The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in KwaZulu-Natal identified five problems facing municipalities in the province.
Image: Screengrab
Political leadership is getting weaker, and at the next local government elections, there might be a huge turnover with many new councillors who will be part and parcel of governing municipalities without the requisite experience.
This was the view of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in KwaZulu-Natal, which went on to identify the core problem that local government is inadequately equipped to fulfil its development agenda.
SALGA made the remarks during the launch of the KZN Speaker’s Forum and signing of a memorandum of understanding at the KZN Legislature on Friday.
The forum is aimed at strengthening cooperation and coordination between the two institutions. This partnership is expected to enhance support to municipalities and strengthen legislative oversight programmes across the province.
SALGA identified five problems in local government, which are:
- Poor political leadership capacity and weak administrative management.
- Inefficient and non-integrated local government delivery mechanisms, systems, and processes to enable service delivery.
- Ineffective utilisation of financial resources (poor financial administration), inability to collect revenue, and insufficient fiscus allocation
- Degenerating infrastructure and non-existent or poor services provided to local communities.
- Poor relationship with citizens leading to loss of confidence in local government.
The KZN Speaker’s Forum aims to empower speakers through the sharing of reports, develop strategic partnerships, and improve oversight programmes.
Furthermore, this strategic collaboration will provide a structured platform for addressing service delivery challenges and promoting intergovernmental participation, particularly within Integrated Development Plan (IDP) processes.
Nontembeko Boyce, speaker of the KZN Legislature, said no speaker should feel isolated, nor should the council have to navigate complex challenges alone.
She stated that through this forum, they should support and learn from one another and stand together as leaders for the greater good of the province.
“Our communities do not care where a service comes from, they expect service delivery. They do not care who fixes the road, who installs the tap, or who makes sure the clinic is working, they just want it done. And they want us, as their leaders, to pull in the same direction. With all those expectations, the local government, as a sphere in which service delivery is the first point of call for our communities,” Boyce said.
The forum’s objectives are:
- To exchange knowledge, skills, and views on strategies to strengthen good governance and deepen democracy.
- Build a stronger link between councils and the provincial legislature.
- Share what works, and help each other through.
- Speak with one voice on issues that affect our communities.
Sithole Mbanga, SALGA CEO, spoke about harnessing the power of political leadership to restore public trust and drive service delivery.
Mbanga said the challenges they face are maintaining public trust from society and ensuring effective service delivery demands urgent attention.
“The government is under pressure to deliver, which is an important issue. We are not here to pay lip service, we want to form a relationship between the provincial and national governments. If you look at the surveys that one conducts and the perception that society has against local government, it is negative.”
Mbanga expected new councillors to be part of governing municipalities after next year's elections.
“Without the requisite experience, it will be a problem for us. We will have to upskill those people who are going to become part and parcel of the leadership,” he said.
SALGA's mandate is to transform local government to enable it to fulfil its development.
Mbanga said SALGA is focused on four things: leadership, differentiation, data optimisation, and management and coordination.
“A mayor cannot run a municipality if there is no collaboration with others. Our mayors are saying help us to build that layer of leaders from the other spheres of government and other spheres of business and society," Mbanga said.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in KwaZulu-Natal focused on four thing: leadership, differentiation, data optimisation, and management and coordination.
Image: Screengrab