Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon MECs, hon colleagues, guests and visitors, I am glad to be part of today's debate about co-operative governance. Local government is one of the most important responsibilities of national and provincial government. If these two spheres of government do not attend to this responsibility, I believe that we are going to have more problems and chaos than we have with crime today. Every one of these three spheres will have to take responsibility and join hands to make a success of the turnaround strategy.
Ek moet die agb Minister gelukwens met sy gedagte van 'n omkeerstrategie en die gedagte van ouditverslae sonder kwalifikasies. Om dit reg te kry, gaan groot verantwoordelikheid en dissipline vereis. Waar gaan hy begin? Wat is die probleem? Wie is die skuldiges? Sommige munisipaliteite kry dit reg om uitstekende diens te lewer. Die inwoners is gelukkig; die ekonomie groei in hierdie gebiede, terwyl daar gebiede is waar baie swak of geen diens gelewer word nie. In di gebiede val die totale infrastruktuur uitmekaar; inwoners kom in opstand en daar is massabetogings wat baie skade aanrig en verwoesting saai.
Dit is opmerklik dat in gevalle waar bekwame raadslede en kundige amptenare in beheer is, is diens ook van 'n baie ho gehalte. Daar is baie munisipaliteite onder administrasie, ingevolge artikel 131 van die Grondwet. Ons het verskeie van di munisipaliteite besoek, en jy kan nie glo dat so 'n chaotieses situasie kan ontstaan nie. In die meeste gevalle sukkel die betrokkenes om politieke optrede en verantwoordelikheid van regeringspligte te skei. Dit is die kern van die probleem by die meeste rade wat onder administrasie is. Raadslede, en veral amptenare, kan nie beloon word met ho poste omdat hulle goeie partygenote is nie. Dit is die gemeenskap se geld. Ons was by plekke waar die burgemeester 'n groep het, en die Speaker 'n groep het, en elke groep het 'n deel van die amptenary wat slaafs alles doen wat hulle vra, alles in eie belang.
Daar is 'n dorp in die Suid-Kaap waar die amptenare hor posisies as die raadslede in die partystruktuur beklee. Politieke partye moet hul raadslede beheer, sodat hulle die amptenare kan leiding gee. Wetgewing om raadslede se optrede te beheer, sal gemaak moet word. Byvoorbeeld, 'n raadslid word deur die raad en provinsiale Minister geskors, as gevolg van klagtes van bedrog, maar hy stel hom weer verkiesbaar en word weer verkies. Wat het hierdie hele episode gekos? Hierdie gebeurtenisse maak van die huidige wetgewing 'n bespotting.
In die Eden-distriksmunisipaliteit het die destydse burgemeester regstappe teen die raad gedoen. Hy het nie die aanstelling van die munisipale bestuurder gesteun nie. Hy verloor die saak met koste. Die DA-koalisie haal hom uit, en hy kom terug na twee jaar en skryf die bedrag af, saam met sy ANC-maats. Dit kos R100 000.
Artikel 56-aanstellings is 'n groot probleem. 'n Persoon word beskuldig of aangekla van 'n oortreding, en as hy besef hy gaan skuldig bevind word, bedank hy en beweeg voort. Hy verskoon homself dat hy met die burgemeester of raad probleme gehad het, want hulle beweer hy behoort aan 'n ander politieke party. Hierdie mense moet verhoor word as hulle aangekla word en hulle moet skuldig of onskuldig bevind word. Dan moet daar 'n register wees waar al hul oortredings aangedui word. Daar kan so 'n register opgebou word.
Agb Minister, u moet hier 'n voorbeeld stel, en ek kan die aanstelling van mnr George Seitisho nie regverdig nie. Hy het munisipale geld vir homself gebruik. Hy het dit wel terugbetaal, maar is daar nie nog sake teen hom aanhangig nie? Ek moet hierop ook reageer: Minister, u aanval teen Wes-Kaap en Kaapstad, dink ek, is ongegrond. Ek is ontsteld, want ek het baie munisipaliteite oor die land besoek waar toestande haglik is. As ons politiek maak van hierdie kwessie, gaan ons probleme h.
Op Oudtshoorn is so pas twee artikel 56-aanstellings gemaak. Geen bewyse van misstappe is beskikbaar nie, maar dit blyk dat hier 'n lang lys aanklagte ontglip het.
Die boekhoustelsel van munisipaliteite is baie kompleks, en die meeste rade sukkel om 'n skoon ouditverslag te kry. Interne oudits en ouditkomitees word misbruik en dien glad nie in hulle doel nie. Onafhanklike interne oudits moet gedoen word wat dan aan die provinsie of 'n onafhanklike liggaam voorgel moet word, en wat nie deur die burgemeester of munisipale bestuurder gemanipuleer kan word nie. Onafhanklike ouditkomitees kan as waghond vir 'n streek dien. Ek glo interne ouditering is 'n praktyk wat geweldig baie in bestuur kan help, nie net om bedrog te voorkom nie, maar ook om dienslewering te verbeter. In di geval is dit belangrik dat opgeleide, gekwalifiseerde persone volgens die "fit for purpose"-beginsel aangestel word.
