By Thokozani Mtshali
South Africa could face a mass revolt that might undo its democratic gains if municipalities' sloppy record of service delivery did not improve, president Thabo Mbeki warned on Friday.
Mbeki told the National Council of Provinces that the weaknesses in municipalities were a serious threat to the country's democracy and if left unattended would fuel disenchantment, creating a gulf between councillors and the masses.
He again pointed to the lack of proper coordination among government departments and skills shortages and highlighted these as some of the key factors hampering development in the country.
| 'it can undermine our efforts to deepen democracy at the local level' |
His remarks at the special sitting of the NCOP at Parys in the Free State come shortly after parliament's joint budget committee noted in its report on Tuesday that there was a need for government clusters to strengthen their co-ordination as this would improve delivery.
The report added "that departments that provide the various basic services for the effective functioning of service delivery units, such as schools and clinics, were not effectively engaging with each other".
Continues Below ↓
It said examples of schools without water and sanitation or clinics without electricity were a matter of concern and classical illustrations of the lack of co-ordination within departments.
Mbeki on Friday took on the same point, saying if government departments worked jointly as they should, "we will avoid the risk of schools being built without water provision and sanitation, without access roads or without electricity".
"Indeed, if we work as we should, jointly and in an integrated way, we will avoid clinics being built without medicines or health workers.
"We will ensure that communities that regain their ancestral lands through the restitution process receive the necessary support to engage in productive agricultural activities," he said.
Mbeki also reiterated that the lack of skills was affecting the government, especially municipalities.
"If this problem of lack of capacity in municipal governance is not given the necessary attention, it can undermine our efforts to deepen democracy at the local level.
"(It) may bring about an unintended consequence of the development of a gulf between our municipal governments and the people," warned Mbeki.
As part of efforts to co-ordinate the efforts of government departments and related systems, the cabinet and the president's Co-ordinating Council would over the next two months meet with the National House of Traditional Leaders to ensure traditional leaders also played a part in conception of development programmes.
In its report this week, the joint budget committee also raised similar concerns, urging the government to improve its human resources capacity. It noted that the high vacancy rate and staff turnover in departments was affecting service delivery.
NCOP chairperson, Mninwa Mahlangu, also raised the importance of co-operative governance and responsive municipalities in his speech.
"Our shared view is that the notion of co-operative governance is based on the principle that the three spheres working together or acting in concert are more likely to address challenges facing the country than if they were to act separately or in competition," said Mahlangu.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of Cape Argus on November 11, 2006
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
