The SA Football Association is worried about Premier Soccer League managers who do not have certified qualifications to coach professional clubs.
Some have attributed the performance of the country’s players to bad coaching, especially at development and semi-professional levels. Whether this is true or not will remain the subject of debate for many years to come.
However, anyone who follows football politics and economics would understand that the challenges facing the SA football industry are multifaceted. Even after the legacy of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, football in the country resembles the taxi industry. Asking individuals to have coaching licences is akin to demanding taxi drivers and queue marshals obtain hospitality qualifications.
Similarly, the ANC is concerned about the instability of coalition governments across the country, but the underlying problems at the lower level of politics and municipalities remain unresolved. The governing party wants to replace an asbestos roof with high-quality tiles when the house is cracking and its foundation rapidly sinking. The point everyone avoids is that there is no democracy at the local level.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula announced that coalitions were going to be high on the agenda of the party’s recent national executive committee meeting. He said that what the ANC wanted from these coalitions was stability to run local governments, as well as “to work with people who are going to advance the interests of our people on the ground”. This discussion follows a period of tumultuous coalition arrangements that threatened to further weaken already municipal governance.
In the past, former president Thabo Mbeki spoke out against the presence of criminals in municipal leadership positions. As usual, he was candid in his assessment and pointed out that members of the ANC were responsible for harbouring such individuals. Mbeki also noted that some party members were unwilling to campaign for the ANC in Newcastle because they believed it would mean putting “criminals in the leadership of the municipality”. This reluctance may have contributed to the ANC’s loss in the subsequent election, which allowed the IFP-led coalition to assume control of the Newcastle municipality.
In 2019 the Newcastle municipality made headlines for its failure to pay Eskom. With a debt exceeding R200m, Eskom threatened to cut power to the municipality. This caused concern among local businesses and households that had been paying for their services and saw no reason the municipality could not pay Eskom. Fortunately, a decision by the high court in Pietermaritzburg saved the day.
Water and electricity are critical services in SA, affecting the quality of life, social welfare and economic development of communities throughout the country. The constitution of 1996 and the Municipal Systems Act of 2000 require municipalities to provide essential goods and services, including water and electricity. Nevertheless, this area of governance is beset with obstacles that hinder its capacity to deliver these services efficiently. As a result, communities have become disillusioned with municipalities due to issues with service delivery.
Mbeki also shared that an ANC member had reported the presence of izinkabi (professional killers) on the municipality’s payroll who were paid monthly and held in reserve to be instructed to take out certain people. Some of these claims have been disregarded by the party’s national executive committee , but instances of violence perpetrated by local leaders have been witnessed by communities. For example, in Mkhondo (Mpumalanga), a leader turned against his comrades and killed them. These reports suggest a troubling culture of violence and corruption within the municipality.
The continuing political mayhem has had a severe impact on communities, leaving many citizens without access to essential services.
Municipalities across the country have become hotspots of violence and political turmoil, fuelled by corruption and self-interest among local leaders. This has led to fierce competition and killings as different groups vie for control. The situation has also resulted in fractured coalitions in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay. Political parties are all implicated in the scramble for resources and power, creating a complex and volatile environment in many municipalities.
From Collins Chabane (Limpopo) to Mbhashe (Eastern Cape), local government in SA has become a killing field. Municipalities have been plagued with political turmoil due to corruption and self-interest, leading to fierce competition and killings. This upheaval is also responsible for fractured coalitions in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and other places. All political parties are directly embroiled in a contest for controlling the pot of gold.
The continuing political mayhem has had a severe impact on communities, leaving many citizens without access to essential services. Furthermore, the political system itself, including political parties and processes, has lost the trust of communities. There has been a steady decline in voter turnout since the 1994 national election (86.87%), with the 2021 local general election bringing out a measly 45.86% of registered voters. Young people have become disengaged from the political system as they feel it does not serve their interests. This lack of engagement is likely to persist given that youth unemployment is predicted to reach about 64% this year.
The national executive committee’s decision to consider introducing rules for coalitions is welcome because this matter cannot be left to “markets” to correct. Introducing rules for coalitions is a step in the right direction. The only concern is that the motive behind this could be self-serving rather than a genuine attempt to improve conditions for communities. It is important to recognise that no law or rule can solve the challenges faced by municipalities, whether systematic or man induced. People need to experience the pork barrel in the form of political goods.
In his maiden budget vote in 2022 finance minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the National Treasury, together with the department of co-operative governance & traditional affairs, was “harnessing local government support mechanisms to intensify targeting interventions for increased impact from extensive capacity building.” Assisting struggling municipalities is imperative, as they play a crucial role in providing political goods to South Africans. These municipalities are responsible for service delivery at the grassroots level, and households and businesses depend on them for access to reliable and affordable electricity.
Therefore, any discussion of coalitions and related laws would be futile without addressing the need to prioritise the needs of communities and provide them with essential services. Ultimately, people need to feel valued and have access to the resources they need. Since 1994 the SA people have been yearning for a democratic dividend and freedom.
Progress has been made in addressing some of the social and economic challenges that were inherited from apartheid. But these efforts are obviously not enough.
• Hadebe is an independent commentator on socioeconomic, political and global matters based in Geneva, Switzerland.
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