Voorsitter, enigiemand wat glo dat munisipale dienste aan inwoners sedert 1994 verbeter het, leef in 'n droomwreld. Daar is tans 136 munisipaliteite wat in gevolge Projek Konsolideer deur die staat gehelp moet word om uit die administratiewe en finansile gemors waarin hul hulself bevind, te kom. Hierdie hulp het nodig geword, hoofsaaklik vanwe die feit dat daar weens politieke redes, asook regstellende aksie, swak bestuur in plaaslike owerhede toegepas word.
Kundige amptenare het bloot die trekpas gekry en is in baie gevalle deur persone vervang wat nie oor die nodige ervaring of agtergrond van plaaslike bestuur beskik het om hul pligte na behore te kon uitoefen nie. Dit is dus nie die regering wat uit eie inisiatief by wyse van Projek Konsolideer dit nodig geag het om opleiding en hulp aan plaaslike owerhede te verleen nie, maar hulle is daartoe gedwing ten einde die absolute chaos wat in munisipaliteite ontstaan het, hok te slaan.
Daar is nog baie munisipaliteite wat jaarliks gekwalifiseerde ouditverslae ontvang. Daar is inderdaad min plaaslike owerhede wat behoorlike finansile beheer uitoefen. Jaar n jaar word korrupsie, soos byvoorbeeld in die Bitou- munisipaliteit, oopgevlek en as daar comrades by betrokke is, word dit baie stadig hanteer of bloot onder die mat ingevee. So byvoorbeeld is die munisipale bestuurder van die Bitou-munisipaliteit steeds deur die staat gebruik om kwansuis die sake by die Kannaland-munisipaliteit reg te ruk, alhoewel daar op daardie stadium reeds korrupsieklagte teen hom aanhanging gemaak is. Praat van vir wolf skaapwagter maak!
Een van die doelwitte van die regering was om aan behoeftige huishoudings gratis munisipale dienste te verskaf en dit is ook reg so. Staatsgelde word vir hierdie doel aan munisipaliteite beskikbaar gestel. Daar is egter nog etlike munisipaliteite waar hierdie gelde nie vir die regte doel aangewend word nie. Baie ander gelde word ook jaarliks deur die staat aan munisipaliteite beskikbaar gestel vir infrastruktuur, maar is dit duidelik dat sodanige gelde selde behoorlik en volledig aangewend word.
Die wil van die staat is dus moontlik daar om munisipaliteite te laat presteer, maar dit is ver verwyderd van wat werklik op grondvlak gebeur. Dit is dus nie verbasend dat gemeenskappe en baie plaaslike owerhede gereelde optogte en betogings teen swak dienslewering hou nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr M SWART: Chairperson, anyone who believes that the municipal services rendered to citizens have improved since 1994, is living in a dream world. Presently there are 136 municipalities that are being assisted by the state under Project Consolidate to help them out of their financial and administrative troubles in which they find themselves. This assistance was necessitated primarily because of poor management exercised by local government as a result of political reasons, as well as affirmative action.
Skilled officials were merely given the boot and were replaced, in many instances, by people who did not have the necessary experience or background of local government to carry out their duties properly. It is therefore not the state, of its own volition and by way of Project Consolidate, that thought it necessary to train and provide assistance to the local governments, but it was forced to intervene in order to arrest the absolute chaos that was developing in municipalities.
There are still many municipalities that receive qualified audit reports every year. In fact, there are very few local authorities that exercise proper financial control. Year after year corruption is exposed, as in the case of the Bitou Municipality, and if there are comrades involved, the matter is delayed or merely swept under the carpet. For example, the manager of the Bitou Municipality is still being used by the state ostensibly to get the house of the Kannaland Municipality in order, although at that juncture charges of corruption had already been instituted against him. Is this not a case of setting the wolf to keep the sheep?
One of the objectives of the government was to provide free municipal services to indigent families, and that is also in order. Government funds are provided to municipalities specifically for this purpose. There are, however, still several municipalities where these funds are not utilised for the intended purpose. Many other funds are made available annually to municipalities for infrastructure by the government, but it is clear that such funds are rarely appropriated in a proper and thorough manner.
It is possible that the state has the desire for municipalities to perform; however, it is far removed from what actually transpires on the ground. It is therefore not surprising that communities and many local authorities stage regular protest marches and demonstrations against poor service delivery.]
I trust that Mrs Yengeni has noticed the absence of both the Minister and the Deputy Minister in this debate. I don't blame them. They might be shy about their achievements to date. [Applause.]