Ramaphosa urges for political stability

Stop your political “ding-dong” of chopping and changing mayors but work hard to realise Nelson Mandela’s 1994 promise to deliver basic needs to the people, says President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa, in an address to the South African Local Government Association Council of Mayors yesterday, cautioned them to reflect on the commitments made by Mandela during his 1994 inauguration speech – that “the basic needs of the … people must be addressed”.

Mandela then said there must be creation of jobs, building of houses, provision of electricity, building of schools and hospitals, providing free, compulsory quality education, running water and paved roads, among others.

Ramaphosa said: “Upon honest reflection, it is common knowledge that across many parts of our beautiful country, this promise of 1994 has not yet been fulfilled.”

He urged the mayors to take stock of current realities, to capture the moment as an opportunity to renew and recommit themselves to the 1994 promise.

“This means that, if we are to effectively attend to the needs of residents, there needs to be far greater cooperation across party lines and less focus on ding-dong practice of removing mayors every week of the month.

“There needs to be a concerted and shared effort to address growing levels of public dissatisfaction with service provision.” There is hardly a municipality which has not been impacted by some form of protest.

He condemned the “deeply disturbing trend” of attacks on councillors and municipal administrators, adding that more than 300 councillors had been murdered.

There was a need to take a look at whether the killings manifested something much deeper. He asked: “Is it as a result of public anger or is it because some of our municipalities have been captured by other interests?

Have criminals taken over some of our municipalities?” Mayors, as they carried a heavy responsibility, must ensure the councils weren’t just functional and fulfil their mandates, but were also cohesive. Most significantly, they had to ensure suitably qualified and experienced managers were appointed and that there was regular upskilling and training.

He asked the mayors to ensure infrastructure was climate resilient and communities were protected from extreme weather events.

This required partnerships to mobilise expertise and resources to support sound decision-making and investments.

“We are committed to provide free basic services to indigent households, but everyone else must pay for the services that municipalities provide,” he said.