T Makwetla: South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU)
congress

2 April 2009

Programme Director,
The General Secretary of SAMWU, Mthandeki Nhlapo
The National Treasurer, Sam Maloka
The Provincial Secretary of SAMWU, Kgokedi Mphahlele
Members of the SAMWU Provincial Executive Committee,
Leadership of the Alliance,
Invited guests from the province and beyond,
Comrade delegates and members of SAMWU,
Ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting me to address the Tri-Annual Provincial Congress of
the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU).

I believe that this is an important gathering of workers in a sector that
plays a key role in the socio-economic transformation of our province, and
indeed our country as a whole.

From this meeting we look forward to inspiring discussions that will further
galvanise and mobilise municipal workers not only in advancing their interests
as workers, but also in building effective partnerships for a more
service-oriented local government sector in the province.

Partnership for Service Delivery Improvement

This Congress comes at a time of major developments in our country and
globally, with potentially profound implications for all working people.

As a country we are all preparing for the forthcoming elections on 22 April,
a mere three weeks from now.

The term for this current administration is now at its tail-end and in the
recent State of the province Address, delivered on 20 February, we had an
opportunity to reflect on what we considered to be our main achievements and
the challenges that remain.

Mpumalanga province has, over the past five years, experienced improvements
in governance and the quality of service. In spite of current backlogs, the
province has made remarkable progress in the delivery of basic services. As the
Provincial Government, we have continuously enhanced hands-on support to
municipalities to strengthen their capacity to meet service delivery targets in
line with the Five Year Local Government Strategic Agenda. These targets
include the need to ensure that citizens have access to housing along with
basic services such as water, decent sanitation and electricity.

To date, 583 505 households have access to electricity. Access to free basic
electricity is benefiting 219 375 households. Despite these advancements, there
remains a need to address backlogs in areas without access to electricity.

As part of improving access to decent sanitation, the province has
eradicated bucket toilets in all formal areas and most informal settlements. To
date, 18 617 bucket toilets were eradicated ahead of the stipulated national
target of December 2007. As a province, we will continue to mobilise
partnerships with labour and the private sector to address challenges posed by
poor sanitation. We need to upgrade our sewerage and water treatment
infrastructure to prevent the outbreak of fatal water-borne diseases such as
cholera.

The implementation of the ‘Water for All’ flagship continues to gain
momentum to address water service backlogs. This flagship was prioritised to
ensure that communities have access to water services infrastructure and clean
water by 2010.

Programme Director, we have made significant progress to improve access to
clean and safe water. 72,7% of households have access to water at
Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) level and above. The backlog of
the number of households with inadequate access to water has been reduced to
257 912, constituting 27,3% of the households in the province. Of this
amount, 3,5% households have no access to infrastructure at all.

Alongside initiatives to improve the delivery of basic services, we have
worked hard to inculcate and entrench a culture of sound governance,
transparency and accountability to the citizens of the province. These include
improved planning and performance monitoring capacity, the promotion of prudent
and responsible use of public resources, and a greater willingness to act
against those failing to comply with the relevant guidelines and legislation.
We have dealt decisively with those involved in fraud and corruption.

The role of local government in advancing a people-centred development and a
better life

Programme Director, municipalities and the local government sector are a
vital cog in the democratic machinery of our country and are at the centre of
the democratic system we have built and nurtured since 1994.

The role of local government in advancing people-centred development in the
country is best reflected in the words of our former president Nelson Mandela
when he reportedly described local government, ‘as the arms and legs of the
Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP)’.

We cannot conceptualise the role of local government outside our movement’s
commitment to a developmental state that is at the forefront of the fight
against poverty and underdevelopment. Even the Constitution provides for a
local government that is responsible for the social and economic development of
our communities.

Therefore, it seems appropriate that one acknowledges the progress made in
local government transformation in our country and Mpumalanga province, in
particular, and the contribution that SAMWU has played in this regard.

Since 2004, it has been our desire to further transform our municipalities
into a vehicle capable of efficiently delivering the quality services our
people need so desperately.

As we highlighted in the recent State of the province Address:
‘despite challenges in local government, our overall assessment confirms that
over the last five years we have experienced significant improvements in the
capacity of local government to effectively deliver services. There also are
indications of improved corporate governance of municipalities in the province.
One of the areas of improvement is the ability of our municipalities to submit
financial statements to the Auditor-General (AG). Improvements in the audit
performance by many of our municipalities are a cause for optimism.

The high level of expenditure in the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG)
suggests increased capacities by municipalities to accelerate the roll-out of
infrastructure projects. On average, the municipalities have spent 90 percent
of the municipal infrastructure grants (MIG) in this financial year.’

It is my view that these achievements would not be possible without the
contribution of municipal workers and SAMWU members in particular.

As a provincial administration we have always recognised SAMWU as an
important partner as we sought to make our municipalities more efficient and
effective in providing quality services and making them to become more
responsive to the poor and the vulnerable.

Furthermore, SAMWU’s contribution to identifying and stamping out
corruption, mismanagement, and other instances of poor governance, should be
lauded by all.

