Mahlangu on the Premier's State of the Province Address
17 February 2009
Working together with communities, Gauteng municipalities have achieved more
over the past five years; we have managed to build sustainable and financially
viable municipalities in the province.
Working together with our strategic partners and stakeholders, we have
stabilised local government, despite some of the challenges we are still
facing, including service delivery protests. This has been confirmed by the
five year local government review (2000 to 2005) released in 2005 and the
mid-term review due to be released next week.
Both the five year review and the mid term review are based on the five key
performance areas: Institutional transformation and development, financial
viable and management, service delivery and infrastructure, local economic
development and deepening democracy and good governance.
During the second half of our term, we recommitted ourselves towards a local
government that is transformed, well capacitated and stable; accountable,
transparent and promoting greater community participation financially viable
and sustainable and to speed up access to basic services and information and
more representative of women, youth and people with disabilities.
We are mindful that the citizens of Gauteng will judge us on how we have
achieved our goals. We are also not oblivious of the challenges that lie ahead;
however, we have achieved more in laying the foundation for vision 2014 and we
are confident that together we can speed up change.
Institutional transformation and management
Municipalities have now stabilised their institutional transformation and
have in placed approved organisational structures.
By December 2008, all municipal managers had signed performance contracts. We
are currently assisting municipalities that have not signed performance
contracts with section 57 managers to complete the process.
So far, of the 187 section 57 (senior management) posts 175 (94%) were
filled. We conducted competency assessments for all senior managements.
Financial viable and management
Following the establishment of the advisory commission on municipal
finances, which helped us to understand the extent of financial challenges
facing municipalities and the nature of debt, together with Gauteng Treasury
and South African Local Government Association (Salga) Gauteng, we hosted the
municipal finance summit with a focus on building municipal financial
sustainability for development governance. The summit pronounced on the state
of municipal finance and we developed a programme of action.
Our partnership with the South Africa Chartered Accountants (SAICA) has led
to the deployment of accountants that are assisting municipalities with
financial management. Progress has been made since the deployment of
accountants with regards to municipalities submitting their annual financial
statements on time and the quality of information of the statements has
improved.
Together with the office of the Auditor-General, we have started engaging
municipalities that have received disclaimers, adverse and qualified audit
opinions with the view to developing plans to ensure they prepare properly for
the audit.
We have also seen an improvement with municipalities obtaining unqualified
audit opinions, meaning that our quest for municipalities to achieve clean
audit opinions by 2009/10 financial years is on track.
We have also signed an agreement with the Institute of Internal Auditors to
assist municipalities to ensure we achieve our goal.
Service Delivery and Infrastructure
We have eradicated all the 12 332 unhygienic and inhumane bucket toilets and
replaced them with water borne system or Ventilated Pit Latrine (VIP),
depending on whether the area has been proclaimed a township or not. In 2007,
we celebrated the Imbizo focus week in Alra Park by showcasing the successes of
eradicating the bucket system.
In December last year, we celebrated the 2009 water targets in Tshwane. We
also showcased that much has been done in ensuring that our people have access
to water.
These achievements have been well documented by the 2007 community survey
conducted by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) which indicates that although
95% of the population resides in urban Gauteng, significant progress has been
made regarding the provision of basic services such as water, electricity,
sanitation and refuse removal.
We are of course on achieving the 2010 sanitation and 2012 electricity
targets. We are also working with the Electricity Distribution Industry (EDI)
in the electricity restructuring process.
In partnership with National Treasury, Department of Water Affairs and
Forestry, Sedibeng Municipality, Emfuleni and Midvaal Local Municipalities, we
have embarked on Sedibeng Regional Sewer Treatment Works. This is the flagship
project of both Gauteng and Sedibeng's Regional Growth and Development
Stratety.
