Chairperson, this new law will ensure that one's vote is one's voice, something which the majority of the people of our country were prepared to die for.
The apartheid government made sure that participation at local level was for a certain few communities. One of the main rallying cries of the struggle against apartheid was for the people to have a say in decisions that affected their daily lives.
Whilst I will be speaking on public participation, one cannot divorce that from accountability. For a change things will be simplified to a language that all will understand. Linking this to the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, councillors have a constitutional duty to inform and work with their constituencies.
Notice of ordinary or special council meetings should be put in all newsletters or communications of the council. The simplified meaning of the entire Bill is that a municipality is accountable to the public it serves. The transformation process in the local government sphere since the dawn of freedom has addressed the challenge to enhance and deepen democracy at the level closest to the people.
In preparing for the final phase of local government transition, the new vision of developmental government has been developed and largely implemented through legislation such as the Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act and the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act.
Also included in this Bill will be the municipalities' role in service delivery, poverty eradication and the improvement of social and economic conditions of our public, especially the disadvantaged communities. Because of this ANC Government, accountability and transparency now exist. One now even hears from parties who, in the past, said nothing. Now they have the guts to say this Bill is unacceptable.
The Constitution recognises that participation, among other things, is critical for ensuring sustainable democratic and developmental local government. Section 152 of the Constitution states the objectives of local governments. As this is also covered in Chapter 4 of this Bill, it is a non- negotiable mandate of municipalities. It compels municipalities to develop a culture of formal representative government with a system of participatory governance.
This Bill, through community participation, will ensure and instil responsibility in the citizenry as communities will be actively involved in the budget preparation processes that will take their needs and priorities on board. Communities will be engaged through the process of integrated development plans and will also be involved in monitoring municipalities through the process of performance management systems. There will also be strategic decision-makers who need to become involved in service delivery. No other party can be more democratic than the ANC. Those who say that this will be an extra burden on the cash-strapped municipalities are not telling the truth. They have to consider that municipalities will be reduced and clustered to become financially viable.
We all know that communities are not homogeneous. They are made up of different groups, some of which are more organised and have better access to resources than others. It is therefore important to note that the poor and disadvantaged are not excluded.
Most municipal councils throughout the country do experience serious financial constraints due to nonpayment for services and poor administration. If communities are active participants in the affairs of the municipalities, this problem will be easily dealt with and the municipalities will thus be able to effectively implement credit control and collection policies.
The Bill also introduces the concept of customer care and management with regard to credit control and debt collection. This system aims to create positive and reciprocal relationships between persons liable for these payments and the municipality.
It further directs municipal councils to adopt, maintain and implement credit control and debt collection. This will correct the practice currently employed of introducing credit control and debt collection haphazardly and without proper policies.
Municipal councils will also be able to identify those people who can afford to pay, but do not pay, for services rendered by making provision for indigent debtors and also be able to differentiate between different categories of ratepayers or users of services.
In conclusion, the White Paper on Local Government states that local government has a critical role to play in consolidating our new democracy, and it is up to each councillor, each official and each citizen to make their contribution in the area where they live and work. The Bill is one of the most important and critical building blocks that facilitate and promote democratic and developmental local governments.
Finally, on behalf of the ANC in the Western Cape, I want to say that we have been waiting for this kind of governance and that we therefore support the Bill. [Time expired.] [Applause.]