Last week the Western Cape’s Department of Local Government undertook a comprehensive local government assessment and a service delivery audit. This was an assignment from the National Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Sicelo Shiceka to all provinces.
The project was overseen by the Minister for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Minister Anton Bredell and the (acting) Head of Department for Local Government and Housing, Mr David Daniels. The process included completing issue specific questionnaires by team members by having engagements with labour, two or more councillors of the poorest wards in the specific municipality, senior officials engaging with the speakers/mayors or any other executive Mayco members, as well as engagements with household ward committee members and ward councillors.
The department in response to the request by Minister Shiceka resolved to adopt the minister’s suggestions and followed a two phased approach to the task. This two phased approach entailed a phase one which included scrutinising current information sources like LGMTEC information, hot spot reports on service delivery (developed by Community Development Workers), comparative municipal assessment reports developed over the last six months, in year monitoring information provided by Provincial Treasury and the Municipal Finance Management Act sign off information provided by Provincial Treasury.
Around 300 officials took to the streets conducting 3 127 interviews, and included officials from national and provincial government, as well as community development workers. The assessment provided a snapshot of the state of municipal governance, its provision of basic services and its perceived impact on the communities it serves.
The key challenges that arose out of the survey were the provision of water, sanitation, the provision of electricity, clean environments, unemployment, health and clinic facilities, the upgrading and maintenance of sport and recreational areas, as well as perceptions and allegations of corruption and nepotism in appointing staff and service providers.
The critical link and biggest challenge that emerged across the board in all the interviews was the lack of communication between all role players that form the critical mass of municipalities. Other problems included governance issues (political parties must accept responsibility for improving a coalition and municipal governance, only four municipalities are ruled by an outright majority and since the November 2006 local elections, municipal councils have changed more than 30 times).
The electorate expects politics to stop after the elections and that the elected councillors should work together in best interest of all and not for themselves or for a few. It was also said that current executive mayoral system should be explored and that the more inclusive plenary, proportional and collective systems were far better.
Other issues dealt with councillors and how they perceive themselves, as well as what communities think about them. There is a big gap in how councillors perceive themselves and what communities think about them.
The general feeling was that communities feel disconnected from their councillors and complain of self-serving, ineffective and non-available councillors. There is very limited meaningful public participation and a serious lack of political and administrative will to make ward committees work.
The people interviewed also indicated that councillors must nurture and encourage community empowerment and ensure that their ward communities are functional and credible and report regularly to all the sectors in their communities. In some instances councillors are involved with jobs, housing allocation, patronage, nepotism and corrupt practices, as well as being tavern owners and loan sharks, who keep communities in a state of exploitation, instead of empowering them.
At a meeting to discuss the above-mentioned results Minister Bredell undertook to stimulate robust debate with municipalities regarding the role and the effective management of the community development workers and ward committees. This would pave the way for an informed decision pertaining to the areas where municipalities are lacking in service delivery.
Concrete steps to be implemented include:
- the sharing and discussing of each municipality's assessment and developing a specific municipal action plan
- each municipality assessing its governance model and reviewing/modernising it to improve good governance and incorporating communities and ward committees as part of council
- developing a councillor performance plan
- each speaker through its council developing and monitoring the implementation of a municipal public participation and ward committee support plan
- investigating and dealing with community allegations of corruption and nepotism
- each municipality developing a socio economic profile of all its wards.
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Heini Odendal
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