This partnership, we believe, is important to every provincial
administration that seeks to build on the foundation of a developmental local
government system that has been successfully laid by the ANC-led government
since the onset of the democratic era.

Addressing Poverty Challenges

The pro-poor leanings of this administration are further illustrated in the
manner in which we have extended the social security net, covering thousands
more of our people across the length and breadth of the province. For example,
as we reported during the State of the province Address, social grants
beneficiaries have exponentially grown by 65 percent from 579 907 in 2004 to
958 229 as at the end of January 2009.

But addressing poverty is not only about hand outs or creating ‘dependency’!
We have further emphasised the role of the provincial government in creating an
environment conducive to the widening of economic opportunities and empowering
individuals and communities to take their destiny into their own hands.

Our policies to promote the return of people to the land (Masibuyel’
Emasimini), broad-based BEE, co-operatives, small enterprise development,
skills development, and the creation of direct job opportunities through the
Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), further attest to this singular
objective to enable our people to rise above the poverty line and enter the
mainstream of the economy.

We have been an administration that was pro-poor and even arguably
pro-working class.

The timing of this Congress allows us to implore that as you go the polls
and vote for the new government, among the questions you should ask would be
whether the new government will be similarly pro-poor and pro-working class as
this ANC-led provincial administration has been.

Global Economic Meltdown

Thousands of miles from us and across the seas the G20 group of countries,
of which South Africa is the only African representative, are meeting in London
to discuss the global economic meltdown and to formulate possible action to
arrest these developments and to revive the growth prospects of the global
economy.

This global economic meltdown is a crisis that affects us all. We know that
it originated in the developed world, the United States to be precise, but has
spread across the globe.

In the words of the respected Director-General of the International Labour
Office (ILO), Juan Somavia: “What started as a financial crisis has quickly
become via the credit market a large-scale crisis of the real economy
progressively affecting enterprises, workers, families and households in
virtually all countries.”

The ILO, which as workers you should be familiar with because it is the only
tripartite structure of the United Nations (comprising of workers, business and
governments), estimates that global unemployment could increase by 38 million
by the end of this year.

In our own country we have also reason to fear the impact of this global
crisis on enterprises, households, and communities. We have reason to fear that
our development objectives and targets could be compromised, including our
desire to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014.

The reported contraction of output in the last quarter of 2008 was of great
concern as are reports of impending job losses particularly in sectors such as
the automobile sector and manufacturing.

According to the latest South African Reserve Bank Quarterly Bulletin “South
Africa could not escape the negative consequences of the international
financial turmoil, despite the fact that its domestic financial institutions
had virtually no direct exposure to the troubled assets that were central to
the deterioration of credit markets. Deteriorating consumer and business
confidence, declining global demand, and a relatively tight domestic monetary
policy were reflected in a contraction in real gross domestic product in the
final quarter of 2008 – the first such contraction in ten years”.

In terms of the sectoral impact of the global economic crisis, the Reserve
Bank further notes: “The manufacturing sector, in particular, recorded a dismal
performance in the fourth quarter of 2008, predominantly in the subsectors that
are more sensitive to the business cycle. For the 2008 calendar year, growth in
real gross domestic product decelerated to 3,1 percent – a disappointing
outcome following four successive years in which annual growth had remained
around 5 percent.”

These are uncertain times for working people across the world.

In its recent publication, “The Financial and Economic Crisis: A Decent Work
Response”, the ILO warns that the bleak labour market outlook affects certain
groups disproportionately-notably women, migrant workers and youth. The impact
of the crisis on labour markets is also expected to go beyond just job losses
as we will see the incidence of informal employment and working poverty
increasing.

Fortunately, we can draw comfort from the fact that this ANC-led government,
together with its social partners, has developed appropriate measures to
respond to the economic crisis.

In line with President Motlanthe’s announcement during the State of the
Nation address, the Presidential Economic Joint Working Group has released a
document titled ‘Framework for South Africa’s Response to the International
Economic Crisis’.

Among the highlights of the country response to the financial crisis are the
following:
* a R787 billion public infrastructure investment programme over the next three
years
* the development of sector strategies to address vulnerable sectors through
trade, industrial and social policy measures
* a National Jobs Initiative (led by the Presidency and funded to the tune of
R10 billion over the next three years)
* development of incentives for ‘green jobs’
* local procurement
* commitment by business to discourage retrenchments
* public sector employment
* Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) phase two aimed at creating 4.5.
million work opportunities from 2009/10 to 2013/14 or 2 million full time
equivalent (FTE)
* an emergency food relief and a ‘Food for All” programme to address food
security
* commitment to playing a role in the G20 (group of countries), that promotes a
more equitable and balanced model of global economic co-operation.

The successful implementation of these proposed measures at both the
national and provincial level will rest on our ability to ensure that these
commitments by all the social partners are translated into concrete plans and
measurable deliverables that will bring hope to our people.

Provincial action to address the impact of the crisis will be guided by the
national framework that we have outlined above. As we speak, provincial
government officials are hard at work to finalise measures and commitments that
will be presented to a stakeholder forum in line with our announcements during
the State of the province Address.

