The ANC government knows that the rotten management of municipalities and the accompanying pathetic service delivery are a big reason why it is increasingly losing support at the ballot box.
The auditor-general regularly highlights the dire situation in various municipalities. Less than 20% of municipalities receive clean audits.
Most municipalities spend less than 2% of their budgets on maintenance, far below the 8% norm. This leads to a permanent state of crumbling roads, frequent power outages and non-working water pumps. Dysfunctional municipalities mean the collapse of wastewater systems and raw sewage flowing directly into communities’ water sources, creating daily health hazards.
Local governments owe Eskom more than R55bn and water boards more than R21bn. Municipalities have incurred more than R87bn in irregular expenditure since 2021. In the budget speech the finance minister allocated R86.7bn to local government for free basic services, including water and electricity, for about 11.2-million households. This is nothing more than another social grant, buying votes.
Guilty municipal officials can no longer get away with it. Criminal prosecution of officials who deliberately ignore financial regulations or skip audit submissions is vital. Legislation is needed to prescribe strict minimum qualifications for senior municipal managers. Experts are needed, not cadre deployment.
“Commercial services”, including water and electricity, must be moved to state-owned entities to ensure essential service delivery. Involve the Development Bank of Southern Africa in the planning and execution of large-scale infrastructure projects in municipalities that lack the necessary technical capacity.
There is so much more that can be done forcefully to remedy the situation.
Joe Kelinhans
Villiera
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