life for all our people.
Thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
23 April 2007
