Cape Town -
All three levels of government must stop pointing fingers over service delivery backlogs and start delivering, United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said on Monday.
He said it was unjust that poor people were expected to be patient when there was no coherent national and provincial plan to deal with their plight.
Budget allocations at provincial and local government were simply not adequate.
“Previously disadvantaged communities continue to receive just a tiny fraction of budget allocations, even though they have the highest service delivery and infrastructure development backlogs,” he said.
People in the Western Cape, for example, had been living in squalor since the 1980s, but budget allocations continued to be skewed in favour of developed areas.
Holomisa called on Cabinet leaders to intervene in backlogs.
“It is mischievous for it (Cabinet) to shift blame to the lower spheres of government, when national competences are required to address some of the service delivery backlogs.”
He said while some people had legitimate reasons for protesting, they should do so in a manner that respected the law and other citizens. - Sapa