A long-standing issue of professionalisation of administration at all spheres of government has been raised again as a possible solution to persisting challenges of failing service delivery and other challenges facing government in the country.
This is according to the North West Provincial Chairperson of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Executive Mayor of Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, Khumalo Molefe, who believes that professionalisation will help attract people with required skill and knowledge to run public service affairs.
Molefe, who was speaking on YOU FM Newshour, didn’t mince his words when addressing the persisting failure of some municipalities of spending funds allocated to them.
He has however said that the challenge affects all spheres of government and not only the local government alone.
“Municipalities differ from one to another in the same way as the government departments differ from one to the other provincially and nationally.
There are departments in the provincial and national government that are not spending their allocated budgets every financial year.
So, municipalities differ in terms of their capacity, but one of the things that we have detected that must be addressed is the question of professionalizing the administration not only at the local government but at provincial and national level.
We must look for sheer competence that there’s people who have the necessary qualifications, experience and competencies in the recent history we know that that was not a priority, people who were not suitable for positions were put in positions,” Molefe passionately explains.
The issue come as SALGA’s Provincial Executive Committee will on Wednesday convene yet another engagement with member municipalities on the Review of the White Paper on Local Government in Mahikeng.
According to the organisation, the aim is to develop its position on the review, consisting of inputs from its members.
Molefe echoed sentiments by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa who said that the White Paper on Local Government must address municipal funding model problem amongst others, which according to him results in many municipalities struggling to provide even the most basic services, such as water, sanitation, and electricity.
“We agree with the minister that in its current form the legislative regime governing the local government is becoming obsolete and irrelevant and therefore this review is necessary.
However, as SALGA there are certain areas that we have lifted that we have a critical interest on like firstly moving from the premise that local government is underfunded.
Of all the entire budget of the country, local government only gets 10%, so it tells you that the original white paper or legislation anticipated that a local government would be self-funding.
However, the current socio-economic position of the country is that unemployment is high, people are not working, and people are unable to pay, so the assumption that municipalities would be self-funding with people paying for rates and services is no longer applicable,” explained Molefe.
In addition, Molefe said they’ll also discuss the local government funding mechanisms and laws related to equitable share formula and funding.
The document seeking comment on reforms to the White Paper was gazetted on April 10, with a closing date of June 30.
