Has the ANC's heritage become that of self-enrichment?
As South Africans celebrated Heritage Day this week, many are wondering if the ANC has moved from a heritage of liberation to one of self-enrichment.
The party has overseen more than 30 years of corruption and maladministration, launching several “rejuvenation” campaigns during that time.
The ANC lost its majority in last year’s national elections, and its leaders have acknowledged that the party is struggling and needs to do more.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently told councillors that a lack of service delivery at the local government level and out-of-control corruption in councils were behind the demise.
He warned of action in areas where they have failed to govern properly.
“Firing or not firing will depend on the reports that we have and the evaluation we have done. I wouldn’t want to call it firing, but intervention. There will be intervention, you will see, in most of the municipalities that are underperforming.”
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He also highlighted the auditor-general’s findings against many of these municipalities.
“It is usually painful each time when the auditor-general comes to report to Cabinet and they put up their report, and those municipalities that do best are not ANC-controlled municipalities, and I can name them here because there is nothing wrong with competition, they are often DA-controlled municipalities.”
Empty words?
Political expert Sandile Swana said it was the same old rhetoric from the party, which will likely yield little results.
Swana said that, currently, at least 66 municipalities are dysfunctional, 31 are in financial distress, and the infrastructure report card indicates that the worst road infrastructure is in these municipalities.
He said that issues raised by the previous auditor-general, Kimi Makwetu, pertaining to a lack of service delivery, financial mismanagement, and graft in municipalities had not been resolved since.
Reports and recommendations of the auditor-general had not been implemented for over 10 to 15 years, with neither accountability nor consequent management being applied.
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