The Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in the North West has undertaken to crack the whip on underperforming municipalities in the province.
This emerged during the organisation’s meeting held in Hartbeespoort Dam, where it resolved to strengthen its oversight visit to projects in various municipalities in the province.
Other key resolutions taken including but not limited to holding each member municipality accountable and ensuring that there’s an honest and real understanding of the state of the provinces municipalities, outsourcing of municipal services, gender equity when contracts or Municipal Infrastructure grants (MIG) opportunities are issued amongst others.
In his closing address, SALGA Provincial Chairperson and the Executive Mayor of Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Khumalo Molefe, told PEC delegates that they must drill down to policy matters and visit municipalities.
“The PEC may decide to visit projects at various municipalities, or just do oversight to satisfy itself whether its potholes, its streetlights, or grass cutting such basic things.
“The PEC must reconnect with areas where it is doing oversight and leadership so that when we come here, we know what the situation on the ground in Madibeng looks like,” said Molefe.
In addition, Molefe said that the PEC normally meets far away from municipalities, where free accommodation for meetings could be provided and engagements held with the mayors and senior managers of the respective municipalities to understand the level of service delivery amongst others.
“We are in Madibeng but we’ve never met Madibeng, now moving forward we will sleep in these beautiful places, but we will not hold our meetings in these beautiful places.
“It’s an NEC resolution, of course I am guilty that I’ve sponsored that resolution and it was adopted that SALGA must reconnect with its municipalities, so when we come to Madibeng our meeting must be held in the council or the boardroom of that respective municipality.
“SALGA must be visible where it belongs at our council chambers so that we are able to comment and see for ourselves the state of our municipalities and the state of the infrastructure of Madibeng as we close this PEC.
“Is this PEC able to say what is the state of service delivery in Madibeng, but our record indicates that the PEC was held in Madibeng?” questioned Molefe.
He acknowledged that the PEC failed to discuss unemployment in the province, adding that municipalities are also failing to align projects to address unemployment particularly amongst youth and women.
“We can’t run away from the fact that our unemployment rate lingers around 56% in expanded definition according to the latest quarter labour force survey as released by the Statistic South Africa. What have we discussed today, did we talk about that, did we reflect on that reality? But when we give you an opportunity to preside over projects the first people you give this Municipal Infrastructure Grants, MIG opportunities are people from outside the province,” remarked Molefe.
He emphasised that the organisation still must do an introspection.
“We are going to have to take stock, otherwise why do we exist as PEC of SALGA, if we can’t say to Rustenburg Local Municipality, we are your guests, come and tell us about the local economic development and be specific with us or come Ngaka we are your guest, come and explain otherwise we are not representing our people, we are lying,” said Molefe.
Molefe also raised concerns regarding the hiring of service providers from outside the province.
“We are indicating left but in fact we are turning right. We are promising our people local economic development but in a practical sense we are lying because the people who benefit in our municipalities are not local people, not people from the province. We are not a homeland, but the division of revenue act appropriates money for people of that municipality, for people of that province,” said Molefe.
The chairperson said that most of the municipalities in the province including where he’s appointed (Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality) outsourced more than 27% of municipal services.
He called on municipalities to prioritize the youth and women when issuing contracts or projects.
“No, we can’t outsource everything like that and still pay senior managers, but we must specifically insist on women, youth and persons with disabilities getting these opportunities. These arrangements where men only get projects must be confronted by us as the SALGA. Let the Mayor, Municipal Manager and senior Managers explain to us what the problem with women and youth is, because we are lying to women and youth every day, by saying in our speeches they will get opportunities when the fact is false. Mayor, go and look at your panel of consultants, it’s all men. Go and look at your panel of contractors, it’s all men, no young people there, no women there and it’s normal,” concluded Molefe.
