Analyst talks on the way forward after elections
According to him, the highly successful management of the recent local elections and emergence of stronger political competition, sent a positive message to investors and credit-rating agencies at a time when the economy needed it the most.
LYDENBURG – The recent municipal elections left the public with some uncertainty about the future.
To help clear the air the Lydenburg/Mashishing Business Chamber invited well-known political analyst, Theo Venter to elaborate on this at their annual general meeting (AGM) in town on August 16, at the NG Suid church.
Residents came in numbers to find out what could be in store for them after the fifth local government election since 1994.
During his presentation, Venter touched on several topics. According to him, the highly successful management of the recent local elections and emergence of stronger political competition, sent a positive message to investors and credit-rating agencies at a time when the economy needed it the most.
“The elections reflect a vibrant young democracy which is now developing a degree of political maturity.
“Businesses and municipalities’ new political leadership need to seize the moment, sooner rather than later, to forge stronger relationships in order to intensify cooperation. A key issue will be the greater responsiveness of municipalities to the needs of business and the strong encouragement of local entrepreneurship to help with job creation.”
Venter reckoned the quality of governance made a big difference to the performance of local authorities and their capacity to address issues like poverty. “There is a high correlation between financial dependence and the degree of ‘dysfunctionality’ of municipalities. The more dependent the local authority is on subsidies, the worse it seems to perform.”
According to Venter, only 26 million people of a possible 35 million registered to vote and only 15 million actually voted.
“More than 20 million either stayed away or did not participate in voting.
“They stayed away for the following reasons: Voters have lost confidence in the political system which is part of a political culture from pre-1994; voting against the party of liberation is emotionally too difficult, political issues kept people away and this is also part of a voting apathy.”
