Mahlangu, at the Institute for Local Government Managers (ILGM), at Hilton
Hotel
24 November 2006
Programme Director, Mr Vusi Mavuso,
ILGM President, Mr George Seitisho,
Municipal managers present,
Former municipal managers,
Resolve Managing-Director, Mr Pasacal Moloi,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
I am humbled to address this auspicious occasion just eights months after
the country's local government elections. I believe that the new crop of
municipal managers who have gone through a vigorous assessment would indeed
rise to the occasion by ensuring that as government we reach the 2014
millennium goals.
Allow me, therefore, to extend a warm word of welcome to the new crop of
municipal managers and also bade farewell to those of you who have been a
pillar of strength since the establishment of the new system of local
government.
I hope that after all the formalities the new municipal managers would
mingle with your predecessors to share best practices and the do's and don'ts
in this critical position you are occupying.
The Department of Local Government in Gauteng deemed it fit that all
municipal managers and Section 57 managers should undergo an intensive
assessment process to ensure that we appoint capable managers in
municipalities. As we all aware, local government is on the coal face of
service delivery. Our task is to ensure that municipal services reach the
poorest of the poor.
As municipal managers it is your duty to ensure that you have a clear
understanding of the Municipal Finance Management Act and how the budget is
working in your respective municipalities. It is also your task to ensure that
you understand your role in interfacing with your political principles, being
your executive mayors.
Thus it is incumbent that we all move at the same pace, read from the very
same verse and sing the same song. We must have a clear understanding of the
five years local government agenda and the key priorities for this new term of
office. It is equally important to have an understanding of what needs to be
done to realise our developmental objectives and what are specific tasks of
local government in realising our objectives.
Although much progress has been made in establishing new institutions of
local government from 51 entities to 15 new local authorities in the province,
municipalities are still facing challenges. There are municipalities which have
not yet completed their institutional establishment, some have high numbers of
vacant posts and there are deficiencies in professional posts such as finance
and technical skills.
Realising that there are challenges with regard to financial expertise and
technical skills, we are working with the Institute of Chartered Accounts
(SAICA) and the Institute of Civil Engineers to address some of the challenges
facing municipalities. However, this task rests on your shoulders as municipal
managers.
Programme Director, one of the challenges facing local government is the
provision of services. There has been a measure of progress in delivering
services and extending infrastructure to poor communities but we are still
faced with challenges of in-migration which poses a huge challenge on its
own.
The scale and pace of infrastructure rollout is not strong enough to realise
the targets we have set ourselves in the next term of office. We set have set
ourselves targets of halving poverty and unemployment by 2014.
It is the responsibility of all municipalities to ensure that we meet the
2008, 2010 and 2012 targets of water, sanitation and electricity. Furthermore,
to ensure that all the roads in the province are tarred by 2009. Therefore, as
municipal managers you must play a leading role in ensuring that all these
targets are met.
The past five years has taught us serious lessons about the relationship
between the municipal managers and mayors. There were instances where municipal
managers instead of giving strategic direction and leadership decided to
question why certain decisions were taken.
The relationship between the mayor and municipal manager is important. You
have to complement each other rather than compete. It is your duty and
responsibility as a municipal manager to ensure that the relationship is
harnessed and that all the resources are integrated.
Programme Director, one of the challenges you have to deal with is the
mounting municipal debt which is standing at a staggering R16 billion. It is
important to develop and implement strategies to deal with municipal debt and
councillors' arrears.
Importantly, as municipal managers you must ensure that municipalities
receive a clean audit report from the Auditor-General (AG). As the department
we have set ourselves a target that by 2009 all municipalities must receive
clean audit reports. Disclaimers and qualified audits should remain a priority
in dealing with municipal finances. Under expenditure on operating budgets
remains a problem. We must also ensure that we reduce the increasing level of
debtors and grant dependency.
It is worth noting that this year the quality of municipal Integrated and
Development Plans (IDP) has improved. All municipalities have submitted their
IDPs on timeously, however, we still have a long way in realising that IDPs are
an expression of government wide planning. Another challenge is the
participation of sector departments in the IDP processes. It is the role of
municipal managers to ensure that there is synergy and integration between IDPs
and budgets.
Since the Gauteng's executive mayors and Premier Mbhazima Shilowa have
reaffirmed their commitment to drive efforts to build Gauteng as a globally
competitive city region, we need to pull out all the stops to ensure that we
are geared towards that direction.
Programme Director, Gauteng is already a national economic engine, a
powerhouse that propels significant sections of the county's economy and
produces over a third of the gross domestic product (GDP). As a region, Gauteng
is already the fourth largest economy in Africa.
Between now and 2014 Gauteng will emerge as one of the largest global city
regions in the world. In other words the question should not be, whether we
want to become a global city region but how do we develop a common perspective
that can guide the development of Gauteng?
In conclusion, at the end of our tenure the public will judge us against our
ability to deliver on the commitments we made of reducing poverty and
unemployment, realising universal access to basic services such as water,
sanitation and electricity, the tarring of roads, the eradication of bucket
toilets and by ensuring that all municipalities receive clean audit reports
from the AG.
I sincerely wish you all the best in your endeavours and look forward to
working with you in making Gauteng a better place to work and live in. A
Gauteng that is not just the economic powerhouse of the country and continent,
but one that is recognised the world over.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Local Government, Gauteng Provincial
Government
24 November 2006
