Chairperson and hon members, the 2009 ANC Election Manifesto clearly states that we must be proud of our past and be confident of the future. For 97 years the ANC has led the struggle to bring about a South Africa that belongs to all people, black and white. We moved on to embrace the unity of all South Africans, irrespective of race, colour, culture and religion.
This unity is the source of our strength and inspired many who sacrificed their lives for us to attain our freedom and helped us to cope with and tolerate each other in the ANC. The 1994 and 2004 elections were about the aspirations and the collective desire for a better South Africa and a journey to bring an end to the legacy of apartheid.
Fifteen years into our democracy, together we have achieved much in building a new society, uniting all our people in reducing poverty. Much of the economic and social devastation of apartheid as well as its scars are still with us. However, in December 2007, the ANC met in Polokwane where delegates brought messages from South Africans of different cities and towns and from different rural areas. They brought these problems and we talked about those that we know: the challenges of unemployment, poverty, and challenges of poor service delivery.
We heard and shared experiences about many municipalities which are dysfunctional. During the door-to-door campaigns, we heard what people said. In our resolutions, as the ANC, we agreed to come up with a turnaround strategy which would be an intervention to overcome all these challenges.
With the changing conditions, environment and political consciousness we will turn around all the so-called instability in municipalities. We have 283 municipalities and 48 district municipalities in this country. According to our statistics, we had only 24 protests about service delivery. But now it seems, Mr Doman, as if the whole country is ungovernable.
Yini ihaba kangaka? [Why are you exaggerating so much?]
We know that some of the communities have valid reasons for why they are protesting. We know that some communities demand proper consultation and some are complaining about poor service delivery and public participation in some structures; and poor financial management and fraud and corruption in others. In those affected municipalities, the department has managed to use section 139 as an intervention strategy required by the Constitution. There is also a team from the national Ministry that is travelling around the country doing interventions, interviewing communities and holding meetings with stakeholders. The Sunday Times newspaper dated 16 August 2009 also published the Mpumalanga report on this.
Sihlalo siyati futsi kutsi tonkhe letiphitsiphitsi naletibhelu lesitibonako nalokungavisisani kwetakhamuti. Lokunye kubangwa yimincele, sibonelo, sikubonile kwenteka eMatatiele nakumasipala waseMoutse.
Silikomiti, sivumelene naNgcongcoshe, babe Sicelo Shiceka, kutsi sitawucala kabusha luhlelo lwekuvakashela tonkhe letindzawo letitsintsekako kuva kutsi bantfu bona batsini; bafuna kuwela ngakuphi. Siyati singuleNdlu kutsi ludlame lwemincele alupheli kungakatsatfwa tinyatselo letisemtsetfweni.
Lokunye futsi lesikubonile lokubanga letibhelu lesitibonako kufudvuka kwebantfu basuka kulenye indzawo baye kulenye, lesikubita ngekutsi kutfutsa. Kwandza imikhukhu lengenamanti, lenganato tindlu tangasese. Ngesintfu sakitsi sitsi, "Leyomile iya emtfonjeni." Bafudvukela etindzaweni ngenhloso yekuyofuna imisebenti.
UMhlonishwa, babe Zuma ukhulumile ngelilanga lekubekwa kwakhe njengeMengameli walelive, watsi:
For as long as there are communities without clean water, decent shelter or proper sanitation, we shall not rest, and we dare not falter, in our drive to eradicate poverty.
Nantsi-ke sisho njalo. (Translation of Siswati paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, we also know that some of these protests, riots and conflicts that we see amongst community members, are caused by the issue of boundaries, for example, we saw it happening in the Matatiele and Moutse municipalities.
As a committee, we agreed with the Minister, Mr Sicelo Shiceka, that we will resume the programme of visiting all these places to find out which municipalities people want to belong to. We know as the House that these protests will not end if legal steps are not taken.
Another issue which we have identified as a cause of these protests is the movement of people from one place to another, which we call migration. More informal settlements without clean water and proper sanitation are created. People move to a place where they see an opportunity to benefit. So they move to these places to search for jobs.
The hon Mr Zuma on the day of his inauguration as President of the country, said:
For as long as there are communities without clean water, decent shelter or proper sanitation, we shall not rest, and we dare not falter, in our drive to eradicate poverty.
We also share the same sentiments.]
Chairperson, part of the turnaround strategy is that municipalities must have debt recovery plans that will address backlogs over the medium term and the long term and the capacity to generate revenue. In this regard, ultimatums of implementation are crucial to be able to achieve the target date for 2011.
In order to make sure that the disseminated information reaches the intended beneficiaries, ward councillors must be revived and be supported with the necessary tools of their trade, such as offices in which to operate. That is when councillors will be vibrant in calling report-back meetings and be accountable to the communities they serve.
The latest Markinor public opinion and perception surveys of May 2009 show that the majority of our people have very low levels of confidence in their municipalities. This negative perception of the state of local government is also common across all parties.
With the intervention that we have put in place, the ANC is very confident that we will bring back confidence and hope to our people by rooting out all the corruption and throwing out all the rotten apples which do not want to deliver.
We are now approaching the local government elections. By going back to the people and listening to their views, we will be able to get individuals who influence people to protest against those who are in authority, so that they can be elected to those positions.
Since we are nearing the end of the month of August, I would like to congratulate women in the provincial and local governments who successfully had their 7th Summit in Bloemfontein from 16 to 18 August 2009. We hope that their discussions will enable us to get 50% representation of women in the forthcoming local government elections.
To conclude, I would like to extend my sympathy to those families who have been affected by these protests, some of whom had their houses burnt down. We all know that the victims of these incidents are women and children. We urge those perpetrators to stop this. It is barbaric and inhumane. We know that they are doing this for political gain. I thank you. [Applause.]