A few recent press articles have once again brought sharp focus into the calamitous state of local government in this country. On the eve of local government elections, the question is seriously being asked as to what the value of local government is, if they have been unable to muster even a semblance of service delivery over the past 24 or so years.
In the first, Peter Bruce comments in the Sunday Times that the Democratic Alliance’s campaign slogan of ‘Getting Things Done’, referencing the ruling party’s inability to deliver services to large swathes of this country, will fall on deaf ears for the majority of local municipalities because they have known no better.
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In other words the bar has been set so low, that, as he puts it…’they cannot conceive of stepping outside a home onto clean, tarred roads with no rubbish lying around…’
Mike Siluma, in the same edition, refers to ‘… citizens defeated by their overlords’ incompetence, meet(ing) it with stoic acceptance’.
Then, in an article by Sabelo Skiti in this week’s edition, on the crumbling municipalities in the Eastern Cape, he pens a comment by a local resident saying ‘We’ve become used to this disappointment, because its like this with everything else..’
This was in response to the distribution of free paraffin to indigent households because the list that was to be used, was one year old.
Of course, one cannot but highlight that this sudden altruism on the local municipality’s part was provoked by the President’s imminent visit to inspect progress on a mega-bridge construction project nearby.
The ‘stoic acceptance’ referred to be Siluma above, has slowly morphed into an element of self-reliance and activism by ratepayers and resident to ‘go it alone’.
The much publicised action by the residents of Koster to wrest control of the water treatment plants from their municipality was ground-breaking, and has no doubt emboldened many local resident across the country.
Recent reports of residents of villages in Limpopo raising funds and fixing roads and other infrastructure themselves is proof of this groundswell.
It is only a matter of time before the redundancy of local government becomes apparent to all.
Vijay Naidoo is the CEO of the Port Shepstone Business Forum. He writes in his personal capacity. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.
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