I attended the post-budget presentation hosted by MEC Peggy Nkonyeni at Selborne Park recently. Her DG Carol Coetzee dissected the R146bn budget in some detail, highlighting the usual constraints, while emphasising the usual successes.
During the discussion session, I challenged the MEC to address the following issues, with a view to positioning our province as the leaders in progressive and accountable governance.
Firstly, I challenged her to capacitate the Provincial civil service with competent, professional and committed individuals with a laser like focus on delivery and execution.
I told her the fact that hundreds of families were still being housed in community halls and the like a year after the devastating floods was inexcusable, and spoke to a blatant abrogation of the province’s responsibilities to its people.
Similarly that very little has been done to rebuild critical damaged infrastructure across the province speaks to an absolute lack of will and urgency on the part of those tasked with the responsibilities, essentially the entire provincial government.
Writing in the Sunday Times this weekend, Ivor Chipkin and Rafael Leite identify that many of the governance failures we are experiencing are the result of ‘deficiencies in the system of public administration’.
They further conclude that ‘senior appointments remain vulnerable to the whims of politicians’. Merit based appointments at all levels of provincial government departments and entities must be the norm. I urged her to be the Province that realistically takes the first steps to the achievement of a professionalised civil service.
Secondly, as business we have grown tired of the ‘limited resources’ excuse being thrown around as an explanation for all the ills emanating from the dismal performance of the provincial government departments.
We believe that efficient and effective use of resources, driven by a cadre of competent politicians and technocrats must be prioritised.
Every rand spent must be value driven, and her department must be at the forefront of monitoring this, without fear or favour. The R146bn budget that was presented equates to a per capita provincial spend of R7 600,00 (based on a provincial population of 19 million).
This excludes direct national allocations to provincial departments. Clamping down on corruption and mismanagement across all departments has to be initiated with vigour.
An amount of R980m has been earmarked for Ugu water infrastructure – imagine the difference this could make to our water woes if it could be spent over the next 12 months?
Finally, while the issues at the Durban port, and constraints on Transnet’s rail infrastructure that have severely hampered the provincial economy, particularly the export focused sectors, are national based competencies, it was vital that Province use every means at its disposal to pressurise the relevant SOE management and state departments to intervene. The damage the gross inefficiencies at the Durban port has continued to wreak on the economy has to end.
There is wide consensus that our province has the attributes and committed stakeholders to be a powerhouse in the national economy. All that is needed is committed, people-centred leadership to make this a reality.
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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