Deepening Democracy and Good Governance
We have deployed 481 Community Development Workers (CDWs) in all the wards
across the province. These CDW's have assisted communities to access government
services such as identity documents, application for housing, registration of
school children and access to health. They have also assisted Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC) with voter registration campaign, mobilised
communities during youth month, women month and world aids day.
All municipalities have established ward committees; however the challenge
is regarding their functionality. In addressing the challenge, we are
developing a Public Participation Framework aimed at ensuring greater community
and social movement involvement in governance issues in municipalities.
Municipal Public Account Committees (MPACs)
In a bid to improve oversight and accountability at local government level,
we launched the Municipal Public Accounts Committees (MPAC's). Equivalent to
the Public Standing Committee (Scopa), MPACs are aimed at determining how the
financial statements of municipalities should be scrutinised to ensure a
thorough political oversight process. The committees have been established in
all Gauteng's fourteen (14) municipalities in line with the Municipal Finance
Management Act (MFMA) which requires municipalities to have oversight
committees.
Pilot study on the separation of powers at the City of Jo'burg (COJ
Study)
In our endeavour to ensure the separation of powers between the executive and
the legislature, the City of Jo'burg rolled out new governance arrangements in
which Section 80 Portfolio Committees would be replaced with Section 79
Committees. The effect of these new arrangements is that the executive will no
longer be the chairpersons of the committees that they are supposed to report
to.
In terms of the old arrangements under Section 80, Members of the Mayoral
Committee served as the chairpersons of the committees that they were supposed
to be reporting to, thus compromising the principle of the separation of powers
between the legislative and the executive arms of council.
Powers and functions
The department has concluded a study that sought to review the allocations
of powers and functions between the three (3) spheres of government. The
findings of the study have been approved by the Premier's Coordinating Forum
(PCF) for the department to input into the National Policy Review Process. The
findings of the study will be used to input into the policy review process
initiated by the Department of Provincial and Local Government.
Metro System of Government
We have also undertaken a comprehensive feasibility study on the
establishment of a metropolitan form of local governance. The study forms part
of the numerous Global City Region (GCR) projects as outlined in detail in the
GCR roadmap. In particular, the study sought to improve the relationship
between municipalities and the province in order to improve seamless service
delivery in Gauteng.
Provincial Disaster Management Centre
In 2007, we launched the Provincial Disaster Management Centre to
co-ordinate all the disaster activities in the province and to assist during
the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The centre played a pivotal role during the xenophobic
attacks which engulfed the province in 2008.
Energy
As per the Exco mandate, we have embarked on a process to develop the "The
Gauteng Integrated Energy Strategy and Implementation Plan" for the province. A
task team was established to oversee the development of the strategy and to
monitor municipal and business contributions towards energy saving
developments. The strategy will be completed by the end of the next financial
year.
In addressing the power crisis which gripped the country and province last
year, we hosted the Energy Exhibition (Energex) in June 2008 where different
energy saving gadgets and products were exhibited.
Traditional Leadership
The disestablishment of municipal boundaries led to Gauteng inheriting two
traditional authorities led by Chief Mahlangu and Chief Kekana. We have
assisted with the development of Traditional Leaders Framework and Bill which
seeks innovative ways in respect of defining the relationship between local
government structures and traditional leaders and traditional communities. We
have also hosted the traditional leaders' indaba.
Cross cutting
Since I assumed office, we have successfully hosted the women in local
government awards, Vuna awards and the HIV and Aids summit. We have also
initiated the women mentorship programme. So far, 200 women councillors have
been trained in developing their skills and knowledge in areas such as
facilitation of community projects, public participation and communications. In
conjunction with Salga and Gauteng youth commission, we also hosted the Gauteng
youth summit.
For more information contact:
Themba Sepotokele
Tel: 011 355 5111
Cell: 082 490 9869
Lebogang Tladinyane
Tel: 011 355 5038
Cell: 082 372 0635
Issued by: Department of Local Government, Gauteng Provincial
Government
17 February 2009
Source: Department of Local Government, Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.gautengonline.gov.za)
