BOKSBURG - With less than two weeks left before citizens head to the polls, President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that the local government system has failed to meet expectations of the people it is meant to serve.
From unreliable water and electricity supply issues to deteriorating roads and poorly maintained infrastructure, these consequences, Ramaphosa said, are felt in the daily lives of residents.
He was speaking at the launch of the final blueprint of the revised White Paper on local government at the Birchwood Hotel in Bokesburg on Thursday.
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While the revised White Paper seeks to correct historical wrongs, it is also aimed at reforming service delivery, governance and financial management in municipalities.
“Too many communities have grown accustomed to services that are unreliable, infrastructure that is deteriorating and municipal administrations that are unresponsive. This cannot continue," Ramaphosa said.
According to the President, the original White Paper published in 1998 set out what he called a blueprint for democratic local government.
At the time, he said they worked from "certain assumptions"; those included joining unequal municipalities which would produce viable institutions while believing that economic growth would strengthen municipal revenue.
But over time this system would prove otherwise.
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Ramaphosa said municipalities were assigned power and responsibility that in some cases "outstripped their capabilities and funding".
“We underestimated the importance of training up a new generation of engineers, town planners and municipal managers. We underestimated how politicised appointments would open the door to corruption, malfeasance and a lack of accountability. Today our people live with these consequences.”
Ramaphosa conceded that the revised White Paper "sets out to tackle dysfunction by reforming the entire system, not merely by responding to its symptoms".
His speech also extended to the role of political leaders who he said must lead with integrity, provide oversight, with accountability being exercised fairly, lawfully and consistently.
“They may disagree about policy. They may form coalitions or govern with a majority. But once elected, they share an obligation greater than party advantage: to ensure that the municipality works.
“A disagreement in council must never become an excuse for an unapproved budget, an abandoned project or the collapse of an essential service. Our people must never be held hostage by political instability.”