Politieke mag is verantwoordelik vir baie probleme. As twee partye byna ewe veel raadslede het, dan het klein partytjies die mag om beheer van een kant na die ander te swaai. Op di manier word snaakse transaksies gedoen wat dienslewering benadeel en nie tot voordeel van die stelsel is nie. Daar moet in sulke gevalle gekyk word na 'n stelsel om hierdie probleem aan te pak. 'n Groot probleem op derde vlak-regering is ongegronde mandate. Indien, in die lewering van 'n diens, die verantwoordelikheid daarvan aan 'n bepaalde sfeer gegee word, moet die finansiering daarvan ook voorsien word. Elkeen se verantwoordelikheid en pligte moet duidelik omskryf word.
Die druk op plaaslike regering word te hoog, en hul finansiering word onmoontlik. Belasting styg, en dit word onmoontlik vir pensionarisse om hul belastingverpligtinge na te kom. Plaaslike regering is die hart van ons lewenswyse, en ons moet met sorg daarna omsien. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[I must congratulate the hon Minister on his idea of a turnaround strategy and the notion of audit reports without qualifications. Getting it right is going to require considerable responsibility and discipline. Where to start? What is the problem? Who are the culprits? Some municipalities manage to provide excellent service. The residents are happy; the economy is growing in these areas; meanwhile there are areas where very poor or no service delivery is provided. The entire infrastructure is disintegrating in these areas; residents are protesting and causing a great deal of damage and destruction due to mass demonstrations.
It is noteworthy that where competent council members and capable public servants are in charge, service is also of a high standard. There are many municipalities under administration, in terms of section 131 of the Constitution. We visited several of these municipalities, and you cannot believe that such a chaotic situation could arise. In most cases those concerned are struggling to distinguish between political action and responsibility, and government's obligations. This is at the root of the problem with the majority of councils that are under administration. Councillors, and especially public servants, should not be rewarded with high-ranking positions because they are fine political allies. It is the public's money. We visited areas where the mayor and the Speaker each has a group that is loyal to them, and each group has a part of the bureaucracy who slavishly does everything they ask for, all for personal gain.
There is a town in the Southern Cape where the public servants hold higher- ranking positions in the party structures than the councillors. Political parties should manage their councillors, for them to provide leadership to the public servants. Legislation should be provided to regulate the conduct of councillors. For example, a councillor is suspended by the council and the provincial Minister owing to accusations of fraud, but he again makes himself available as a candidate for office, and is again elected. How much did this whole episode cost? Incidents like these make a mockery of the current legislation.
In the Eden District Municipality the mayor at that time instituted legal proceedings against the council. He did not support the appointment of the municipal manager. He lost the case with costs. The DA coalition removed him from office but he returned after two years, and, together with his ANC comrades, wrote off the money owed. The costs were R100 000.
Section 56 appointments are a huge problem. A person is accused of or charged with an offence, and when he realises that he is going to be found guilty, he resigns and moves on. He absolves himself by stating that he has problems with the mayor or council, because they are claiming that he is a member of another political party. These people should be prosecuted when they are charged, and found guilty or innocent. There should then also be a register where all their offences are recorded. Such a register should be established.
Hon Minister, you should set the example here, and I cannot justify the appointment of Mr George Seitisho. He spent municipal funds on himself. He did in fact pay it back, but are there not other cases pending against him? I must respond to this as well: Minister, your attack on the Western Cape and Cape Town, I think, was without foundation. I am upset because I have visited many municipalities across the country where the conditions are appalling. If we are going to politicise this issue, we are going to have problems.
Just recently, two section 56 appointments were made in Oudtshoorn. No proof of wrongdoing is available in this instance, but it appears that a long list of charges has been given the slip.
The accounting system of municipalities is very complicated, and most councils struggle to get a clean audit. Internal audits and audit committees are abused, and are not serving their purpose at all. Independent internal audits should be done and reported to the province or an independent body, which cannot be manipulated by the mayor or the municipal manager. Independent audit committees can serve as watchdogs in a region. I believe that internal auditing is a practice that can greatly assist with regard to management, not just to prevent corruption, but also to improve service delivery. For this reason it is important that trained, qualified people are appointed in accordance with the "fit for purpose" principle.
Political power is responsible for many problems. Where two parties have more or less the same number of councillors, the smaller parties have the power to sway control from the one party to the other. In this case questionable deals are made that are detrimental to service delivery and not advantageous for the system. In such cases a system has to be devised to address this problem. A serious problem at the level of the third sphere of government is unfounded mandates. If, with regard to the delivery of service, the responsibility thereof is given to a particular sphere, the funding for it should also be provided. Everyone's responsibility and obligations should be clearly defined.
The pressure on local government is becoming too much to bear, and its funding is becoming impossible. Rates are increasing and it is becoming impossible for pensioners to meet their obligations as ratepayers. Local government is central to our way of life and we should pay careful attention to it. [Applause.]]