Outa suggests excess power produced by individuals should be given to others
Outa suggests one or two reasons the province is in a poor state and how it could be governed better.
The Boskruin-based Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) believes Gauteng is in a dire state due to the condition of roads, municipal debt, electricity crisis, and other factors.
This follows the State of the Province Address by Premier Panyaza Lesufi.
According to Julius Kleynhans, executive manager of social innovation and local government affairs at Outa, infrastructure was deteriorating significantly on both provincial and municipal roads.
“With the recent disruptions in water and electricity supply in the nation’s economic hub, we face serious challenges,” he said.
“Our municipalities/metros are also falling apart with politicking being the main culprit, at the expense of the people.”
Outa indicated that provincial intervention in municipalities such as Emfuleni had failed dismally in the past and that it had little faith that the Premier would be able to turn things around.
“The Gauteng province has intervened three times in Emfuleni already. It’s a mess, caused by politicians and greedy tenderpreneurs,” he claimed. “Employing a good municipal manager and a chief financial officer is merely a start to turn things around but one needs to be radical if one wants to change things. A zero-based budget approach will be a good start, allocating resources to the most basic of services and cutting deep to save costs where it’s not needed.”
Kleynhans said Gauteng municipalities owing Eskom R8.6 billion, did not happen overnight.
These very municipalities are supposed to report back on their financial state to the municipality every month. That means that Gauteng province had known and seen this decay unfolding over years and had done little if anything to stop it, he said.
Outa suggests the provincial government should play a role in bringing short-term relief to the energy crisis.
Kleynhans said the greatest short-term challenges for municipalities to procure solar power from residents and businesses would lie with the National Treasury procurement approvals, the Nersa tariff determinations, and the promulgation of municipal bylaws to enable this initiative.
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Cities such as Tshwane and Johannesburg have been sitting on such bylaws for some time and needed to finalise these.
“We must collectively challenge the different levels of government on removing all these obstacles as fast as possible.”
Surplus electricity generated by residents and businesses could reach residents who did not have access to solar power (or municipal power) by way of ‘wheeling’. In this way, local government could improve and extend services and in the process empower communities and help the economy.
“There are opportunities to be creative around addressing poverty by enabling marginalised communities to become part of the solution. A potential example of this can be in the form of solar infrastructure development offset by corporate social responsibility programmes and treasury grants.
“Imagine if former free basic electricity recipients could now generate electricity and sell the surplus back to the municipality, how much tax money can be saved and what economic stimulation this may create in these communities, and the province can play a role here.”
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