Agb Voorsitter en Minister, ek aanvaar ek kan die IVP se tydgleuf vat. Hulle het vir my ges ek mag dit gebruik. Agb Minister, u kom na hierdie podium en vertel vir die mense van Suid-Afrika hoe wonderlik dit eintlik gaan op plaaslike regeringsvlak. U gee vir die mense die rekord van die regering aangaande water wat gelewer word en alles wat daarmee gepaard gaan.
As dit dan so wonderlik gaan, hoe is dit moontlik dat daar, volgens die statistiek van die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens, die afgelope vier jaar meer as 3 000 stakings en protesoptogte was teen swak dienslewering? Dit beteken ongeveer twee protesoptogte per dag. Die Gautengse Kommissaris van Polisie het nou ook aangekondig dat daar hierdie jaar in Gauteng alleen gemiddeld 16 protesoptogte per dag was teen swak dienslewering.
Ek wil 'n provinsie soos Noordwes noem. Verlede jaar was dit die tweede agtereenvolgende jaar wat nie een enkele munisipaliteit in Noordwes 'n skoon ouditverslag kon lewer nie ten spyte daarvan dat hulle R29 miljoen gespandeer het aan konsultante net om hul ouditstate op te stel. En u wil vir die mense s dat dit goed gaan? Daar is 'n nuwe tendens, en dit is dat geld wat verbruikers vir elektrisiteit en water betaal, wanaangewend word deur munisipaliteite. Munisipaliteite betaal nie hul rekeninge nie en dan word die munisipaliteit deur Eskom en die waterraad gedreig dat hul water en elektrisiteit afgesluit gaan word.
Minister, u moet nie dink dat water nie afgesluit kan word nie, want dis mos nou 'n grondwetlike reg. Ek wil vir u na die Matlosana Plaaslike Munisipaliteit toe neem. Die watervoorsiener daar het my reguit ges dat hulle nie die geld het om hul masjienerie aan die gang te hou nie. Met ander woorde, hulle kan nie produksie lewer nie, want hul operasionele koste het eenvoudig in duie gestort, want die munisipaliteit betaal nie sy water nie.
Plaaslike regering is in 'n krisis. U moet optree. Ek praat nie eens van korrupsie nie. In die hele Noordwes word elke munisipaliteit deur die Spesiale Ondersoekeenheid, die SOE, ondersoek. Dis 'n korrupte spul, want u gaan voort met kaderontplooiing wat nie die vermo het om behoorlike administrasie en dienste te lewer nie. U penaliseer nou die verbruiker.
Wanneer 'n munisipaliteit se krag afgesluit word, dan is u die verantwoordelike persoon wat 'n krisis vir die ekonomiese ontwikkeling van daardie munisipaliteit veroorsaak het. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Hon Chairperson and Minister, I take it I can use the timeslot of the IFP. They have told me I may use it. Hon Minister, you come to this rostrum and tell the people how wonderful things actually are at local government level. You provide the people with a record of government in respect of the water that is being delivered and all that goes with it.
If things are so wonderful, then how is it possible, according to the statistics from the SA Police Service, that there were more than 3 000 strike actions and protest marches against poor service delivery over the past four years? This means about two protest marches per day. The Gauteng Commissioner of Police has now also announced that, in Gauteng alone for this year, there were on average 16 protest marches per day against poor service delivery.
I want to mention a province such as North West. Last year was the second consecutive year in which not one municipality in North West could submit a clean audit report, despite spending R29 million on consultants for just drawing up their audit statements. And you want to tell the people that all is well?
There is a new trend, namely that the money paid by the consumers for electricity and water is now being misappropriated by the municipalities. Municipalities are not paying their bills and then a municipality will be warned by Eskom and the water board that its water and electricity will be cut off. Minister, do not think that water cannot be cut off just because it is a constitutional right. I want to take you to the Matlosana Local Municipality. The water supplier there has told me openly that they do not have the finances to keep their machinery going. In other words, they cannot keep up the production because their operational costs have simply collapsed, since the municipality is not paying for its water.
Local government is in crisis. You have to act. I'm not even mentioning corruption. In the whole of the North West every municipality is being investigated by the Special Investigating Unit, the SIU. It is a corrupt business, because you keep on deploying cadres who are not capable of delivering proper administration and services. You are now penalising the consumer.
When a municipality has its electricity cut off, you are the person responsible for bringing on a crisis for the economic development of that municipality. I thank you.]