Agb Adjunkspeaker, in terme van die Begroting word R77,3 miljard toegedeel aan plaaslike regerings, maar as ons gaan kyk op plaaslike regeringsvlak, dan sien ons die agterstallige skulde in terme van dienstegelde beloop meer as R60 miljard. Met ander woorde, dit beteken dat as mense hul rekenings vir water en ligte betaal, dit nie nodig sal wees dat belastingbetalers se geld verder verdeel moet word aan plaaslike regerings nie. Dit is tog immers die kern van plaaslike regering dat 'n munisipaliteit vir homself kan sorg.
Dit is egter 'n geval van ons stadsrade wat dink dat daar op nasionale vlak 'n onuitputbare bron van geld is. Ons kan maar geld mors; ons hoef nie ons agterstallige dienstegelde te in nie, want die nasionale regering sal voorsien. Drom is R77,3 miljard aan plaaslike regerings toegedeel.
Ek wil vandag vir u s dit is onbillik teenoor daardie belastingbetalers wat wel vir hul dienste betaal, want op die ou end is dit maar net weer hl belastinggeld wat van nasionale vlak na plaaslike regeringsvlak afgewentel word, waar hulle gesubsidieer word. Daar moet ernstig gekyk word na die plaaslike regeringsvlak. Soos die vorige spreker ges het, as bevoegde amptenare op plaaslike regeringsvlak aangestel word, sal dit al beter gaan, maar die houding is dat as die geld op is, dan word dit maar net weer van bo gevra.
In 2010-11 is slegs 71% op infrastruktuur gespandeer. Met ander woorde, die geld is daar, maar as gevolg van onbevoegdheid word dit nie gebruik om daardie noodsaaklike infrastruktuur op plaaslike regeringsvlak te vestig nie. Dit is dan geen wonder dat mense in die strate hardloop en betoog teen swak dienslewering nie. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Hon Deputy Speaker, in terms of the Budget, R77,3 billion has been allocated to local authorities, but looking at the local authority level we see the outstanding debt for service charges now totalling more than R60 billion. In other words, this means that if only people would pay their water and electricity accounts it would not be necessary to further distribute taxpayer's money to local authorities. Surely, at the core of local authorities lies a municipality's ability to take care of itself.
However, it is a case of our town councils who imagine that there is a never-ending supply of money at national level. We can just waste the funds; we don't have to collect our outstanding service fees, because national government will provide. That is the reason why R77,3 billion had to be allocated to local authorities. I'm telling you today that this is unfair towards those taxpayers who do pay for their services, because, at the end of the day, it is once again their tax money that is simply being devolved from the national level to the level of local authorities, where they are being subsidised. The local authority level should be seriously investigated. As the previous speaker was saying, if competent officials could be appointed at local authority level, things would already improve, but for now the attitude remains that once the funds have been spent, more can simply be requested from upstairs.
In 2010-11 only 71% was spent on infrastructure. In other words, the money is there, but because of incompetence it is not being used to establish the necessary infrastructure at the local authority level. It is no wonder, therefore, that people are running through the streets protesting against poor service delivery.]