In the first year after their appointment the Minister and Deputy Minister have demonstrated the political will to affect a turnaround in local government. Both have pledged, and forcibly so, to root out corruption and ensure that councillors are held to account and that service delivery improves.
The hon Minister even confessed that the best comrades are not always to be found at municipalities, as they serve in the provincial and national spheres. If I look across the benches, I don't know whether I can agree. [Interjections.]
Both Ministers conceded that power struggles within the ANC are having a devastating effect on municipalities. The hon Deputy Minister also recently warned in a speech that it is not for the party structures to micromanage councillors, especially as this sometimes has less to do with ensuring that councillors perform effectively and more to do with influencing tenders and interfering in the appointment of managers and staff.
I respect you for the views that you take. In your efforts, however, you must demonstrate that you uphold the distinction between the state and the party, as prescribed in our Constitution. Minister, a case in point is your interference in the North West province municipalities where it is not clear whether there is a ministerial task team and report or whether it is only an ANC one. If it is only by the party, what authority does such a report give you to act in your ministerial capacity? And then, of course, your department cannot fund such a report and team.
Make no mistake; we support intervention in this particular case, but it must be done correctly. In this context it is also alarming that in a letter to the mayor of Bitou, written on the Ministry's letterhead and signed by you in April last year, in which you requested an official to be seconded to Ventersdorp Local Municipality, you motivated to Bitou that in Ventersdorp - and then you gave six good reasons, yes, but you went on to confuse the party with state - there was a dysfunctional caucus, weak political leadership, political instability and a lack of political cohesion.
These reasons are confusing the state and the party. What caucuses do is not the task of your ministerial position. We, as the DA, fully recognise your right to go on party visits and even unannounced visits, but be careful of pitfalls, as you have learned from the hon Fransman last year in Cape Town, and communicate your findings and concerns through the right channels, as the intergovernmental framework legislation prescribes.
Voorsitter, die krisis by die meeste munisipaliteite vererger by die dag. As 'n verslag aandui dat slegs 32 uit die 970 rioolwerke in die land ordentlik funksioneer, is dit geen wonder dat iemand van die platteland ges het: "Ons klein dorpies ruik jy eers voordat jy dit sien." 'n Mens kry ook 'n wrang smaak in jou mond as 63% van die munisipaliteite nie kan bevestig dat hulle die riglyne vir watergebruik nakom nie.
Die Minister en sy departement kan geluk gewens word dat hulle hierdie krisis aanpak en met 'n omkeerstrategie kom wat ook 'n skoon ouditveldtog insluit. Ons het al Projek Konsolideer gehad; ons het 'n vyfjaar strategiese plan wat nou nog aan die hardloop is, en daarom het 'n mens ook 'n vraag in jou: As hierdie goed nie 'n impak gemaak het nie, wat gaan hierdie omkeerstrategie bewerkstellig? Die Minister het ten minste reg begin. Hy het wyd gekonsulteer; hy het onverskrokke en eerlik knelpunte uitgewys; en hy het die burgemeesters en raadslede self betrokke gekry. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, the crises at most of the municipalities are getting worse by the day. When a report indicates that only 32 of the 970 sewerage works in the country are functioning properly, it is no wonder that somebody from the rural areas commented: "You can smell our small towns before you see them." It also leaves a bad taste in one's mouth when 63% of the municipalities are unable to confirm that they are complying with the guidelines for water use.
The Minister and his department we to be congratulated for tackling these crises with a turnaround strategy that also includes a clean audit campaign. We already had Project Consolidate; we have a five-year strategic plan which is still in operation, and therefore this begs the question: If these efforts could not make an impact, what is this turnaround strategy going to achieve? The Minister at least started in the right way. He consulted widely; he fearlessly and honestly identified bottle-necks; and he got the mayors and councillors involved.]