Comrades, the timing of this SAMWU Congress allows us to again advise, that
as you go to the polls you should ask whether the new government is one that is
capable of ensuring the existence of a strong partnership between government,
workers and business to protect workers and the most vulnerable from the global
economic crisis.

You should ask also whether the new government coming to power is one that
can position the country to remain competitive and generate decent jobs whilst
in the midst of the deepest global economic crisis since the Great Depression
of the 1930s.

The historical role and importance of the trade union movement

Comrades, you are gathered here as workers representing a trade union that
is an important affiliate of the ANC’s Alliance partner, COSATU, and a leading
union in the public sector. One of the critical areas you will be expected to
deliberate upon will be how to mobilise municipal workers in order to build a
stronger SAMWU.

I wish to assure you that it is in the interest of any ANC-led provincial
administration to have a stronger SAMWU so that it is able to engage in
partnerships that enhance the quality of service delivery at local government
level. Stronger worker organisations are essential for transformation not only
in the public sector but in the country as a whole.

As an ANC-led provincial administration we draw inspiration from the Freedom
Charter. Our people gathered at Kliptown in 1955 proclaimed that “There shall
be work and security- all who work shall be free to form trade unions, to elect
their officers and to make wage agreements with their employers.”

More than four decades later, the new democratically-elected government
outlined the main thrust of its economic policies and vision for restructuring
and transforming the economy in the Reconstruction and Development Programme
(RDP) policy document but remained true to the above principles, arguing that
“Over the years, workers have won many struggles and made many gains in the
workplace. The fundamental principle of the RDP is to safeguard these rights
and extend them. Organised labour must be empowered to act as a strong force in
the reconstruction and development of our country”.

As a province we need to ask whether we are doing enough to build an
environment for a stronger SAMWU and a stronger union movement that can assist
us to consolidate the gains that our country has made and to further advance
the fight against poverty and underdevelopment.

If there are those amongst us, whether in the provincial government or
municipalities, who fear or abhor a stronger SAMWU or a strong trade union
movement it is because we have not done enough to convince them that strong
worker organisations are critical to our efforts to build social partnerships
and ‘social dialogue”, without which we cannot prosper as a country.

We realise that new developments globally and locally are pushing unions to
rethink their strategies but as analysts have observed, throughout the
twentieth century trade unions have functioned in an environment characterised
by dynamic changes in the world of work.

Prior to this unfolding global economic crisis workers and unions were
confronted by the realities of globalisation, technical change, casualisation
and the changing nature of work, and allow me to also add the impact of
HIV/AIDS.

These challenges you were able to confront in various ways, including
building your organisational strength through mobilising casualised workers and
in establishing solidarity with counterparts in other countries.Indeed, it is
laudable that in our midst today we have delegates from our neighbouring
countries, Swaziland and Mozambique, and that this Tri-Annual Congress is a
reflection of international solidarity in action.

Our expectations of SAMWU

Programme Director, your gathering at this Tri-Annual Provincial Congress
affords you , as workers, an opportunity to further reflect on the challenges
facing the local government sector. As we have indicated, this sector is too
important for us to leave unattended if we are serious about Vision 2014 or the
attainment of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) targets in the
province.

The key performance areas that municipalities are expected to perform
against remain the core issues of basic service delivery and infrastructure
development, local economic development (LED), financial viability, municipal
transformation, and good governance.

We are confident that SAMWU shares our aspirations for a better performing
local government in the province. Notwithstanding challenges of limited
financial and human capacity of many municipalities, particularly in our rural
areas, we must strive for the best. Your role in these efforts is surely
critical.

Comrades, 22 years ago thousands of municipal workers formed SAMWU and were
instrumental as part of the organised worker’s militant resistance against and
contribution to the defeat of the apartheid regime.

During the past fifteen years SAMWU has also played its role in advancing
socio-economic transformation and improving the lives of our people in
communities where they live.

As a provincial administration we wish to acknowledge SAMWU’s role in the
partnership we have built to improve the performance of local government in
Mpumalanga.

Undoubtedly, many challenges remain. We have much to do to improve
governance and to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of quality
services for our people.

Sometimes our municipalities seem to attract the wrong headlines. Surely,
that has to change.

The days of adversarial relations between workers and management must also
end and a new spirit of partnership be put in place.

There will be times when as workers you are also called upon to balance your
short-term interests with broader strategic goals of the province and the
country as a whole.

Over the next five years the ANC has identified the five key priority areas
to be the creation of decent work, education, health, rural development, and
the fight against crime and corruption.

It is my firm belief that in your deliberations you will seek to further
strengthen your partnership with the provincial administration to ensure that
achievements are made in these areas and the local government sector fulfils
its potential.

We wish you all the success in your deliberations during this Tri-Annual
Congress.

An Injury to One is an Injury to All

Amandla

VIVA SAMWU! VIVA COSATU! VIVA ANC! VIVA SACP!

Issued by: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
2 April 2009