South Africa hosted a resoundingly successful Soccer World Cup spectacular three months ago because of functioning municipalities as every match event that took place happened within a municipal area.
In addition, all tourism activity outside of the actual games, also took place within municipal areas, and this would not have happened if the dismal picture being painted by Afriforum in their statement to the media today was true and factual.
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Sicelo Shiceka, said this in response to the alarmist and baseless claims of a “dysfunctional” local government made by Afriforum.
“Challenges are there, but no one can deny that Local Government is functioning in South Africa. Yes, it is far from perfect and is certainly not how it should be functioning, which is why all three spheres of government and key stakeholders have collaborated into designing turn-around programmes that are unique and specific to each and every one of the 283 municipalities,” Minister Shiceka says.
In today’s South Africa, access to free Basic Services by all of the country’s citizens has increased. However, municipal deficiencies between now and before 1994 are that the challenges and shortcomings in local government - although far less than they were in the past - are felt by all sections of society.
“Local government is everybody’s business, including members of the Afriforum, so we would welcome them coming up with solutions to deal with the backlogs and other challenges instead of making municipal challenges a problem of the department or even the minister only,” says Minister Shiceka.
In addition to the Municipal-specific Turnaround strategies for each of the 283 municipalities, the Outcome 9 Delivery Agreement that Minister Shiceka signed with his MECs and Mayors which President JG Zuma will measure the minister’s performance in local government on, will be the only true and fair arbiter of the minister’s performance in local government.
“Any South African citizen who has ideas, views and inputs to make in turning the tide on local government to make it responsive, effective, efficient and accountable as stated in Outcome 9, is welcome to work with government and the rest of society to turn things around for the attainment of a better life for all South Africans, and not just a few,” says Minister Shiceka.
For more information contact:
Vuyelwa Qinga Vika
Tel: 012 334 0995
Cell: 082 877 3898
Source: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