The turnaround strategy will, however, not be successful unless we address the three Cs, as Adv Paul Hoffman from the Institute of Accountability in Southern Africa put it to the Ad Hoc Committee on Service Delivery. These are corruption, cadre deployment and capacity constraints. I agree with Adv Hoffman that the problem with corruption is that the chances of getting caught are slim, and the prospects of successful prosecution and dismissal are even slimmer. So a culture of impunity has been created, especially in our country's municipalities. [Interjections.]
The purpose of cadre deployment is to get safe party hands on all levels of power. The DA agrees that as far as political positions are concerned, it is a party matter, but when it comes to staffing the public administration or staffing the municipalities, it is a different matter. Public servants are employees of the state, not deployees of the ruling party.
This brings us directly to the third C: Capacity constraints. Our country has a shortage of skills, and the rural municipalities have an even bigger shortage. On top of this we have the ANC-controlled municipalities that have really made a mess of transformation and affirmative action, and up until today have even left positions vacant for months on end until they can appoint not only a black person but a connected cadre who can be placed in that position.
The turnaround strategy will only be successful if you, Minister, can change the attitude of ANC mayors and councillors. For them the slogan, "Together we can do more" has a totally different meaning. For them it means, "Together we can abuse more credit cards for our own benefit; together we can buy luxury vehicles for ourselves". [Interjections.] During our recent visit to the North West province, I found that the poorer the area, the bigger the Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and Audis, and the longer the blue-light brigades that the mayors and Speakers splash out on. Apparently it is also "Together, we can do more jobs for our pals".
Let's compare the West Coast District Municipality with the Alfred Nzo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape. They have a population of the same size. The executive mayor of the West Coast District Municipality has 17 staff members; the executive mayor of Alfred Nzo has 45, and they don't know what they should do. The West Coast District Municipality spent a total of 28% of its budget on staff; Alfred Nzo spent 70% of its budget on staff. Since Alfred Nzo is poorer than the West Coast, you can imagine how little is left for service delivery. [Interjections.]
It was also decided in Alfred Nzo that "We can do more" and a former uMkhonto weSizwe soldier, who is a total disaster, was appointed as chief financial officer. [Interjections.] The West Coast District Municipality appointed the best candidate on merit, and Mr H H Prins is not a white person. No one can tell me to which party he belongs because that didn't ever come into the equation. Yes, it is, "Together, we can do more contracts for our pals; together, we can do more money under the table for ourselves". [Interjections.]
The ANC is really in trouble, serious trouble, when 14 of their councillors at two municipalities in Limpopo were summarily dismissed for asking too many questions about illegal tenders which included the company of Mr Julius Malema, SGL Engineering Projects. [Interjections.] Last Wednesday they had to go to court, and the ANC was stopped in its tracks to fill these vacancies. Now it seems to me that the ANC slogan is, "Together we can do more; we can victimise those who speak out against fraud and corruption".
Voorsitter, as 'n mens na die oorgrote meerderheid van ANC-beheerde munisipaliteite kyk, kry jy die indruk dat die ANC-raadslede nie werklik omgee vir die mense nie, maar waar die DA regeer, is dit 'n perd van 'n ander kleur. Dit is 'n eiland waar daar geblom word. Hulle sal die billikheidstoelae en al die dinge reg gebruik hier in die Wes-Kaap, en daarom hoef u, Minister, u nie te bekommer oor waar die DA regeer nie. Daar sal goed regeer word.
Dit bring my by die feit dat 24 munisipaliteite onder administrasie is, maar nie een in die Noord-Kaap en Limpopo nie. Is daardie uitvoerende komitees en raadslede te bang om op te tree? Ons het aksie nodig. Dankie, Voorsitter. [Tyd verstreke.] [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, when one looks at the vast majority of ANC-controlled municipalities, one gets the impression that the ANC councillors do not really care about the people, but where the DA is governing, it is a different story. It is an island where everything flourishes. They will use the equity grant and everything else correctly here in the Western Cape, Minister, and that is why you do not need to worry about the DA-led municipalities. There will be good governance.
This brings me to the fact that 24 municipalities are under administration, but not a single one of them is in the Northern Cape and Limpopo. Are those executive committees and councillors too afraid to act? We need action. Thank you, Chairperson. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]