Mr Chairperson, once again local government finds itself in a crisis, and the latest violent demonstrations bear testimony to this. We find communities without water, sanitation or electricity, and without decent roads, schools and clinics. Fifteen years down the line they are no better off but are, in fact, worse off as the recent recession finds more and more people unemployed.
During July, the DA's parliamentary leader the hon Athol Trollip, hon Doman and I visited hotspot areas around the country and found the situation disastrous. Promises were made and expectations created in order to win votes, but the same individuals who had made those promises are nowhere to be found post the election. The frustrations of these communities are ignored.
The placing of a few police vehicles outside the informal settlements, as we have observed, will not change the mood within the townships. Service delivery issues, as well as housing, need to be addressed as a matter of urgency and should dominate debates in this House.
The time is now. We must take action to help communities that are living in squalor and rat-infested townships. We must take steps to assist communities living in unacceptable living conditions where adults and children alike are exposed to infections and diseases as part of their daily lives.
Most of the people we spoke to during our visits have been on the housing waiting list since 1996. What has happened to that list of 1996, Minister? Why have the people on those lists not yet received their houses? Who are the people who are receiving preferential treatment, and why?
We met with some who have now, out of sheer frustration, moved into RDP houses built in their own areas, but allocated to other people. We also saw first-hand the quality of these houses: The structures are falling apart, water connections as well as sewerage systems are not connected and there is no electricity. How could such a project be signed off and the unscrupulous contractor paid?
We need to ask these questions so that the problems can be addressed, and those involved must be held to account. The fact of the matter is that our citizens deserve better. Let us learn from good examples such as those set by Helen Zille, the best mayor in the world! [Interjections.]
Salga has, on behalf of the municipalities, without the correct mandate, negotiated a 13% increase which municipalities have not budgeted for. This, Minister, will put further strain on municipalities and will result in less services being delivered. Work ethics and productivity, strangely, were not addressed in these negotiations, thus making municipal labour very expensive. Vandalism of council-owned assets and private property should be billed to the unions.
Furthermore, the exorbitant membership fees to Salga which run into hundreds of millions of rands, should rather be used for service delivery instead of being wasted on a structure that does not really represent the true views of its members.
Finally, I would like to address the financial viability of municipalities. The rates and taxes accounting systems have been changed. But instead of improving the situation, billing has been plunged into disarray, and now accounts are not sent out on time. As a result, outstanding debt owed to municipalities is increasing, further crippling efforts to improve service delivery. Credit control measures are not taken seriously, and debts keep on rising without action being taken. Shortfalls cannot be addressed simply by raising taxes simply to balance budgets. Our rates base is overloaded already, and we are facing a situation where residents can no longer afford it. Only when debt control measures have been addressed can we begin to provide free and proper services.
A few days ago we learnt of problems facing Tshwane. Not only did they exhaust the R500 million overdraft, but now they cannot pay Eskom or Rand Water. We also found that at the end of June 2009, debt owed to them amounted to R3,4 billion, and that a huge chunk of it is owed by government departments.
A leading jurist once said:
If government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for the law. It invites anarchy.
In order to prevent anarchy, we must ensure that our government and its representatives are held to account. Thank you. [Applause.]